ok i know i am gonna get laughed into next week but here it goes...

i dont know alot about mechanics but have alot of buddies that do and have several guys who live in my neighborhood who have worked with me on various projects before that were once very successful mechanics. through friends/family/neighbors/politicians-that-oue-me-favors i can get almost every tool known to man. now here it goes... i have a 85 stepside 300 6 with a grannylow/overdrive 4 speed and i wanna put a v8 in it. what do you suggest putting in it and what do i need to do it. what transmission work do i need to do, what about drivetrain work, i dont know much but i want to learn!
if it makes anydifference i just recently redid the tie rods, shocks, balljoints, wheel bearings, had it aligned and if you see my other thread i've got some bada$$ wheels for the back. my family bought this truck new and we have alot of history in it, if this is just too much just tell me now before i destroy a family heirloom.
EDIT: and another thing, with single exhaust should i have 2 catlytic converters on ONE pipe? dosent sound right to me or anyone else i have asked...

 

Personally, I'd leave the 300 in it and add a few goodies to wake it up a bit. If you are determined to put a v8 in it you should go with a 302 or 351w. Either one of them will bolt up to your bell and clutch. You only need to change your engine stands on the frame, radiator, throttle linkage and exhaust system. There will be a few other things like redirecting oil pressure and water temp sending unit wiring. It's relatively easy, as engine swaps go. It would be much easier if you had a donor truck to scavenge parts from.

 

ok here's another aspect, somtime this month i am enlisting in the air force so its gonna need to pull me, my wife, and all our crap halfway across the country every six months. we also have a (may god have mercy on her soul) mitusubishi 3000gt, and may get a 04 grand am gt from my dad. i would love to turn this into my giant tinker toy but dont want to get in over my head. the truck runs solid and sounds decent. the motor was rebuilt about 30k-40k miles ago but is already showing low oil pressure before it warms up and is leaking at changing rates. somtimes it will leak a quart a tank, somtimes not at all. my inlaw thinks its the main seal which isnt that bad if i'm gonna pull the motor anyway. transmission has about 130-140k miles on it but shifts smoothly, clutch is a little soft though. thats pretty much all i know at this time, will post more as it comes to mind.

 

ok here's another...
by what do you exactly mean goodies? i am excited to know!

 

Im looking at doing the same swap. The original bellhousing should bolt up to a 302 or 351w no problem. The 4 speed should have no trouble with either in stock or mildly warmed up forms. I am looking into the motor/frame mounts. The stock I6 can be warmed up to the tune of 300 hp, depending on how crazy you want to go. Headers and intake manifold would be the first step. Offenhauser makes 4bbl intakes.

If you do swap motors, you will want to upgrade the rad for sure.

 

can you give me a link to the intakes and where would be a good place to find a 4bbl i have a 2 on it now.... also i have been askin around about maby a 460 with a 5speed ZF, but many locals here dont like 460.. HOWEVER i have heard over and over again about how great the 351 is.... would love to have the power of a 460 but dunno if i'd have the money to pay for its gas....
one last thing.... right now it has a 4speed with granny, should i just get a regular 4 speed or would that be a mistake?
FYI: gettin a quote tommrow about painting it, should i hold off untill i decide what to put in(or to keep the i6)

 

either keep the I6 and get it rebuilt again. Or get a 351W not a 351M. the windsor has loads of power. and decent gas mileage.

 

i really want to say keep the 300 because mileage is something it can do easily with really low gearing (like 1700-1900 at cruise) offenhauser DP with a 390cfm 4bbl holley, a heddman hedder, walker y-pipe, these external mods (dont have to go into the engine to get it done) should already produce loads of torque and driveability. you could get a camshaft (crane, crower, comp, and isky i belive... plenty more out there) and pull down a house. dont expect to race anybody with a naturally aspirated 300 though, just doesent have the HP to do any good street racing. though itl be cool to see one take down that Subaru WRX in town...

if this sounds good check the ford-six website out. these guys make 351's look bad with their inlines! (not saying the 351 isnt a really bad option. my brother has one and im impressed)

-the 300 is a tank of a motor and i think is the best option for a daily driver. lots of low end cruising power, can tow easily and is possible to get 20-22 mpg with the perk of getting out of its own mess (mudding, snow and plowing) my pop pulls newer trucks out of ditches and mud holes in his '83 f150. makes you feel good ripping that 2004 dodge cummins out of a mess.

-302 is a waste of time unless you dump money into the little block and stroke it to 331-347 or make big power at around 5000 rpm+, not much of mileage here in a truck, but a higher revving 302 can be fun to drive. (i have one, dont do it)

-351W is the best of both worlds; 300 low end power and a 302 powerband. build it the way you want it and have fun! my bros 351W mated to the i6's SROD (3spd OD) glues you in the seat in stock dress all the way to 5000 rpm. fun, but tempting to wastes gas with that power.

sorry for it being so long and the stories. lots to say about the 300 and 351.

 

Really though, i couldnt have said it better. even though i love 302's they are a waste of time for big time towing unless you dump alot of money in them. but you can build em to make em go fast.

 

Isn't the flywheel different on the 300 and the 302/351?

 

Flywheel/flexplate is different.

Brackets that the motor mounts bolt to are different.

I believe the radiator is different.

None of the above is a show stopper though.

 

keep the info commin guys
if i keep the I6, which i'd like to and leaning toward, what parts should i get exactly, any spesfic brands? any links would be highly appreciated!!!!!

 

You never did say what your reasoning for putting a v8 is was, or your intentions for this truck. I did see a post were you are going to pull a car when you move.

If you are going to need this truck and use it as a tool to move and tow stuff, I would leave it completely stock, but go over everything and make sure it's ready. Stuff like new belts, check and replace all the hoses, vacuum lines, check for any bad oil leaks, look down in the radiator and make sure it's not clogged, brakes are good, good tires, and exhaust. Make sure it runs good. If you need it for a critical long trip, I would work on it, and then start driving it more and more to work the bugs out of it. The longer you drive it, the problems will crop up, but hopefully they will be less and less till you feel confident about it making it.

If you just want a little v8 sound, I would go to the junkyard and get some exhaust manifolds off a efi 300, and install them and get an exhaust shop to run duals, since the efi manifolds are split. This shouldn't cause any serious tinkering time. A new intake and carb on the six are going to take some time, and possibly some tinkering to get it to work.

 

that being said your halfway there to getting headers, also the intake needs to come off to get the exhaust manifold off (egr is right under there, kinda
cool). the offenhauser 4bbl and the 390cfm holley do need to be messed with in terms of the throttle linkage needing some work.

if you do go v8 though you MUST replace the frame perches, radiator and get the bracketry for acessories like power steering and stuff

you COULD swap in a 4bt cummins from a fedex truck to get 20 mpg easily. i tihnk the 300 perches are the same for the 4bt.

lots you could do with these old trucks if you dont live in an emissions-required area like me

these are all opinions and mine are for the 300 six. dont take me seriously since there are 460 big blocks getting 15+ mpg. either way its still a ford

 

For my info, does the 390cfm bolt right on and go or do you have to mess with the jets or any other settings on the carb? And I have seen kits were they run water through a block under the carb to warm it up. I believe this is because the aftermarket intake does not bolt or is not mated to the exhaust manifold correct? If so, if you did not have a way to warm the intake, cold weather driveability would be a bear(been there done that with v8's).

Just wondering about real world experiences with a six. The only six I ever had was a GM 250 six.