Hey guys; I am looking for a dump truck to use around my property and on short hauls. I have found a 1978 F600 that I am interested in. The owner says it has a 330 in it. Is the 330 an FE or an FT? From what I have read it seems there is a 330 MD and a 330 HD; is there a easy way to tell the difference? I just finished restoring a 72 F250 and rebuilt the 390 (with the help of theses forums), but I don’t know anything about these bigger trucks.
It has a 4spd (I would prefer a 5) with a 2spd rear-end. The owner says it has always made what he calls a whining or growling noise in granny and reverse. He also says that his neighbor’s F600 does the same thing. I vaguely recall some of my step dad’s trucks making noise in granny gear when I was a kid. Is that common or something I should be concerned about?
Is there anything else I should be paying special attention to? Is the 330 weak? Could I put a 390 in it or would I need to find a 391?

Thanks,

 

The transmission probably has straight cut first and reverse gears which is why they are so noisy.

 

If it's a 330, it's most likely the HD. The "MD" was in the U-haul F350 trucks, and usually not put in an F600. I don't think. If it concerns you, you could see what the diameter of the dampener spacer is coming out the front of the timing cover and compare to an FE - the "MD" 330 uses an FE-sized dampener spacer I believe.

The 330 is gutless, uses a LOT of gas, but keeps on going and going and going. If it hasn't been abused, it's a good motor.

You COULD put a 390 in it, but it would be a hassle between the timing cover-mounted motor mount and a few other things. A 391 would be an easier swap.

As for the gears, F6Guy has it covered, they are probably straight-cut gears and nothing to worry about.

 

I have two old uhaul trucks here which both have 330's in them.They both run great and have always been reliable.A few years back we drove the '77 F350 to vegas and back and last year drove the '78 F600 to Tenn and back.They sit most of the time but are always ready to work when i need them.I would keep the 330

 

The 330 isn't a ball of fire, but it will get the job done. I have to plan ahead for the "big hill" between the gravel pit and my cottage.

You really don't want to be going too fast on the highway with a loaded 32 year old truck, even if it's in good shape. If you have a hill like mine, don't try it with a full load the first few times unless you are proficient at double clutching into low range low gear while loosing momentum.

It's sort of a thrill the first time you crest the hill in low-low WOT at 650 rpm.

Know your limitations (and the truck's limitations) and you'll be ok. I wouldn't mess around with replacing a 330 with something better. Spend the effort replacing wheel cylinders, turn signal mechanisms, and fixing hydraulic leaks.

Alan

 

Thanks for the info everyone; I am sure if I buy it I will be asking a lot more questions. I am going to look at it Saturday. It is about an hour away and I haven’t been able to make time to get up there in the evenings.

Thanks,

 

You could put a 390 in with some work. A friend has a '73 F600 wrecker that originally had a 330. Ditto the comments of gas hog and gutless. He put a 391 in and actually got better mileage, especially when pulling something heavy like a 1 ton box van that's loaded. With the 391, making runs at hills isn't as necessary as with the 330. If the motor is basically sound maybe put a 204/214 cam in it to give a little more oompff without losing the low end torque?

Steve

 

If the 330 is solid I will probably run it for a while and look for a 391, if it is week I will try to drop a 390 that I already have in it.

I want to buy it and then tear it apart and rebuild everything; but my wife keeps reminding me that I am not buying another project truck, that I am buying a truck to fix up our yard.

 

I own a 1978 F 600 dump. If it is the 330 hd the fourth letter in the VIN will be a "D". The 330 is a gas hog, 6-8 mpg. First and reverse are straight cut gears and do "growl". I have the 4 speed also but with a single speed rear end, I will climb any hill you come up against, just depends on how much time you got free to get to the top, lol.

Also you might want to find out how long it has been sitting unused. I didn't think of that when I bought mine and have had to rebuild the carb, replace the fuel pump and fuel lines and remove the gas tank finally and have it cleaned. They seem to build up crud from sitting and when you start using them the fuel system get wrecked from all the crud moving through it.

Don't get me wrong though, it's the most dependable truck I've ever owned. Pump the gas 3 times, set the choke, turn the key and she fires right up.

 

what kind of gears do the 60s-80s 500-600 run. just curious. ive got the 8.11:5.83 two speed in my truck and it pulls pretty good considering the motor. I have pulled a couple small hills on I-210 in 3rd high, I was loosing to much speed in 4th and my clutch was starting to get hot. But considering what my little flathead has pulled I would think that 330 would pull like a pair of mules! Maybe a cam swap some headers and good mufflers would wake it up a little.

 

Not really sure what reared gear mine has. It's a single speed rear end and in 4th gear to the floor running against the governor I get about 50 mph.

 

Hey, you are not the only one to buy a 78 F600 lately. was reading the replys to your post and have picked up some good Info.. have you located a repair manual for your F600 ? picked up my truck today and it really needs lots of TLC for sure. something I can share with you, I have found the aftermarket builders GVWR on mine was listed as 19,200 lbs. noticed it has two sets of overloads, one above the main springs which have 3 leafs and another overload below the main, which is a single leaf. I am not sure if the lower leaf is factory or not. Have you rebuilt the brakes on yours yet ?
Best of luck with your F600

Glen

 

Maybe Im just showing my age, but I found out that 391s have a larger
ball bearing pilot bearing and the front balancer has a bigger bolt. I have
had 330s they ran good. All my trucks were 332Y blocks all long gone,
replaced with 391FTs (they slide right in). 4V Holleys 5OD X2. Perfect.
My F900 391 gets tripple the gas mileage of my F150 with a little 302.
whats up with that! Simple under the pickup hood one cant even find
the motor. So I guess its the old aint broke dont fix it, but when It does
croak definatly go 391 a genuine truck engine very common in C cabs.
just my opinion, 360s 390s belong in cars and pickups.