Working the head on the AU I6- aiming for low 14s ;)

[LOWAU]

Shorly we will be working my brothers car, we plan to take the head out and do the following mods:
-Big cam, most likely Dev5 as there is a shortage of billet.
-Upgraded valve springs
-Vernier gear
-Deck the head to raise compression
-Maybe a slight port job if I can get it cheap (mate knows a guy, lol).

I need to know the brands (maybe part numbers) of the springs and vernier gears and where to get them at a good price.

Also I have read that the AU's need the spring collets changed too(according to the JimMock website), is that true?

Will the head gasket and head bolts from ford be ok or is there a better aftermarket brand?

Sorry for all the questions but I want to be 100% sure before I start this as we will be doing a lot of the work ouselves.

[JoesAu]

As i found out myself doing this type of work can get very confusing very fast, and it doesnt take much for sh it to hit the fan, if i was you i'd be handing it in to someone to do cos it aint worth the headaches. My head is being looked at today, most likely getting port jobs, bit of a deck, etc

In terms of Parts and accesories Jim mock have everything you need, just buy it all from them, and to get into the low 14's depending on how committed you are your gona need new running gear to get there.

[JoesAu]

Check this out: http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/article.html?&A=1792

[Stav]

Originally Posted by JoesAu

Check this out: http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/article.html?&A=1792

Btw that article is not correct.I can guarantee you that many of the au six heads do have the boss in them .

[LOWAU]

Originally Posted by JoesAu

As i found out myself doing this type of work can get very confusing very fast, and it doesnt take much for sh it to hit the fan, if i was you i'd be handing it in to someone to do cos it aint worth the headaches. My head is being looked at today, most likely getting port jobs, bit of a deck, etc

In terms of Parts and accesories Jim mock have everything you need, just buy it all from them, and to get into the low 14's depending on how committed you are your gona need new running gear to get there.

The guy that might do the porting is a professional just need to get a quote first. We are just gonna take off the head and install valve springs and cam, then install it back in. I have a few mates that work in the mechanic trade and have done this sort of work before so if I get stuck they will always be there :

Also the car is 5spd and has run a flat 15 with no mods apart from the LSD, so we are thinking it should get low 14s with the cam and exhaust mods.

[EvilChief]

S3 crow cam, mild porting, std springs and retainers, port matched, extractors, cat back, XR6 ecu, manual = 14s

[Stav]

If you get the head bolts off let me know how you did it.It is not easy to do.Last weeks attempt had me with everything undone but the headbolts.Could not get them off . If your going to do it give yourself 3 to 4 days to do it . If I had an extra day I would have just angle ground them off.

[atec77]

Originally Posted by Stav

If you get the head bolts off let me know how you did it.It is not easy to do.Last weeks attempt had me with everything undone but the headbolts.Could not get them off . If your going to do it give yourself 3 to 4 days to do it . If I had an extra day I would have just angle ground them off.

you need a solid bit of steel tube and a decent impact socket and drive to suit , then swing hard on the bolts in the right direction and they will release with a loud CRACK

[V8falcons]

try a breaker bar and a big pipe hanging of that if it dosnt break the bar, the bolts should come loose.last resort is to drill them out(just the head) .dont go near it with a grinder.Had to drill 3 out of my 2ltr escort head/block a few weeks ago.

[NeishaXR8_347]

Originally Posted by Stav

If you get the head bolts off let me know how you did it.It is not easy to do.Last weeks attempt had me with everything undone but the headbolts.Could not get them off . If your going to do it give yourself 3 to 4 days to do it . If I had an extra day I would have just angle ground them off.

At work ive had some come in with bolts like you describe, i have gotten them off with a high impact gun which will basically rattle them loose. Its basically a rattle gun but electric and is not as harsh as a air rattle gun, it sorta just works at them and then they come loose.

Also if that doesnt work we have a 1.5m breakerbar and just use a black single hex socket and pull hard. Its either gonna break or come loose.

Even if you drill them or anglegrind them they will most likely still be seized, there is no way its just the tension of the bolt holding it in if you cant get at it with a breaker bar.

[LOWAU]

Originally Posted by EvilChief

S3 crow cam, mild porting, std springs and retainers, port matched, extractors, cat back, XR6 ecu, manual = 14s

std springs and retainers? Will these be ok? how much lift can they handle?

Already have the full exaust and manual, also gonna get a unichip tuned as I already have it.

As there is a shortage of billet could crow grind this cam instead?

[JoesAu]

we used a Snap on Torque wrench its about 60-70 cm long, great tool

[JoesAu]

defiantely Change springs, your gona struggle to get a Cam from crow, they wont have any cams for a Au till june at least, Apparently there gona have a new grind for the Au a medium performance cam, it sounds good.

[Baboon_AU]

give the head bolts a few hits with a hammer and then try again.. head bolts aren't that hard to get undone.

[The Mighty Red]

you should'nt have to try to get low 14's in an AU , the fact is the AU I6 is a POS,

they give good power for a stock family car but to get one moving ( and 14's isn't moving IMO) is next to impossible.

14's is a joke in the modern age...I have a near 40 year old 2V 250 that with a little tinkering will do a 14 easy.

In the time I have been on this forum the performance of the AU I6 has hardly moved forward if at all........I appreciate the effort some of you guys are putting in but you are all throwing money at a dead horse IMO.

99% of the time someone does a performance mod they have issues!

[GK]

Originally Posted by Our Blue XR6

you should'nt have to try to get low 14's in an AU , the fact is the AU I6 is a POS,

they give good power for a stock family car but to get one moving ( and 14's isn't moving IMO) is next to impossible.

14's is a joke in the modern age...I have a near 40 year old 2V 250 that with a little tinkering will do a 14 easy.

In the time I have been on this forum the performance of the AU I6 has hardly moved forward if at all........I appreciate the effort some of you guys are putting in but you are all throwing money at a dead horse IMO.

99% of the time someone does a performance mod they have issues!

Don't hold back there buddy! LOL!

I agree with your last post's sentiment though. Big mods usually equals big headaches, and a lot of effort to get right.

That's why any mods done on my AUs will not see the engine opened. Much slower, but safer that way.

I do of course, take my hat off to those committed to get these engines really going.

GK

[jonbays]

Originally Posted by Our Blue XR6

you should'nt have to try to get low 14's in an AU , the fact is the AU I6 is a POS,

they give good power for a stock family car but to get one moving ( and 14's isn't moving IMO) is next to impossible.

14's is a joke in the modern age...I have a near 40 year old 2V 250 that with a little tinkering will do a 14 easy.

In the time I have been on this forum the performance of the AU I6 has hardly moved forward if at all........I appreciate the effort some of you guys are putting in but you are all throwing money at a dead horse IMO.

99% of the time someone does a performance mod they have issues!

I am still trying to get 14's !
If only it was as easy as you think.
I am not that unhappy with 15's either as I remember those XW/XY GT days and the auto GT's never got near 14 seconds. The 250 2V is a 16 second car by the way. There's a lot of tinkering for 2 seconds you know or maybe you don't?

Have to agree though the AU six was not the car you get to win drag races with. Still there is the challenge in making it go faster and low to mid 14's are possible with a fairly streetable car.

[The Mighty Red]

Originally Posted by jonbays

I am still trying to get 14's !
If only it was as easy as you think.
I am not that unhappy with 15's either as I remember those XW/XY GT days and the auto GT's never got near 14 seconds. The 250 2V is a 16 second car by the way. There's a lot of tinkering for 2 seconds you know or maybe you don't?

Have to agree though the AU six was not the car you get to win drag races with. Still there is the challenge in making it go faster and low to mid 14's are possible with a fairly streetable car.

I had a 2V 250 24 years ago and did a 15.2 with a tq30 cam and a 500 holley , A set of webbers and a big cam on one of these motors with the right gearing will see 14's without Question and with roller gear etc and top notch tuning 13's without to much trouble .., If you put the same amount of money into a 2V I6 as you have in your AU I6 you would be well into 14's .....fast forward 20 years and the AU is more streetable but definately no further advanced in the N/A performance stakes

I was going to performance mod Our XR6 but its just not worth it , If I do it will be a Turbo , cos thats all its good for in the performance world ......

Stav your dreaming mate!

[Racecraft]

it isn't the engines fault that the car it resides in is a tad plump..

I also had a 250 that was faster than my AU, but it was in a Cortina so it isn't a fair comparison imho The engine now lives in a mates XC sedan, and it couldn't pull the skin off warm milk..

[jonbays]

Originally Posted by Our Blue XR6

I had a 2V 250 24 years ago and did a 15.2 with a tq30 cam and a 500 holley , A set of webbers and a big cam on one of these motors with the right gearing will see 14's without Question and with roller gear etc and top notch tuning 13's without to much trouble .., If you put the same amount of money into a 2V I6 as you have in your AU I6 you would be well into 14's .....fast forward 20 years and the AU is more streetable but definately no further advanced in the N/A performance stakes

I was going to performance mod Our XR6 but its just not worth it , If I do it will be a Turbo , cos thats all its good for in the performance world ......

Stav your dreaming mate!

Well if I put my AU engine into an old falcon it would make a better drag race car for sure and 13's would be possible. But i might miss the pwr str, air cruise climate control and all that modern car stuff that slows it down a tad.

I used to run a VG Pacer two dooor in the late 790's and it was no faster than my AU even with all the gear 4 brl cam head etc. Mind you it was three on the floor! And no pwr ster air con in fact noy much at all. Diffrent sort of car alltogether been there done that no need to go back there.

[Stav]

Originally Posted by Our Blue XR6

you should'nt have to try to get low 14's in an AU , the fact is the AU I6 is a POS,

they give good power for a stock family car but to get one moving ( and 14's isn't moving IMO) is next to impossible.

14's is a joke in the modern age...I have a near 40 year old 2V 250 that with a little tinkering will do a 14 easy.

In the time I have been on this forum the performance of the AU I6 has hardly moved forward if at all........I appreciate the effort some of you guys are putting in but you are all throwing money at a dead horse IMO.

99% of the time someone does a performance mod they have issues!

We will see 12's evenually from the au engine in NA form

[Hibbz]

**** the bar has been set for 12's and we havnt got 13's yet. Stav are you looking to skip 13's and straight for 12's i like your thinking. :evilking:

[Stav]

Originally Posted by FORD_AU_MAN

**** the bar has been set for 12's and we havnt got 13's yet. Stav are you looking to skip 13's and straight for 12's i like your thinking. :evilking:

Sorry to sidetrack....
In the hands of the right people the au 6 will run 12's .The car would idle like a wash machine with clothes on one side ,have a 4000-5000 stall converter be fully rebuilt by the best and be tuned by the best.iT IS POSSIBLE.

[jonbays]

Originally Posted by Stav

Sorry to sidetrack....
In the hands of the right people the au 6 will run 12's .The car would idle like a wash machine with clothes on one side ,have a 4000-5000 stall converter be fully rebuilt by the best and be tuned by the best.iT IS POSSIBLE.

Yes and I have seen an 1835cc VW beetle run 14's too it beat my Pacer!

But street car it wasn't.

Are we even talking registered and legal will run 12?

[HLC]

Originally Posted by Stav

We will see 12's evenually from the au engine in NA form

on what? a go kart?! :P

[trick_xd]

AU Crank
with a dizzy and EL head
A good solid rebuild with good parts and head work , cam , springs , valves , exhaust and the rest of the car set up right I cant see why you cant get to a low 13 .

[sprjenkins]

I've got an AU 1 forte with exhaust, pacie comps, CAI, suspension and unichip that needs to be tuned. Thats $1880 so far. I want to put in a big crow cam, the 2550 i think it is with .555 lift, valve springs, xr6 head, vernier gear, 3000 stally, 3.45 diff gears and program the computer. After doing my home work this should cost around another $3600, an all up cost of $5500. If I don't do low 14's I won't be happy at all.
Sure at this point I could supercharge it and still have it road legal, e.g. CAPA, but that would set me back at least $8000 more instead of $3600, and then I wouldn't have the diff or the highstall.

[jonbays]

Well the recipe is good for high 14's. Low 14's would be hard and depend more on the amount of practice you put into the launch. The main thing you have going for you is the low weight of the forte. The rest is tried and tried well and most only make high 14's with an auto.

[stiddy]

14's is easy out of these things these days.. Hell damn near stock can get most of us there.. good exhaust, diff gears, cold air intake, good tyres and someone that can drive the thing will net a high 14.
There seems to be a wall for a fair few of the Au i6 boys, around the 14.5, yes there are a few dropping faster, theres even 1 n/a Au that ran a 13.9
People are talking 12's, joking maybe, but its a big joke, it wont happen. Not in naturally aspirated street legal daily driving fuel injected form.
OED666 has a good set up, and runs 13.8's, however not being an AU its an AU motor, and he's about on his limit of what he can do before pulling the head off rebuilding the bottom end and porting, decking and work to the head. Which unless someone that knows exactly what there doing, the customer is willing to spend big dollars to get it, they will go backwards.

The scarey part is we do spend thousands on these things and do get low 14's, and end up dissapointed with results. Our Blue XR6 is right with what he says, these are family cars, they are brilliant family cars but they dont compare in this day and age. To be happy with the performance of one of these you need to spend big dollars.
Like dammit, the new magna's and even hilux's are dropping into the 14's STOCK!!

My car for example, T5 z spec box - $2200, Brass button clutch kit/ lightened flywheel - $1200, 3.7 LSD diff - $800, 3inch exhaust system/ highflow cat $580, koni shocks/king springs $1700 im in the 14's still with a stock motor. cam, headers and edit are on the way.. thats another $2200-2500 inc tuning to get me to hopefully a low 14, add it all up thats over $8,000 for a low 14. Not all that impressive.

[jonbays]

Stiddy I can agree 14's are easy for a MANUAL AU maybe but for an auto NO its a bit harder I can assure you.

I mightn't be the best tuner and I could have started with a lighter model than a fairmont wagon but I tried, spent good money etc and well low 15's are where its at.