Ford 170 Six Cylinder Engines
The first generation Ford Mustangs (1964 1/2 - 1966) used the 170, 200, 260, 289 cid engines for power plants. The 170 six cylinder and the 260 V8 were kind of like left overs from the 1964 Falcons. I don't mean that in a bad way. They were still good engines, and they were put to good use. The 170 cid was a continuation of the 144 cid with 4 main bearings, but with a little more power. Unlike the 200 cid engines with 7 main bearings, the 144 and 170 cid engines didn't support the crank very well. They produced 101 HP, and enjoyed about 22 MPG. Generators instead of alternators powered all early 1965 Mustangs. They were also noisy engines due to the use of solid lifters and helical cut cam gears. The engines were painted black, and topped off with red valve covers and red air cleaners. The 170 cid engines were teamed up with either 3-speed manual or C4 automatic transmissions. Most owners preferred the C4 automatics because the 3-speed transmissions were not synchronized and were noisy. The lack of synchros meant you could not down shift. The noise was the result of a small transmission casing and light duty gears.
