I have a 63 Falcon with the little 170/2 speed auto thats on its last legs
I also have a nice 74 Maverick with a 250/c4. Is it worth my time to rebuild the 250/c4 combo and install it into the Falcon or just rebuild the 170?
Looking for a little more go then what it has now, but still keep the stock look, ie the stock style single barrel carb and stock exhaust manifold. Will there be any problems installing the 250 in the 170's place?

Thanks for the help
Ron R.

 

I heard the 250 is 2" taller than the 170 will it even fit under the stock hood?

 

The 250 is a different block than a 170 (7 main bearings; 170 has 4) and may not fit a Falcon. A friend tried installing a 250 in a 65 Mustang. It took several serious hammer blows to the firewall before it could drop in...then there were engine mount problems.

 

I know the 200 had 7 main bearings but it still had the same deck hight as the 170.
Can I get a little more power out of the 250 vs the 170? This thing is dead slow now. and the 2 speed don't help much.

 

1964 Falcons could be had with the 200 (first yr in Falcons)...but it still had the Ford-O-Matic two speed. 1965 was the first year that Falcons used the C-4 (6 or V8). So a 200/C-4 combo from a 1965/1969 would be ideal. Falcons never used the 250 I-6.

 

N.D. is totaly correct, as usual.
The engine series is, 144/170 Special/200/250 & these are the differences in them.

The 144/170/200/250 OHV six.
This is the falcon six. When the falcon came out in 1960, ford made an entirely new motor for that rig. This family of motors is easily identified (at least in the US) by the cast on integeral intake manifold. This motor was also produced in Argentina & Australia (where it is still being produced, though much altered).
All:
Intake is cast integral to the head, valve arrangement: (front to rear) E-I-I-E-I-E-E-I-E-I-I-E, chain driven cam, '60-3 used a ¼" oil pump shaft while '64+ used a 5/16" shaft, distributor front left on block, cast aluminum timing cover. Some of these motors were used in industrial applications.
The 144/170 block codes were apparently an attempt at a cast-on block identification system & can be found on the road draft tube-mounting boss.

144 (2.3L):
1960-1964
bore 3.5 X stroke 2.5"
4 main bearings, solid lifters '60-2, hydraulic lifters (?) '63-4, 3 freeze plugs on the blocks intake/exhaust side, some of the earliest had a stamped steel timing cover
Blue valve cover & air cleaner cover, black block
Door code; S
Block code; N

170 (2.8L):
1961-1972
bore 3.5 X stroke 2.94"
4 main bearings, later motors may have possibly had 7 (‘66+), solid lifters '61-2, hydraulic lifters '63-'72, 3 freeze plugs on the blocks intake/exhaust side Orange valve cover & air cleaner cover (some had orange oil pan), black block to '65, '65+ block, valve cover, air cleaner ford blue
Door code; cars- U, trucks- '61-5: T, '66-'72: F
Block code; T

200 (3.3L):
1963(4)-1983(4)
bore 2.68 X stroke 3.13"
4 main bearings- '63-4, '65+ had 7, hydraulic lifters, 5 freeze plugs
Orange valve cover & air cleaner cover (some had orange oil pan), black block to '65, '65+ block, valve cover, air cleaner ford blue
Door code; cars - T, trucks – '64 S
Extra info - This motor was initially produced in 1963 & primarily offered in the Fairlanes & Econoline (?) vans, occasionally though, it showed up in falcons & comets. The earliest had 4 main bearings, though by 1965 they all had 7 mains. The last few years (1980-83) this motor was produced the starter was moved below the oil pan, much like the 250. The bell housing on these motors is 2/3 of the small block V8 (289/302/351 & 250 I6).

250 (4.1L):
1969-1980(?)
Bore 2.68 X stroke 3.91"
7 main bearings, hydraulic lifters, 5 freeze plugs
block, valve cover, air cleaner ford blue
Door code; L
Extra info - Ford added 2" of deck height to the 200 to create this motor. The starter is mounted below the oil pan, as opposed to the rest with the starter above. Also, the water pump has 4 bolts (as opposed to the 3 used on the 144/170/200). The small-block V8 6-bolt bell housing (289/302/351) & flywheel bolt pattern was used. The flywheel is, however, balanced differently. All had 7 main bearings.

 

Blimey! The 1962/63 Falcon 170's could be ordered with a Dagenham 4 speed (I still remember the whine in reverse). Want a little extra poop oughtta the 170? Stick a 1958 Ford 223 I-6 1V carb on it...that'll help a bit.

 

A 250 can fit into an early falcon, but its not the drop-in swap that a 200 is. Check out www.fordsix.com. Eventually I'll be doing this same swap in my '65.
Edwin

 

Thanks 63redtudor that is what I was looking for !!!!!
Im going to do it !!! Its going into a Convertable and I would have liked to have it look stock, looks as if the only thing that will be differnt is the fan.
Look out world theres going to be a falcon that can do the speed limit now!!