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There are four videos from this weekend there.
I'll get some more up if we can find some place new to go this weekend or something.

I had to yank a K-5 out of a mudhole a couple of weekends back. He had got in a little over his head... well, up to his mirrors anyway. Best part was the guy he was with had just went through the hole in a bone stock dodge dakota 4x4. They weren't having much luck getting him out with the dakota though so I told them I would give it a shot. After I got him out the guy thanked me and said "I'm sure glad you came by, I didn't think we would ever get that thing out, and if we did I didn't want him telling the guys we work with that he pulled out my K-5 with his six cylinder dodge dakota."

I told him "No problem, just tell them he got pulled out by a six cylinder FORD"

The look on that guys face was priceless!

 

I can't say the 4.2 is a complete pile of *****, my uncle has one in a 98 F150 reg cab long bed 2wd with the 5 spd manual. Even with over 200k on the clock it still has plenty of pep. He takes meticulus care of his vehicles and his pickup is no exception. It has been a great truck for what he uses it for, he is a carpenter by trade and uses it to haul his tools to the job site. He doesn't do a whole lot of towing with his truck so lack of grunt has not been a problem. Jokingly he gives me a hard time about my "slow 300" He always wants to race me. I usually say sure, but when we're done we have to hook bumpers to see who can pull who!

 

The 300 in the Bronco has 88k on it now. I put it in back in the summer of 01, and it was a used motor with about 40k on it then. It's been overheated twice due to faulty t-stats. And once I failed to check the anti-freeze level in it before winter and I realized my mistake only after noticing all my freeze plugs had been pushed out. It gets used, abused, over rev'd, submerged, and neglected regularly. It has never failed to start or get me where I want to go. It sat for over a year from 04-05 and came back to life with a fresh battery and few pumps of the throttle.

I couldn't ask for a more durable, more reliable, maintenance free, workhorse of an engine.

 

Compared to the 4.2, the 302 IS a truck motor, making more torque than the 4.2 (270 vs 252 lb. ft.) at lower rpm. Compared to the 300, neither the 4.2 nor the 302 is a truck motor.

In order of desirability, least to most, for truck work:
4.2 (no torque at all but revs decent; I drive one daily)
302
300

 

We have a 1999 full size Ford van at work with the 4.2/automatic. Its a joke.

 

glad to see so many responses. when i seen the original post i just had to laugh. i find it funny that one can believe that the 4.2 is such a great engine, when its just a variation of the 3.8 the biggest pile of crap to ever wear the ford name.

a v6 has no bussiness between the fenders of a full sized truck. Ive detailed plenty of differnt company vehicles that have the 4.2. even in an empty truck it struggles to get of the line i could not imagine doing any work with one they are GUTLESS.

although its off the subject i completely disagree with the statement about a 4.2 being better then a 5.0. I'll take my 5.0[96 f150] over any v6. although its out worked by a 4.9 it'll never be shown up by a v6.

incase you could'nt tell im not a fan of v6's. they're weak, they sound even weaker, and theres nothing like braging about your big bad v6.

the ONLY 6 cyl engine that holds a place in my heart is the 300 it is simply the best engine ever made, ford made a truly stupid choice when they quit putting truck engines in trucks. I would take any old 300, 302, 351, or 460 over any engine choice that ford has today.

not only did ford quit making real truck engines they quit making real trucks [unless you opt for a super duty with a desiel] come back in 25 years and tell me how great the 10th 4.2 in your truck is doing.

it may not be that impressive but my the 300 in my 82 f100 has lasted 24 years and 227,000 miles. im more then sure the body will fall off the frame before the motor dies. no one will ever build another engine as tough as the 300.

 

4.9 definitely, its in my 85 and we have a 93 f250 at work with a 300 in it
lets just say 222,000 miles and still carries two pallets of 2 liters(80 cases) without a problem

 

Thinking about purchasing a 99 f150 with a 4.2 in it. I dont plan to use it for hauling any thing as i got an 88 f250 with a 460 for that, just as a cheap way to get back an forth to work without giving up the space of a truck. Would the 4.2 be a decent route to go?

 

A friend has the 4.2 and 5 speed in his 99 1/2 ton SC SB which is used as a commuter and light hauler. It does get better MPG than my 95 4.9 5 speed SC SB and its faster but I find mine is easier to drive in traffic.
Regards
rikard

 

V or inline matters not. The 4.2 is a smaller engine. That's part of the problem.

V6s weak--well these had other issues, but being weak compared to a 300 was not one of them.

http://www.radie.us/literature/gmc/G...ine%20Data.pdf