Hi, Mav and Comet Friends! I have a '71 Mav with a 200. Having pulled the radiator for a leak, I thought to myself, "What else can I do?" Obviously, a complete valve job, timing chain/gears, lifters...and camshaft? From my research, it's looking like if I replace the lifters, the cam should go too. It looks like I can pull the cam out, with the front grill out. I've seen there are several reputable cam manufacturers out there, which do you recommend...and for the lifters also. Speaking of lifters, I've been trying to see if there are roller versions of those--I can't find any. My concern is the camshaft bearings. With 137,578 miles on it, I know they ought to be replaced, but I'm not in the position to do that--something about having a single carport space at my apartment building seems to prevent me! On a scale of 1 to 10, with ten being "Are you a blooming idiot?! Yes, it MUST be done!", where am I on the scale if I don't get the engine work-- that I can't afford--done, to replace the cam bearings? Is this manual the one I should get, or is there a better one: (photo below) Ford Inline Six: How to Rebuild & Modify By Barton Maurer and Matt Cox Thank you for your help! Bye, Daniel
Unless this is a everyday driver & depending on results of compression test. I'd maybe perform a valve job, timing chain & gears and put it back together. Six-cylinder cams rarely wear excessivly.
Back in 1973 I had a lifter go bad in my 200, cam and bearings were ok. That collapsed lifter was my excuse for swapping in a V8. LOL. As mentioned above, timing chain is probably a good idea, and a valve job only if it's needed. If you pull the lifters and check for the crown on the bottom that's usually a good indicator of the cam condition. If the cam and lifters aren't making any noises you're probably ok. Roller lifters require a specially hardened cam. I've never seen a roller cam setup for a 200.
Krazy Comet, TeeEl, bmcdaniel--THANK YOU for responding to my query! To Krazy Comet: No chance of doing a compression test, the battery is long dead. I know I don't start the engine for a compression test, but getting a battery to crank the engine would be a problem. I'm intrigued by your statement, "Six- cylinder cams rarely wear excessively." I'm thinking that for what I want to do (valve lifters, timing gear/chain...), I'll hold off from removing the cam--it makes no sense to remove it and not replace the bearings. It's like doing half the job! At some point I'd like to replace the piston rings and all that stuff, so I might as well wait to do the cam bearings at that time. To TeeEl: I think the only improvement to the engine I'd consider is putting on a 2-barrel carb. I like the big open space I have with the 200. To bmcdaniel: When I last drove the car a few years ago, the valve lifters were rap-tap-tapping, and the engine didn't seem to have much power. I figure since I'll be removing the lifters and all the stuff connected to them, I might as well take the head to a shop...or maybe do it myself. I need to watch more videos and get a book.
If it was tapping, lifters and cam should be inspected. Worn rocker arms can cause noise with cam & lifters OK. But if rockers are worn enough to cause noise, the complete engine is likely to need rebuilding, not a job for a novice. The 200 was never a ball of fire.
Years ago, I upgraded from a 170 to a 250. For the cost, I should have just done the 302. It took me another 25 years to finally install the 347. Much more fun. Micah
