[B] ] I have a 91 F150 2wd inline 6 (300) no rust with excellent interior 106,000. it's my daily drive. Soon will be needing to pull 24 foot fishing boat 4000-5000lb. I have pull my 25 foot sail boat 2500lb with this truck but felt hard on clutch at the boat ramp plus on several occasion needed a 4x4 at the ranch. Would be nice to have 4wd low when on boat ramp. I found another 91 F150 4x4 302 with 98,000 interior not so good no rust body not as straight both trucks are manual shift and both are short-bed. Thinking swapping out driveline making my truck a 4x4 keeping the inline 6. Or would it be easier replacing interior and doing body work on the 302 4x4. My inline 6 runs sweet and been good to me don't really know much about a 302 never had one Both trucks need paint. I have a well equip shop with the needed skills but don't know what problems lies a head with the drive line swap. I have restore 79 Bronco and not happy with the look's interior wise, like after market carpet just never looks right. I don't have the money to pay someone else to do the interior and my skills lean toward the drive-line swap, so just how hard will it be to swap drive-line, thanks.

 

If you need to tow something I would advise strongly against a 302. They are good motors for a car, not so much for a truck.

You would be better off swapping the trans, transfer case, and front ends and reselling the 302 powered truck. If both trucks are the same wheelbase the driveshafts should swap between the two also, otherwise you'll need to source some. Also, you need to make sure the gear ratios are the same between your truck and the donor, otherwise you'll have to swap both axles. Though, that isn't difficult either.

You should be able to do all of this in a day if you've got everything you need.

 

I've had em both and I prefer the 302, but I am in the minority on that issue. What gears does each have?

 

Thanks, both trucks have a manual 5 speed don't know rear end gear ratios is there a tag with that info. I had a Detroit Locker rear end put in my 2wd truck quite a few years ago made the speedometer read 8 mile faster then I was going I think? could have that turn around. Anyway felt like I had more tort or power ran a lot better even in 5th gear, I would like to keep the locker in this project. I have not pick up the 302 4x4 yet will do that tomorrow was kind of waiting to see what I was in for. What's a good way to check rear end gear ratios and would the five speed tranny be the same, thanks.

 

I have driven quita few of both engines. I would take the 302 every time.

As for gear ratios, get the axle code off the door jam sticker.

Gear ratio plays a BIG part when towing with a small block

 

Putting a locker in won't affect speedometer readings or perceived power unless you also changed the gear ratio at the same time.

 

I would suspect tall gears most 4.9 trucks got crippled with tall gears

 

I'm a fan of the I-6 myself. I have a 88 2wd with the I-6 and it will out pull my uncles truck which is a 94 4wd 302. We actually raced up a mountain loaded and my truck out ran his.

 

Thanks, yes for some reason they had to change gear ratio when they install locker but can't remember why but it was a big improvement for power, so look like getting the axle code off the door jam sticker won't work for my truck. can I rotate drive shaft and count numbers of turns to make rear wheel rotate once on my truck and doing the same with 302 4x4 truck and compare? I really would like to keep the locker. seeing how I was going to keep my truck would be less work keeping the inline 6 that already there. But here where it get a little fuzzy for me in the swap, that 300 6 block is longer than that 302 v8 block. Installing the 302 might not be a bad move if it come down to more then just shorting drive shaft. we have a good loco drive line shop that fabricate and balance drive shaft, thanks.

 

And here I thought I was the *only* one.

 

for that weight either would work, but the 302 will be screaming and the 300 *Might* kick out of overdrive less. if its all flat terrain the 300 and 302 will be comparable. but any sort of hill, or wind for that matter 302 will kick down or have to be locked out of overdrive sooner than the 300. neither one will be fast but one will "Need" to turn more rpms than the other resulting in higher wear and reduced engine life. my 302 has 225k miles on it without rebuild so i cant say they are a short lived engine but its definitely tired

 

Yes, you can count driveshaft and tire revs to figure gear ratios. Remember that with a locker you need to jack up both tires and the ratio will be what you see (if the driveshaft turns 4.1 times before the tires make one revolution you have 4.1:1 gears). With an open diff you can do it the same way, but often the differential will "work" so the two tires don't turn the same amount. Then what do you do? The safest is to only jack up one tire, and count the driveshaft revs to get the tire to turn TWO full turns. So if the driveshaft goes 4.1 turns before the one tire goes 2 turns, that means you have 4.1:1 gears.

Another thing you can do is take off the diff cover and count teeth on the gears. The gear ratio will be what you get when you divide the number of teeth on the ring gear by the number of teeth on the pinion gear.

I'm sure you realize this, but the ratios in the front and rear axles will need to be the same once you convert it to 4wd. So if the two trucks aren't the same you'll either have to take both axles from the 4wd truck (losing your locker), or you'll have to regear either your axle with the locker or the "new" front axle to get them to match.

I'm not sure what all will be different due to the different lengths of the engines. Driveshaft length is one as you noted. The location of the trans cross member is another possibility. But none of those issues are likely to be that hard to deal with.

 

Yeah I don't get it. The 302s have out run the 300 in about every "test" imaginable other than longevity

 

300 i6 has more main bearings larger main bearings longer stroke less moving parts twice the tq at an idle! But the 302 is faster so it feels more powerful empty to someone that dont know trucks.

 

96 302... 205hp @ 3800/ 275tq @ 3400
96 300... 150hp @ 3400/ 260tq @ 2000

While the straight MAY generate more torque at idle, WHO CARES. Who drives their truck at idle?!?!?!? Not me. I am at least 1000rpm above that all the time