300 6cyl pros cons

[haywire]

hello im new to this forum just bought 78 f100 i want to know the good the bad and the ugly about 300 6cyls

 

[SuperCab]

Good on fuel, last a long time, reliable.

About the only downside is the lack of power. But if you're not in a hurry they're hard to beat.

 

[DNFXDLI]

x2 on what Matt said, they have a reputation as a "torque monster" but if you look at the specs the 8's have more, even the small 8's.

 

[smokey]

Easy to work on also. Everything is easy to get to on the rare occasion something happens.

 

[1970Custom]

Yep, what they said.

To help, swap that 1bbl carb, log of an intake, and exhaust manifold. Carb and manifold are usually easy to find in the aftermarket, Offy intake and an edelbrock 390cfm are popular, and the EFI tubular. exhaust manifolds improve flow...

 

[Big Jim F150]

Any inline engine is a torque monster, because the pistons go up and down in a straight line like some one riding a bicycle , where an engine in a V configuration you have opposing forces from each side. The old 300's might have been slow but they got the job economically, and they stood up to the abuse people would throw at 'em, you couldn't kill 'em no matter how hard you try. Boat Anchors? They're not. They're a good solid reliable little engine.

 

[haywire]

thanks alot guys easy to maintain sounds good and im definitely not in a hurry i have no intentions of pulling heavy loads with it.its gonna be my daily driver and the less i have to turn wrenches on it the better.any ideas on how to get better gas milage out of it

 

[smokey]

It will pull just fine. Have pulled cattle trailers many times with a 300. Just keep it tuned up and the milage should be ok.

 

[O'Rattlecan]

Better gas mileage will come from low RPM shifts and keeping your foot out of it. Otherwise, just maintain it!

Ryan

 

[haywire]

how do i know if i have the 300 b or k autozone website says that 1%of these trucks have the k engine i just wanna know how i can tell one from the other
thanks again guys

 

[DNFXDLI]

Any inline engine is a torque monster, because the pistons go up and down in a straight line like some one riding a bicycle , where an engine in a V configuration you have opposing forces from each side.
.

???...Inline engines make a lot of torque at low rpm due to the typically long stroke. The entire assembly whether is is inline, V, opposed , radial etc. is balanced...the crank has no idea what the position of the pistons are.

 

[Fellro]

The inline configuration and the V configuration both apply force to the crank the same way, so the additional torque is most definitely NOT due to opposing forces... It wouldn't run if that were true. The timing of the spark and crank journal arrangement keeps bumping it along in the same direction, inducing angular acceleration. As stated, the longer stroke is why the better torque at low rpms.

 

[1970Custom]

For future reference remember this;

An inline 6 cylinder firing order is like women,
15 is too young, 36 is too old, but 24 is just right. 1-5-3-6-2-4...

 

[haywire]

finally got to drive the old 78 f100 today runs great i dont understand all this v8 noise i hear from people ill never pull a trailer with it and the heaviest thing going in my truck is me so this motor should last longer than i do.im happy with it

 

[haywire]

36 sounds good to some of us

 

[haywire]

how do i know the difference between the heavy duty"industrial" 300 i6 that was put in dump trucks and everything else and the common 300 they put in half ton pickups

 

[80f150]

my cousin has a 94 ford 1/2 truck with a straight 6, he keeps telling me its the worse thing he has ever drove on gas mileage, why would that be

 

[DNFXDLI]

Could be a multitude of reasons...plugs, cap, basic tuneup type items, timing might be out.
Best thing to do it is to go through it step by step.