I have a 1985 Ford F-150 and i was wondering what would be involved in changing over from a 300 6-cylinder to a 302 8-cylinder? I was wondering if the senders would interchange or do i have to replace every thing? And i was also was wondering if i would have to recaliberate all my gauges? If anyone has any information on this topic please let me know i can use all the help i can get. Thank you

 

oh goodie i get to be the first to tell him . . . here it is: "Why would you want to do that?"
the 300 has more grunt, more towing power more power pound for pound(inch per inch) than the 302
as a wise man once told me . . . think of it this way: if the only difference between a 300 and a 302 is two inches but one has 6 cyl compared to 8 . . . imagine the size of the cyl heads in the 300 that the 302 only needs 2 cubic inches to fit 2 more.

disclaimer, if any of this is wrong its all SOFLA DAVE'S fault lol
seriously though, ive heard that a 300 is preferable over a 302.
of course, others will come to offer their probably more professional opinions so stick around and welcome to the boards! oooh i get to say this too. . . hope i say it right, sorry if i dont . . . "when you get a chance, check out the guidelines section, they should help you navigate around the boards and give you a general idea of, well . . . the guidelines" lol

 

..was just thinking the same thing when i read the title,and was gonna come in and ask him that same question...'why would you want to?'...i have an '84 f-150 4x2 automatic...with the 302..lemme tell ya..i'd much rather have the 300...like felixr said..more towing power,more torque..everything...really think it gets better gas mileage too...i would definately keep the 300 if nothing is wrong with it,which i really doubt..since its a VERY reliable engine..not saying the 302 isn't..because it is..it's very reliable too..but you can't hardly kill a 300...just my 2 cents

 

Taz:

I have to agree with the other guys, right now you've got as good a small displacement engine (+/- 300ci) as you can put in a truck. The 300 is easy to work on, too because there's a lot of room in the engine compartment. However, if you insist on making the swap, here's some general guidelines. You're transmission bolt pattern is the same, the frame mounts (perches) are different, your throttle linkage is different length, you will have to add an exhaust for the other side of the 302, I can't remember if the radiator is routed the same, but it's easy to check. The sending unit wires are different lengths, but easy to fix, carbs won't interchange, if you have a manual, the clutches are different sizes. Don't get scared away, it's a very straightforward swap. With everything on hand, you could easily do it in a weekend. But you will have to consider whether the 302 has a distributor, fan, fan clutch, carb, etc, and what you want to do about the exhaust beforehand.Just my $.02.

For me, I'd only swap if I were going significantly bigger (400, 460): but that's just me.

Best of Luck,
Ernie

 

well it might be more powerful than some 5.0, but not my '86....came from the factory with 190 HP and 285 ft. lb. torque, and the last time i checked the specs on the 300 it was only 120 HP and 251 lb. ft. torque