1962 Ford Fairlane. Bought it in condition as seen in pics. Car was originally a 170/3-speed combo. Car is currently equipped with a carbureted 5.0L, T-5, and SN95 8.8 rear axle w/4.10's.

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I've wanted to do an inline-6-cylinder engine build for a long time, and love the Australian Ford 6-cylinder stuff. I recently acquired an Australian Ford Intech AU-series engine. This is a 4.0L inline-6 with single overhead cam and EFI that entered into production in 1998 as a revision of the previous 4.0L SOHC engine series prior to the AU model.

Mileage is unknown. The engine is complete down to wiring harness, sensors, front accessories, starter, etc. The engine actually included the matching BTR 4-speed automatic transmission and torque converter, which I do not plan on using. The engine is date coded 10/28/98.

Build plans include:

~ Custom forged pistons
~ H-beam connecting rods
~ Mild head porting
~ Stainless steel valves
~ Custom ground camshaft
~ MLS head gasket
~ Head studs
~ Custom inlet and exhaust manifolds
~ Haltech Elite series EFI w/dual fuel capability (pump gas/E85)

For a turbo, I'm currently leaning towards a Borg Warner S400 series 75/83 with T4 housing and either .90 or 1.01 A/R. That's a little ways down the road, though. This is a long-term project due to costs involved.

I'd also like to install air conditioning in the car since this engine came with the A/C compressor, brackets, etc.

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Original Australian BTR 4-speed automatic transmission. Don't plan on using it, but makes kind of a neat conversation piece.

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Began engine disassembly over the weekend. Got it stripped down to a long block. Had a tough time breaking the head bolts loose... ended up getting (1) out of (14) removed, but broke (3) Craftsmen chrome sockets and rounded out (1) Pittsburgh Pro impact socket in the process. Ordered some Proto sockets today, and will give the head bolts another whirl when the new sockets arrive.

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Transmission plans include removing the T-5 and replacing with a Hughes Performance 4L60E package. I plan on completing the 4L60E swap behind the current 5.0L engine in the car so that I can keep the car running and driving while I progress on the Intech engine build.

The 4L60E build is completed; just waiting on bellhousing machining to be completed so I can move on to the swap. The trans build included:

~ 1998-later LSx-based transmission core
~ Hughes billet bellhousing adapter
~ Reid Racing small block Ford bellhousing
~ Sonnax billet input shaft
~ Sonnax sleeved input drum w/bolt-in anchor plate
~ TCS billet pump rotor
~ Hughes billet overrun clutch hub
~ Sonnax billet 2.84 ratio front planetary gearset
~ GM 5-pinion rear planetary gearset
~ Sonnax billet output shaft
~ Sonnax sun shell
~ Borg Warner forward sprag and low/reverse roller clutch
~ Alto High Energy frictions
~ Kolene steels
~ Sonnax wide Kevlar 2-4 band
~ Sonnax billet 2nd and 4th servos
~ Sonnax valve body reprogramming kit & Sure Cure kit
~ All new AC Delco electronics
~ Hughes deep cast aluminum pan

For the converter, I went with a Hughes 258mm billet triple-disc unit featuring a 1935 billet stator, .125-negative impeller, and dog bone sprag. The converter was built with the turbo-6 swap in mind later down the road.

When the Intech build is done, I plan on using a bellhousing from QuickTime which they have readily available. This bell will bolt up to the Australian engine as well as the Reid bolt pattern in the Hughes billet bellhousing adapter, so installation should be pretty straight forward.

I'll be using the new Bluetooth-compatible TCU from HGM Electronics to control the 4L60E.

 

Other plans include swapping the current 4.10 gear for either a 3.27 or 3.55 ratio. I'm leaning towards 3.27. I'd also like to do some basic front suspension updates to improve bump steer. The car already has a Granada front disc brake conversion, and the SN95 8.8 rear still has the factory disc brakes. Manual master, no power steering, and I plan on keeping the car that way. Car also has CalTrac bars installed.

 

great stuff. using some of our aussie stuff.

 

Love the way this is going........but i have to ask.......why a 4L60E? I have found it cheaper to use a 4L80E simply because it handles power with mostly stock parts (simply hydraulic modifications) then almost any 4L60E

 

I chose the 4L60E for the following reasons:

1.) It will fit the tunnel of my car easier than the 4L80E. Early '60's midsize Fords have very little tunnel room.
2.) I work for Hughes Performance, and this package in my car will be used as a marketing platform by both Hughes and Sonnax for 4L60E conversions, as well as to display the versatility and durability of a properly prepared 4L60E package.
3.) This unit will offer reduced parasitic power consumption as compared to the 4L80E, all while easily withstanding 1,000+ flywheel horsepower, which exceeds my goals for this project.

Don't get me wrong... I'm a HUGE fan of the 4L80E. That platform is the strongest 4-speed overdrive automatic transmission ever produced, period. At the same time, many people don't realize just how good the 4L60E is when it is prepared properly. Sonnax components make all the difference.

 

Looking good Pete!!!

 

Wow, sweet! Like it when folks think outside the box.

 

Love the inline six builds! I am sure you tried but sometimes getting some heat around the head bolts helps.
How did you find that engine? eBay?

 

Yep, tried heating the head bolts with a torch, but it made no difference which surprised me, because that normally does the trick for me with stubborn fasteners.

The engine had been imported into Washington state by a business there that specializes in importing Australian Ford engines and components. They listed it on eBay.

 

Finally got the cylinder head removed. The new Proto socket did the job on the remaining (10) head bolts that I didn't screw up the heads on, although it still took putting a 4-foot piece of chromoly tubing over the handle of a 3-foot 1/2" drive breaker bar to get those (10) bolts loose. The bolts weren't seized or anything; once pre-load was relieved, all the bolts came out with zero resistance.

For the (4) bolts that had damaged heads from my previous efforts, I had to drill out the center of the bolt heads, then chisel off the flange portion of the bolt heads. The cylinder head finally came off after all that nonsense.

Some water sat in the cylinders for an unknown amount of time. I'm assuming the water was probably from the engine possibly being stored outside or maybe being pressure washed at some point in the past. The engine still had oil in it, and no evidence of water contamination in the oil, which is a relief. Some of the rings were stuck to the cylinder bores, but some penetrating oil and a couple of smacks to the pistons with a 5-pound hammer freed the engine up pretty quickly.

No ridges in the cylinders, and no pitting that I can see so far, so hopefully it will be a sound foundation to build from. Once I finish disassembly, the block, head, and crankshaft castings will all be going to the machine shop for cleaning and crack inspection. I have to order a smaller 3-jaw puller to remove the harmonic damper, as my current puller jaws are to large to fit inside the damper hub and engage the tabs that are cast in for puller use.

You might not be able to make it out in the last picture, but a particularly neat feature of this engine is that the cast aluminum oil pan is a structural member of the engine assembly. The main caps are cross-bolted through the oil pan. I'll be sure to take some pictures once the pan is off.

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your engine has come out of an AU Falcon here in Australia.

 

Nearly finished disassembling the Intech AU. Still need to remove the auxiliary shaft and all of the expansion plugs, then off to the machine shop with the cylinder head, block, and crankshaft for cleaning and inspection. Pretty neat that it has an OEM-fitted 4mm main cap girdle. Also interesting is the through-holes in the main webbing to help equalize crankcase pressure between all cylinders. #ad
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The engine block, crankshaft, and cylinder head all checked out sound at the machine shop. Rod and main journals will clean up with a .25mm grind. I'm sending off samples of the OEM valves, valve spring, retainer, valve lock pair, valve stem seal, valve spring seat, connecting rod, and piston to Manley for quoting on parts from their product line. They already manufacture a couple of different connecting rods that will work, so only the valves and pistons will need to be custom manufactured.

I also located a facility in Wisconsin that will manufacture a honing torque plate for me, and am waiting for a final estimate on that item.

 

Brought the 4L60E package home from Hughes Performance. The Quick Time bellhousing is for the current 302 in the car, and will be swapped for another Quick Time bellhousing to fit the Intech AU engine once that side of the project is completed.

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I just did a thing... bought a Garrett GT4294 w/Precision 1.05 T4 housing. This turbo should be *perfect* for my goals. Very popular model to use on AU builds in Australia, so it's nice to know it's already a proven combination.

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I am happy to see more Aussie straight sixes being built here in America! I just had 7 DOHC Barra's imported. 1 for my Fox Coupe, 1 for my brothers Jeep Wrangler, 1 for my friend's Thunderbird Super Chicken. The others are either for sale or sold.