well i have a 1982 F150. i got the truck about a year ago for $800. a few months ago the engine went out. it had a 300 6 with a 3 speed with OD. i want to get another engine for it but i dont know witch one i should get. i still wanna use the tranny so i would need a small block. It's gonna be used for daily driving and off roading. some time in the future i'd like to put 35" tires under her because i have a 3" body lift on her now. What kind of engine, IYO, should i look for to drop in??

 

If you are warried about the trans bolting up, the 300 I6, the 302 v8, and the 351 all have the same bellhousing. I would suggest either another 300, or a 302. I would prefer the 302 over the 300 because it is good on gas and yet it has power, and the 300 from what I have heard does not have as much hp and is a little ruffer on the gas. I think a really good engine would be the 351, but atleast around here they are in high demand. I have been looking for another 351 to rebuild for my dad's truck, but you have to get put on a waiting list, and because they are in such a high demand the junkyards are charging ALOT!! And the 351 may have more pwer than the 302, but it uses more gas also.
IF you wanted to use something else, like a v6, a 460, or a deisel, you should just beable to replace the belhousing so the trans could mount up. Around here the bellhousing will go for about $5.
But if you get something other than the 300, you will need to get all the accesories, the mounts, and maybe even a fuel line, but the 302 is well worth it. You can have plenty of acceleration and some good power, and yet you will still have money left over after each fill up.

 

yea i was looking for a good 302 around my area but none has one or has one thats in a nice enough shape to be worth while getting. My friend has a 351M but he left it sit out in the rain all summer with no intake manifold on it. i also have seen my friends truck with a 351W in it drain 1/2 tank from drving 75 mph or above for about 3 miles or so... not very good gas milage.

 

Yea, the 351 has power, but in order to get the power it needs alot of gas. The newer efi models are pretty good. But I have a 302 in my truck and I love it. It could be better on gas, but that is because it has a Holley 4 barreal racing carb, and the previous owner decided to play with the mixture screws, and I have not gotten the carb adjusted perfectly yet, it runs good the way it is but there is still adjustments to be made.

 

Ya.. i'd go with the 302 although I am a huge fan of the 351 windsor. I've got an 80 stepside that I put an EFI 302 in, and the thing runs awsome, and it gets about 16-17 mpg.. that's pretty good for a pickup in my book.. I've got an EOD transmission in it though.. that helps quite a bit.

 

My truck even with the poorly adjusted carb, it can get about 22 mpg when warmed up, and it is a full size with the 8 foot bed. But I think the higher mpg might be related to the fact that it has roller cams. I thought my truck was running just below average compared to others in this time range, but even my dad says it is dooing good for a truck. Take my advice, find a wrecked truck with a 302 efi roller cam and you will have a GOOOOOOD truck.

 

Rebuild the 300 six it has a stronger bottom end and you can get aftermarket cam and headers and Intake for it Clifford research makes them will get better gas mileage and performance also you won't have to change the motor mounts on the frame either as they are different from the six to the 302. bigger is not always better remember weight differences to 351 is the heaviest of three.

 

Alright i'll look for a 302 EFI around here. maybe the junk yard across the hill might have one. but they charge rather alot for trannys and motors. My friend got a trans from there for a 95 escort and they charged him about $260 give or take a few dollars. This seem right??? The 300 i rebuild myself and its still dead. dont have a clue why its dead but it is. put all new everything basicly into it and it still dont run right then dies.

 

My 302 efi roller cam was $300, and the coil was literally melted,and we considerd that a good price. So I would see if they have any kind of warranty, how long it is, then see how much they get for an engine, and let us know.

Also a little tip, make sure their warrenty is that the engine will not only run, but that it will move the vehicle. My dad bought an engine once, and they promised that it would run, so he put it in the vehicle started it up, and every time he put it in gear it died. The compression was really low on it. When he went to exchange it, they would not honor his warrenty because they only promised it would run, not that it could move a car. So watch out for tricks like that.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll give them a call tomorrow after i get out of school.

 

Guess I'll play the devil's advocate. I haven't really been all that impressed with the 302 as a truck motor. It'll get great milage with the bed empty & looks great on paper, but put more than a brick in the back & it doesn't do all that well. What the 302 lacks is torque, forget all of that hp stuff, torque is what moves a load. I saw a demonstration of this when I watch a stock F150 300/5spd out pull a built chevy 3/4 ton w/ a built corvette 350/4spd. Not getting into the ford vs chevy thing (though I still give my friend a ton of crap about that!), but the 350 had to spin at high prm to make torque, while the 300 had it almost right off at an idle. Decent 300s are usually cheep enough to find & they'll last forever. Get a offy or clifford intake, 2-4 bbl carb & the EFI exhast manifolds & you'll be surprised at what it'll do. If not, get a 351, the motor mounts will be a bit different but like Mr. Finch said, the bellhousing (& clutch, possibly the flywheel after reballance) will bolt right up. Either engine is going to eat a little bit of gas, but both will have the torque to do the job (& more).
Edwin

 

Either rebuild the 300 I6 or go for a 351W. Leave the 302 for cars. Bottom end torque is what you want.

 

IF I understand you you did rebuild the 300 and it is not running right . What all did you do to as far as rebuilding if you put money into that motor I would try to fix it first what are the problems your having.Maybe we can help figure out what is wrong.

 

I am 100% for rebuilding your current 300 six. It is a far better engine than a 302 hands down. A couple of my buddies in high school had Broncos with 302s, one was an 82 with the 302 2bbl (major gas pig) and the other was an 88 with the 302 EFI (pretty gutsy but still a pig). Neither motor got ***** for oil pressure, and they usually puked out when we were out playin in the mud and on steep hills. The 82 only had 80k on a rebuilt 302 and it was a dog (tall gears didn't help either). Bottom line is 302s just don't live easpecially when put in 4x4 duty. Proper maintenance essential to make a 302 last. A 300 will knock and rattle til the cows come home, they're a lot tougher. 300s have a long stroke (4") which means gobs of bottom end torque at low RPMs...perfect for a 4x4 truck. 302s have a 3" stroke, less torque more RPMs...great for a Mustang. I rebuilt my 300 almost 5 years ago I have almost 80k and it's still running super strong. I went with a .040 over bore, Crane RV cam, high volume oil pump, S.P. rings, Clevite bearings, I added a set of EFI manifolds, a Clifford 2bbl adapter plate, Holley 350 2bbl carb, and an MSD Blaster coil. Even with 31s and stock 3.08 gears (locked in the rear) I can spin the heck out of all 4 in 4high 2nd gear. It's a blast to drive off road, plenty of power right where I need it. It cruises with ease in the highway at 70 mph. And best of all I get around 16 mpg, I love it! Try that with a 302!

 

Well u see its the most confusing thing anyone has ever seen happenin to an engine. one day i went out and started the truck it was runnin like **** like it wanted to stall but then caught itself and did it over and over again and it would back fire and sputter. so i changed the coil and all the wires and plugs. Then i figured out if u hold the wire goin to the coil if u hold it close enough so that the spark would jump it would run perfect but once u pluged it in it would start runnin like **** again. so i took it to the garage and they took a look at it. they checked the timing and everything they thought of and they found out if u pinch the fuel line to the carb so it would limit the gas to the carb it would run good but when u left go it would act up again. so i drove it home and it sounded like a machine gun goin down the road and i got my carb rebuild. still didn't fix the problem. so i took the engine out and put all new gaskets in it. and didn't find anything wrong with it. still doesn't run right. this is my problem... now i went out to where i have the truck sittin and someone took mmy carb off and left my hood open and its been rainin and snowing on it for about 3 months now. wll the 300 no good or would it still be good??