XR6 head - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

crodarian · 11-30-2002, 23:21

If i fit an XR6 head on my 6cyl ED, what differences will it make and what other XR6 engine parts would make for some better performance( other than the cam or ecu)? What model XR6 could i get the head from? Also, has anyone thought of putting a BA falcon head on an ED? Can it be done?

Troutman · 12-01-2002, 05:00

The following thread may be relevant:

http://discussions.fordforums.com/sh...highlight=head

Rollin · 12-02-2002, 03:38

XR6 heads raise compression to 9.0:1 and also have bigger valves, (i know this) along with some port work apparently (not sure) the assembled head has stronger valve springs and obviously the cam is different.

you should get a few kW from fitting the head but it would be better if you get a bigger cam and stronger valvesprings to match (if you get the head bare)

i would also (the head is already off, may as well do all the stuff you can at once) get a head shop to clean up the ports a little and take a little out behind the valves. you wont need to port the crap out of it because you still have a standard intake manifold but a little cleaning up to smoothen out the casting marks would be helpful.

also, once this is done i reckon you should reset the base idle on your car, as it will flow a lot differently than before, it will help the computer cope with the changes, and dont be upset if it runs like crap for a while, the computer learns the engine characteristics every time you drive it, and saves the last 100 mods to its original programming, so you will need to drive it properly for at least 100 cycles before it will have its sh!t togather properly.

P.S. any head will fit on your block, from AU back, it remains to be seen about the BA one, im pretty sure they are incompatible due to the differnt design at the front of the head and block, they made a lot of changes.

crodarian · 12-03-2002, 05:24

Thanks for the help rollin, was gonna get a chip and cam setup from chiptorque, so ould i still need stiffer valve springs? this would also mean the car runs ok as they should programme the chip to suit right? If i get a aftermarket intake manifold should i get the head ported, and is there any benefit from a better intake manifold?

old_mate · 12-03-2002, 17:48

Yeah, the EA-ED intake manifold leaves a lot to be desired when you are chasing HP.....

I hear the dual runner EF/EL one is better........but by how much? When my turbo motor goes together, im going to have to look at this, and I'd rather not have to fork out to make a custom one. would EL be ok? AU maybe???

Tickford6 · 12-04-2002, 20:33

Just wanted to echo everything Rollin has said. Those are sound words of advice. But should run OK after a week of different driving. Tramp it off the line and down low as often as possible to really get the ECU to know what it can do now. Hwy cruising is also good to get the closed-loop ECU operation ironed out.
An ED XR6 head is a nice choice. Nothing wrong with it and will go (basically) straight onto your block.

If it were my ED, I'd get an EF/EL head and port that. The AU head is a bit different and has a temperature probe embedded in it. The AU was also designed to cope with a higher compression ratio I think, and the pistons were new. The EF/EL head is more compatible with your engine, but would recommend going the dual length inlet manifold as well to get some serious power out of it. Ther is a guy on here with an EDXR6 with an EF and dual length inlet, but can't remember who it is. Have a search for his posts, as there is some really good info on how to do this conversion. It's long winded, a bit of money involved (new ECU needed) and tough, but gives you a very special car. Brendan Mock (Grunt 351) has also done this conversion and knows alot about it.

sikEA, if you are blowing your car, forget about paying for a dual length inlet manifold. This was designed to give 100% volumetric efficiency at peak torque. A lot of calcs and engineering would have gone into the design of this plenum, and will only match an engine of similar cam specs and stroke to the standard engine. As you will have a turbo blowing air in, the tuned diameter and length of the inlet will be up the creek, so you could probably do better with a custom plenum chamber. You can design these, and don't cost all that much to make. Not sure if the BA XR6T uses the dual length or just the short length. I have heard it doesn't use dual length, but there it is in the photos? Anyone know for sure? Anyway, custom plenum for your personal turbo application is best.

With cams, more lift = more punishment for springs. XR6 springs are a good start for increased durability if you are fitting a higher lift cam.

BA has different water jackets in the head and therefore block, so the galleries will not match up properly. Need a new ECU for the cam gear as well, so do not bother trying to put this head on. A whole new BA engine is a cheaper option than fitting only this head.

There is still a lot of power you can get out of the ED 4-litre......

Good luck.

james

P.S replace your std ED airbox lid with XH ute item if you haven't done that yet. Much better apparently.

crodarian · 12-04-2002, 21:08

wow thanks for your reply tickford6, thats about as much info as i can handle at one time:) Just to clarify something tho, you quoted

"Ther is a guy on here with an EDXR6 with an EF and dual length inlet, but can't remember who it is. Have a search for his posts, as there is some really good info on how to do this conversion. It's long winded, a bit of money involved (new ECU needed) and tough, but gives you a very special car. "

If i get the new inlet, will it fit to my current head? And will i need a new ecu if i just replace the inlet manifold, or is that if i replace it and the head?

xr8_sprint · 12-04-2002, 21:10

I know of a relatively cheap EL XR6 Head for sale. It's not mine - but someone i know has one for sale.

email growe@iinet.net.au and i can pass on your email adress to him. he lives in perth

Tickford6 · 12-04-2002, 21:22

Yeah, that felt long as I was writing it :)
Don't know if the dual length inlet will fit straight on, but an EF/EL head has bigger exhaust and inlet valves, so you would get the most out of doing both the head and the inlet.
The new ECU is required only to operate butterfly valve dual length inlet (EEC V engine management, not the EDs EEC-IV). An ED XR6 ECU with chip will do fine for a cam and head swap only.

Hope it goes well for ya.

jt

jt

crodarian · 12-04-2002, 21:25

thanks again, am looking at a chip and cam package, so would it be better to wait and get it all done at the same time? And i am guessing i would still need the ecu from an EF/EL or the xr6 ED for it all to work?