Earlier this year I aquired a nice 86 Regular Cab Short box 4x4 with a 302 EFI AOD. The transmission is shot, no 3rd or 4th and the motor is running ruff currently.

I have a few ideas running through my mind on this truck.

Initially I was going to drop a 460 with a C6 in it with F350 suspension and run 33" tires. But this will take some time and I am not sure if I should stay efi or go carb. But I also have a 5 speed in my parts inventory.

Second idea was to replace the AOD with a C6 that I had rebuilt several years ago for another project.

Third idea is to swap in a 92 and up dash, wiring and a 300EFI with the C6, and make it a nice driver for now with decent mileage and good starting ability for the winter. (currently have a nice 300 from another project)

2 and 3 are probably my quickest options so I have something to drive while the crew cab is torn apart.

Can these early 302's be decent motors once they are fixed correctly? The truck has not left a farm for several years and the dash has seen better days.

 

i guess my biggest questions is, what do you plan on doing with it? that's going to be a big factor in the road you take in your build.

 

do you have any pics? dont see to many swb trucks this era around here.

 

Ideally I would like to put a small lift in it with 33's and use it as a cruiser and light wheeler. I have thought about putting a plow on it just to clean my driveway in the winter. But right now I need it up and running so I can tear the other one apart. A 460 in it, at least down the road would be nice to complete with my brothers 454 1 ton stepside.

 

man, thats one nice truck!!

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but swapping from an AOD to a C6 will most likely require shorter front/longer rear driveshafts......

Nice looking truck, should make for a decent ride, no matter what you end up with for power.

 

Gearin may be an issue as well, my 86 has 3.73's. Not exactly condusive to a 3 spd trans on the highway. The bigger tires would help with that a little.

 

BumbleBee- Thanks, I could not pass it up with the deal I got.
Rogue- The C-6 is about an inch shorter. (There are two different length tail shafts for the C-6)
Archion- Not having overdrive is not a concern for me. I currently drive my dually everywhere with out overdrive. (4spd manual)

I took the truck for a spin today and it has a weird issue, if I rev the motor up to say 3000 and hold it, after a few seconds the truck starts to miss fire and run ruff. The thought of installing the 300EFI is tempting, but wiring with the old dash may be an issue.

 

Sounds like a fuel issue with the 302, maybe a clogged pick-up filter in the tank or the fuel line filter, or a weak fuel pump. The AOD is good enough to warrant a rebuild--I'd shop for a deal with-the economy the way it is around here you should be able to get somebody to do a good job for cheap. God wanted everybody to have a Ford pick-up...that's why they built so many of them. Personally, I think the '80 to '86 Shortbed is the best looking pick-up anywhere.

 

Personnally if your gonna put a plow on her with an AOD your asking for trouble. If I were you and wanted to swap motors I would go with a 351w with a ZF 5spd and then you have the power and durability to do whatever you want without any worries. Especially if fuel economy isnt that big of a deal.

 

If that truck will ever see any work... don't touch an AOD.

My vote goes for the 460 project. It isn't too hard to locate the mounts and a decent engine and trans for cheap, but if you wanna get this thing up and running soon I would just keep the 302 and do the ZF swap.

 

Thanks for your opinions guys. At the moment I have decided to put it up for sale, rather than changing the entire truck. I have enough other parts that I think I am going to shorten up a 1 ton I have and put my flairside box on that along with a 300 efi and a 4 or 5 spd, for a reliable parts runner and plow truck. The crew cab is a little too big.

 

I have a 86 f150 302 AOD that I want to convert to 4x4. If I had a good 4x4 that needed a motor and transmission I could use my 2x4 for parts.