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Unread 04-03-2009, 10:56 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 6,192
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just to add, the 3.7 was offered as a 165(3.7L), 170(470), 180(3.7LX), 185(485), and 190 hp depending on the year, where the hp was rated(prop or flywheel), carburator( 2bbl or 4bbl) and timing spec. Like Ferm said, whats under powered to some is plenty to others. I'm not sure about the exact weight, but know for sure that 3.7 is not that light. The I6 250 was a good engine, I've seen them push some heavy boats, but fiigure the newest one of those could be is over 30 years old. They are probably pretty tired. Proped right, the old 250 in good running order could hang right with a same hp 3.7, and was probably a little better on fuel. The biggest advantage of the 3.7 is that it came standard with a closed cooling system, at the time it was a rare factroy option that few dealers would order on another engine set up due to cost. The 3.7 had some issues, but most were wroked out in the later years. The worst thing was teh charging system. We had a 3.7 2bbl that was pushing a 17 Stingray to mid 50's on a radar gun(before gps). There wasn't anything internally done to the engine. If I didn't have so many other things to do, I'd love to build one of those engines with an after market aluminum head and good rockers. Some guy around Atlanta used to run one of those engines in a dragster. He modified the engine quite a bit. IMSA even allowed Ford racers to use the engine(they had to destroke it) in some classes because it came with a current Ford head. Now parts are getting scarce for either engine, teh 4.3 is becoming the popular replacement for either one of those old engines
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