Swaping my 302 to an EFI 300 v6

[hillbilly delux]

i have a friend that had a F150 with 300 I6 and it got horrible mileage with 33's. we used to mud ride together..........just a few days ago a guy posted that he had a newer model 5.0 roller cam (mild mods) that got 18 on the highway with 32's or 33's. i'm sure it would have plenty of torque and hp. that is the plan with me when hillbilly deluxe gives out on me. i'm getting a basic 345 hp 302 from Ford. It is a very reliable engine that has a nice warranty. If looking for a used 5.0 a good year would be 94-95 especially mustangs. i dont know what was diff about em but my 95 mustang has 190000 hard college miles on it and it will still smoke the tires in first and second with only bolt on mods (3600 lb car). If your looking to pick up mileage i have no numbers on it but synthetic gear oil in the front, rear, and synthetic engine oil has potential to gain 3-4 mpg.

 

[ghost66]

The main reason for switching out is so it doesn't stall on me when trail riding, not really the gas mileage, that was just an extra bonus I was looking for. I don't get great mileage in the f-150 now but it is better than my 302. I like to occasionaly drive to work but I live neart 60 miles from my office and at 10 miles to the gallon thats fairly expensive for a round trip.I didn't realize synthetic oils would make that much difference but it is a thought.

i have a friend that had a F150 with 300 I6 and it got horrible mileage with 33's. we used to mud ride together..........just a few days ago a guy posted that he had a newer model 5.0 roller cam (mild mods) that got 18 on the highway with 32's or 33's. i'm sure it would have plenty of torque and hp. that is the plan with me when hillbilly deluxe gives out on me. i'm getting a basic 345 hp 302 from Ford. It is a very reliable engine that has a nice warranty. If looking for a used 5.0 a good year would be 94-95 especially mustangs. i dont know what was diff about em but my 95 mustang has 190000 hard college miles on it and it will still smoke the tires in first and second with only bolt on mods (3600 lb car). If your looking to pick up mileage i have no numbers on it but synthetic gear oil in the front, rear, and synthetic engine oil has potential to gain 3-4 mpg.

 

[Gummi Bear]

So Ghost, can I be expecting to see a buildup thread, with lots of pictures from you when you swap in the 300?

No pressure, though.











*chanting* please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, please say yes

 

[broncnaz]

The main reason for switching out is so it doesn't stall on me when trail riding, not really the gas mileage, that was just an extra bonus I was looking for. I don't get great mileage in the f-150 now but it is better than my 302. I like to occasionaly drive to work but I live neart 60 miles from my office and at 10 miles to the gallon thats fairly expensive for a round trip.I didn't realize synthetic oils would make that much difference but it is a thought.

You might want to check into proper gearing that may be most of your problem with stalling a good running 302 with proper gearing wont stall. unless you run into a wall. I can idle up some pretty steep hills with my 302. I doubt that straight 6 is really going to produce the same numbers as it does in your f150. overall gearing will affect the mpg more than anything. So unless your running the same gearing and tires in the F150 as the bronco has the numbers will change when installed in a bronco. Try driving the f150 around in 4th gear see what mileage it gets then that should be close to what you will see in the bronco. If your 302 is tuned properly and the camshaft is match for your gearing theres no reason you cant pull high teens for MPG in the bronco. I'm not knocking the 300 as I think its a great engine and if it was a better fit in a bronco it would be a good swap but with the clearance issues and other possible modifications to make it fit it doesnt really make it worth the time and effort. But if you have the time and are willing to spend the effort go for it. Dont count on snythetic oils to gain you that much MPG 1-2 maybe but not likely.

 

[ghost66]

The last time I took the 74 out it must have stalled on me 50-60 times the trails were fairly steep up and down, I put it in and out of gear so many times I eventually broke the shifter and column sleeve, had to manually put it in drive and park to get it home. It may be because I'm running a street avenger carb for the most part but I just don't want the possibility of a stall, I would like to do some more extreme trails and do not want to have any issues in a vertical position. Maybe the 300 isn't the right thing to do maybe I should just get a Holley injection conversion kit and keep the 302. Then I won't need to modify the motor mounts or worry about the driveshafts, etc... I'm basically just asking for opinions and it seems some like the idea and some think I should change to a 5.0, a few think I should be ok with what I have and that I should switch to a q-jet, either way it's going to get changed before Howiepalooza. I've missed the last two Bronco gatherings and this one is very close to home. I'm contemplating selling my 78 to fund the project past the motor and into axles, protection, and larger tires.

You might want to check into proper gearing that may be most of your problem with stalling a good running 302 with proper gearing wont stall. unless you run into a wall. I can idle up some pretty steep hills with my 302. I doubt that straight 6 is really going to produce the same numbers as it does in your f150. overall gearing will affect the mpg more than anything. So unless your running the same gearing and tires in the F150 as the bronco has the numbers will change when installed in a bronco. Try driving the f150 around in 4th gear see what mileage it gets then that should be close to what you will see in the bronco. If your 302 is tuned properly and the camshaft is match for your gearing theres no reason you cant pull high teens for MPG in the bronco. I'm not knocking the 300 as I think its a great engine and if it was a better fit in a bronco it would be a good swap but with the clearance issues and other possible modifications to make it fit it doesnt really make it worth the time and effort. But if you have the time and are willing to spend the effort go for it. Dont count on snythetic oils to gain you that much MPG 1-2 maybe but not likely.

 

[broncnaz]

A straight six will also stall with the wrong gearing might just stall a little less. What size tires and rear axle gears are you running? The stock 3 speed gearing leaves a lot to be desired especailly with stock axle gearing and large tires I have a NP435 3.50 gears and 33in tires and this thing will idle over just about anything if I had the traction. Maybe a tranny swap is your answer. the street avenger carb should be fine although I believe it has the center hung float bowls which are not the best for hills might want to pull the bowls off and see if they installed a vent whistle that will help most all flooding issues on hills. Check out my tech article on holley carbs it will work for the street avenger if vent whistles are not installed already.
http://classicbroncos.com/carb_tricks.shtml

 

[ghost66]

I'm running 33's and it's geared 355, my 74 is an automatic. That was exactly the problem it kept flooding and my answer was to put her back in P and push the pedal to the floor and crank her over again. I'll check out your tech article.

A straight six will also stall with the wrong gearing might just stall a little less. What size tires and rear axle gears are you running? The stock 3 speed gearing leaves a lot to be desired especailly with stock axle gearing and large tires I have a NP435 3.50 gears and 33in tires and this thing will idle over just about anything if I had the traction. Maybe a tranny swap is your answer. the street avenger carb should be fine although I believe it has the center hung float bowls which are not the best for hills might want to pull the bowls off and see if they installed a vent whistle that will help most all flooding issues on hills. Check out my tech article on holley carbs it will work for the street avenger if vent whistles are not installed already.
http://classicbroncos.com/carb_tricks.shtml

 

[Revelation]

The 300 I-6 is what I am putting in my project, we should be setting the motor in 3-4 week, I will take tons of pics.
My project is a ground up and we can mod whatever we need to. Core support will be custom made and will be part of the frame, using electric fan, ect.
If I was not doing a ground up build I am not sure if I would use the 300 but you never know, I like to be different. will be backed by NP435.
Will post soon.

 

[ghost66]

Nope, after speaking with everyone on this site and discussing with a few gear head friends of mine I think the smart way to go is to do a conversion on my current 302, it will cost a little more but in the long run I won't need to fabricate anything and the down time would be less. I'm wanting to have it finished in enough time to go to Howiepalooza, but I will have to sell my 78 to fund the project because as we all know, it won't stop at the conversion and my wife already knows me well enough that I will over do it and she is having no part of my hand in her cookie jar.
my short list is.
efi conversion
front locker
winch
upgrades to axles
35" trail tires
front disc brakes
I think I can accomplish all of this if I can sell the 78 and maybe some more.
Oh yeah, I've got to throw some flames on the hood and fenders or maybe the Steelers Logo on the hood. It has to have a personality of it's own.





=Gummi Bear;843028]So Ghost, can I be expecting to see a buildup thread, with lots of pictures from you when you swap in the 300?

No pressure, though.











*chanting* please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, please say yes[/QUOTE]