Engines

The only thing that I will be doing to this engine is a blueprint and balance job.
Basic oiling improvements such as reaming and chamfering , a torque cam, your basic dual plane intake, electronic fuel injection and electronic ignition, shorty headers.
BONE simple and bullet proof for the load upon it.

 

I am re-learning my Fords, BUT having owned 460's in the past, a 400 Ford, 351M(what was I drinking) and several just as embarasing GM motors..... If your going to go gas pig, stick with the 460. at least you'll have some real power behing it.

Crap, .... I can't even give away my 72, 400 ford and it's running in the car!...not even for a bout anchour, nobody wants anything to do with it....kinda don't blame them and thats coming from a Ford guy!

 

not so much gas pig as tough as a Russian boar. You have to have complete and ultimate faith that this engine will run its best . every ...single ..time...

 

Just like a Russian boar....... it needs to be fed

Don't expect gas millage

OK, so 460 it is then.....

 

Oh no.. I didnt expect that at all. I will be happy with 15 at cruise on open road.

 

I've been following this thread for a while and thought I might ellaborate a bit on my original suggestion.

As to the original question

I still say 300 cubic inch straight six.
I am a V8 fan for sure. I would rather have the sound and power of a V8. But for simplicity and durability it's the 300 cubic inch straight six. My uncle stripped one down to the basics, made it so simple it wasn't even funny. There is a cult following of the 300 cubic inch straight six. You can buy bolt ons, headers, intakes, even turbo kits. They can make enough torque to pull your house off it's foundation. We're talking stump pulling torque. As far as your concerns about the 300 cubic inch straight six being up to the challenge of a heavy 4wd rig consider these 2 things: 1) Ford offered the 300 cubic inch straight six in F-350 crew cab trucks (That's one ton, for those of you scoring at home) Through the late 70's and into the 80's, as well as 4wd trucks up until at least 1992. (My brother has one) 2) the current Cummins powerplant that Dodge uses in their 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks is a straight six, not a V8. The straight cylinder configuration can stand up to anything the V8's can, and will likely last longer.

I am a FORD man. I love the blue oval and I know from experience that they have built many fantastic engines. The 351M I had in my 78 Bronco was awesome, tons of torque, the 400 I had in my 78 F-250 crew cab was awesome, tons of power and torque and got 12mpg empty or pulling a 24 foot equipment trailer. The small block 260/289/302 is great. The 260 in our Ranchero is putting out more power than any other rig we have aside from the 08 Shelby (which doesn't really count) And then there is the 7.3 powerstroke diesel. I have one and with 293,000 miles on the clock it is still going strong and getting between 18 and 21 mpg depending on summer fuel vs winter fuel. One of the greatest powerplants ever made in my opinion and "technically" a FORD motor.

After all of that, I still say all around durability, simplicity and power (torque and horse power) the 300 cubic inch straight six is the winner.

 

I don't see how you will get 15MPG. I owned 2 Ford Vans with the 351W and a company I worked for had a couple F250 with 351w. Was lucky to get 13MPG when unloaded. Usually in the 10-12 range. Those are with auto transmissions, might get a little better with a manual.
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1043413-351-mpg.html

 

Good reading in that link Eagle, thanks for posting it.

This is a older thread from that forum, re- the 460 and it's MPG

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/12373-dont-laugh-460-gas-mileage.html

 

"Ford offered the 300 cubic inch straight six in F-350 crew cab trucks (That's one ton, for those of you scoring at home) Through the late 70's and into the 80's, as well as 4wd trucks up until at least 1992. (My brother has one)"

SERIOUSLY? I have to admit that my knowledge of Blue Oval is NOT anywhere near what it is of MoPar. I dont discriminate against any brand because of the brand solely. Its not what you buy but what you build. I just happened to fall in love with MoPar first.
Now then, I am more than willing to attend "Ford School" as I am a slave to knowledge and not pride. But, realistically, if you had to run for your life for months and months at a time and that running depends on your engine.. Can you say that the 300 six is the mill that you would place your life on?
I DO like the torque to weight ratio of the 6 and its simplicity. OrthmannJ I am willing to talk more Ford with you if you would be willing to educate me.
I am still calculating out the gearing versus the tire sizing. A great deal of fuel mileage is affected by the 'sweet spot' of the camshafts RPM range versus gearing. I am also thinking of a hi-lo transfer case in this too with unlockable front axle.

 

Doc its hard to go cubes & mabye they are their available when you wantem

 

Like Ort says, there are still tons of farmers and heavy equipment guys out there that have driven nothing but trucks all their life that will drive nothing but the Ford six. Simple, tough and lots of torque with available parts. I'm a V8 performance guy but grew up with six cylinder cars and they are tough as nails. Especially the Ford six that Ort refers to. It's such a popular cult engine that I'm sure there are many forum groups online that address nothing but that engine.

 

OrthmannJ makes a good argument for the 6 and I tend to agree.
If you are looking for dependability and torque, the basic inline 6 is hard to beat.

We had a 1992 Ford pickup as a shop truck. At over 215,000 miles, that 300 was still going strong. The only think I ever remember replacing (other than tune-up parts) were the hard plastic vacuum lines; they got brittle and some of them cracked.

The guys at Classic Inlines (Mike Winterboer is the owner) are VERY knowledgeable and they work exclusively on Ford inlines:http://www.classicinlines.com/

The same goes for the old school 235/250 Chevy inline 6.
Simple, dependable and durable.
Tom Langdon has built a great business supporting the GM inlines.
Great guy with some neat ideas and vehicles:http://stoveboltengineco.com/

 

Thanks guys ! I shall do more research but I am still wondering if this is a good choice for this vehicle.

 

Gotta admit, whether it is a Volvo 146 or a Jaguar XKE there is something special about a straight six.

mike

 

I do love the sound of a powerful six going into turn #4 and into the home straight!! Nothing sounds like it!