Ok heres the situation I have a 66 with a 240 with 30,000 on a rebuild. it has a 4.56 rear and a T18 tranny with the really low gear. I want to keep the low gearing because its fun and has quite a bit of low end power. I have a 302 that is rebuilt and sitting in my shed I would like to put it in something. what I am asking is which motor out of the 2 will give me better power? will the 302 give me as much torque as the 240? according to books it will have about 60 more torque and almost a 100 more horse. I like the sound of an 8 but also think the originality of the 6 is nice. I could put a 2-4 bbl and headers on the 6 and get it running a little better but wouldnt have the sound. I guess what I want is power. which will give me more? and mileage doesnt matter cause they both will suck it down haha. plus my other problem is im a softy. I hate to have an engine waste away in the shed. but if I pull one out I have another one in the shed. dam the luck. huh. ok lets here the input. oh and its a 302 or the 240 no 390's or 352's. I already have a 302.
Shane

 

You said headers on the 240 that to me is your starting point . to me since it is already rebuilt and in there .headers on a 240 i6 adds so much power to these engines . i put a set on a rebuilt 240 years ago with out 2 or 4 intake 3speed on the tree let me say ( 10 foot of rubber in 2 gear ) as for the sound it sound better a v8 it did not sound like an ( import) man youve got hear one open hearers !

 

If you are into novel, authentic, cool and a little bit alternative, keep the six. But the 302 is going to give you more than the six, all things being equal. Yeah, you could build up the 240 till it screams. But you can do that to a 302 as well.

Is the 302 as good a motor? A 240 with 30k is essentially a new motor. The inline sixes are very strong, durable motors that just keep ticking. (UPS trucks run them -- that should say something). Me -- I'd keep the six and fiddle with headers (get used EFI heads), an offy DP manifold with a 390 CFM Holley, and you'll have a fine motor that will really turn heads and get you looks when you tell them its a 240 six!

 

heres the stats.
240 - told it was rebuilt 30,00o miles ago. full of clean oil. and still full of clean oil 500 miles later. so doesnt burn oil. doesnt leak. starts good. and driven by a an old farmer so probably wasnt abused.
302 - rubuilt about 70,000 miles ago by me. has an RV cam, 30 over, acid dipped, real strong motor that took me back and forth from kansas to colorado at 3000 rpm the whole way. again it doesnt burn oil or leak. I have an electronic ignition for it MSD. its a 2 bbl. starts on one turn and shuts down as fast. also has sat in a shed for about 1.5 years and turned over by hand every so often. took off the manifold to see how much sludge and rust would be in it and the thing looks brand new. I tell ya I took good care of this motor. tuned every weekend. Im really torn on which one to use. one night I say 240 the next I say 302.
I heard alot of how a six will out power a 8 cyl everytime. so I would hate to put the 302 in if with $300 I could have a stronger engine with the 240. and like I said with the gearing im not out to pull any 13 sec 1/4's or make it across the intersection the fastset I just want a good strong truck. I know both engines are good and reliable. and I can fix either of them in a matter of hours. thanks for the replies keep em coming.
Shane

 

The 240 does not generate anything like the torque of the 300. The bore is the same, the stroke about 7/10 of an inch less. That means the 240 behaves much more like an 8 in terms of performance. You can rev it way up and it will really produce some power. But who wants to be redlining an engine all day.

The 300 is the torker. Now, you can rebuild the 240 to a 300, but it doesn't make much sense. Good used 300 engines abound, as they were a very common engine, and they are very durable. 7 mains, versus 5 in your 8 cyl. Just the pistons, rods and crank are different between the 240 and 300.

The 240 engine's greatest attribute is its longevity. With its very heavy bottom end, relatively short stroke, and natural balance that a striaght six has, it is an extreemly stable engine. But it is not a fabulous performer. I have heard of guys getting over 20 mpg with it, in a truck, carburated!! That is a feat that you will not match with your 302. But that doesn't sound like its your goal either.

We all wish we were so lucky as you to have two good engines at our disposal!! One thing I will add. The 240 has very little value these days, so don't figure on selling it for much if you do remove it. The people that want a 240 already have one -- and the one they have isn't going to die anytime soon! Should you desire to get rid of it, I'd guess the 302 will net you a lot more.

 

well thats the problem, which ever one I dont use will go back in the shed until I find another doner vehicle to place it in. which brings me to the point I will never sell my 302 it was my first engine in my first car which I still have. and the 240 well I probably couldnt sell it if I wanted and I doubt I would ever find something I would really want to put it in. therefore leaving me with an engine taking up space and me feeling bad about it. DOH. man this is hard. its like one of those dang reality shows. which engine do I pick. they both have good qualities. well guys I know im just rattling on and I was hoping someone could come up with a real good reason to with one or the other. but not yet really. I appreciate all the input. its gonna be a hard decision.

 

OK so here is another scenario. if the 240 is more like the 8 in the sense of high rev power. with the 302 the way it is as ive described and a 240 with headers and possibly a new manifold and carb 2 or 4 bbl. which will most likely be more powerfull with there set up. the one thing I dont want to do now is
1: spend any money on the 302 because anything else I do will have to be semi rebuild and radical.
2: put a little money in the 240 for new exhaust and intake.
its gonna be a daily driver for a few miles to work and out to the lakes for fishin in the summer. either one will net me 10-13 MPG. no big deal. Ive luckily got 4 more cars to my disposal for mileage.
Shane

 

You said two contradictory things in that last post. First, you are hypothesizing about putting on some headers, possibly a new manifold and a 4 barrel carb on the 240 -- and then you said you don't want to put a little money in the 240 for new exhaust and intake. Do you want to spend money or not.

I don't really know for sure -- you could ask the same questions in the inline six forum and over at fordsix.com The answer for a 300 is yes, you would be better with the six as opposed to your 302. But the 240 is more anemic.

I hear you -- seems a shame to swap out such a fine running little motor, especially because you know its going to just sit around.

Ask yourself another question: If you are dead set on keeping the 302 forever out of sentimentality (or at least till it goes bang, and we know the limits of your rebuilding skills!!!), what vehicle would you like it to be in? Do you really like this 66? Plan to keep it long term, maybe fix it up some more? Then swap in your other "sentimental" object so they are together.

But if the 66 is just a "thing" you are into right now, maybe you should just drive it for awhile (500 miles isn't that much to make long term decisions) with the 240.

I noticed you are in Kansas, as am I. I have researched at talked to a lot of people about the issue of intake/carburator heat. You realize that if you go to headers, you will need a different form of heat for the carb, as the heat riser will become non-functional with headers. Clifford makes a water heated intake, but its $$$. The offy dp is a good choice, but unheated. So you'd need to find a heated carb plate, construct a choke stove with heat to the air cleaner, or come up with some other solution.

This all applies only if you want it to be reliable 24/7/365. If you are ok with avoiding wet damp cool weather (thats when carbs ice up) then you can ignore all that.

 

sorry about the contradiction haha, I meant those are the 2 things im thinking. no money on the 302 or a little on the 240. I didnt realize that the carb on the six needs a riser. it looks as though I will probably go with the 302, I have my first car as I stated which is built up to show quality and only sees nice weather. and I have plenty of average daily drivers for the rest of the year. this is my first truck. ive always wanted one and since I enjoy it so much I think I will go with the 302 since I can already tell that for the winter anyway it is alot less cold blooded. heck I can swicth motors in a day. so I guess I could always just leave one hangin on the picker . I think Ive come to the realization that I like the novelty, originality and the plain just being different about the 240 but for practical reasons im probably gonna go with the 302. and as you said if it was the 300 it would be different. I didnt know there was that much difference in the 240/300. I will post some pics once I get some things done. I already have updated and cleaned up the interior, put new 31" tires and whole new front end under it. so by this time next fall I should be well on my way for my third resto.
Thanks for everything
Shane

 

If you do pull the 240, consider rebuilding it as your next project, but switch to a 300. Crank, rods and pistons. Crank is about $50 off ebay. other stuff best bought new, I think. A build up with the 240 head will give you about 10:1 compression, then a better cam as well, port the heads, offy or clifford intake, 4 barrel carb, headers.

Then, when you're done, swap that back into the pickup. You WILL like it!!

Oh, if you don't mind me askin' -- where are you in Kansas, approximately?

 

Ya thats what I was thinking. rebuild the 240 into a 300 slowly and when I get everything painted up nice and ready to turn some heads slap the rebuilt in it. and then find me a little pinto or bobcat to put the 302 in.

 

I'd keep the 240 in it. Why? It's the original engine type, and keeps the truck more original. Being the performance issue is a toss, to me thats a deciding factor... Sure, the 302 will have more HP, and maybe a tad more torque, but it needs to be revved up a bit to get it. The 240 doesn't have the low end torque of the 300, but it's still no slouch. If the 240 was shot, yea, I'd say no brainer...Stick the 302 in it. But the 240 is like new, so to me, it doesn't really make much sense to dump it, unless the performance is really below par for your needs. A 300 bottom with 240 heads is a pretty good combo. A bit more compression with the 240 heads. I've got a fresh 300 in mine. I kind of like the sixes. They are hard to kill and I like the usually slight improvement in MPG over the V8's when using the fuel stingy 1 bbl carbs. I'm in no big hurry... Friend of mine has a 74 f-100 with a 240. Still runs like a clock, and it's all original. I had the chance to go V8 when I rebuilt, but I decided to stay with the six. Made things easier, but also, the 300 is one torquey little engine at low revs. And the torque range is real wide. Pretty constant "max torque" from about 1400 to 2400 or so rpm. With my T-18 and 4.10, I could probably drag some lesser trucks down the road screaming for mercy as long as my rear bumper held out. BTW, yes, I have a 68, but I still like the 61-66 models too..They have smooth lines... I like the curve on the front fenders. Kind like a falcon on steroids. MK