Hey everybody, I'm thinkin bout buying an '86 F150 supercab 4x4 with manual trans. and 300CI 6. Truck has 136K on it, my question is, can the I6s be modified, even a little to make more power? How much could I get out of it before I have to start upgrading other parts(clutch, tranny, axle...)? And how?

 

That 300-6 will surprise you when it comes to low end power. But should you desire even more it could be done. Personaly my oppinion is that if you want a truck to burn rubber, tear up fields and otherwise raise H*** with thena straight 6 is probably not the motor for you. But if you want a work horse that will live forever then by all means buy it.

 

check out the Six Cyl forum.

 

Try these guys: http://www.cliffordperformance.net/

Good Luck.

 

Old Rust Bucket is right. A 300-6 is by no means a race engine, but if it's a work engine you need, you can't go wrong. I had an 83 F-150 4x4 with a 300-6 and in the 7 years I owned it, all I ever did was change the oil and the fuel pump when I got it. That truck took me all over northern Nevada, border to border twice a week for 5 months straight and I always got 15 mpg's and it never left me on the side of the road. I really miss that old truck.

 

just after i got out of highschool i had an 80 f100 with a 300 i loved it. it did every thing i wanted it to do exept get mpg it had an offy intake isky cam and some headers i found in a junk yard.it had a carter carb on it too.with a toploader trans from a 69 stang and some 4:11's it did a best time of 14.62 at the strip. i wish rust didnt jump up and take'r away from me

 

I have an 84 F150 4x4 regular cab long bed with the ol legendary six cylinder tower of power. I am in the midst of doing a frame off restoration/modification on her this winter. I bought the truck when I was 15 and a freshman in HS, the poor ol rust bucket was on her way to the crusher until I bought er. I got it from the original owner who bought it a year old off the Ford lot. Over the years I have spent a great deal of time and money bringing this old truck back to life to be better than new. When the motor finally let loose it was time for a rebuild. I don't believe in keeping anything stock so I had to tinker a bit: .040 over, RV cam, Hedman header, Offy DP aluminum intake, Holley 350 2bbl carb, MSD ignition. It has been a never ending quest for performance, the Ford 300 has pretty good aftermarket support... it is possible to get some impressive hp and tq numbers out of one. My six I would estimate is around 220-230 hp and 330-350 lb ft of tq. It is coupled to the bulletproof NP435 4 speed with creeper 1st gear. I installed a 4" suspension lift with 33" mudders, 4.10 gears, locked rear, LS front diff. I have overloaded this truck so many times, and she never let me down. Now that I pretty much have the truck mechanically sound I am focusing on getting the body and frame cleaned up and painted. It just seems worth it because she has been so good to me over the past 8 years!

 

Also, if you don't want to get into the price of headders go with the manifolds from and EFI 300-6. intake, offy has the best deal for intakes; the clifford stuff is good BUT it will cost a bit more and there are some occations where clifford add-on parts are all you can use.

Carb of choice is usually a 450cfm unit OR you can get a 4-2 adaptor and get a stock motorcraft 2bbl that does a great deal to help the motor.

clutch and drivetrain arn't usually and issue with the 300-6, although a stout clutch isn't a bad idea.

Also, with my Bronco I've got the same stuff as that '86, 4spd, 355s, 4x4, I've got a set of 33s on the stock suspension and it still accelerates great along with it being able to cruise better compaired to the stock 235s.

 

i have a 86 f150 that is a rust bucket with 200,000 on it and its a 300 6 and runs like a top it has a 3speed od

 

also for the six cyl. specialty try
www.fordsix.com
there is a huge amount of info there

 

Actually yes you can break drivetrain parts with a 300 six. Upon rebuilding the transfer case (NP208) in my 84 last spring, I found the anulus gear was cracked in 4 places! I am not surprised, I have thrashed this truck pretty hard in low range pulling other vehicles, stumps, etc. The 300 responds very well to to intake and exhaust enhancements... I would recommend starting there first.

 

make it breathe... it will work forever. after it breathes, make it spark. you can do a lot of building on these. i'd recommend against clifford, they are pricey, and have a bad reputation for service. the offy intake is just as good and you can get a set of hedmans for under 200. look up col. flashman, i know he always has extra parts he's looking to offload. if you want to see a perfect engine build, look at his.

 

Yeah I noticed the prices on the Offy DP intakes have gone up over the past few years. I kick myself for not getting one sooner when they were cheaper. I paid a little over $240 for mine, about 8 months later I found one at a swap meet for $120! Oh well live and learn I guess! Hedman header for a 300 Ford is actually priced very reasonable, I paid $160 to my door from Jegs. The header for the 80s trucks they say will only fit 2wds... it will also fit 4wds as well.

 

it is a race engine my friend built a racecar with a 300 6 it was built well he beat 355s and 400s

 

There is a fellow over on fordsixthat has a Falcon with a 250ci 6 in it.His wife drives the car.She just turned a 10.95@124mph in the 1320.It is turboed and IIRC is carbed.Hows that for a 6 popper?BTW,its a daily driver.Hehehehe.

Leo