I was at ABS power brake, and started chatting with a couple of guys who were buying eight custom mustang booster/master set ups. It turns out they were Aussies, taking them back to Australia. I mentioned how 4.9 lovers over here were dying to get some of the Aussie X flow heads/engines, and how I thought they should maximize their travel by taking some of the heads/engines with them to USA on their next trip. I gave them my email and the name of this forum, and hopefully I'll hear from them.

He mentioned one model, the Cyclone, with twin turbos. I hope he saves that one for me

 

Someone can correct me if I am wrong (would not be the first time). As far as I know, Ford never made a PRODUCTION crossflow head for the 4.9/300 - not here, not there, not anywhere. They DID make a production crossflow head in Australia for the small inline six, but it won't fit the big six.

 

You're right. I do remember now. I guess I was just so excited at the thought of getting one, I forgot about them being the small 6's. Dang it. I was having a really good fantasy until you brought reality into it.

 

I've toyed with making one out of a chunk of aluminum, but the cost of materials and the machining skills are keeping me from it. There is a drag race only head that doesn't have any coolant passages, I was going to make one with the main part of the head, intake runners, top side of the combustion chambers, coolant passages, valvetrain mounts and valve guides and then a plate welded in to separate the coolant from the oil.
That's about the only way you'll get a cross flow head for the 300 now.

 

Ford engineering did make some crossflow heads for the 300 here in the US. They made two varieties. The first generation had oval exhaust ports. The second generation had D-shaped exhaust ports. It is not clear what the purpose of the program was. Some say it was to make a better head for the 300 to make it a more viable engine for emissions and fuel economy purposes. I don't believe that. Others have said that it was a Ford racing program to campaign the 300. This is possible, but I don't think so. Others say that the program was simply an R&D effort to study flow characteristics of some new port designs and that the 300 was simply a convenient test bed. This is the most believable (IMO). It is equally difficult to find any information on exactly how many of these heads were made, but the most enthusiast estimates put them at a few dozen of each type. When the program ended, Ford management order the heads destroyed and melted for scrap. Some number of the later generation heads found their way out of the facility in the dark of night - "rescued" by Ford employees who did not want to see them all destroyed, or perhaps more likely by employees who knew how much they would be worth to the right buyers :-)

These heads are extremely rare. There was one for sale in the classified section of another forum site a year or so ago. IIRC The guy was asking $1200 for a bare head. Close inspection of the photographs provided revealed what may have been a hairline crack in one exhaust port. This is the only one I have ever seen for sale anywhere at any price.

This thread has a few pictures of one of these Ford engineering heads:

FORDSIX PERFORMANCE • View topic - The new OLD FTF gets a "Duesenberg DOHC 4-valve"

As Ford Six said, there is a solid aluminum drag-race-only crossflow head for the 300. There is also a company that is/was working on a street aluminum crossflow head for the 300. For several years they made an aluminum crossflow head for the small six. They ran into problems with the foundry that was making those heads overseas, and eventually ended up moving their production to the US. Last I heard, they were still working out some of the kinks to get the small six head back into production, and were hoping to get the big six head project going again soon. I really hope they get them into production. I would love to have one.

Finally, there is a guy who has cut and welded together two Chevy LS1 heads to make one aluminum crossflow head for the 300. You can see it here:

FORDSIX PERFORMANCE • View topic - HYBRID LSX FORD 300 *PIX*

Scroll most of the way down to find links to the pictures. He did an amazing job.

 

I guess I phrased my last post a bit wrong- The only way to get a cross flow 300 head is to make it.
You can do the chop and reassemble with Cleveland (351m/400) heads, and they do pretty well. Those LS6 heads are really coming down in price, though. It's much nicer welding aluminum rather than iron, but I don't think I have a machine with enough power to make welds like those right now without preheating to 200+ degrees.

 

If you have the skill and time here is one option...

https://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=53911

Jim

 

During research for an article on how to hot rod the 300, I came across some interesting info on the illusive X-flow head.

1. There was a guy who made a name for himself by cutting and welding together three 351 W heads for the 300. If you did far enough into google, you come across a dragster with one of the heads.

2. I interviewed a retired Ford engineer who worked on the 300 project. According to him, Ford actually put out a very few 300's with a cross flow and turbo set up, which made more hp than a 460.

When the project ended, Ford asked employees if they wanted any of the heads, and then destroyed a palate full. Below I'll post a photo supplied by the engineer.

<a href="http://s659.photobucket.com/albums/uu316/bobbyrogue/?action=view&current=crossflowhead.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu316/bobbyrogue/crossflowhead.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

MONSTERS!!

 

Sorry f100jim,

I did not see your link.

AbandonedBronco,

Agreed. It would seem to me that some where in a deep dark dungeon the secret documentation for the exclusive 300 cross flow head lurks for discovery... whom every finds it could make some real change off of it.

Jim

 

"In 1976, Ford of Australia updated the engines with a new cast-iron crossflow head design."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_straight-six_engine

 

Yes, but unfortunately, that doesn't mean it will be on its way to the US. The only one I've seen was on ebay for ... iirc, $5,000 the bidding started at.

Better yet, listen to this: Ford put out a very limited number of 300's with an X head and oem turbo. It put out hp equal to the 460. To this day when I examin a truck at the boneyard, I hope I'll find one of those gems.

 

The 1976 Australian cross flow upgrade was for the 250 six, the smaller six related to the 200, 170 & 144.

You will never see anyone mass produce a cross flow head for the 240/300.

 

I'm still marveling at the two SU carbs!

 

Well this is no crossflow head, but the Aussies are up to some other interesting things with the 300's...

Ford 300 | Aussiespeed Street & Racing Products Australia

I quote:

"In 2016 Aussiespeed will focus a range of products designed for the 4.9L Ford 300 and 240 cubic inch big six. It will include a 2 barrel intake manifold to suit 2 barrel Holley and quick fuel carburetors, a 4 barrel intake manifold, super charger kit that will accept Weiand 142 and 192 cubic inch blower shop superchargers."

Sam