the big day has finally arrived for me. I have a 1986 300ci from a F150. Im taking the block in to have it machined so I can start fresh. Im going 9:1 compression, with a 3/4 cam. WIth the heads, Im using roller rockers with chevy triple springs. Offenhouser dual port intake with a Carter, 9400 i think. Going with 3 split dual headers. Because of an old knee injury, I reluctantly have to go to an automatic transmission. Im using the rear end from the "86 f150 for now, but I do have a ford 9" rear end that will be going under it after a little repair to the mounts. This isn't my first engine rebuild, but i don't do this everyday either. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or advice. This is gonna be the only vehicle i will ever need, so im gonna have it for a while. Note: It was suggested that I go with a full cam instead of a 3/4 cam.

 

Well, I'm showing my age again..... The 300 is an incredible engine...Pat Musi even ran one in his top fueler down here in Los Angeles years ago..... but of course you are looking for more of a fun/reliable driver!

Cams are not referenced anymore by 1/2. 3/4 or full race anymore. But let me throw out a little IMHO..............Considering the cam has such critical importance to the engines performance and life, to me it makes sense to use a cam grinder who will talk with you directly- even modify the cam grind to fit your needs even better and to address the possibility of cam lobe failure with the new oils. When it comes to making an engine breathe, there are so many variables including elevation, humidity, fuel blends/available octane, most cam mfgs will vary a "core grind pattern" to match the external impactors in addition to the internal impactors- which today IMHO makes the different between and engine that runs well, to one that just seems to run a little bit better, smoother and gets better mileage than expected. I highly recommend Iskenderian (who I personally know to this day physically tests/inspects every single valve spring before it leaves the shop) & Crower & Chet Herbert & Lunati & Howard...all are family owned, been grinding cams for decades, and both will even re-grind your oem cam if possible- saving you even more $....... IMHO, find the one that is close to where you live so you can even meet them in person and talk.

Of course your machinist will have the most recent experience with parts suppliers so there advise will be "gold" but my typical "go to" is

Mellings hi volume oil pump
Cloytes double roller nylon coated timing chain
Felpro gaskets
Holley carb (s)--- duels would be GREAT!!!!!!
The guys over at Clifford Performance 6=8 would be a great source for part recommendations for intake....
Headers..... You probably already know this, but unless it is for racing purposes, in all reality, there are little differences in overall performance between shorties (Tri-Y), mid-length & long tube headers.....shorties actually perform excellent up to about 5500 rpm and then will have a slight drop until 6k rpm when it begins to really decline.....more than enough for street use and much better than oem manifolds. Although I am still prone to Hooker, this is what I look for... in general, the head plate should be at least 3/8" (1/2" is best), tubing should be at least 16 gauge (14 is best).....otherwise leaks and burn-though are going to be a problem as well as the longetivity of the headers.

I'm still a proponent of forged pistons but, the 300 runs at a much lower rpm than the V8's IMHO, the Hypereutectic pistons would probably an excellent choice
I'm not sure if you have heard of david Vizard.... very well known machinist/engine builder in the racing world. Many "experts" have stated over the years how bad the oem heads of the 60's were....blaa, blaaa, blaa... and you have to buy aftermarket.....blaaa, blaaa, blaa ... meanwhile the rest of us knew you could make the oem heads flow just about as well as the AL ones...... the tech that is presented here could easily be applied to your head as well....

Good luck with the build... it's going to be FUN!!!! (yeah, sometimes I still miss my 300!)

 

ty Beechkid for the info. This might be a little more then I can do, but definately gave me some good ideas without breaking my budget to much lol. Now to go grazing through the items you mentioned. tnx again

 

Just an FYI.....cost-wise the cam,s are all priced about the same..... Isky and the rest will even regrind your existing cam saving $ as well.....!!!!!

 

There are several levels for building a 300 six for every day use depending on what your needs are.
The first question is always, How do you need the engine to perform and how much torque and power do you need?

As Beechkid said, cams are no longer categorized.
Here is a cam list for the 240/300 six.
Most cam companies will do a custom cam if the catalog listiing doesn't have what you need.
https://fordsix.com/threads/catalog-...08/post-613117

The 1986 is the last year of the carbureted 300s. 1987 started the EFI series.
The connecting rods are forged and are good for most street application.
The stock pistons are the weak link and need to be replaced with Hypereutectic or forged pistons depending on the application.
The 240/300 engines use timing gears instead of a timing chain. If the gears are in good shape they can be reused.
Depending on the cam choice, certain areas involving the head need to be improved.

No Chevy triple springs. That is a sure way to wipe out the cam lobes and lifters.
The springs will be determined by the camshaft profile you choose.

The 1985 and 1986 heads use pedestal mount rocker arms.
You would be looking at a set of Scorpion 1059 roller rocker arms made for the Ford 300 six.
Which roller rocker arms were you looking at?

The 1985 and 1986 along with the later model EFI heads have short valves and will not accommodate valve lifts near .500"
You would need the earlier longer valves or shorten the valve guides and use "UP" keepers in the valve retainers if you are going to use a high performance cam.

What type of performance are you looking for?

 

Great info above!!!! and I will add Lunati & Schneider to the cam grinder list as well! FYI...re: lobe separation....in general, the lower the number the greater valve overlap..... 108 would be the lowest I would go on a street engine(that will have a bit of a lope idle- based on what the cam grinder says as well) ... 110 would be a pretty smooth idling cam... 112+ is likely close to oem as far as the idle goes.

 

I really, really appreciate all the advice. I'm good at building and tearing things apart, but when it comes to engines, I'm kinda lost when it comes to choosing specific parts to reach my goal. My end goal is atleast 300hp, shooting more for 350hp to 400hp. The closer to 400hp, the better. It all depends on the cost for me. I'm going 9:1 compression. Im taking the block in next week for the machine work. I was going to have the shop get the parts I need and I will install them. Hypereutectic or forged pistons, whichever would be best for a little speed with pulling power. The head work i'm going to have a shop do. I read a head from a fuel injected 300ci might be better because of the combustion chamber design. I'll check that when I take the head in to be done. I'm hoping for the Isky cam set but I'll have to wait and see where I stand next week and what will work best for my application. I'll check with the machine shop to see if regrinding my current cam would suffice. I would like my cam to offer some loping. I'd like to get an Offenhauser C intake, an Edelbrock 4 barrel (9400 i think) and long exhaust. After researching a little and reading your comments, I hope this brings me closer to my goal. Feel free to readjust my thinking if needed. Thanks for all the help, much appreciated.

 

Are you boosting it?

 

no, no turbo boost on this. It's a daily driver

 

You can build a 300 hp 300 six naturally aspirated. if you want 350 hp or more then you need to look at turbocharging or supercharging.

The naturally aspirated build needs to have closer to a 10:1 compression ratio with a camshaft profile that has an .050" duration of 232 degrees or more with valve lifts around .550"
The head must be fully ported with a 1.94" intake valve and 1.60" exhaust valve.
I used the longer 240 rods which gives you a shorter piston. I was able to reduce piston and pin weight down from the stock 819 grams to 574 grams.

The EFI heads have too much valve shrouding so you would need to unshroud the combustion chambers.
The best way to accomplish that is to buy the Promaxx CNC ported head that comes with the larger valves.
They are listed at the top of this section in the "Sticky Threads"
Then use a 650 carburetor or the Holley Sniper TBI on one of the aftermarket 4 barrel intakes. Clifford, Offenhauser or Aussiespeed.
Long tube headers and an MSD 6A ignition system.

See post #21 below for my build. I used a fully ported, big valve 1985 carb head. I would prefer the Promaxx head.
https://fordsix.com/threads/catalog-...08/post-613859

If you turbocharge using the Promaxx head you can easily have 500 hp as an every day driver.

 

Turbo or super charging isn't an option for this build. I may have to reduce my HP goal. I have the carbureted head off the engine. If the Fuel Injected head isn't a good option, I may try the Promaxx head. I know that I want good airflow.

 

Well if boost isn't an option then you're really going to have to drop your goal numbers. Even 300hp i doubt would be very streetable. 350-400hp na im not gonna lie i kinda laughed a little 😆 especially when you said you were only going to go to 9:1

 

it's ok. I can hear my truck laughing at me too She does it all the time. I'll adjust my thinking and let ya know what I wind up with

 

A N/A 300 hp 300 six is very streetable. See the link to the build in my post above.
The last one I put together got over 17 mpg from Spokane, WA to Boise, ID at 70 mph in a 1977 2WD pickup. It also got 15 mpg around town.
Hydraulic cam, 232/232, .050" duration .534" lift, 112 LSA.
Fully ported 1985 head with 2.02"/1.60" valves
1965-1968 240 connecting rods with Autotec forged pistons.
Quick Fuel HR650 carb, Clifford intake, Hedman headers, DS2 ignition with a MSD 6AL addition.

 

tyvm pmuller, I really appreciate the suggestions. I live near Olympia, so conditions shouldn't be drastically different. At this point, your last post seems the most viable for me. I am on a limited budget and i wanted to do a little interior work as well to the truck. I read about the Promaxx heads. That still might be a doable option for me. I'll post the finished product and let you know what i decided on. Thanks to all the commentors for the advice and suggestions