Would any one know what engine would swap into a 61' F600 without too much trouble? It currently has a 292 V8 with a 4 speed.

The 292 needs rebuilding. Are rebuilt 292's available? I was told that most shops won't touch them?? If I have to go through the expense of that, would it be worth it to go to a more modern engine?

My father used to have a 65 F600 with a 300 Six that worked great. I assume it was not the original engine, so this swap must be possible.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

What about "FT" motors (semi relatives of the FE's) such as 330md,330hd,359,361,391? These were supposedely installed in medium and heavy duty commercial type trucks, busses, motorhomes...
I'm not sure when these first appeared.

BBT

 

The books I have read indicate that F600's did come from the factory with 300 I-sixes. However, Ford made a heavy duty 300 six, which I suspect was for these heavier trucks. The HD had a forged steel crank, heavier duty pistons and valves, and a larger cooling capacity. If you swap a standard 300 six, it may not be as durable, but then again it probably would make it.

 

Do your books say what year they started with the 300 six? I didn't know they made them that far back?

And if they did, is there any differences between the early models and later ones?

 

Sorry, I forgot to mention that the 300 six started in 1965. From what I hear, the earlier 300 sixes had metal timing gears and the modern ones have something else, I think fiberglas, but seem to be reliable anyway. In the '79 Ford manual it says positive stop rocker studs were added to the engine, which makes me wonder because my '77 300 six used to have the rocker nuts back off and once a rocker fell off the stud while I was driving it. My '84 300 six did not have this problem. Based on that I would think the '79 heavy duty 300 would be best. Yours is a '61, but I suppose the 300 could be adapted to it. I believe they had a 262 inch I six in the early 60s, but did not have hydraulic lifters until the 240/300 inch six in 1965.

 

Your engine was built in their last year so it is now 36 years later. I haven't seen a builder engine available for years now so your choice will be to either rebuild yours or find a different replacement engine. It may take some shopping to get yours rebuilt as I recall that certain internal parts are now rare and therefore expensive. Alot will depend on just what needs to be done with your old power plant. If you end up needing serious work on the crankshaft, for example, you may want to look at a 300 six or a 302 V-8.

Lee
1965 F100 short box styleside

 

I just got a new book from Ford and it says that FE stands for Ford Engine not Ford Edsel or Ford Engineering. Your 292 is a Y block and the motor mount and transmission mounts should be the same as any other Y block which includes, I think, the 360, 390, 427, 428 and the 361 and 391 FT's. The FT stands for Ford Truck and means they had steel cranks and heavy duty rods etc. FT motors used to be popular with hotrodders because of the heavy duty parts they had. I'm pretty busy these days with trying to restore the 73 1 ton wrecker I bought but if you need more help contact me at wnelson@ptialaska.net and I will try to get my books out and do some more research for you.