Durability Report: Ford 300 cu. In. Inline Six

Vehicle: 1996 Ford F-150 2wd Reg. Cab Long Bed

Mileage: 208,416mi Condition When Removed: Running

Reason Removed: Oil Leaks, Cracked Flywheel, Greedy for V8

Overview: Engine was fantastically reliable and hard working,
with great low end torque. M5OD Mazda built 5 Speed
manual transmission failed early in life. Replaced with
Ford C6 three speed automatic (no overdrive). Pulled
heavy loads, cruised at 80 MPH with no overdrive for
about 168,000 miles without incident until flex plate
cracked. Oil pan leaked badly. Replacement of oil pan
required engine removal. EFI equipped Ford 5.0L V8
sitting in shed, without a home. Got greedy and
dropped it in. Installed AOD trans. Sold C6. Kept
the 300. Realized that I made a big mistake when
pulling a big load. The six had much better torque than
the eight, even though the eight is faster unloaded. Also
disappointed with the drivability and reliability hiccups
that this package had produced. Pulled six apart to
rebuild. Beefy construction and synthetic oil combined
to reveal a spotlessly clean, like new crankcase.
Cylinders still crosshatched, crank, cam, lifters, all
spec out to new condition. I personally feel foolish for
having pulled this engine out of my truck.

Condition of Parts: Excellent with two exceptions.
1) Fiber timing gear was failing. The teeth
are worn razor sharp.
2) Lower main and upper rod bearings
showing copper. Possibly due to lugging
engine (when it had a 5 speed), pulling heavy loads, and excessive cruising RPM caused by no overdrive and high speed for 168,000 miles.

Improvements / Modifications:

1) Metal Timing Gears
2) High Volume oil pump
3) AOD overdrive trans (already installed).

Final Disposition: Recondition engine and re-install.
Stock re-ring and bearing kit, new valve springs and seals,
valves and seats re-surfaced, metal timing gears, high
volume oil pump, new oil pan, sell 5.0L V8.

Forgive me guys, I'm a former Chevy guy and was still in the V8 frame of mind when I did the swap.

 

argo dont feel bad . im also a former chevy man, although i do know the value of the big six. chevy had the 292 work horse.for the first time in my life i do not have one gm product in my drive. the part that stinks is i have a couple of the worst ford products ever made in my drive. dont get me wrong, i love my 90 f150 xlt lariat 4.9 liter 4 sp. o/d. but the merc. go cart that needs the head has to go. good body , little rust, but bad head. i think its an 87 1.8 liter auto.. it belongs to the better half and she wont let me junk it. then the other is a pile of rust an 87 tempo that needs a fuel pump... need i say more??

 

i have a knock in my 4.9 liter. im sure its piston slop ( see 4.9 liter lower end knock thread if interested). im looking for another motor for it now and wont replace it with anything but a 4.9. never had good luck with the v8's. well good luck with your big six. hope you get another 100,000 out of it!!!

 

Just curious, I have a 96 F150 longbed, I pulled home my 65 Chevy Truck (with cab, bed & frame and extra parts) with my 300ci.

I like the idea of the AOD Trans what did you get that out of?

What else was involved with the swap?

 

The AOD is different between cars and trucks, I think. There's a difference in length or something.

 

Actually, in my 2WD Longbed application, I just needed to get a front driveshaft for the E4OD trans, since I have a two piece driveshaft and the yokes are the same. Then I had to move the trans crossmember closer to the engine (factory holes are already there). I got my AOD out of an 86 Colony Park (I.E. Grand Marquis) wagon and sent it to my most trusted tranny shop, Pat's transmissions in Ridley, PA. They went full heavy duty on it for me. With a heavy duty auxiliary cooler and Synthetic Trans Fluid, I've had no problems with it. One point of note, however. I am not using a stock column shifter. The truck was originally a 5 speed, and I installed a floor shifter for the automatic. I don't know if the factory shifter will bolt up or if mods will be needed. When pirating the tranny, be sure to aquire the T.V. (Throttle Valve) cable and bracket as well, for use in your truck. After installing it, make sure the cable is adjusted properly. Make sure that at WOT, the cable is guitar string tight. Also, (at least on my '96) pirate the end of the speedometer cable from the donor car. Pull the gear off of it and pull the cable out of it, and cut it off close to the flange that installs to the tranny. Fill the hole with RTV. My '96 references it's speedometer from the rear wheel speed sensor, so the speedo cable hole just needs to be filled with something. Do that, and reliable overdrive is just a weekend away.

Dave

 

Wow, great write-up, Dave. Thanks for the info.

 

Dave,

Thanks for the great info, just a couple other questions. I am serious about doing this because I am tired of replacing slave cylinders. ( I think I need a zipper on my tranny.)

1.) Different Radiator for the Tranny Lines?

2.) Different computer?

3.) What brand of floor shifter, aftermarket? If so what did you use?

4.) Did the driveshaft come out of a truck with a E4OD?

 

i went to the shop where i have alignment work done and we were discussing the Big 6 they said there is a guy that comes in there to get his oil changed all the time that had over 500K on his big 6 now that is killer

 

Not necessary to buy a new radiator, but I did. If you do without the new radiator, then you must get a heavy duty auxiliary cooler. Also, the E4OD front shaft did come from a long bed standard cab 2wd truck like mine. Lastly, if getting your junkyard tranny overhauled, make sure they use the better E4OD hard parts, for longer life. Re-wire the starter signal through the neutral safety switch on the aftermarket shifter. I had no trouble with my 5 speed computer. I disconnected the battery and killed the memory, hooked up the battery again, then started it and let it idle in gear to re-learn it's idle parameters. She never set a code or had any hiccups.

Dave

 

Also! I forgot to tell you what shifter I used. I got B&M's Truck Megashifter, as it is taller than other floor mount shifters. It will interfere with bench seat adjustment if you are short. I am 6'2" and husky to boot, so my seat is always back all the way. If you have buckets, or if nobody short drives the truck, then you are ok.

Dave

 

my 90 xlt rad. has the trans line in and out plugged or capped off. so you might not need to change the rad.

 

so the 300 has same bell pattern as 351 windsor, i have a AOD out of a 89 crown rebuilt that a 302 engine arent they same bolt pattern? if so will the drive shaft reach or fit with out mods. i have a 88 f-250 with a c-6 long bed.

 

Same bolt pattern. Can you find a flex plate for a 300 (no weight) that would fit the AOD torque converter, is it the same?

 

I have a flex plate from a C6 that bolted right up to the AOD, so I think that any 300 flex plate will do. A small block (302 ci) flex plate will physically bolt on, as well. However, there might be balance issues.

Dave