Search seems to be broken, so I'll post up.
Looking for an 80-96 Ford right now. Would love a 73-76, but for relibility, price and avalibility...
Mostly looking at 300V302. I love the notion of a straight six, but in practicality? Truck will be a DD and fuel milage is deffinitly a note worthy addition. My Current four banger gets around 14-17MPG.
Uses will be general Pickup duties (Hauling, towing boat/sled trailer), as well as heading up into the mountains. I do lots of fishing at remote lakes and my currnet truck just isn't cutting it. I run around 2000-2500lbs loaded when fishing (Which is about 1200lbs over gross for my little Isuzu). Seems like 302 opens up doors for future upgrades much more then the six.
Basically I'm looking for :
1. Reliablity - I beat my current four mercilessly. Has to pull the hills if first and sees extened 4-5000RPMs. But it keeps truckin along.
2. Milage - Similar milage would be great.
3. Power - Damn teenagers like to drive fast . Current four has about 120hp and 150ft/lbs... doesn't seem like a 300 would do much in the HP department...

 

I don't know why you think reliability would be a problem for 73-76. The 300 will outlive the 302 three times over. The 300 is a torque monster, if you're towing you'd be better off with it than a 302 - There are after market parts made for the 300.

Anyone in the 300 forum is gonna tell you to go with the 300 over the 302.

 

I'll second that. 302 would be a waste of time. Some people like to compare the 300 more to a 351 if they're looking for a good comparison. Also be sure watch how the gearing is matched up from the tranny back. My 300 has an np435 and 3.50 rearend which work well together and I still get as good as 14mpg (when I drive conservatively) I'm sure others can give you a good recommendation on what would work best for you

 

300 is far better motor that the 302. Have had 3 pickups with 302 and 1 with the 300. I still have the pickup with the 300. Its great for towing.

Last spring I had a 100 mile trip to deliver and set a greave stone, mileage was 15MPG.

 

302 v 300 isn't really a good comparison. They each have their advantages and detractions but in the end in a pickup meant for hauling i prefer the 300 over the 302 (all other things being the same).

For ideal towing ability, you want to cruise at a few hundred RPM over your torque peak. The idea here is that when you hit a hill and load the motor up, your truck will actually start to pull harder as it revs down to keep the slow down to a minimum.

The 300 and the 302 make roughly the same torque, but at very different revs. While they both make right about 265 ft-lbs, the 300 does it by 2,000 rpm while the 302 does it around 3,300 rpm. The 300 also has a very very very flat torque curve, so there really isn't that much of a variance as the revs change, the motor pulls nearly the same. The 302 has a fairly peaky curve which means as the rev's drop, so does the torque. Quickly.

So when you go to pull a hill, the 300 drops to about 2000 rpm and then stabilizes. For a 302, the motor will have to rev to 3300 RPM to stabilize and pull as well. Therefore while the 302 may pull the load faster, the 300 will pull as hard but in a more useable RPM and speed range. Then by pulling the load at a lower RPM, the 300 will return better fuel economy and less wear and tear.

In an unloaded truck the 302 will tear the 300 powered truck a new one, but under load the 300 is better at getting the load moving and keeping it moving at a useable rpm range.

Justin

 

Well said. This explanation says it all.

 

And as for fuel mileage-

On a fresh rebuild with an "RV" cam, 9.5:1, a reset distributor curve, and a totally dialed in 1bbl my truck will return 19-20 mpg at a 60mph cruise with an NP435 and a 3.5 rear end with a stock exhaust manifold and a single flowmaster 40.

Around town i'll get 12-15 depending on how i drive it and if i want to run 70 i'll get about 15 on the highway.

Justin

 

300. No contest. No Question. No Doubt.

 

I get about 15-16mpg with a light load or city driving with my 300 and about 18mpg if im taking it easy.

 

This is the truth 100 times over. Thanks for summing it up so well. I will hit a hill pulling my travel trailer (5500 lbs) at 2500 rpm, and slow down and stay at 2000 for the rest of the hill. If the hill was 6000000000 kms long, it would still be going 2000 rpm at the top. (keep in mind this is with 35's and 4.56 gears)

If you want crawl, 300. If you want speed, 302. Only you can decide. I love crawl, therefore I drive my truck. As for MPH, I got 17 mph empty on a 1000 km trip this summer.

 

with my beat up 300, the highest highway milage i have gotten so far is 16 mpg, keepin it between 70 and 80 on the highway, with no tailgate. i got a NP435 and i dunno what rear end but i think its one of the steeper sets because it really struggles under 35 mph in fourth.

 

Sounds like you want to work the truck hard, so the decision is pretty much already made for you - like everyone here says, the 300 is the motor you are looking for. It is a workhorse motor all the way, and the reliability is unmatched.

 

Thanks guys, figured the 300 would be the way to go.
The reason I say no to 73-79 isn't for mech relibility, but more for not getting a VI. Finding a decent 73-79 for cheap doesn't happen around here. I'd be looking at alot more body work on that body style of truck.
I guess I should build my 4x as a 4x and not a hot rod.
And they reasons I went to a 300 and not a 302 forum, is that I needed to justify the extra time it is going to find a good solid 300 motor truck.