Whats going on peoole. Im new to forumn and hope to learn a lot from you guys. Now to start, this truck has been sitting in my parents yard for about 10 years now. It ran before without a problem. Im not a gear head and no nothing about these engines. My question is something like this worth restoring ? Ball park guesses? Any inout or advice is appreciated

 

Welcome to FTE.

The question you asked can only be answered by you as it is an opinion.
Also we don't have enough information on the truck.
Why was it laid up 10 years ago?
With out a hood does the motor turn over by hand and not full of water and rusted solid?
what does the other side look like and the insides?
For some if bought new by dad and you remember riding in it then they would spend & do what ever it took to get it back on the road.
Others if bought used to haul crap around they would not even ask this question.
And even others would buy it for the right price as a project to work on.
Dave - - - -

 

Well it was an uncles but he sold it to my dad years ago. We always had running cars and my dad just left it there for no particular reason. The other side is just the same way and we turned on a little over a year ago and everytbing seemed fine. As for the hood , it was removed maybe a.month ago. Maybe the better question is how easy is it to work on this engine. I will try and see if i can get it to turn over again over the weekend. When it comes to working on cars, i just do oil changes in the driveway but nothing any more difficult than that.

 

Well, of all the possible engine you picked one of the simplest - but expect to learn a few things and try some new things. For openers, you will probably need to replace all the belts and hoses, both for reliability and safety. Plan on replacing all fluids, the tires, and have to trouble shoot electrical issues (probably caused by bad grounds.) I didn't look at your profile, but if the California tag is local, you will also need to learn something about emissions controls, as someone appears to have stripped most of them. All things you can learn how to do here, but you will need to step up your game past the oil-change level. Have fun!

 

i6 is a good engine even if you have to replace block and head it would be relatively inexpensive compared to buying a new car, anyone know what kinda carburetor that is?

 

Yes it was. We had a cousin who got it running and ripped off a bunch if parts that he said we didnt need. The trusting person my dad is never bothered looking or dpubke checking if it was right. I dont mind learning anything new. I would be good if i knew the engine never worked, then i know i cpild do little to no harm. But if there was a time to learn, I guess this is it. Is this something I can tackle with a Hayne's manual on my own or should I get someone more knowledgeable to look over my shoulder. I dont know what kind of carburator it is and my dad woildnt know either. If anyone else could chime in, that would be great thanks

 

I'm not sure on the carb (don't recognize it), but it's not a stock carb. Maybe take a closer look and see if there's a name and number stamped on it somewhere.

My biggest concern would be that if engine lid has been off, and the carb has been sitting open like that, rain has gone down the carb, which would then go into the intake and sit inside the head and cylinders. Fortunately, a month isn't a long time for rust to build up.
Either way, you'll definitely want to drain all the oil out of it and put fresh oil in before trying to fire it back up as the oil is where any water would have gone.

Otherwise, it looks like a DuraSpark II era motor, which is good, since those are much easier to replace missing components on. Fortunately, it does look like a lot of the emissions stuff is still there, even if it's not plugged in.

Another thing you might deal with with an engine that's sat is dried out vacuum lines and gaskets, which will suck air and make it run poorly. All of those can be replaced though, and are a great way to get to know your engine.

I bet with new belts, spark plug wires, fuel filter, distributor cap, distributor rotor, spark plugs, fresh oil and oil filter, (all of which are part of a basic tuneup), it would fire right up.

Also, go through it and make sure that if a vacuum line isn't hooked up, that it's at least capped off.

Otherwise, it's a great truck to learn on and a great engine.

 

I would say the answer to your question really depends on what you want out of the truck.

1. Are you looking for a project that you can work on and learn as you go? With a end goal of having a nice truck for yourself when you are done.

2. Are you planning to try and get it running, get it back on the road to sell and make a bunch of money?

3. Something else.


If your choice is #1. Then yes it's well worth investing time and money on. The early 80's trucks are simple to work on. They drive great when in good condition and are great trucks. Plus they look cool! The 300 is a great engine to learn to work on. There are some things you'll have to learn that pertain to them. Don't get discouraged if you get hung up on something. Take your time, feel free to ask questions and do some research. And eventually you'll work your way thru the issues.

If your choice is # 2 I would say no. You will end up investing more then you'll get out of the truck. If your goal is to sell it. Invest as little as possible. Clean it up as well as possible. Do small simple repairs that don't cost much. If you can get it running and driving great. If you can't, just sell it the way it is after the clean up. There will be people out there that will want to fix it up. You'll make more of a profit selling it that way over sinking a bunch of cash into it.

If it's #3 then it depends what # 3 is.




You got a good looking truck there that appears rock solid. It definitely would make us mid-westerners jealous. Even if the engine is junk it's worth replacing/rebuilding it if your plan is to keep the truck.

 

I would like to get it running and get some use out of it. I have always wanted to learn how to rebuild an engine. Learning body work would be great to. My parent have had it in their yard for years and would like to make it worth the wait. Because if we scrap/sell it, then keeping it was just a waste of time and space. That is the reason that I joined the forum. The knowledge and recommendations in forumns is hard to get in other places. As a student, I don't have a lot of funds available so I do the most I can myself. Looking forward to advice from you guys and I will try and document this is as best as possible. Thanks for the input.

 

Is there gas in it now? If it's been sitting that long then you will want to clean/flush the gas tank and fuel lines.

 

Another great forum is www.fordsix.com. Check that one out for all you need to learn about the 300.

 

I did not see you say what year the truck is or the tranny it has.


I would say the first thing to do is see if the motor turns over by hand. Do this before trying to crank it over with the key.
Sometimes you can grab the fan and turn it and the motor will turn over.
Other wise get a socket and breaker bar to fit the crank bolt and see if it will turn over by it.
If still no turn over pull all the plugs and pour some Marvel Mystery Oil in and let it sit a week or more and see if it turns over.


Does the carb move/work and not rusted solid?
When it turns over by hand you can drain and refill the oil.
For fuel you can run the motor from a small gas can feeding the fuel pump.
If you need help getting it running give a shout and we will help.


Once running I would say you then need decide if it runs good or not what the next step is.
Dave ----

 

I will read up on that website right after class. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks for that Dave. It has an automatic transmission. I will need to find the crank bolt you are talking about and try turning the engine over like that, as it doesn't have a battery yet. As for the carburetor, I don't have much experience on it. To me it looks like its missing parts but I don't know anything on it. I will have to read on it before I try messing with it. I will most likely need help on it, and would like to learn. I will post as much questions on here as possible and look forward to yours and any one else's feedback.

 

My .02 - fwiw. I pulled a '96 F150 out of the woods with an I6 that sat there for 12 years. Within a summer I had it running and driving. You definitely learn a lot of skills that can only help you in the future. It can't hurt to tinker around with it. My advice is if you do decide to fix it up - make an estimate of what parts you may need and estimated cost, then keep a spreadsheet with all the parts you buy and how much they're costing you. That way you don't get over your head and if it starts to get too expensive you can cut your losses and move on.

Aside from that - there's really not much else I can say that most folks here haven't already mentioned. I'm interested to see where this goes!

 

What is going on again guys. I have taken into all of the inputs and have decided to try and get it running. I have bought the Haynes manual and some oil to try and start her up. I will be using a battery from my father's truck to see if she starts or not. Most likely this weekend. More high res photos to come.