Aluminum heads are available on FE engine that discontinuned in 76,
but not the 300-6??

 

No, not on the big six. The small six has an aluminum head available. The FE was always more of a performance engine than the 300 was. Not enough people are hopping up the 300 like they are the FE, which as a result means less parts availability for the 300 and more for the FE. Keep in mind though the FE had multiple displacement options from 330 to 428, but the 300 only has two. The FE was a good engine in both cars and trucks, and paired with its displacement options made it a very popular engine.

 

Have seen two FE 390 engine rebuild videos on U-Tube.
The only original part was the block.
New aluminum heads and manifolds on both engines.
New stroker crank shaft on both engines.

Believe the main issue on 300-6 carburetor version is the distribution of the fuel/air mixture down stream of the carburetor in the log style intake manifold.

 

i could only imagine what aluminium would do for our 300's
The iron that's on their now wieghs more than my whole truck just joking.but its very heavy

 

you hit it right on the button i never met any body who has the carb.300,that never had a fuel air mix problem
.at on time or another
Believe the main issue onlmanifold.[/QUOTE]

 

That's why we have aftermarket intake manifolds.

The iron head weighs 80lb.

 

Yea i know i did a rebuild on my friends truck a few years ago i still wounder how many pounds it would shed if it was Aluminium

 

classic inline is building one the only update from them is that their is light at the end of the tunnel.i would have to say i do love my iron head its durable and has proved itself to. the world so I'm in no hurry for more. hp its fine as is.


The iron head weighs 80lb.[/QUOTE]

 

Let's figure it out.

Density = mass/volume, measured in kg/m^3.

Density of cast iron is 6800-7800kg/m^3. We'll cut that in half and call it 7300kg/m^3.

Our head weighs 80lb, or 36kg.

If d = 7300, m = 36, what is v?

It's been a while since I've done any math. If I made a mistake, point it out to me.

d = kg/v
7300 = 36/v
7300v = 36
v = 36/7300
v = 0.00493m^

On to the aluminum head.

The density of melted aluminum is 2560-2640. We can average that to 2600kg/m^3.

If d = 2600, and v is 0.00493, what is kg?

d = kg/v
2600 = kg/0.00493
2600(0.00493) = kg
12.8 = kg

In theory, our aluminum cylinder head would weigh 12.8kg, or 28.2lb, but that's without knowing for sure what density the materials are.

That is only accounting for a cylinder head of the exact same volume. My experience with aluminum anything is that it's made a lot bulkier to make up for it's lack of strength, so expect a lot more weight.

 

without knowing for sure what density the materials are.

That is only accounting for a cylinder head of the exact same volume. My experience wiQUOTE]ok so for sure you much smarter than me I'm really not good at math.also your right,it must be heavier cuz the density of the aluminium to make it as strong as iron.i never thought about that.i was just thinking of how light aluminium is not how to make it as dense as iron

 

The Edelbrock intake manifold for the FE is about 15lb whereas the cast iron factory manifold is 80lb, so there's a lot of weight savings there but an intake manifold doesn't need the strength a cylinder head does. On my 302, the factory heads were 50lb and the AFR aluminums were 30. Aluminim heads are supposed to be bulky.

 

Ain't that the truth! Just did my push rod cover gasket today! Such a hassle!

 

Both of mine had one barrel carbs (still have one) and I know to snug down the nuts on the studs because they loosen regularly.

 

"Manfred,"

Always ask owners of auto machine shops when you want to get professional experiences instead of individual anecdotes about any given engine type.

This is not to diss people here; I readily admit that my own opinions are frequently of doubtful value. But I have learned to double-check what I think and what I read against the eighty years of accumulated experience of two old machine shop owners I know well.

I predict that YOUR machine shop owner will cite deteriorated/destroyed phenolic cam drive gears, and broken pistons, as problems they find with the relatively few 300 sixes people have brought in. Additionally, I hear that the EFI heads were somewhat crack-prone, but I have not asked the shops about this, so don't depend on this.

Besides machine shops, consider that there have been companies running fleets of work trucks powered by this engine, and it might be possible for you to locate the fleet service manager for his ideas. I got lucky with this. I picked up an old 1968 Grumman-Olsen bread truck, aluminum "step-van" body on a Ford P350 chassis with a 300 six and an NP435 4-speed. On the sides, still legible under the paint-over, was the name of the big regional bakery that had operated my vehicle and a great many like it for a couple of decades . . .

Good advice on particular engines can also come from successful racers (our own Frenchtown Flyer!), but they come from a different slant than do the professionals who have dealt with a lot of factory-stock examples . . .

 

talk about a resurrected thread... that "light at the end of the tunnel" news at ClassicInlines was over two years old when he posted in 2014. Nothing new for almost 4 years there - I suspect that head will not be aluminum, but "unobtainium"