F226 Performance Parts

phsarge

Sharpest Tool
All-Star
Jun 15, 2010
249
Montana
Willys Model
Willys Year:
So does anyone out there know if there are any performance parts out there for the 226? Also what are the best ways to get more power out of these motors? I am staying all Willys with the build just looking for advice on getting more out of the motor.
Thanks
Jeff
 
Hey Jeff, glad to hear you're sticking with the 226. I think the best part about that is when people ask you to pop the hood expecting to see the usual small block V8 in there. When they see the flathead it's cool points. :D

Anyway, when I finally get my engine to the machine shop I too will be looking for a bit more ooomph out of it. Aside from boring it out a bit, here is my opinion. I believe for a stock engine, one of the best improvements that can be made is in the breathing. A port and polish job will net around 10 hp. There are no aftermarket performance parts that I know of except for one. There is a blower out there somewhere to fit these engines. It was made for the 226 application in the Kaiser Darren. I don't know where to find one, or what the cost would be. There are zero cam kits out there. I suppose you could have one special made, but that would be BIG $. Dual exhaust was never an option, but there are places around that will fabricate a set of manifolds to incorporate it. I have heard that a four barrel adapter is available, but I don't know where, and I don't see the benifit unless you have manifolds made. I guess that sums it up.
Blower
Port and polish
Possible manifold fabrication
Let us know if you think of something else.
Steve
Oh, just for gee whiz, all flatheads are "L" designators. - L226 - F doesn't stand for Flat head.
F heads have only the exhaust valves in the block. :cheers:
 

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Sorry had f on the brain as I just found the F head 226 and am trying to get it. I have seen continental edmunds heads and intakes and am not sure if they would work. I am working with a machinist to possibly build a set of domed pistons to fit this and raise the compression. Other than that most of what I have found hasn't been good. i did see on ebay one of those superchargers off of a kaiser going for 895. If i have to go custom parts i will. i am definattly going with the 226 over my F134 thats in the truck. I am not sure what the factory horsepower rating is but I am going to find a way to get it bumped up. I am sure that the 226 will look real good and suprise alot of people when it's done just hating to see what the cost for the work will be. out of all the engines I have started to find in my garage i think it may be my best bet. So far i have an F and L 134 a l226 and matching kaiser one and a 6-148.
 
I forgot one other thing. Electronic Ignition. I haven't found a kit specifically for the auto lite distributor for the 226, but Pertronix has a kit that will fit it with very slight modification. They say the rivets that hold the breaker plate will have to be drilled out. That's it. I would bet that with Electronic Ignition; this engine would probably see an increase of 1 to 2 hp. Just a guess.

The kit # is 1569.

I haven't done any of these mods yet so I can't give you any real numbers performance wise. When the engine goes to the machine shop the process begins. Just about anything will help though in my opinion.
Steve
 
Domed pistons huh? Wow, you ARRRE going for that squish factor.

I'd like to find some multi electrode spark plugs as well. I looked for split fires once or twice, but for some reason nobody can cross the champion J8 plug # over to anything else. There's no such thing as a good counter guy anymore. If it's not on the computer screen it can't exist. I'd even try the E3 plug if I could find the right one. Nobody uses books anymore though. Kinda ticks me off.
 
Edmunds did make a head and a 2 carb intake for the Kaiser 226 engine, but they are few and far between.
 
Here's a good read on the VS57 supercharger: http://olskoolrodz.com/forum/showthread ... kaiser+226

I did a bunch of the speed stuff mentioned above in this thread on my Plymouth flathead six. The difference from before and after was night and day. Here's a clip of it running.

[youtube:2znouc5v]OMukzqkY0Z8[/youtube:2znouc5v]

It had a mini GM HEI distributor, 3/4 cam, 9:1 compression aluminum head, Edmunds dual intake, and ceramic coated tube headers. I drove this car everwhere, it was as reliable as an anvil.

You can have your cam re-ground to a performance profile. I would contact Earl Edgerton of EDGY cams. I think it only costs about $150.

Instead of finding a vintage aluminum head, I would use the stock head and mill it down some to bump the compression. I'm not sure how far you can go on the L226. The vintage heads can be problematic, and are very expensive....

Here's a couple of shots of some speed goodies from a guy on the HAMB forum-

NOS aluminum head:
picture.php


Factory cast iron dual exhaust from a supercharged Graham (these fit the Super Hurricane L226):
picture.php


NOS Edmunds dual water heated intake:
picture.php


Kaiser supercharger:
picture.php



The speed stuff is out there, but I think you have to look under every stone to find any of it...

Pete
 
OK alot of things running around in my head on this subject. What is the interest factor on maybe getting a limited run of say high compression heads and dual carb intakes. My goal on all this is to put all these V-8's to shame using that original motor. i know alot of people do an engine swap my goal is to keep her as original as possible with in reason. Anybody that wants to add imput I will gladly take it. I have played with alot of motors in my life and alot of inline sixes this is just the first flathead.
 
I dont wanna sound stupid but I own a 1960 truck and I have yet to drive it on the road..but it is a handful to drive in my own back door yard...I couldnt imagine how would you drive one of these hulks any faster than what they were ment to do...these things have no safety built into them at all...I know if I hit anything or if somebody hits me..it is gonna hurt a lot...
Just my 2 cents...

Mikec
 
Ok talked to him about the cam. he said 140 plus shipping and handeling and your good core. As for recomendations on what can be profiled on it he said he would need to see it before he makes recomendations. Just a heads up for anyone looking. I also found vintage speed who owns the Edmunds brand and got an email in to them to see if they have the info for the edmunds head and intake.
 
Willys America's book says you need to balance the engine if your going to rebuild it. May help you some also.
 
phsarge said:
Ok talked to him about the cam. he said 140 plus shipping and handeling and your good core. As for recomendations on what can be profiled on it he said he would need to see it before he makes recomendations. Just a heads up for anyone looking. I also found vintage speed who owns the Edmunds brand and got an email in to them to see if they have the info for the edmunds head and intake.

I wonder if Earl Edgerton would be interested in taking on the head project... Earl races a '33 Chrysler on the salt. The engine is a one-off 12 port fuel injected Chrysler long block six. He has cast all the misc parts for the engine. He also makes the EDGY head for the 218/230 and 251/265 mopar flathead six engines, the only finned aluminum heads in current production for these engines. This is the head I had on my Plymouth and it was very well done.

edgyhead1.JPG

edgyhead2.JPG


The heads are very expensive, I think I paid around $550 10 years ago for the Plymouth head. Not sure what it would cost to set up for a new head for the Continental L226.

Earl did the head for [urlhttp://www.fastfourspecial.com/]the Montana Boys Fast Four Special[/url], a '26 Dodge four banger that has beat all the records at Bonneville, kicking butt on all the Ford banger guys...

Earl has also make a few F-head conversions for the Mopar flathead six, pretty cool...

bville0757.jpg

bville0758.jpg


I love this stuff...

Pete
 
mikec4193 said:
I dont wanna sound stupid but I own a 1960 truck and I have yet to drive it on the road..but it is a handful to drive in my own back door yard...I couldnt imagine how would you drive one of these hulks any faster than what they were ment to do...these things have no safety built into them at all...I know if I hit anything or if somebody hits me..it is gonna hurt a lot...
Just my 2 cents...

Mikec

Your right Mike, but I love the idea of getting everything I can out of 50-60 year old engine technology, despite the reality of my Wagon's ability to corner, stop, or crash gracefully...

:cheers:

Pete
 
OK so I am back out in left field looking for the parts again.

Earl says he only makes Dodge parts and wouldn't be interested. I also got a response from Vintage Speed and he doesn't have the Willys head or intake. So back to the start unless I can find someone that has a head or a good modified head that I can get remanufactured.

As for intakes I heard Offy was making a replacement with a four barrel on it but I can't track anything down on that as well.

Has anyone out there machined down a steel head? How much material can be safely taken off and if so would it be better to make it out of Aluminum? Also on the questions how much of a compression ratio increase can be gotten off of the milling?

I have looked at custom pistons and figure probably at least 600 for a set. The estimate is 8.5 to 1 so it should be a fairly good increase in the horsepower and torque ( I hope ).
 
I split the air intake from the heater hose intake. A KN filter fits in the grill with a little modification. The filter helps with filtering the heater air as well as the carb. I placed a common desktop computer fan inline with the air intake protion, works like a mini super blower. If you increase the air flow 4-6 psi it will dispurse the fuel mixture more evenly for better power and efficiency. Check with local rebuild shops, the one close to me uses the 4 and 6 "L" flat head engines to run portable generators. He is reasonable and gets Continental parts from the distributor in Dallas.

If you go with the rebuild I recomend having the valve guides replaced and have the valve and seats cut at a 60 degree angle (aircraft standard) for better flow in the cylinder. Remember these Continental flat heads were originally put in aircraft! I enclosed a sparkplug conversion below.

Also Mallory makes a 6 volt and 12 volt electronic conversion for the distributor average price from $160-$240

Spark plug conversion table

Spark Plug List
Application notes provided by Don Roubos

Application New Champion Old Champion A--C Auto Lite
4-cyl C-26(c) C-4 76-S(7/8"Hex) 78-S(1 1/8" Hex)

The heat range is not as important an issue as the fact of about 1/2" of metal reaches below the end of the threads. The DB's combustion chamber is configured such, that the spark plugs are up in a recess, and a 'normal' plug will carbon up after the first tour. A longer plug gets the spark closer to the actual combustion area.
Roger "Dodger" Hartley

7/8" spark plugs cold down to hot
Application New Champion Old Champion A--C Auto Lite
W-10 0 Com 73 Com
W-14 1 Com 74 Com T-7
6-cyl Victory & Senior thru 1928 W-18 (#518) 2 Com C 77L T-9
W-20 3 Com or No 20 78 Com T-11
W-89D 44 18 3077
W-85N 901
W-95D 45
The bottom three plugs are special extension models Recommended torque for a cast iron head is 37 lb-ft 35 lb-ft for aluminum 10 mm cold down to hot
Application New Champion Old Champion A--C Auto Lite
UY-6 Y-4A 104 P-4
UY-6 Y-6 106
UY-6 Y-8 108 P-6
Recommended torque for cast iron head is 14 lb-ft 12 lb-ft for aluminum 14 mm cold down to hot
Application New Champion Old Champion A--C Auto Lite
J-57-R J-2 42 A3
H-8 H-9 43L A5
1932-1942 Aluminum head CJ-8 (#841) J-8 45 A7
UJ-12 J-12 47 A11
Recommended torque is 30 lb-ft for cast iron heads 28 lb-ft for aluminum 18 mm cold down to hot
Application New Champion Old Champion A--C Auto Lite
D-6 4 Com 82S
D-9 5 Com 83-S B5
D-14 6 Com 84 B7
1929 6cyl 1930-31 6 & 8 cyl D-16 (#516) 7 85-S
1929 6cyl 1930-31 6 & 8 cyl D-16 (#516) 8 Com 86 B9
D-21 C-15 87 B11
D-23 10 Com 88-L 388
D-89D 49 18A
The bottom plug is a special extension model Recommended torque for cast iron is 34 lb-ft 32 lb-ft for aluminum heads For 1/2" pipe plugs recommended torque in cast iron is 35 lb-ft All values are for clean lubricate threads. Over tightening a plug with a .025 gap the gap will increase to .031. Created from a 1947 heat range list and current Champion list.
 
I admire you for keeping it original and for looking to do some unique stuff with modifying your 226. I'm in the same boat, and have been looking for parts here and there. Fortunately I ended up with a complete spare 226 that I've torn down to help with my efforts. But before anything, you have to remember this is an old motor, with a very long stroke and comparatively small bore. It was never made to rev high. Hell, its peak torque comes at about 1300RPM. If you rev and race this motor like a hot rod, you're likely going to make pretzels out of the rods. Now that doesn't mean that you can't modify it and get a little extra power, I'm just pointing out that you're not going to be churning out big numbers with this motor.

I decided to go with digital multiple spark ignition using an ignition controller. I use the Accel 300+ ignition system and have loved it. I'm not a big fan of MSD, and Accel's ignition boxes have been digital since the start (a lot of MSD's boxes are still analog). In my opinion, you pay for the name with MSD. The Accel 300+ will take the signal from your points and then fire your coil multiple times up to a certain RPM (the 226 won't rev that high of RPM anyways). The good part about this system is that if the ignition box ever fails, you just connect the coil how it was without the box, and move right along. I run an Accel super stock coil. The difference with multiple spark ignition is incredible. It cranks faster, idles better, and is more responsive. I preferred to leave the points. This way you can carry a spare set of points around and swap them out if there's a problem. If you run electronic ignition and it fails, you're SOL. I also run Napa Belden plug wires (I believe 7mm). I bought a kit for an early Chevy I6 and AMC I6 and used wires from both kits.

As far as carburetion goes, the Carter YF left a lot to be desired for me. I originally went with a 500cfm Holley 2300 2bbl, and after tuning it, it ran great. But it was really too much carburetor. I ran a 1bbl to 2bbl Rocester adatper, then a 2bbl Rocester to 2bbl Holley adapter. I now run a Holley 94 that I restored myself, and it's a great fit. I'm still working on a throttle linkage however. I run a 1bbl to 2bbl Rocester/Stromberg 97/Holley94 adapter. The adapter doesn't create too much of a problem at all going from the 1bbl hole to the 2bbl carburetor. With the Holley 2300 I did have to really step up the accelerator pump, but with the smaller Holley 94, it was real easy to get it running good. I also like the nostalgia of the Holley 94/Stromberg 97.

They make a 2bbl factory intake manifold that they used on some wagons and pickups. This was also used on some Kaiser and Manhattans with the L6-226. These are fairly easy to find, at about $50-100. I've seen one Continental/Kaiser Edmunds 226 aluminum head on eBay that I bid on at the last minute and lost. I believe it sold for about $350. I have yet to see one since. As far as exhaust manifolds go, that's going to have to be a custom job. The only Offenhauser hardware I know if is for more recent Jeep AMC I6 motors.

In my opinion, it's really best to go with a stock rebuild and then do a lot of bolt-on external upgrades. Multiple spark ignition, a hot coil, good plug wires, and a 2bbl carburetor have made one hell of a difference over stock.
 
OK I had a brain storm. I found a guy that would be willing to recast a stock head since I have one in Aluminum. When I get the machining done I will have him cut alittle extra off to tighten up the chambers. I will give him a call on Wednesday and see what the cost is going to be for the casting. Does this look like a good idea. I remember somewhere that aluminum helps heat and raises horse. Let me know what you think. Also still watching for an edmunds head and intake so if anyone finds them let me know. I am willing to get those reproduced as well.
 
I recently had my 226 rebuilt. The original engine had both the head and block cracked. I sourced a good block and head and had the builder start on it. Here are the specs: bore is .030 over, crank is .030 under, the cam was reground to give a little more duration and a bit more lift, 8.1:1 compression, 120 hp @ 3900 rpm, 200 lb/ft torque @ 1900 rpm. Both the hp and torque are above factory specs, although not by much. I am running Pertonix electronic ignition, with a Weber 38 DGES. I have a Warn o/d behind the T-90 and am more than pleased with the gas mileage, 9-10 around town, 13 mpg on the highway. Engine turns 21-2200 rpm at 62 mph. All in all this is has been a most satisfying rebuild. I should mention that this was done for a frame off restoration of a 1948 Willys SW.
Phil Waldman
 
Well got the first of the two pieces. I have in the mail to me the edmunds dual carb intake. i have thought about getting it copied if anyones interested let me know.
 
Well delivery confermation says it should be here tommorow. Here is the first of the needed pieces.I think I actually sourced out the head as well. So as far as it goes got the intake waiting for info on the head. Then off to the caster they go to get copied so i got me a spare set.

Anyone got a suggestion on two single barrel carbs to use?
 

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