Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines Blown Inline GM Six

New here, just arrived. I have a 50 Chev. deluxe cab pickup, passed on from my dad. Getting ready to take it down to the frame. I want to build it into a streetrod. Everyone has a small block V8, to be different I would like to build an inline GM six with a Procharger blower for street use, no racing. I prefer fuel injection and computer management over carburetor, but could live with a carb if I had to. Would like street manners in an engine that wakes up when nailed cause I like to smoke em once in a while.
Has anyone tried this combination, or anything similar? It has a 235 now, but I would lean toward a GMC 292 or later engine. Any tips, suggestions, info. greatly appreciated.
I am a retired railroader/machinist, spent 36 years playing with BIG Diesels in locomotives. Am fortunate to be located in Peculiar, MO, home of Pete & Jake's Hotrod Shop and Superbell Axle Co.

i adapted a supercharger i picked up at a swap meet for 50.00 from a 3.8 ford super coupe onto a 250 chev 6 and its strong running 8 lbs boost .send me an e-mail at gettinun@aol.com and ill send you some pics

I have a Paxton supercharger blowing through three 48mm Weber DCOE's.
I get about 9-10 lbs of boost.
Just wanted to be different. I made all the pullies, brackets etc. I will sell this set-up eventually.

I put a McCullogh VS 57 on a 261. A LOT of fab work. In the planing and parts gathering stage is a Procharger on a GMC 302. I suggest you get in touch with prochargers tech dept and gleam all the advice you can get. Your fuel curve is going to be very important as is your spark curve.

Well I've been planning a very similar project; but I am a poor college student.

For EFI, you can go with the clifford system (not cheap at all). OR you can make your own setup using Megasquirt.

If I'm not mistaken the procharger is a centrifugal blower? Not positive displacement but it does simplify the use of an intercooler.

If you use Megaaquirt you can control your timing retard to avoid detonation. OR I understand you can use water injection and forget about timing retard..

Your going to want low compression in your engine, probably a new cam (Check out Leo's Power Manual)

For my car I will probably get meagasquirt, an Eaton M90 from a GM 3800 V6 with the throttlebody attatched, Truck headers modified to fit in a passenger car (78 NOVA), water injection, a new cam, .060 over bore, low compression pistons, and maybe upgrade mto a distributorless ignition system.

Dear Mike;

These (4 main) engines just don't get along with blowers.

A 261" bored to 278" with a 12 port would be a better choice. It/that will make more power than you will ever need, be different and last "forever" if not abused.

Good luck, John M.......

Huffed & Hank
could you guys send me some Pics ? Ihave Both a Blower and a Turbo sitting here. the Blower is off a Bonneville car. Plains are to Useone or the other on either a 250 or one of the 292s i have sitting here. Thanks }[oooooo]

Well, I think my setup will probably look something like the first pic (except inverted beacuse the pic is of a ford, not a chevy):

http://www.inliners.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002007

If you want to stick with a 235 you could put a late 261 head on it and that would drop the compression to about 6.5:1 or so, plenty conservative for a blower. A 261 is a good choice since the oil system and cooling is better (full flow filter and bypass thermostat) and the compression is 7:1 stock. A 261 will drop in replace any 235. As long as you keep the RPM's down below 4500 and are careful about how you drive the blower I don't think a 235 or 261 or GMC 302 would have a bearing problem as long as you were careful about setting up the system. Use a good harmonic balancer though.

Hey Mike -- before I start, let me warn ya, I am very opinionated and persnickity about AD trucks. I think they should be period correct in every aspect. If it were mine I'd bore and stroke the 235 1/8" each way. That gives you about 280 inches. Then get the wayne horning 12 port head set up, and build the rest to match; ie, wiseco pistons, balance the rotating assembly, 3 strombergs, et. There is nothing cooler on the street than an AD truck with a screamin' hot 235 unless it's an AD truck with a screamin' hot 261, but the 261 is pretty hard to find. It's your truck, so naturally you have the right to do whatever you want with it, but I hope you'll at least consider using the period correct motor, and like John said, the old 4 main bearing engines don't get along well with blowers.

Just my 2 cents worth bro,
Boo Radley

Mike,I have a Vortech supercharger on an AMC/6.Hope you give it a try.

SuperChargedAMCsix
That is a clean set-up.
What does it run in the 1/4 ?

S.C.AMC6, is this your dailt driver?? lol. just curious as to how streetable your set up is.

also, to anyone else, what are the advantages of have a supercharger or turbocharger...etc?
besides time and money, and the fab work..

o. stupid Q. but..mpg's? lol

thanks.

.desperado.
.sam.

Twisted6 I will have to take a picture of the engine set-up I recently got a digital camera & still learning how to use it.
Any info on a 292 oil pan fitting in a 67-69 Camaro

Hank,Thank you for the compliment.I never raced it at a dragsrip.I was at Cordova dragway one year for an AMC meet and a Gremlin with the same six engine and the High Output head conversion as mine ran a 13.15 with a carb only and no supercharger.The Gremlin also had more weight to it than my car.
Sam,The car is very streetable.I drive it in the summer to 3-4 cruise nites a week and to a show/swap almost every weekend.I drove it to the Cordova ILL. AMC meet many times and it is a four hour drive one way.Put about six thousand miles on it a year.Miles per gallon is around 15.This is not my only car that is under boost.The Chicagoland area has more and more events every year.

Just curious, what is the High Output head conversion?
Thanks

Hank,It is a 1991 or newer high port H.O. high output head used on all 4.0 liter engines put on an early AMC block.Try the link for more info.
www.off-road.com/jeep/new/40conv.html

I saw that Wards listed the GM 4200 inline six
in the 10 best engines in the world. I think
we might want to begin to take a closer look
at these inline motors as it appears the early
teething problems are solved.

It is hard to ignore the flat torque curve,
power and efficiency of these inline six
motors, a configuration which almost all manufacturers had given up on.

The older trucks would probably weigh less
than the current GM models. You don't really
need a supercharger as these motors can
go far beyond their stock output.

Update.The new name for the High Output is 4.0 Power Tech I-6.Produces 190 hp at 4,600 rpm 235 pounds of torque.

Jeep also has a new inline out.2.4 DOHC Power Tech I-4.Produces 147 hp at 5200 rpm 165 pounds of torque ar 4000.

For more info visit www.jeep.com

Hi guys,

.2.4 DOHC Power Tech I-4.Produces 147 hp at 5200 rpm 165 pounds of torque ar 4000

I think that's the same engine I have in my Dodge Stratus daily driver. Nice engine.

Dodgeboyz wrote:
at these inline motors as it appears the early
teething problems are solved.

I think the problems were solved with a computer chip limiting R.P.M.'s Keep that in mind if you want to spin these up tight in a modified vehicle.

Jim

on a blown 4 cap main(such as the 261/235)machine the main caps flat.use studs instead of bolts and install a 1"x 1" block of bright steel over the main caps(secured with the studs)and your crank will stay where it should and take all the blower/turbo preasure you want!(dosn't cost much either!)