Hey guys,

I have an 88 F-150 with a 300 6 that has real bad compression in number 3. So I know that I need to rebuild my motor or get a new one. I am fairly mechanically inclined and wouldn’t think twice about doing a swap, but attempting a rebuild I’m a little leery on. Just because If I miss a step some where that I didn’t know I was suppose to do then I could ruin my engine. Its just my work truck so I don’t want to spend a whole lot. I have been thinking about trying to find a used motor and just swap the two, IF I did that what are some things to look for to make sure that I get a good motor if I buy a used one from someone? If I decided to re build it where would I find good books on how to rebuild my 300? Any idea on how much I might be looking price wise if I rebuild it my self, and what things do I need parts wise? Now if I decide to go with a remanufactured one where is a good place to go? I have been reading all of the pros and cons of rebuilding your self or buying a rebuilt one, and really curious what you guys think I should do. Thanks in advance for your time Ryan

P.S.
For those of you who remember all of your job advice paid off. I have 2 jobs with in the first week of school thanks a ton.

 

If the books give good info, go through PAW (pawengineparts.com), they have cast iron pistons (stock compression), pin, and ring set for $106. The catalog is less than $10 and it has 1200 pages of parts.
The only things I know to look for in a replacement is: Ask if it runs, and get a little bit of oil from inside the pan (rub 2 fingers together--if there are metal shavings, look somewhere else).