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78 f150 4x4 300 4 spd. got the heater core so im starting there lol. going to cut the bed off for now, then swap probably a 302 in it for now......paid 800 bucks and cab is rock solid. feedback and ideas welcome lol
My only feedback would be to keep the 300. The only benefit from a 302 is the V8 sound. The 300 is a great driveable engine. It just goes and goes. When I bought my first truck, I was going to swap the 300 after I got other stuff done. Well, I ended up just keeping it because it was a great driving engine.
Keep the 300! If this is budget in any way, you are gonna get more power (if that's what you're looking for) from the 300. There was a guy on this forum who suped up his 300 and got something like 455 ft/lbs of torque out of it! They're solid engines for sure. Don't let the extra 2 cubic inches fool you, unless you get a Boss engine or something
this 300 is shot. still runs knocks and rattles like crazy, burns oil, runs hot if its over 60 degrees no matter what. so if im going to bother rebuilding a motor its going to be a v8, id rather atleast have a 351m my experience they are good with enough power for what i want at the moment. motors are hard to come by around here for now
If you want a runner in the 2-300$ range, go for the 400, not the 351M. They'll cost the same, but you'll have to look just a liiiittle harder for a 400, look in a big old car. If you want to build for any type of performance down the line, having the 400 rotating assembly will save you from buying a parts 400 for it later.
Motor mounts will be way easy to come by, and cheap, not sure about the bellhousing on that 4 speed though? That may actually be the same from the 300 to the 302 (correct me). 351M and 400 are on the 429/460 pattern.
i wouldnt be that lucky haha, i started with the interior which is almost done except for a seat, and i have to paint the dash. does anyone know where i can get cheap 4 inch front springs?
From an extreme budgeter, I'd suggest craigslist. It might take a month, but put up an ad, and go to craiglook/searchallcraigs/equivalent every couple nights, type in ford truck lift, and spend 3 minutes.
I got a "lift in a bucket" for 20 bucks one time from an old builder that turned out to be 3 inch lift coils still painted, rear blocks and long U bolts, and 6 good shocks!
brake lights are the only thing that dont work. everything else is fine for now, even the factory cab lights work, he said they were factory. ill probably run new wire to the brake lights. also looking for a powersteering pump and steering box. the joint in the steering shaft is wore out and cant find a replacement, so i gotta change it to power
Keep the 300! If this is budget in any way, you are gonna get more power (if that's what you're looking for) from the 300. There was a guy on this forum who suped up his 300 and got something like 455 ft/lbs of torque out of it! They're solid engines for sure. Don't let the extra 2 cubic inches fool you, unless you get a Boss engine or something
My $.02
I'm one of those guys. A built 300 will run with a Powerstroke all day long in terms of power. Feed 'em more air and fuel, and pray to God that second gear doesn't explode. For the amount of money you'll put into your 400, with having to find another transmission, you can build a stout six shooter that'll have enough torque to pull a barn, and get pretty decent gas mileage. Not only that, but your truck will stand out in a crowd having a blingin' inline six.
I'm about to get started on mine, and I'm keeping my six.