170 tips for a budget!

Slantsix64 said

So Charlie you run the stock exhaust size on your 170? 1 7/8 or 2 inch? I agree with you im not a 170 guy, i just remember reading the 170 has the pistons higher to the deck so i would be carefull milling the head so much as .100 but you always got to measure everything then measure again to be safe im not a 170 guy. its already hard hot rodding a six banger and expensive and even harder when starting with the smaller platform displacement 170

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Correct, you need to measure, so you know how much to mill to get the CR you desire.
The 170 I have on the street has 2 1/4 exhaust. The car needed new exhaust any way, so I went bigger (only $25 more then the stock size), and the engine is not stock.( I am not stating a larger exhaust will not help, but that it is not worth the money, unless it needs new anyway). It has .060 bore, mild cam, milled head for 9.5 CR. Stock exhaust and intake manifold. Just recently added a Holley 1bbl economiser carb (runs good, but haven't checked fuel mileage, yet)
The 9.5 CR is a little high (recommend 8.5-9.0 for the street) takes a lot of tweeking the distributer, and at least mid grade fuel, to keep from pinging. A friend and I built this engine/car for fuel mileage. Cam is a little too mild for the 9.5 CR. When I get a chance I will probably pull the head and replace the steel shim head gasket with a thicker one. That should drop the CR about .1-.2 points.