Hi guys,

Brand new to the forum, and to workin on my own truck. Just bought an 82
F150, and It has a straight 6, is this the original engine it came with? I am new to working on my own vehicles, brakes I have done before, when it comes to engines, I need help, I am glad I have found this forum and looking for help. The guy I bought it from said it was a 200? What is the correct engine I have here?
I hope someone can help me. This is a project truck to say in the least. It is on the road.

brusier

 

You are the proud owner of a 300 BIG SIX the longest lasting gas engine used in trucks.
They will pull damn near anything and are pretty much bullet proof.
Congrats.
What tranny does it have?
Is it a 4x4
What kind of body is it?

 

I am not sure which tranny is in it, I will check and let you know. It is a 2WD, automatic, standard cab. Long bed No A/C just basic everything, bottom of the bed is rotted out, previous owner welded a sheet of metal to cover it. Sagging leaf springs. Body is in good shape, has been painted, and there are some rust holes, good project truck. Crossing fingers that it gets me through this upcoming New York winter.

brusier

 

you probally have a C6 damn good tranny for a slush box
you can probally go to a spring shop to have the spring re arched if you want to save some money.

Not to bad for a northern truck
My truck is an 85 i bought it this july
i'm 16 so i am crazy about having my own truck
i actually have another one that i am restoring
check out my gallery to see ol red
you should post some pic of your truck.

 

DT 466Man,

I will post some pics when I get a digital camera, my camera phone doesent produce the greatest pics. I like ol Red. My 82 is brown, and it has a cap on the back. I am 32 and this is my third truck. I am looking forward to working on it, This coming summer I would like to lift it a bit and add bigger tires. I miss working on vehicles where everything is easy to get to. I can jump right under the hood with that i6.

brusier

 

Well good luck with the truck
yup they are very easy to work on
how does it run?
does it use any oil?

 

Where in NY are you?

 

to attest to the bullet-proof nature of the 300-6 cyl, i will tell you a bit about my truck...

2 yrs ago, i paid $210.00 for it, and in that two years, my spendiest invest ment has been oil and gasoline...only because the truck has, from what i know about it, 300,000+ miles on it, and it came from a less-than-reputable used car lot...in the last two years, i've invested approximately 600-700 dollars in parts...

the truck iteself is a 1984 F-150 4x4 with a T-18 4 spd and NP208 transfer case with 8.8 inch rear end and independent suspension front end with 3.55 gearing...overall, not a bad truck...

i regularly add about a quart to quart and a half a day, depending on how hard i run it, and it averages around 8 to 9 mpg, currently...both problems due to high mileage and worn rings...

this winter, i intend shut the truck down and pull the engine to replace the main bearings and rings, along with all seals, the lifters, and possibly the cam, if need be...i also intend to do some minor machine work to clean up the cylinders, head and crank...

if i can pull the money together, i also want to swap out the independent suspension and put in a solid axle front end, because i believe that with fewer moving parts, the solid axle is a more durable axle than the independent...eventually, i also want to swap in a 9" rear end, because i believe that the 9" is also a superior axle over the 8.8" rear that ford put in my truck....

eventually, as i get the money, i want to build the 300-6 up with a bigger cam, port/polish the head, run true dual exhaust, put on a holley 390 4bbl carb with an offenhauser intake and drop in a ZF 5 spd behind the 300...

i also want to re-wire the entire truck specifically for my uses and needs and get rid of the computerized wiring harness that ford thought would be so great to stick in there....it is NOT a good system...carbs and computers don't mix

anyway, i've rattled on enough for the time being...

MontanaFord

 

Montana Ford,

Wow, sounds like quite a truck! I am definately on the right track to improving my ride. My brother has a '79 F150 4X4 which 2 years ago swapped out the 302 for a 400. Its lifted 6 in. and he is still toying with it. The bed is shot, I keep telling him that it needs some fixin, also he has a loud exhaust, not sure what he has on there, I think he has some purple hornies on it, but when that thing comes around the corner you can not only hear the exhaust, you can hear the bed rattlin too!! Thanks for the info guys, I'll will be checkin here often.

It does have a small leak at the pan, going to check the level in the morning.
It runs pretty good, power streering is squeaking a bit, gotta check the belts and replpace this weekend if necessary.

Ryan, I am just north of Buffalo, NY.


brusier

 

bruiser...

one thing to keep in mind, if you go the direction i'm going with my build-up on my engine...the 300-6 was never originally intended to be a fast engine...it can be done with the proper modifications, but the engine is a work engine, not a race engine...they can be built to beat stock-built small-block v-8's off the line and even for a distance, but they weren't intended for that use...my whole intention of building a 300-6 is just to have something totally different from anybody else around...everybody i know around here that has a ford says "get a 302, it's the best you can get"...well...that's all find and dandy for them...if i wanted a 302, they're a dime a dozen, just about....i know guys that all they ever want are small blocks...personally, i'm an odd-ball, and my engine choice and project goals show it...i like my 300-6, and that's what i will build up...it may not be this particular truck...it may not even be a 1/2 ton that i choose for a project....i may go with a 3/4 or 1 ton...it will depend where i'm at with money when i find what i decide i want...anyway...enough rambling for the night...

MontanaFord

 

I've had two of the best engines put in a Ford truck. The first one was my 83 F-150 with the 300 I-6. It had 205,000 miles on it when I got rid of it. The next is my 86 F-250 with a 460. It has 155,000 miles and it runs great. I agree with Montana, the 300 is a GREAT work engine. I miss my old truck to this day and it's been 4 years. I like the 300 so much that I even thought about yanking the 460 out of my 86 and putting a 300 I-6 in it's place.
The point is, if you take care of a 300 I-6, you can get about 15 mpg's out of it and go for 3 or 400,000 miles. You might want a bigger engine, but take it from someone that gets almost 10 mpg's, and wants a smaller engine, stick with the 300 and save some money at the pumps. That truck will last for another 25 years or so.

 

Thanks guys, I am going to stick with the I-6, for fuel consumption reasons and it has plenty of power for what I need it for.

brusier