So I pulled my '66 out of storage this weekend, as I don't drive it in the salt. It's the original 240 with a C4 auto, though I put in a floor shifter a couple years ago because the bushings in the steering column were more or less shot.

I know that the motor was refreshed to some extent (no idea how much) about 20 years ago, and I've had the truck for 5, the first summer of which was spent doing bodywork.

I've pretty much known that the transmission was going to need some work for the last couple summers, and now I fear it's time to replace/rebuild. I would not be surprised if the transmission had never been opened up and is original, as it was a farm truck never driven very far. It would barely go into any gear this weekend, and would slip out constantly. Understandable that a 44 year old trans would need replacement.

What I'm wondering, is whether or not I should look at dropping in a different motor at the same time. The 240 is horribly weak. About 0-60 in ten minutes, and pulling our small aluminum boat, it won't hold 50 on a slight incline. I don't drive it very far - just around Northern Wisconsin at our cabin, but it would be nice to have something with a little more power, and a little smoother driving experience.

I'm thinking that I'll probably just replace the C4 with a rebuilt one, but I'm considering looking for a 300 to drop in as well, since it would be an exact bolt up. What would you do?

 

I would look at up to a mid 90s 300 with an OD tranny, if I wanted to stay with a straight 6.

Guys that drive 6s say they have a lot of torque and love them.





John

 

How late can you go and still put a carb on the 300? I'd prefer to not have to deal with the wiring issues involved with FI.

 

I would look into the state of tune of your current engine first. It should pull you and a little boat around just fine. The engine may be a little tired, or out of spec. What rear gear does it have in it? Is it running tip top? Does it have a lot of blow by? A good 66 240 should do "Up North" duty just fine. I would check the timing and its curve from what you describe. I would also check the compression, carb, coil, points, wires, etc...

 

I don't know what rear it has.
It was running very well, and started to decline noticeably towards the end of last fall.

All of the above were checked or replaced less than 1500 miles ago. There is some blowby, but compression at the time was still okay (my notes are up there with the manual).

I'm going to change the plugs and fuel filter in a couple weeks when I go back up there, because I do them every other spring anyway. We'll see if that helps the overall running. I also wonder if I might need to drain the gas. I always keep it full with stabilizer in the winter, but it could have been bad gas from the pump last fall.

I don't have any real reason to care that the motor is original, and was just brainstorming that if I'm going to have to get the transmission pulled anyway, it might be time for a bit more of an upgrade if it made it a better truck to drive.

 

I'd suggest you consider looking/shopping around for a early '70's 300" 6-cylinder and C4 and either you do the work or have them both freshened. The reason for going with an early '70s engine/trans is that they should bolt right in without EFI or other electronic issues. Consider what parts that may be in good shape that you will want to re-use from your current setup (carb, coil, etc.). Once you've got them both freshened and sitting in the garage, pull out your tired 240/C4 and make the swap..... --- then ENJOY!

BarnieTrk

 

Alternator, fuel pump, coil, radiator are all new, so I have pretty much all the associated parts in perfect shape.