Okay, I got another Ford vs. Chevy question. I was planning on putting a GM 292 L6 in my '42 Chevy pickup. Although I'm not crazy about the restrictive head and intake/exhaust, but I can source one for pretty cheap (like $200). On the other hand, I've heard GREAT things about the ford 300, and after '86 they were fuel injected (a plusfor a daily driver). I know people always swap chevy motors into fords and other makes, but it just seems odd to swap a ford into a chevy. That last part is actualy a pluss for me, I like to do thing different. Anyways, from what I can gather, the Ford 300 narrowly beats the GM 292 in just about everything. Am I missing anything catostrofic about the Ford?
the problem is that fords are a bit wider and there are no aftermarket mounts to bolt in a chevyso most guys go the easy way, i have installed a 390 ford in a 52 f-1 (would of been fast with a chev) but i have always been different.
Go with the ford... Cheap and pleantifull, amazing torque, economical, and damn near bullit-proof. Also, OD toploaders are a bolt-on. Not much selection in the GM line that give OD, strength, and availability without spending a small fortune.
Cubic inches, and horse power don't care what it's wrapped in. If it gets you down the road do it. And most chevy guys, myself included don't have a preference on what you put in a chevy body. Just have fun with it.
300 is a damn good engine but so is the 292, both have lots of torque. 300 is 4" x 4" the 292 is 3 7/8" x 4 1/8" longer stroke is good for something. The 300 has a better head set-up but a 292 looks cool with three carbs. (maybe not the best for a daily) I'm more of a Ford guy but I do like to keep like engines and bodys together, it's your call.
Eventhough i'm a huge 300 Ford fan, those sumbitches are LOOOOOONG. Be sure to measure before you make the final decision. As for the Ford 300 vs. Chevy 292... The 300's are more plentiful and are dirt cheap. 292's were never a super common inline six like the 235's were. They both don't have great head design... but i've seen a helluva lot more 300's with 500k+ original miles than 292's. They were in dump trucks, UPS trucks, school buses, snow cats, emergency backup starters for Naval ships, generators, tree shredders, generators... and a few other industrial uses that i'm drawing a blank on. I've never really seen a 292 in any of those applications. That's gotta tell ya something. The 300 I built up which was barely streetable was able to rev past 6500 with a stock, but well balanced bottom end. I invested a ton of time in the head though. Either motor is good, but I feel the 300 just has more going for it. -Chris
Yup, I agree with most above. The Ford 300 is tough. You might not get the greatest fuel mileage with it but put a toploader OD trans to it and it should last a long time. And like most Fords - not that you'd WANT to - but they seem to run on low oil levels and low oil pressure. Had an old, high miles F100 with a 240 (predecessor to the 300) and asked a good mechanic about the low oil presure? He said it's normal for a Ford & not to worry about it. It never failed me.
300's ARE plentifull, you'll also find them in alot of small farm equipment like swathers. I've heard plenty of stories about they're 'legendary torque' but have yet to see one with any. I only owned one in a '90 (fuel injected) f-250 4X4 with a 5 spd. I bought it because I thought it would be an ideal beater truck, lots of torque (as the story goes) and good economy. It was very reliable but was a gas hog and couldn't pull the hat off your head. The timeing was right on and the plugs indicated that the EFI was working well. I started to ask around and found that 15-18 MPG (and that's canadian gallons) was normal for this engine and that some peoples idea of monster torque is somewhat different than mine.
It's all in the gearing amigo. With it being an F250 4x4., i'd like to think it atleast had 3.73's in it, but i've seen some trucks slip out with a 300, slush box automatic, and 3.55's. They're gutless pigs. A stick shift trans with 3.73 or better gears is what makes the 300's "torque" legendary. My truck pulled my '58 Studebaker home at 80mph+ with a bed full of spare parts in over drive. At the time it had 220k original non-rebuilt miles on the truck, 3.73's with trac-lok rear and the Mazda M50D transmission. It now has 240k non-rebuilt miles on it and still runs great and pulls anything i've hooked it up to really well. Yeah, I could feel I had a trailer back there, and it was way over what it was rated to haul, but it just torqued it's way up to 80 and stayed there, uphill and down. Got about 14 mpg too. Not great, but I wasn't exactly taking it easy on the ol' truck and the A/C was blowing ice cold. -Chris
Kinda yes, kinda no. The final drive ratio only makes a significant difference in the first and last gear and the first gear difference is often no big deal particularly in a truck where the lowest gear is often too low for normal use anyway. Mine DID have 3.55's IIRC and I know that was part of the problem so tried driveing around in direct (4th) to keep the rpm similar to where it would be with 3.73's in OD (5th). Of course it pulled better (Only had to drop 1 gear in the hills rather than 2) at highway speeds but the mileage was about the same. Perhaps I just expect too much as I don't think my '01 7.3 power stroke, 6spd w/3.73's has the grunt it should either. Now that I think about it, I'm not impressed with the 475HP C-15 in my Peterbilt OR the 550HP 3406E in my Western Star either. Maybe it's just me. Well, the 550 is OK, but it could be better There's nothing wrong with that, mine barely got that just pulling itself around.
"Perhaps I just expect too much as I don't think my '01 7.3 power stroke, 6spd w/3.73's has the grunt it should either. Now that I think about it, I'm not impressed with the 475HP C-15 in my Peterbilt OR the 550HP 3406E in my Western Star either. Maybe it's just me. Well, the 550 is OK, but it could be better" Licensed To Kill... what you wrote cracked me up... there's nothing wrong with that. I hop into some of these newer "performance" cars for a test drive occassionally (my brother works at a dealership) and i'm not very impressed by them either. Everyone else considers them "badass" but I just leave them thinking, "my GOD how many tons does this Charger/Camaro weigh!?" I'll never say that my 300 has "super-impressive" torque compared to all other truck engines in general... but for the amount of cubic inches it is... c'mon only a measly little 300... it does have a respectable amount of lowend torque. I also think that the "legendary torque" thing might stem from what people have seen towed with a 300... I was with a friend in his truck which is nearly identical to mine except four wheel drive. We were behind an 18 wheeler that crapped out on an overpass turn around. My friend walks up to the window and asks if he could help the guy because traffic was really backing up. My friend came back to the truck and started grabbing the chain he had in his tool box... i asked him what he was going to do and he said pull this truck outta the way. I just laughed and said "ok"... but he squeezed his pickup around the rig, hooked up, and pulled it off the over pass and about 1 mile to the Wal*Mart he was delivering to in 4 lo.
Check out fordsix.com for everything you could want to know. Lots of cheap and easy tricks to add performance, and Offy and Clifford make intakes for them. A $35 set of Chev 250 rockers bolt on, and has the effect of installing a RV cam. I doubt that would satisfy the Chev-in-a-Chev purists, but they could use a dose of their own medicine! Go for the 300!!
300 sixes will run with no oil forever What's the difference between "low oil", and "no oil"? A muffled BANG noise, then a big thump as you drive over the crankshaft.
A! We're both wrong-it's 250ci Not really - the 194, 215, 230, 250 & 292 OHV are all the same rocker.
It'd be interesting to see what the "Ford in a Ford" guys have to say here, I'm sure they'll be against it, right? Me, I say do whatever you like, that's what rods and customs are all about.
As a Staunch Ford-in-a-Ford guy. I say go for it. Just watching what happens to the faces of every one running around with a belly-button 350 in their Ford when they see that 300 in there will be worth it. You can't find a better inline six that responds top end work out there. The 300 in my '83 F-150 is built with an Offenhauser intake and Holley 600 Carb, Comp 270 Cam and Hedman Headers. It will embarrass any stock 350 or 351 off the line. It has no trouble towing 6000 lbs around in overdrive at 65 mph all day.
"only a measly little 300"? That's funny. I know there are a lot of big V8s now but it use to be that a 302 Jimmy was massive compaired to a 235 Chev, 268 Pont. 8, 218/230 Chrysler or a 239 Flathead Ford.
motor is a motor ,,long as it does the job ,,it does'nt matter what it is or what its in.. Look at a dragster,,,have any trouble putting a Ford in one ? Dodge ?? no cause thers no name on it so..
I don't have a problem with putting different mills in different bodies. I think that's one of the great things about hot rodding, that you can pop a hood and be completly surprised what's under it. Sometimes you can call it from a mile away, and that's no fun. Where's the originality in that? I was just saying that it feels as common as breathing to see some SBC sitting in a ford, you mostly EXPECT to see it. Flipped the other way.......makes the hairs stand up on my neck. Everyone loves a SURPRISE!
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