So this inline six runs ok, but the carter yf carb really sucks, and its burning a lot of oil almost a quart a week. Its just really tired. It has a hot start problem that I cant get rid of. I have replaced, all battery cables, all ground straps from engine to frame, new starter, new 800 cca battery, pertronix ignitor module. I think the timing is off but it cant be adjusted, when you put a timing light on it the strobe bounces all over the damper.

This is my daily driver and i need something that will start everytime. So I have a 289 out of my mustang that i used to have that is as reliable as an anvil. Will the front sump pan work? These trucks came with 302s so it should be an easy swap. Anything to watch for?

So please give me advise on improving the inline six if possible. also advise on the swap. and thanks and merry christmas!

 

The 289 might be fun to drive- not a lot of low-end torque, but it'll be rev-happy. There's a few other people on the forum with 289-powered F-series. If you ever haul anything, you'll wish you had another 300. Stroke on the 300 is 3.98, 289 is 2.87. I think there may have been a bellhousing pattern change during the 289 production run, so it might not bolt right up. There may also be motor mount differences.

A junkyard six is a good bet (or buy a whole junk parts truck out of someone's back yard, etc..). Most 300's go to the junkyard with perfect crosshatching on the cylinders. If you have a good shop in the area, you may be able to get your long block 100% again with a .030 bore and rings, and a valve job.

The carbe'd 300's have steel timing gears- either something stupendous has happened and damaged the timing gears, or I'd look at the distributor. If there's a vacuum advance, the worn out YF could be giving an erratic signal. Or the distributor could be worn out too. But none of that's going to fix the oil-burning.

If you do go with another six, skip the YF carb altogether- the nicest, simplest solution I've seen is a Clifford or Offenhauser "open" manifold, and a home-made adapter plate for a new/rebuilt Motorcraft 2100 2BBL carburetor (get one with the smaller 1.08" venturis- it'll have 1.08 stamped on the casting). Very smooth and super-easy to tune. Folks on this board have trouble time and time again with new/rebuilt YF carbs. The other common upgrade is exhaust- the cast-iron "split manifold" units from an EFI six are very popular, and a very good companion upgrade to an intake/carb change. Then you get into cams, etc., and other performance stuff.