good suggestion, broncr....hey...sorry i ain't got back to ya...got busy w/ work and been runnin my **** off...i bought a 300 from a buddy for 100 bucks, just gotta find somewhere to put it back together...the cam gear got stripped, so he tore the top end down to check the cam and make sure it was alright...he said it was, but what should i look at, since it's already tore down??? what problems should i look at? what should i replace? any and all suggestions would be helpful...

MontanaFord

1984 F-150 4x4 300-6 4 spd 3:55 gears 30x9.50...very very tired 300-6...gonna put a new motor in someday

 

there's probably metal shavings somewhere hopefully in the oil filter. i'd change the cam/cam bearings(most machine shops will change the bearings for $40) rip off the pan check all the main/rod bearings for damage& proper clearence(plastigage) i'd probably re-ring this motor too if the cylinders are in good shape check them for taper & use a glaze breaker. other than that new main seals, new oilpump. check the head too make sure all the valves are in good shape check for warpage& cracks. the 300 is a fairly solid motor if you take the right steps it'll last you another 200,000+ miles good luck on this project

 

A couple of weeks back, I had to replace an exhaust valve that had a worn tip. While I had the head off I noticed some carbon buildup on the intakes - maybe 1/8" max. By cleaning them up, I gained/regained quite a bit of power. I had done a mild port/polish when I originally rebuilt the engine which is now pushing 40K.

Much of the carbon was probably there before I did the Clif/Holley/EFI manifolds upgrade. I got a nice bump in power, and the mileage jumped to the highest I've ever seen on our (crappy) Winter gas - 14.1 ! I hand lapped the intakes lightly before reinstalling - the poor man's DIY valve job ( the guides were still good).

I also re-polished the combustion chamber, while I was at it...

Bonus: What I recalled as flat top pistons are "D" dished, so a light to moderate boost Turbo set up for THIS engine is back in the project bin. It's been almost 3 years since my rebuild, and I wasn't that concerned at the time. I just wanted to get the ol six refreshed for another 300K. Flat top or dished pistons - who cares? TURBO BUILDERS!

Montana - "what you should do" depends on what you plan to use the engine for - & ranges from "inspect/clean/repair/reassemble" to "OPEN YOUR WALLET "!! I might just tear it down bare & have the block hot tanked, to be sure ALL the metal shavings are gone, then follow 77Red's lead... It's a spare engine, take your time, enjoy & learn!

broncr