That sounds like a whole lot of work for very little gain. I would have kept the 6.

 

I agree that Fantomworks is one of the better show. I saw the F1 episode too and couldn't help but think that Dan should have logged into FTE. There are probably dozens of guys on here that could have helped him. Just a search of the '49-'56 forum would have yielded a lot of help.

But then on the other hand this if entertainment TV and if they made it seem too easy the producers probably think people wouldn't watch it. They always want some level of drama. The most common is that they won't make a deadline.

 

Man folks just love to beat up on the 226 don't they! I remember when I first started here several years ago and was asking questions about my draft tube ( or lack thereof), a member pm'd me and told me I was wasting my money rebuilding a 226!

I just came through the mountains this past weekend on a primitive mountain camping trip loaded with all my gear, firewood, and dog and that 226 pulled like a mule. I ran 55 for about 30 minutes at one point in a flat section of the trip. Total trip was 2.5 hours through tough mountainous roads and my temp gauge didn't even budge. Stayed with traffic the whole way.

I love my 226 - although my 52 has a long stroke 8BA and I am dying to crank it!

JB

 

My experience with inline 6's is they have better pulling power than the v8, where as the 6 makes power at lower rpms than the v8. The best motor I owned was a 300 cu inline 6. Not to say I don't like v8s, I installed a 351w in my 49. A 69 block with reworked 85 heads. But if I build again I just might put an inline 6 in it.

 

It is television, and I am sure drama is added as needed for entertainment of the "non" car people that watch the car. I doubt any show would survive if only gear heads watched, and I wouldnt be surprised if the whole show was scripted, including the 6 bashing and bringing in an old engine. No shop owner is going to drop in a junk engine into a customer's car and risk it coming back for free work.
I think the Bitchin Rides Kindig shop does the highest quality work of any of them with the price to match, some people have too much money.
I used to like the gasmonkey shop when they were building stuff I could relate to, like putting crown vic IFS units into an old truck. Now they are just another commercial for parts companies and the show, like most of them, are about drama rather than the cars.

 

The 300 cubic inch 6 was the engine that came with the tow package on the Fords years ago. Don't know about today though.

Later!
Mr. Ed

 

The 226 was used for circle track racing way back. There was a lot of hi-po parts for them but now super rare.

I like the 300 six, my dad had one in a '70 F-100 I learned to drive in and I had two myself, a '85 and '90 F-150s. Great engines, would run for ever.

 

All these shows are entertainment programs so they all have to be taken with a grain of salt. Wheeler Dealer's was a little more instructional (which I like) but without Ed I doubt it will be as well done. As far as Fantom Works, I like the cost and time being part of the process. It shows how much time can be spent performing the work and that all the work comes at a price. Probably my favorite is Bitchin' Rides because they build some very high end show cars and the employees not only know what they're doing but they all get along with limited drama. They still have the thrown in goofy guy who has to add levity to the show but overall they build some great machines. Now if anyone wants to see how the process is really done you need look no further than this here FTE. What everyone does in here is really amazing because it's all done with hard work and a passion to do it. The TV shows pass some time of mindless relaxation but gettin' them fingernails dirty in your garage is where the real fun happens!


Wally