i would say it is close between the Ford 300 ci six, and the Allison V12

 

I think it's fair to say it's the best gasoline engine that was never in used in cars LOL. Or if it were a fighter you could say the 300 is the best pure truck engine of all time.

 

The 300 is a great gas engine. The best, maybe. Its got alot of the characteristics of a diesel which makes it extremely desirable in a truck. Low revving and lots of torque. More reliable then any engine i have ever worked on and iv worked on tons. Its a simple engine designed to last forever. Its a slow engine, but i can hook up to a 8k trailer and it isnt any slower then when i pull a 4k trailer and only slightly slower then unloaded.

And as for reliability, i have never heard of any engine that has been put through the same kind of abuse as the 300. I'v seen a 300 redlined without cooling for maybe 5 min before it threw a rod, then it kept running for at least 10min until they shut it down. And even then it still turned over. Its outstanding.

Unfortunately their are only a few patient enough to drive the 300. Thats why everyone wants a v8.

 

But but but POWAH! Hahahaha, Seriously though, when did it become just a matter of how fast you can really go? I've always been content to do the speed limit, I dont feel that freeways are the shiznit, and you can rev at me all you want, I'm still not gonna race you.

So to answer the original question, for me, in this truck, Yessir, it's the best.

Now, a Porche 356 Pre-A, set up for ralley, well, maybe not the best engine for that application lol.

 

I couldn't agree more. The low rpm torque will move some pretty heavy stuff, and do it for a long time.
The only place that a factory 300 lacks in being durable enough to go 3-400K before needing attention, is the fiber tooth cam gear. Yes, it's quieter than running steel to steel, but it won't last as long.

This "Hurry-up" world we live in made the 300 pretty useless to the average person. This engine will do plenty of grunt work, but it won't do it as fast as most people demand, so they gotta have a V8.

 

My 1985 F150 has a 300 CID Straight Six.

Runs like a champ!

230,000+ miles and still cranks right up.

 

glad to hear it, WE. i am putting my truck together, so i cant report, yet.....but, i have high hopes

 

I'm planning on buying another 300 and rebuilding it, and adding a turbo or something like that.

Then drop it into my newly fabricated body (Work in progress) and then bam! Awesome truck

 

I think the 300 has good power for a six. I think the 300 is something inbetween a small V6 and a small V8.

I'm with Darrell and Harte. I'm happy enough to have a six shooter. I just wish the darn thing got better fuel milage. My own fault there, I know. Shouldn't have geared the thing so low. This forum tried to warn me. Harte probably did too, haha.

 

The 300 is very dependant upon having the right gearing for the purpose you intend it to do.
Back in the days before OD transmissions were standard, they were geared with something between 2.75 and 4.10. The higher the gearing, the better the *potential* MPG, and lower pulling power, while lower gearing yielded better power at the cost of MPG.
Once the OD transmissions became common, they were mated to gears between 2.73 & 3.55. The same basic rules applied to a certain extent, however, the lower geared vehicles didn't suffer nearly the MPG as they once did, and the higher geared vehicles didn't have much pulling power. They also didn't get much better MPG than the lower geared versions.
In my opinion, the 300 should be mated with gears between 3.25 and 3.50 without OD, and between 3.50 and 3.73 with OD, in order to get the best mix of power and economy. This is using the standard 235/75-15 tires. Taller tires may require gearing a bit lower to achieve the same results.

 

The way I see it, there's a simple rule of thumb for the 300. Stick to 3.55's and 3.73's. For big tires you obviously need to gear it lower. For the 302, it should be 3.73 and 4.10.

 

Gearing is key on any truck/ vehicle regardless of what's sitting between the frame rails. I regeared both of my 300 powered F150s to better suit my needs. The 84 4x4 had 3.08s, I dumped them for 4.10s... But I set this truck up for heavier pulling and off road use. I went from a 235/75 tires to a 33x12.50 (now 35s) Although I did had to change my driving style a little bit on this one I was able to keep my mpg around 17. The 96 was originally a 2wd with 2.73s now sits up as a 4x4 with 3.55s. It had the factory 235/75s I stepped up to a 32x11.50. I don't have any actual numbers but it seems to get better mpg with the 3.55s than it did with the 2.73s, and it has more power. I guess if you ask me personally I have to say more specifically it's the best six cylinder gas motor ever put in a full size pickup truck. And I say that in all-around terms, it has it's strengths and weaknesses like anything else. I would put either of my F150s against any Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan,... whatever equivalent (1/2 ton, 6 cyl, manual trans, 4x4, similarly geared, standard cab pickup) I would be willing to bet in most cases it's as good as or better than the rest.

 

Taller tires may require gearing a bit lower to achieve the same results.

Wulff
so whadda U suggest for 33" tires w/the ZF? A 300 (not in the below rig - as of yet) that sees 40/60% - on/off road, minor amount of towing, but a real need, lots of rock n fire wood carrin, n some log skidddin.

 

33" tires under a 300/ZF combo would likely respond best with something between 3.50 and 3.75, in my opinion. The lower 1st gear ratio of the ZF will make towing a breeze, give good off road capabilities, and having the rear gears in this range will also allow for decent MPG on the highway.
For a little more grunt, and a bit less MPG, going to a 3.75-4.10 rear gear is certainly doable.
With a 4wd, you have to first decide what range of ratios you want, then determine what is available to fit both the front and rear and be able to work together. Different axle combos have different ratios available.

 

good off road capabilities, and decent MPG between 3.50 and 3.75...a bit less MPG, going to a 3.75

OK, I wuz thinkin of goin the other way (4.56/.88). Will B doin nothing due to the $ situation, but dreamin keeps U (me) alive.