BlackMustangGT07

I've recently been offered the oppertunity to buy a 1965 I6 Coupe. Its beautiful, but I have some questions about the performance (since I haven't been able to drive it yet!) So right off the bat- how does the I6 drive? Is it zippy, but not as powerful as the V8? Any Info would be greatly appreciated during the tortuous 2 weeks I have to wait before the owner returns from his vacation!

jpony645

Well.....it gets good gas mileage. It's a nice engine but isn't comparable to the V8 other than it makes the car move.

If you're even considering changing it to a V8 I suggest you save your money and buy a V8. The swap consists of changing the complete front and rear suspensions, brakes, steering and cooling, along with several small items.

LMan

zippy! Good word for it

There are performance upgrades for the Six that work, and can make it *approach* a small V8 if done correctly. Ford Six is a good place to start.

pakrat

Another for the plus column is that a six is usually cheaper to insure as well. If you are looking mainly to just look good where you are going, cruise locally and are secure in your man hood than the six could very well be the thing for you. Becasue it is in fact an inline design it's capable of making far better torque than an average V8 with little effort, HP is another stry though, but there are many who believe firmly in the I6's ability. Is it a 200 or a 250 I6? Here is another website for you to ponder over, this guy has done unbeliveable things with this engine, almost unheard of. http://home.cfl.rr.com/mustangsix/
It's also note worthy that many in Australia have done quite a bit with this engine and the racing Falcons of old made them see some pretty serious workouts. These days even at an average show a nicely detailed or unusually modified I6 can get some second looks amongst a sea of simillar looking V8's.

jpony645

The link below is alot of help in the conversion.

Complete list of requirements for the 6 to 8 swap

jsmth86

I have a 66 I6 (my current daily driver) and that is an excellent engine I get 20-26 miles a gallon (city driving). As it being my daily driver for almost 1 year it has never left me stranded or would never start in the morning. I do not have any complaints. My insurance is cheap. I am 18 yrs old and it costs me $73 a month. That is with comp, collision, and insured at 12,000 dollars and a deductable of $250 (Great if you ask me). Since I bought it in my the value of it has gone up $1000 (according to nadaguides.com). It is a fast little engine for the size of it. I cant complain! I dream of swapping it out with a V8 but I would hate to do that to an excellent engine. The only other thing that I dont like about it is the hubcaps. But I have found the styled steel wheels that are on the V8 and GT but in the hubcap version for $200 (you can but from jcpony parts or NPD) and they really dress up the car.

BlackMustangGT07

Thats good to know, but I don't think a daily driver in the Pittsburgh region is a good idea- all the rock salt and horrible roads would kill the car. But the economics of the 6 and possibility of maybe alittle more power make it a contestor. Now the hard part- finding any Classic Mustang in the area. Sorry, I forgot to add- the 65 I6 I was looking at has water problems in front of the windshield, so water is leaking under the dash. Also, it has problems starting.

jpony645

That is going to be a problem with a lot of them unless the PO has already replaced the cowl. It's a big job to do so make sure they haven't halfassed it by using fiberglass or those plastic repair hats. ALWAYS test the cowl area on any early Mustang you are thinking of purchasing. Look at the FAQs above. There is a lot of good information for new buyers. I have an extensive write up on the cowl repairs that I did to my car in there too.

Skymaster0017

I own a 1966 I6 and I love it. It has been a daily driver in the past and was a great car. I never gave us any real bad problems. If you do get an I6, I recommend the T-5 tranny swap. It was worth the money! Really quieted down the engine on the interstate. Also appears to really helped with the gas mileage. Also seems to be a bit quicker off the line. I dont know that for a fact. I am still breaking in the new engine and have yet to really push it.

Hope this helps!

codeman94

water under the dash??? check the heater core...it might be busted. I did it once when I was "using it up" I guess the water was moving too fast through there and BOOM! It was kinda scary, but way cool at the same time.