Been wondering,
Who makes the best inline engine of them all. Thinking stock, best milage and power.
Diesels always pop into my mind. Thoughts?

My vote:

1) BMW
2) GMC 4.2
3) Ford 300

Ford 300 cid. I drove a 1979 F-100 custom with a 300 up front over 250K miles with never having a problem. No oil leaks, no smoke except for about 30 seconds after start up. I let my son use it to go to California, he totaled the truck in the desert. That was about five years ago. Whoever bought the engine from the salvage got a good engine.

Al

BMW
Chevy
4.2,4 valves per cylinder
Skyline R32 R34 etc or Toyota Supra inline six
94-95?

It would have to be the supra for power production, but for longevity, I still vote for the 235 chevy. How many 40's and 50's chevy's do you see on ebay that say, "Pulled car out of swamp/barn/lake/haystack/tree stand, poured gas in carburetor, and it fired right up and runs like a top?" The only reason I haven't put the supra engine in my 56 yet is it just runs so **** good, and I can't find it in my heart to pull a perfectly running engine.

... by the way, I have witnessed fuel distribution problems about every time I've watched a bi-turbo 250" churning 1000+ hp on chassis dyno, fed by an alcoholic huge Holley (w/ Siamesed head). It's eye catching since the thin wall headers glow unevenly, varying according to load and speed. That’s another reason I much prefer EFI…or at least 3 pair of Webers.

oops, sorry, wrong topic!

Dear Hank;

Is that (4.2) Chevy with 4 valves, the Vortec engine??

What's 4.2 Liters come to in CID??

One liter = 61 cid

4.2 liters = 256 cid

God's Peace to you.

d
Inliner #1450

Thanks Don. I'll mark that down somewhere.

Yes. it has 4 valves per cylinder.

MBHD

If you're talkin modern power,BMW or maybe the Supra.Talkin a pretty engine,the old Jaguar DOHC engine.Stock low power durability? any US built inline 6.The last of them being the recently departed Jeep Cherokee 4.0,the old AMC lump,probably the most powerful US made regualr production OHV 6 at about 190 real HP?

Thanks Hank.

With 4 valves each It's probably a DOHC too.

There's a guy in Canada putting one together for a early body.

That thing has to 'rev up" prety fast.

Even though I am a mopar guy and bleed Mopar blue my all time favourite 6 cylinder is the Jag six. Smooth , powerful good looking and well designed. Have workd on a few and built one once for drag racing although the guy moved away so I dont know if he ever finished the project or not.
Would like to have one more before i go to the great beyond. Maybe built it into a replica type track roadster single seater with a 3 inch pipe running down the one side.
D

Dear John;

The 216 engine was built just after "the great depression" (1937) and powered America's cars & trucks for billions of miles until 1953, when the basic design was only changed slightly & remained in use, for ten more years.

That's quite a history to equal/beat.

Happy trails.

In their day the Ford and Hudson flat head six was hard to beat from red light to red light. Many flathead Ford V/8 and Olds 88 learned that lesson...SCRAP

I like the Mopar /6.
tough as old boots,and go forever. ca'nt kill the things.
they might not be pretty,or make the most HP,but a properly built/tuned one is a gem.

regards,Rod

High performance (power) don't know.

Have had personal experience with 3 sixes; one Chevy, one Ford, one Jaguar. Chevy 235 was a lemon, and probably not representative of the genre so will not discuss it. Jaguar 3.4 was powerful, fairly fuel efficient, and an absolute bear to work on. Didn't keep it long enough to really comment other than the above.

Ford 300 averaged about 22 MPG at highway speeds in an extended wheelbase Ford Econoline with 4-barrel carb and 4-speed transmission. Lasted more than 500,000 miles until the body rusted out the 3rd time, and I gave up. Should have rebodied the drivetrain rather than scrapping, as I did.

Jon.

The big issue with the classic Jag six is weight- the outer (really non-load-bearing) walls are 3/4"+ thick in many places because of the antique pttern making and foundry-eork inside and the smooth, filled in walls on the outside. I've heard over 800lbs for a long block. I do know for sure that if you convern a Jag sedan to SBC or Ford Cleland power (either being in all iron) you have to cut the front springs, not for looks or hanlding , but so the car doesn't look like it's mising its engine.
To me it's neither fish nor fowl- not modern, and not really classically simple and durable like a 248/270 or a Packard or Buick inline.

A complete Jaguar DOHC inline 6 weighs about 600 lbs according to several sources online and in books.

My dad swore by the Mopar flatheads,from the 221 in our '41 Dodge to the Chrystler Industrial on the irrigation well. My first was a 216 in a '48 Chevy that lured me away from Ford flatheads. The Blue Diamond In my '40 Firstnational 2-3 ton flatbed amazed me hauling barn wood over Carson Pass! The 270 GMC that I built in '78 and still drive daily is my joy. There was an 8N Ford with a Funk conversion to a big(?) Ford industrial 6, and the built Corvette carbed 261 in my '40 Chevy pick-up. I work in an auto parts store and it's sometimes hard to beleave how many Ford 300s are out there and how few 292s. The best inline 6 is the one your building or driving!

The Ford 300 six never let me down and in discussions, mechanics and non mechanics and in farm use, just a nodding agreement they last a long time. A couple of taxi drivers have raved about the Chrysler slant six longevity.

I agree the XKE 6 is an intrinsically beautiful engine, no plastic covers. I read somewhere that the lower end/block was derived from a lightweight WWII tank (anyone know if that is accurate?)-pushing it up the trailer ramp, I can believe 600 pounds even with the aluminum head.

I'm seriously considering putting the Vortec 4.2 in my XKE rat rod project (and pickle the original engine), looks like an easy fit, its gotta be alot lighter than the Jag. engine. Should be cheap to keep running if I use GM accessories and transmission, and hopefully I can follow the high performance leaders and get 400 streetable na hp. Can anyone point me to a reference on its weight?

Thanks, Skip

1972 aussie hemi six-265 cu in base line 205 HP- R/T E49 version- stock with triple weber DCOE carbs 302HP.fastest inline 6 of it's day(E49 chargers now pulling 100k plus!

Mercedes-Benz 617 series turbo diesel. All cast iron 5 cylinder. Mine has 233k with no blow-by, no oil usage, and no smoke. Should last another 200k+

1964 Chevy Biscayne 230,PG,no power nuthin!
1983 Mercedes-Benz 300SD 233k. 600 mile/week daily driver.

I second the statements from 64biscayne. My daily driver is a '79 Mercedes 300CD w/265,000 miles on the inline 5 diesel. It uses no oil between changes, runs like a top, and will probably reach 400/500,000 miles before it dies. Another great inline engine in my opinion is the Mercedes 280, hemi head gas 6 cylinder made from the late 70's to the mid 80's. They are fuel efficent, long lasting and FAST!!!

My daughter has a 87 Porsche 944 with 202,000 miles on it. She lost her oil and spun #2 rod bearing, so I dropped it off at the machine shop and told him to do his thing while it was out. The cyl have no measureable wear, the pistons are fine, the rings show some wear. The head and valves look fine but going to do new rings, a valve job and a little port cleaning while off. I beleive this engine would have made 300 to 400 K if hadn't of lost an oil cooler.

I always thought a mildly-built 300 Ford six, in a 2-dr Maverick, with a 5, or 6 speed, with the right rear end gears, would be a great road machine and provide plenty of power to enter super highway speeds quickly. The Maverick always LOOKED fairly aerodynamic to me; if that's true, it should be easy to push through the atmosphere.

Dennis I think that Maverick would be a fantastic street machine. I have seen several that were turned into beautiful cars that looked like they were going fast just parked