Take it.You'll have plenty of time to buy your own vehicles.If your set in buying one,then take his truck and buy yourself a little 4cyl car to run around in cheap when you don't need the truck.It's not much more to insure when your the sole driver on both policies.

 

huh???.
5.4 will run double or triple the miles of an 302-351-460 without rebuild.
and the F250 HD and F350 pickups use the same exact frame. no difference at all.

if you have two 5.4's waiting for rebuild, they either have very high miles, or were severely abused and neglected.
go look a the 5.4 engine section and you will see a lot of the people posting have extremely high mileage engines without any major repairs.
i have 2 with over 300,000 miles on them that still purr like new.
there is a guy in i think chicago that has 8 or 9 5.4 powered airport shuttle vans, all with over 1 million miles on the original engines.

 

Last year I went from a lifted F150 long bed on 33x12.5s w/ a 302 and m5r2 five-speed (3.73 rear) to a Quad-Cab/Dually F350 w/ a 460 and ZF5 five-speed (4.10 rear). Obviously, their intended use case is slightly different. That said, the 460 is an absolute monster of a motor and comes with a significantly better transmission and gearing. The latter part of that statement hits on something that is probably just as important as your choice of engine/chassis, but something that gets overlooked too often imo - get the right transmission and gearing for your use case!

As has been mentioned before regarding the 460, it's unbelievable how much you can haul before you even notice there's a load back there. I also get nearly the same mileage with the much larger truck: 11.2 MPG vs 10-12 MPG with the lifted 302. Keep in mind the 460 gets that mileage whether it's loaded or not and whether you're going 45 miles an hour or 70 miles an hour. The F150 w/ 302 was noticeably more dependent on driving style and conditions. It's almost silly.

I'll be the first to admit that it took a couple of months to adjust to the loooooong wheelbase of the quad cab and width of the dually set up. My mirrors really like high-fiving SUV mirrors in parking lots, and I've noticed on-coming small cars tend to hug the opposite edge of the road in fear on two lane country roads... Just things to keep in mind as you peruse

Happy Hunting!

 

To be fair, pretty much all newer engines last a very long time (excluding flat out junk engines, of which I could name more than a few) A lot of things that promote wear have been advanced over the years; oil is better, pcv systems are better, *tuning* is more precise (less wear on parts), many newer engines don't have egr, and probably a half dozen other reasons. Factory modular engines are well built with quality components, but so are the sbf/bbf engines. The difference is mainly in the operating conditions.

The biggest problem I have with modulars, especially first Gen modulars, is that they are gigantic turds and guzzle gas. The old sbf/bbf platforms aren't powerhouses in stock trim, but the torque is more suitable for a truck.

 

I'd put the 300I6 and the 302V8 in the same category, they can both get the job done but if the truck is lifted with big tires or you always carry/tow heavy then everywhere you go will be in slow motion compared to all the traffic around you and these motors will drink the same amount of fuel doing it as a big block. The 351 is a nice step up from these smaller engines and will produce better towing/hauling results, and it can still get decent fuel milage when unloaded in commuter mode with appropriate driving habits. The big block has been covered already, it'll do everything you want but will never be a fuel sipper no matter how you drive, it and the diesel are the proper motors for the largest chassis's though, leave the small motors to the light duty trucks.

 

This is why I'm mainly looking at 460 trucks. I plan to eventually run a small lift with 33s or 35s which will most likely take away the mpg gains from a 351 or 302. I'm really looking for a zf5, but so far all I've seen is e4od equipped trucks. I know a 7.3 can make short work of an e4od if power is added or heavy towing, but how does the e4od hold up with a 460?

 

The e4od is a solid Trans and strong for its time. upgrades and rebuilds are cheap.

 

If you're liking your dad's '99 with the 7.3, but want to buy your own truck, why not consider a 1994.5-1997 OBS with the 7.3?

May as well consider all options! More expensive to maintain than the gasoline counterparts, but you still end up with a solid motor all around.

Or is there a reason you're aiming for gas over diesel? Just curious.

I was going between the 460 and the 7.3 when I was looking for mine; when I considered what I intended to use it for, the 7.3 was the clear winner.

 

The main reason I want a gas truck is because I don't need a diesel and as you stated the diesel is more expensive to maintain. Also, in my searching, I've found that OBS 7.3 trucks are crazy expensive and out of my price range (unless they're high mileage with rust lol). I like diesels a lot, in fact I'm going to a school in the fall to be a diesel mechanic, but for what I do with a truck, a diesel is just overkill for me. Honestly I'd probably be fine with an f150, except that I want to run bigger tires, and I prefer a solid axle over IFS when it comes to bigger tires.

 

Hmm... well, let me float this then... do you NEED it to be a pickup truck?

Why not consider a Bronco with the 351? Granted, you'll have to swap in a solid front axle (I believe, truth is I don't know a damn thing about how the Broncos came configured versus the F-Series pickups).

Depending on what you plan to use it for, you can take the topper in the back off and have it open for hauling, or leave it closed for extra passengers and even camping out.

Don't mean to talk you away from a truck! Just giving you some extra options to consider if would give the 351 a shot over the 460.

 

I have a 92 F250 4x4 460. 270K on original engine (on it's 3rd E4OD). It was an oilfield truck first 100K, farm truck (pulling anything and everything) for next 150K. I bought it about 10 yrs ago for the engine (sitting in a pasture w/trans shot), but decided it was worth fixing and keeping. Glad I did. I use it mostly to pull a 10K lb boat. It has 3.55 gears, just this year I swapped rear Sterling and front diff for 4.10's. Rarely comes out of O/D towing 10K now.
I recommend 460, have 2 more I swapped into 79 Bronco's. Also HAD a 96 Bronco with 351/E4OD/3.55's, it couldn't TOUCH same year GM 4x4 truck with vortec 350/4L60E. I'm sure 351 is a good engine, better in a half-ton tho IMHO.

 

I wouldnt mind a bronco at all, but i really need an 8 foot bed for when I haul stuff such as fourwheelers, farm equipment, kayaks, and a bunch of fishing stuff. And I think every Bronco from 1980+ were IFS which is another negative for me.

 

I know a 460 really isn't neccesary, but my first ever truck was an 87 f250 with a 302 and a 4 speed that my dad had totally wore out. After driviing that for a while, I do not want to drive another underpowered truck. And since I plan on running larger tires, I think that pretty much kills what little mpg advantage that a 351 or 302 has over a 460.

 

Okay, that makes sense.

What about passengers? If that's not a requirement, then a single cab, long bed F350 with a 460 and a ZF5 would be the ideal truck for you. With all the requirements you have, an F150 or even a 250 won't cut it, unless you happen to find one that's had a 460 and a SFA already swapped in for a good price.

Not sure how the market is where you are, but around here, most 460s are crew cabs, or super cab Bullnose trucks; 90% automatic, too.

Not an OBS, but here's a 460 in an '85 F250 for $1000:
https://sanantonio.craigslist.org/ct...213440090.html

Actually, checking the local Clist again, just about every F350 is a CC and a diesel, lol!

 

All of the trucks I've seen around me with a 460 and 4x4 are f250 extended cab long beds. I haven't totally ruled an f250 out yet. From what I've read, the front end in the f250 will typically be okay unless a lift and bigger tires are added. I do plan to put a lift and bigger tires on, but if I do buy an f250, I'd just save my pennies up and do a Dana 60 swap and then add bigger tires. I would probably be fine with a single cab long bed, especially since the I won't be driving this truck to the diesel school in the fall. I don't want a crew cab long bed as I don't want to have to fight it in tight parking spots and while a crew cab would be nice, an extended cab would get the job done and be easier to maneuver.