I was just wondering how much power can be pulled out of a 300 for a reasonable amount of money and work. I don't want to spend $10,000 for only 200 horsepower.

Also post how much power you know/think your modded inliner is making.

Thanks,
Greg

 

278 hp 410 tq @ rear wheels
when it back together looking for
350 hp + 500 tq +

 

Truck: $50. I woulda paid $800. Please don't let the typical beer-swillin' Cape Cod Contractor dude (who left it sitting for a year in his yard until the landlord complained) know...he's already seen the results of my labor and is kicking himself, and his wife thinks I should owe them a few lawn-mowings or something (yeahright!). I think I made the money back on all the beer cans I cleaned out of 'er...then when I clean up and sell the lumber rack and storage box...

Header: Thorley, $89 shipped, new, off Ebay

Manifold : older Clifford single-plane, $100 from a buddy

3" SI/DO pipe kit: $150, Summit

Y-pipe and extensions from reducers: $15 worth of 2 1/4" tube. Made it with MIG welder and chopsaw. But you can get a Flowmaster Y-pipe from Summit for ~30, and the necessary 2 1/4" tube anywhere.

DS II distributor: $40, Auto Zone

DS II module: free spare

Gasket: came with entire engine set. $50 (Victor-Reinz)

Carb: 525 CFM Road Demon Jr., $290, Summit

Moroso 14" air cleaner, flat base, domed lid: free

Shocks: KYB Gas-A-Just, $32/ea., Summit

Front end: '89 F150 6050 GVW, forged, adjustable camber I-beams with a factory swaybar, $100, local boneyard. Needs the same ball joint the old POS did. It's a curse. It followed me...world of difference in ride quality and handling, especially with the KYBs...

Difference: Priceless.

To go on as soon as possible:

Hand-ported '93 EFI head: complete EFI motor with harness, manifolds, intake, etc. $200, same local boneyard. Big score when I pulled the head off and saw it was freshly installed on a tired block. An evil grin is still on my face as I look at the nearly finished ports. Then I lap the valves, throw 'er together with a little more valvespring (at correct installed height, with good retainers and locks), and some good seals...

Cam+lifters, new steel timing gears, ~$200. Ordering this week.

Rear end: 3.55 non-posi 8.8, from same '89 6050 GVW boneyard truck, $100, five-leaf springs and all. There's a 3.08 8.8 in there now.

ZF five-speed (w. PTO biscuit! BONUS!): $400. Same local boneyard. Waiting for the clutch to go...which bringeth me to...

Beefier driveshaft: God only knows...prolly $175 at the local off-road shop who can fab and balance 'em with quick turnaround.


So here's the tally so far (it costs me nothing but time for labor), excluding basic maintenance parts and the ZF-related stuff, and including truck, rearend, cam etc., estimated horsepower ~220-250 (~160 estimated at the moment without ported head and cam); over 320 flat foot pounds of grunt from off idle to four grand:

$1512.

Worth it? Oh yeah! The icing on the cake is I get to write it off as "necessary maintenance" expenses. It really was necessary. Them parts gotta go sometime, right? It just wouldn't pull the trailer uphill without gear-jockeying before. That's unnecessary wear! Besides, the head has to come off anyway: it's starting to steam-weep a teeny bit into #6, and it really does need a new cam, really, really (yeah, that's it...).

I bet someone above me is running around 6-8 lbs. of boost or so...

 

hoping to get to 15 #boost now