binfordm715 : Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....

Re: Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....
Post by barrman on Jun 26, 2006, 12:13pm

Yes, Chris did a great write up on the swap. I was very impressed with his workmanship and the fit of the engine. 13 mpg is pretty good too.

Re: Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....
Post by binfordm715 on Jun 26, 2006, 12:15pm

No worries, Chris... Just figured a I6 swap to replace a I6 would have been easier than that! I've been leaning hard toward a SBC 350 swap, but since Fisherman and Saxon were touting the F*rd 300 pretty hard yesterday, I thought I'd open my mind to the possibility.

But there's still firewall clearance issues, plus a pusher-fan, which I'm not too keen on. For what benefit? Probably more torque, but not much more than a SBC, eh? And a bit less hp. Besides, I already have what's reported to be a sweet 465/205 setup just waiting for something to make it spin....

Also, your fabbing powers are significantly greater than mine! Hippie time or no, it would take me quite a bit longer to do what you did in a couple days!

[topic shift] Speaking of your fabbing powers, have you given any thought to a dual-tube roll bar for my bed?

Re: Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....
Post by luckypabst on Jun 26, 2006, 12:27pm

Yes. I'm "between jobs" so that has me slightly stressed, more so than the average hippie but once I settle down I'm gonna play with some designs for the roll bar.

For the engine swap, it's hard to not recommend a GM swap - big block or small for the same reasons that everyone puts one in everything - it's just too easy and cheap for the return. I'm not keen on adapting to the stock tranny since you can buy a complete parts truck for what the adapter costs if you're diligent.

Re: Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....
Post by davea on Jun 26, 2006, 3:58pm

If you were going to use a 300 6, what about sourcing one from a 3/4 or 1ton 2wd and scoring the zf 5 spd. as well?

Re: Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....
Post by fisherman on Jun 26, 2006, 5:31pm

Tim, go in on a tubing bender with me and I'll weld and you can learn how to bend. Wouldn't want to disappoint Tacoma, sbc would be my choice over the 300. I would run either, just seems a bit easier to go sbc since you have some stuff lined up. Do I hear 383? Fisherman

Re: Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....
Post by saxon on Jun 26, 2006, 5:47pm

Hey Tim I did mention the chev inline, say a 292, all your stuff from Tacoma will work, if you want, but with stock gears and the stock look, might as well retain the stock sound. I think the chev is slightly shorter, might be able to use pull fan. But bottom line is the small block is tried and trued. Dan

Re: Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....
Post by davea on Jun 26, 2006, 5:55pm

A chevy 250 six fits well and Porky is doing a 292 swap.

Re: Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....
Post by treepusher on Jun 26, 2006, 6:10pm

I had a chev 250 I-6 in the truck, way underpowered. For the weight of the truck, I would think the chev 350 as the minimum. I had a ford van work truck with the 300 I-6. Very torquey but still not like a higher revving SBC.

Re: Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....
Post by luckypabst on Jun 26, 2006, 6:48pm

There ya go - I try to keep my 300 confined to 3K on the freeway. It'll pull happily to 4K+ but it ain't healthy with the notorious inline stroke.

With the GM deal, you can set up for a 350 and when the mood hits, just drop in a 454 or a 292 without much drama.

Re: Ford 300 swap, pros and cons.....
Post by pistolnut on Jun 26, 2006, 8:40pm

I've never done the swap, but I do have some experience with the 300. I had a '76 F-100 with that engine and it was bulletproof. Torquey but decent mileage. I swapped one into my truck from a junkyard (long story, I swapped out a good motor) that came from a UPS truck. It had a different cam, manual choke on the carb, and no emissions crapola. That engine had a bottom end forever, especially with the stock 3 on the tree. I think the 300 totally rocks--good economy, reliable, bulletproof. Having said that, I'm going SBC in my project truck. I hate Chevys; in my experience they don't last. I always have issues with valve seals. I've owned several and never been completely happy. I'm going that route because I have one, parts are very easily available, hop up parts are available, and they are pretty easy to work on. Also, they bolt pretty easily to the 3053A-heh heh heh.