Replacement engine for 195.6 in 58-63 American (50-55 Nash Rambler)

[farna@xxxxxxx]

Check this site out! 
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/512806
Apparently the Ford 200 I-6 will fit the early Rambler/American engine bay! It isn't much bigger than the 195.6, but was made for a longer period of time and should be easier to find parts for, making it a better choice for a daily driver. I like the 195.6 OHV myself, but it isn't happy running at higher speeds and if you lose a waterpump away from home you will have to wait 2-3 days for a replacement, and then hope it's the right one (there are 3-4 designs, and not all interchange!). That's just a fact of life. 

One thing that makes the Ford 170/200 (I think the 250 is a different block) "agreeable" with the Rambler is the intake is made onto the head, making it rather narrow. It's also short enough -- the ONLY other in-line six I know of that is. Length doesn't interfere with the stock heater location. I would think the radiator needs to be moved forward an inch by reversing the brackets (side to side), which would mean no room for an AC condenser, but I may be wrong. The guy with the pics installed a turbo, which necessitated removing the "hump" on the right side of the engine bay. No turbo and you wouldn't need to do that. 

The cast-on-head intake means you can't easily change carburetion. There used to be kits with weld on bungs for two additional 1V carbs, but I bet those would be impossible to find (though not hard to fabricate). Holes were simply drilled into the top of the cast iron intake runner. A better idea would be to drill for two or more fuel injectors and convert the carb to an air door. Six injectors would probably be overkill, but a single TBI might work if it isn't to big in diameter. That's why the turbo though. If you can't make the carb bigger, you can still force more air through it! 

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