Hey guys I know most of us have carbed 300 I6's but I have one of both. My 83 is getting the full P&P job with new offey DP and Holley 390cfm carb...

What I want to know now is if anyone has done a cam swap in their EFI 300 I6's????

What cam did you use? Did you P&P the head? Etc etc...

I love my little 300 I6 but the wife wants me to give up all but 2 trucks so we can start saving for a house and what not... Well she actually said one... I was thinking if I can boost a little more power in my EFI 300 I6 that will be the one I keep. Let me know guys!

 

Oh and so far I have heard that the Isky 256 is computer friendly and so is the Crane 503901... but not sure. Any coroberation would be much appreciated!

 

The Crane has been used for sure by some. There a postings about it but none recently.

 

I origionally posted this thread to find a cam for my EFI inline6 but have found a lack of comprehensive information on the subject. So the suggestions on adding power to our I6's that I've found are listed below in acordance to Price vs. Power gains. Some of the below I will be doing to Thumper to see what power I can squeeze out...

0.) Smog pump delete - I put this one on zero b/c it doesn't make a HP and TQ difference in our motors AT ALL! (ok maybe 1hp... NOT WORTH IT!)
1.) Catalitic converter - Delete, Hallow, or replace with high flow. (already done on my truck- if you have to do emmisions tests; aftermarket high flows are best option)
2.) Larger Cat back exhaust - Either a single 2.5 all the way back or true duals your choice. (P.O. put true duals on mine already...)
3.) Chevy Roller Rockers - Adding chevy roller rockers to your stock head will be a cheap way to add a few HP (I'm personally going to skip this one)
4.) Headers - A header will give you better flow off the head, but it's to much $$$ for not alot of HP... (skipping this one again)
5.) P&P/Head work - Do P&P work yourself & you can get decent HP gains in our I6's for very little money. (I'm going to P&P my head later with DIY kit from eastwood)
6.) Cam Swap - changing your cam is usually the best bang for your buck $200-$300 and some wrench time and you'll have more HP than any of the above give you.
7.) Well if you need more power after some or all of the above you are looking at spending some serious cash and I can't help you there.... LOL!

I'm sure I have missed something obvious above but for now those are the easy power add on options I can think of. Thumper below has been lacking in power towing some big stuff for me so it's time to give her some new life. Thumper as mentioned above already has true duals, free flowing glasspacks and no-cat. Thus, I already have exhaust handled. So I have found a long thread about the Crane 503901 (crane 503905 is the same). Just looking for a good thread on the Isky 256 now, and mabye a few others cams I don't know about yet. I honestly don't want to mess with injectors, fuel pressure regulators, etc right now so a cam that works good right away after install is what I am going for; along with a really good power bump too! I'll add all the pretinent info I can think of for those newbies that might be following along....

How to install cam: Read here if you have no idea what a cam install entails
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-how-to-9.html
Crane 503901 Thread: Good info on the Crane cam
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...-503901-a.html
Head work: Great info on head work if you take yours to the machine shop or do some yourself
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...questions.html
P&P work:
I just saw Horse Power on Spike TV is going to be doing a "How to do P&P work" this week for under $100! You might want to watch or record it!

If I have some extra cash and time, I will dyno my truck before and after a cam swap on Thumper. I want to do a cam and valve spring install and know what power gains you actually get are... I'm sure some of you will want to know the actual numbers as well. My base line would be Thumper as she sits now, then dyno after cam and springs, then again if I get around to a P&P on her.

If you have other links that have to do with adding power to the EFI I6's please post them... I could look for a week and not find the good stuff since there isn't much locked to the top of this thread. I am hoping upon finishing this project and this thread we might be able to get a moderator to lock it to the top of this I6 forum.

 

sounds good, i have no info on this but would like to know.

 

I am putting the Crane 503901 in mine but it won't be for a while yet. Bought it last year for $88 on sale. First I'm doing the E4OD. I just worked a bunch of OT and have the funds for the last few bits of the E4OD build and most of the engine.
As for the engine I've got to go all the way through mine. I'm building it for just a bit more power but nothing drastic as its my DD. She has been seeing less use lately due to the oil pressure drop after warm up. I can't wait to get the trans done and begin on the engine though. I'm going to keep an eye on this thread for some ideas. I was thinking using hyper-eutectic pistons doing a port and polish and using the cloyes metal timing set. I've been buying some engine parts when I find good deals but will be using my recent OT to finish buying parts.

 

Just a thought but you might want to just buy a oil pressure guage and compression tester (if you don't already have them). And test your block when OP drops... at 350K you might be all worn out. The cheaper option might be to find a parts donor with a 100K engine for a few hundred bucks. I found the white truck below for $200 and the engine only has 40-60K on it... The entire truck is junk except for that motor! Just a thougth that a good running used engine will give you more budget for "Go Fast Goodies!" Plus you can build up the spare block and keep your truck running until your ready for the engine swap. www.crazedlist.org is a great place to find craigslist postings for engines.

Otherwise.... I'll probably get yelled at for even suggesting this but you probably don't need to spend $60-$80 on a Cloyes timing set. Most of the guys on here replace there timing set because they have the old fiber one. Your truck is new enough that you should have metal timing gears... Not much to wear out there since this timing system is gear driven and not chain driven. Also the hypereutectic pistions are a good choice along with some moly rings. Moly rings last a lot longer but will take a while to break in so some initial blowby might be expected. Make sure to have the head fluxed and crack checked thoroughly! A kit is your best bag for the buck and most times a machine shop can get you a good price on something like this...Sealed Power MKP6343A-300 - Sealed Power Engine Kits & Rotating Assemblies - Kit/Combo Contents - SummitRacing.com Also remember that you should match your new valve springs with the cam (Crane 503901 goes with Crane 99838).



I was (and still am) looking for a home for a rebuilt 351w but can't really justify sticking it back in one of my junk $300 trucks. So for the mean time I am thinking of bumping up the I6 performance until I have the time and cash for a decent rig that I can shove that 351w in. That all being said I will keep digging and call some manufactures to see what they have for the I6 and keep you all posted.

 

I put a mechanical gauge on it and its really running about 3-7psi at idle after a warm up on 20-50 castrol. I haven't bothered with a compression test as its just got so many miles, I thing it is time. I ordered the last of the E4OD parts today and will begin with that. I plan on doing a write up as I haven't found too many good articles on the particulars of overhauling/upgrading the E4OD. Funny thing about the engine is its as quite as ever. No knocking of any kind. I think I just wore it out with all those years of pulling trailer loads of AC units to job sites.
I've never been in this engine but I thought the fiber gears were stock as thats all I've seen listed at places like Rock auto and others for stock replacements. Sealed power also makes a set thats cheaper than the Cloyes. Summit has some great prices as well as Northern auto. The only problem with the kits is they usually have stock replacements and I would like to tweak some of the parts better then the kits. I've always had great luck in all my drag cars with Melling pumps so I will definitely be putting in an M74HV pump. Moly rings are a given and the magnafluxing is a must on both block and head. The machine shop I use in Memphis is very good and I will probably end up having the reciprocating assembly balanced as its not too expensive($125). I haven't decided whether an aftermarket harmonic balance is warranted or not as this is going to be a daily driver and not a strip truck. Those things can get pretty pricey and It will never see anything over 5500 anyway. It will live 99% of its time in the 1500-2500 range. If not an aftermarket one it will be getting a new stock balancer. The most work it will get now is pulling an occasional trailer full of whatever or a 2600lb drag car. My boys love to go camping so maybe we'll get a used popup and thats about all she'll be hauling.

 

I think you need new bearings

 

Absolutely but I'm sure there is much more that needs "attention". That's why I'm going to pull it and just do a rebuild. Its not like it hasn't given great service . Its just tired.

 

flip...a bit of clarification please...who or what needs new bearings?

 

I guess your referring to me. Part of my plan is to pull my 300 and go through it. Its got over 350,000 miles and is due for a rebuild.

 

No, Harte3 was refering to the comment Flipklos made 3 posts earlier.

You might be able to get a ball glazebreaker and re-ring the engine and put new mains in it and run the truck for another 200K!

 

3-7 psi with 20W-50 oil is a good sign of worn bearings. Excess clearance is a cause of low oil pressure especialy with such thick oil.

The engine may run fine but that is starting to get dangerously low on pressure.

I was getting at the fact that PDR60 may need to think about a rebuild or a crate engine.

 

the way these engines run I would just find a JY 100-150K motor and drop it in... way cheaper! Plus you can do all the major seals and gaskets while it's out with a little routine maintence like water and oil pump... maybe a rear main... clean injectors manually... that kind of thing. Once you are all done with the garage refurb you can drop it in the truck in 1-2 days... even get a clutch done while you're in there... and that would still cost you less than 1/2 the rebuild would... this would leave room for a couple go fast/more power parts. Like a cam or some tool/cash to do P&P work.