hello, My 78' f250 has a bad knock, and I have no experience rebuilding any 4 stroke engines, although I have rebuilt many 2 cycle chainsaws, snowmobiles and such.
But anyways, I found a rebuilt ford industrial 300 I6 that was kept for a spare and never used, but has been sitting for 5 years
Ford Inline 6 cylinder 300 motor engine fresh


that is the craigslist add. So my questions are,
-would this work in my truck?
-what should I expect after its been sitting for 5 years? dried up seals/gaskets? seized bearings possibly?
-anything different about industrial motors that aren't good in trucks?
-is $500 too much?




I appreciate any help with getting my baby running like a top again,
thanks.

 

If I lived anywhere near Minneapolis it would be in the back of my truck before you read this post. I'm actually going to google map how far away it is now.

 

Has it ever been fired up? If not, it's still going to need to be broken in.

I think it'd be a good deal. I'd definitely put new gaskets on it (which is not a big deal when the engine is out, and probably about $50 - $75 tops). Valve cover, oil pan, push rod cover, and timing cover. If/when you do the timing cover, look into upgrading the oil pan to an '88+ setup with the 1 piece gasket. Easy to do and well worth it.

I don't believe there'd be any reason it wouldn't turn over unless it's been left out in the rain. Just put a socket on the balancer and give it a turn to see if it moves freely.

Otherwise, it should bolt right in. I don't believe there were any differences between the two motors except for some emissions stuff.


For sitting for 5 years, I'd probably offer a little less than $500, but that's me.

 

Wouldn't it have the forged crank?

 

I don't think that's a guarantee at all. But it could.

 

Like AbandonedBronco said, just because it's an industrial engine does not mean it will have a forged crank. I have bought a few and they all had cast cranks. I think it has more to do with the age of the engine then it being industrial or not. If it's an industrial 300 from the mids 60's through early 70's then it's more likely to have a forged crank. Newer then that and it's probably a cast crank.

It also doesn't mean it's a 300. I have bought some "industrial 300's" that turned out to be industrial 240's. So just beware and check it over, especially if you are counting on a forged crank or it being a 300.

 

The guy says its never been ran, so I'm sure it'd have to be broken in. I guess Its wrapped very well in plastic and sealed up, and has been sitting in a heated shop since the rebuild.
What does the newer oil pan swap involve, is it as easy as a new oil pan and gasket and everything bolts right up to the truck?
and what's the easiest way to tell if its actually a 300 and not a 240?

 

For the oil pan gasket, all of the bolt holes have a raised ridge around them. Just take a grinder and remove them all. Viola! Now you can use the 1 piece 88+ silicone oil pan gasket and don't have to deal with the 4 piece rubber/cork combo.

For 240 vs 300, the only way to tell without disassembling is the stroke. 3.18" vs. 3.98". You can "sorta" measure the stroke by bring a piston to the very top (look down the spark plug hole to visually see it rise) putting a long, skinny rod down the spark plug hole, and then rotating the engine until it drops all the way.

Measure how far down the rod drops. You know if it's 3 1/2 inches or so, it's a 300.

 

Is your 78 a 2wd or a 4x4? If it's 2wd you should be able to use it as is if it has the center sump pan.

If your truck is a 4x4 you will need a rear sump oil pan with the dip stick tube in the pan. You will also need to get the matching oil pump pick up tube. And the rear sump pick up tube will require changing out one of the main cap bolts for one with a stud on the head of the bolt. The oil pump pick up tube has a support bracket that mounts onto that stud.

 

Squirt some oil in the spark plug holes and roll the engine over with the plugs still out. Put some 2-stroke oil in the first (well-shaken) fuel on which you run the engine, to give that dry engine a little lube, and have this premix in your primer bottle, too.

 

My truck is a 4x4. Would I be able to reuse all of the oil pump pickup stuff from my current engine?
I'm sure I'd come up with plenty of hits if I searched breaking an engine in, but since you mentioned it, what ratio should I mix the fuel, something like 50 to 1, and how long/how many gallons should I run it mixed?


Thank you everyone for the help this far, its much appreciated

 

Yes, everything off your current engine will swap over.

 

Tyler, you don't need to run anything like a tank of premix through your engine, just some when you first get the thing started and running steadily. Get a small gas can, say 2 gallon, and make up some 50:1, well-shaken right before you're ready to try to get the engine running. Pour it into the vehicle's tank over whatever is already there. This isn't critical, as it would be for operating a 2-stroke. You're just trying to get a little extra lube to what are likely some dry surfaces, especially the valve guides, in an engine that has been sitting. Years ago, when motor oils weren't quite as good as they became later, various outfits sold what were called "top cylinder lubricants." Bardahl was one.

That reminds me, the very latest standard motor oils actually are less good than the previous version, because as you can read, "they took out the zinc!, " for emissions purposes. This is okay for newer design engines with roller lifters and such, but not for our older design engines. You can either use regular oil, and add supplemental zinc (Rislone has a version), or use a diesel oil such as Chevron Delo 400 or Shell Rotella, which still have the zinc compound.

All this applies to starting any 4-stroke gasoline engine that has sat for years, such as the 10hp Tecumseh-powered Sears Suburban garden tractor I rescued out of the weeds Monday. I hear guys brag about how they checked the oil, fueled up, and started and engine that has sat for years, with no preliminary pre-oiling or prep (and whatever oil was in the crankcase). These boys have no clue about how much wear the long-sitting engine sees on a dry start-up. I want to give the poor engine every chance.

 

Well I picked the motor up on Thursday, even got a little better deal then I had anticipated. I have a few questions, and probably more to come.
First, I was able to look up where to find the codes to date the engine, but don't know how to decipher them. My code is;
E7TE8015DB 6G21


My second question is on the oil pan swap, I want to do the single piece gasket, and the oil pan on the engine is a center sump, so I will need to swap in a rear sump. I understand that I will need to grind off the raised rings around the bolt holes on the block. My question is do I need to get an oil pan from a truck that ran the single piece gasket? or will I be able to use my oil pan from my stock 78' block? I will most likely end up ordering a new pan anyways, because the one on the 78 already has double oversize plug if I remember correctly. So I just need to know from what year truck to I order a pan for?


thanks everyone for all the help.

 

If you get a newer pan do not get rid of the pan off your 78! You will still need to remove all the dipstick parts from your 78 pan. And you'll have to install them in the new pan.

Also the newer pans have external rails/spreader bar deals that go between the oil pan and the mounting bolts.

How soon did you need the parts? I've got a really nice newer pan with the rails I'd be willing to sell but it's buried in the back of my garage. It might be a month before I could get to it.