So a couple months back I took my 1986 F150 to my dad's for some simple repairs that I just didn't have the room for to do at my place. While on the way there it ran like crap. I had my foot to the floor and it barely made it to 45MPH and when we got a few miles to his house we stopped for gas and while leaving the gas station it died. So I had my dad flat tow it behind his Chevy to his house.

Once we got there we did the repairs and got my exhaust hooked back up tightly since before I was riding open header basically. Once we got the exhaust fitted and the starter working again we found out why it was running so terribly. We heard what sounded like metal on metal contact coming from cylinder #1 about as loud as the I6 with no exhaust. So we shut it down and it is now sitting at my dad's. Now since I am going into my 2nd year of auto tech I really would love the challenge of an engine swap but had a few questions.

What should I be looking for in a donor engine, what year of trucks are the best donors, what else should I do while doing this swap, any tips or hints you could give me, also do you recommend against me doing this?

 

First question is, is it fuel injected? 2nd is are you wanting to go to a v8? and if so you will need to get the small block metal frame stand engine mounts since these are different than the I6. 2nd if its injected itll be a headache converting to v8 injection without a complete donor truck. next is the question of is it an auto or a manual?

 

It is the 4speed, carbed, plan to stay with the 300 but have been somewhat thinking of going v8. Any other info you need?

 

A v8 is going to take some work, going to the junkyard and grinding off motor brackets, different radiators, and some other stuff is different.

If this is your first engine pull, another 300 from any year truck will bolt right in. Just make sure to save your hoses, carb, etc and put that on the next engine so your engine stays the same. All you need is the block and the basic engine.

Look the clutch over too and make sure it's in good shape while you are in there.

 

If i go with the 300 to save time since I need it back up and running in a timely fashion but tired of the feedback carb and all that should I do the DSII swap right now?

 

It depends on your confidence level. There is really no gain in doing it all at once if you want to do baby steps. It's easy enough to do the DSII swap later. When you put the other engine in and it happens not to run, then you can look elsewhere for the problem. If you do the DSII swap at the same time, then you will be wondering if that is the problem.

 

You do have a good point, I guess my main reason for asking is that my current engine has most of its vacuum hoses stripped out before I got it.

 

Well, it sounds like the DSII swap does need to be done. If you can find an earlier engine in good shape, it will already have the DSII distributor in it(look for a vacuum advance with a place to hook a vacuum line to it on the dist). If you can hear the engine run, then that would make sense to do the swap at the same time(you would need the ignition module). The older engine would also have a old style carb that you really need to completely make the swap.

 

Well I was planning on doing the swap so I actually have a rebuilt non feedback carb and module sitting around but things came up. So what years of engines should I be looking for that should have the DSII distributor.

 

I believe around 83-down. I am pretty sure 84 had computer control, I am not sure about 83, and you may run across some earlier models from California that had the computer control. A older 300 from a 70's truck should work fine also. Before the 300 it was a 240 I believe.

 

The 82 351W's in the 49-state F150's had computer control. Don't know about the 300's, but they might have. I'd look a bit earlier, like '81. But the key, as Dave said, is to find one with a vacuum advance on the dizzy, regardless of year.

 

Alright thanks for the help with the years. I will definitely keep an eye out for the vacuum advance like y'all mentioned. Is there any pointers you can give me since this is my first pull and my first swap?

 

Are you sure about that, Gary? The way I remember it, the computer controls began in 49-state F150s (with the 6-banger and 302) in 1984 - feedback carb.

351W 4V kept the DS2 ignition until 1988 or thereabouts.

EFI was an option at first, at least the first year; if the purchaser didn't choose EFI, then a feedback carb was supplied (300, 302, 351W 2V 1984/85).

California began computer-controlled stuff in 1980 or 81 as I recall.

This is the way I remember it, anyhow, but am too lazy to go look it up in the parts book.

 

I'm too lazy to look it up as well. And, I'm going from memory and you know how old mine is. But, at least it is recent memory - I've owned two 82's, the white Explorer and Brownie. One sold in Wisconsin or Minnesota, and the other in Kansas. Both with 351W's with feedback carbs and computer-controlled timing. Brownie had been converted to a points dizzy when I got him but the computer was still under the seat. The Explorer had a different carb but still had the computer-controlled dizzy when I got it, although the rest of the emissions equipment had been stripped off - save for the computer. It had changed hands several times because it ran so poorly for some reason.

So, I don't have a very large sample, but 100% of my sampling set had computer controls.

 

My 82 351W with the 2bbl had computer controlled VV carb and timing. The distributor looked just like a standard Duraspark, but without the vacuum advance module.

The distributor I got for my Duraspark conversion, with vacuum advance, came from an 84 351W HO.

Guess it depended on option package as far as which one it had.