Tiny Ford 300 Inline-Six Replica Runs and Sounds Like the Real Thing
This one’s probably more expensive than the real deal, though.
I love the legendary Ford 300 inline-six for the same reasons everyone else does: It works hard and runs forever. My 1966 Ford dump truck is powered by one and even after 57 years of service, it continues to move one load of gravel after another. That's why I'm especially into this DIY engine builder's kit, which features a teensy 21cc replica that looks, runs, and sounds a lot like the real deal.
It's manufactured by Howin, a Chinese hobby company that also sells miniature four-cylinders that rev to 15,000 rpm. There's no real practical application for a power plant like this other than an RC vehicle, which sounds cooler the more I think about it. Can you imagine a little version of this carrying dirt from one gopher hole to another?
The water-cooled inline-six makes use of a relatively long stroke—a whole 17 millimeters—to produce more low-rpm torque with a 16.6-millimeter bore. It's a lot like the full-scale Ford in that way. Howin says it makes three horsepower, which isn't much, though it only weighs five pounds or so. It runs on gasoline courtesy of dual carburetors.
A cutaway view of the engine shows just how detailed it is. You have to buy the starter kit separately, which includes the fuel tank, radiator, and so on. It makes use of CDI ignition, which is a little different from what my truck has—I upgraded it to a Chevy-style HEI setup. Either way, there are enough parts here to keep you busy building for a while. Just look at 'em all lined up.
Of course it sounds zippier than a normal Ford 300 because of the higher rpm range, but if I close my eyes and imagine, I can picture myself behind the giant steering wheel of my F600. Some lunatics turbocharge the full-size engines and I'm sure you could do the same with this, though I'm not sure how those connecting rods would hold up.
It's worth trying, so long as you're okay with your $1,300 replica potentially blowing apart. What's the harm of putting a window in the block of one of these? It's only a toy after all.
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