OK, so my old truck has about had it, I think. It's a '92 with somewhere around 180K now. Over the last few months, the oil consumption has gotten to pretty crazy levels. I pulled the spark plugs, and they were the worst I've seen in my entire life- absolutely covered in some kind of heavy carbon deposit. I replaced them, the truck ran well for about two months, and started to stumble again.

It's gotten bad. The truck feels like it's only firing on maybe half the cylinders. I'm planning to pull the plugs again this weekend to check them out, but I'm thinking it's time for a rebuild.

I called a local shop, and they quoted me $1600 to swap in a remanufactured long block. That's more money than I had planned on spending, so I'm thinking of doing it myself.

Here are the big questions:
1. Do I really need to do a full rebuild, or can I get away with a ring job?

2. If I go for the full rebuild, do I have to have the block bored, or is the stock bore likely to be OK? How can I check?

3. Any opinions on this kit? What else will I need?

4. I don't have an engine stand or hoist, do I need to get one?

5. Anyone know where I can find a decent write-up to help me out?

6. As long as I'm in there, is there anything easy I can do for a power or gas mileage boost?

Obviously, I've never done this before. I'm reasonably mechanically inclined, but this is a whole new world for me. Fortunately, the 300 seems to be pretty simple, so I think I might be able to pull this one off.

Oh, and the engine is in a '92 F150 extended cab 2wd. The truck gets used primarily for running back and forth to work and occasional hauling. I'm interested mostly in decent mileage and driveability, with good torque, but capable highway speeds.

 

1. Do a full job
2. Depends on whether the cylinders are scored or not. Won't know until you take it apart.
3. Don't know anything about it.
4. You need an engine stand and a hoist. I think places rent them, though.
5. You might google it. I have a factory shop manual that I use for my stuff.
6. I don't know about the EFI engines. You might search this forum.

All that being said, you might be better off with the reman. However, you could swap it in yourself and maybe save the labor. You would still need a hoist, though. If you do, just take your time and label all the connections and hoses.