I currently have a inline six in my 1983 F150..(it's manual). What would the better engine be for a mud truck.. and why.. Also is it better to have a automatic rather than a manual.. Need help on answer be for buying a motor. Thank u..

 

unless your going to a 460 or somthing like that, that 300 with the 4spd will pull as hard or harder than most 302's

 

Sorry i meant, is a automatic trans. better for muding rather than a manual..

 

for mud thr auto is better, because you dont louse sped for shifting.

if you want a mud slinger your best bet would be a 460 with a c6 auto.

 

well depends on what your doin if just trail rideing is your thing and moderate mud id stay with the 300 its lighter than most v-8's and has good torque.if your going all out drag truck biuld ya a killerstroker

 

everybody ive asked (around here) says you need a manual because you can always shift up and get more will spin, but an auto will gear down to gear 1 while slowly bogging high rpms, but you can go 3rd gear 2500 rpms at 5 to 10 mph. More wheel speed = more mud slinging and more momentum= farther feet


Just my 2 cents

Taylor

 

A auto is better for mud, b/c if you have a standard, hit a hole in 2nd, shift to 3rd(wheels slow down), you start to slow down and truck bogs down in 3rd so you shift to 2nd(wheels slow down again), causing you to slow down even more, and now your stuck.
Also, turning with a beer, working a stick and a clutch, and the gas pedal gets pretty hard(so you end up staying in a bad gear or don't turn as needed and hit a hole, or.... ect ect....).

Or with a auto: Holding a beer in one hand, pressing gas as needed, and turning with other hand is alot easier.

 

i run a 4-speed behind every thing i have. its just your choice. i have replaced my 300 with a mild 351w in my 83 pickup and its night and day between the too. if you run the auto make sure you have a big cooler on that tranny

 

thats a huge 10-4 on the beer situation, i drove a 300i6 with a 5spd forever, i cant count how many drops of beer ive wasted b/c of shifting, hahaha

 

No beer wasted here because of shifting, pick your gear before you hit the hole, and worry about shifting after you're out the other side....
For trail riding, IMHO, a stick is the way to fly...
If you're bogging, and dealing with timed events, unless you are very proficient with powershifting a 4 speed, auto is the way to go.

 

i couldnt agree with you more... i run my 84 f-150 standard cab.. flareside... with a 4 spd with the grannys and a 351w h.o.. with aluminum intake and 4 bbl and a mild cam.. and shorty headers.. and i run it in the woods and mud drag it.. just fine.. like he said up there ^^^ pick your gear... like 2nd or 3rd.. keep it there... till you get out... auto's ... weigh more.. and if you pop a break line.. or the breaks fail your pretty S.O.L... where with a stick your fine.. i prefer a stick in the woods... alot easier.. to control your wheel spin.. like for instance where im at we snow wheel.. and the snow.. gets about 10ft deep where im at .. and slow and steady .. or to the rugs.. gets it done.... so i prefer stick.. even for mud.... but .. with my stick i took 2nd place.. in the mud drags... where im at outta 50 out trucks in my class so .... i mean.. its all on your preference.. id leave the 300-i-6 in it tho... for a trail truck .. better .. than a auto and a v8 any day.. get more power for the gas consumption compared to any v8 ford mad.e. the 302.. was gutless... the 351 .. was a good motor.. and the 460.. was a gas guzzling... hog.. for the gas it consumed could of put out alot more horses .. especially for its weight

so after this long.. post wat we conclude is... the 300-6 and the stick..... are gonna lighter then anything else you put in there and have more power then most motors you put in there but then again .. thats just my .02 cents

 

You will want a V8. The 300 is an awesome motor, but mud requires high RPM Horsepower that is capable of spinning the tires fast enough to clean them out. (the 4.9 is the opposite, it's low RPM torque) The 300-6 is NOT a good motor for a mud truck.

And yes, a properly built automatic mated to the right motor will be your best choice for the mud.

 

Maybe we should find out what exactly he means by a mud truck, is this a daily driver? A full blown mud racer competing for money? trail rider? a trailer queen? what is your budget? lemcham, give us some details on what exactly you use your truck for, realisticaly not what is coolest, I had a ton of preferences that went out the window as soon as I ACTUALLY went wheelin.

so there is my .02

 

Its going to be a daily driver for the most part, but wanna go with the buddies to the river bed and play tag on the weekend.. maybe some tail riding to get to the river bed. I guess thats about it.. For my spendings wanna stay cheap but not to cheap..

 

keep what ya got and just have fun, fun seems to be an aspect that is missed by most people, including me sometimes. I've found that in many cases a stock beater is more fun, yeah you can upgrade, just keep a good time at the forefront, upgrade when you break it, run it when you ain't broke it.

remember, stock requires less money

PS I am not against fullblown awesome buildups, what do you think i'm saving my money for.

Now i'm up to .04 cents