Focus on brakes and suspension, the 300 is the least of your worries.
Get a weight distributing hitch and learn how to set it up. You already said the trailer brakes are good.
Auto is better than a 5 speed in this application, so that's good news for you. The 5 speed used in half ton Fords of that era is weak.
Shorter than stock rear gears are your friend. 4.10's is what I'd use. Tow in 3rd at about 60 mph. And patience, you'll need patience. But you'll always get there.
+1 to take it slow, yes it will do it just fine.
I find all these comments about it being better for towing than the 5.0 interesting. Is there truth to these statements, or are they just weird wive's tales passed on? Is there a performance difference, or are you guys saying better because it is more robust?
The engine made 150hp and 260lbft in its final config. The 302 made 195/270. Judging by peak horsepower rpm, it looks like neither of them could breathe worth a E36 M3.
L5wolvesf said:Thank you for the input, very good to confirm/know. If I can at least do 65 towing I can live/work with that.
My trailer has good brakes, the truck that got me to asking (85 F150) has an automatic. If I do get this I’ll look into upgrades to get a bit more out of it
If you really get into it, Fordsix.com has a buttload of info on upgrades and all sorts of fun stuff.
There are a few simple upgrades that an '85 can take advantage of.
ProDarwin said:+1 to take it slow, yes it will do it just fine.
I find all these comments about it being better for towing than the 5.0 interesting. Is there truth to these statements, or are they just weird wive's tales passed on? Is there a performance difference, or are you guys saying better because it is more robust?
The engine made 150hp and 260lbft in its final config. The 302 made 195/270. Judging by peak horsepower rpm, it looks like neither of them could breathe worth a E36 M3.
The 300 doesn't have a torque curve, it has a plateau. It starts almost off idle and just stays there until it runs out of breath.
Combine with a longevity of granite and the survivability of a cockroach, its all it is hyped to be.
I am biased, though.
If you want to find the rabbit hole for the 300 I6, check out the Australian versions. They continued to develop them with EFI, cross-flow heads, overhead cams, and turbo's. The last generation was over 400hp. They were popular in the Aussie "Utes", similar to the ElCamino/Ranchero's here.
In reply to djsilver (Forum Supporter) :
The Aussies never got the 300. They had the 200 and 250ci that was found in smaller passenger cars and built on that.
I've got an Oz 250-2V I need to rebuild...
djsilver (Forum Supporter) said:If you want to find the rabbit hole for the 300 I6, check out the Australian versions. They continued to develop them with EFI, cross-flow heads, overhead cams, and turbo's. The last generation was over 400hp. They were popular in the Aussie "Utes", similar to the ElCamino/Ranchero's here.
Not quite. According to the article you linked, it's a relative of the "Small Six" (144/170/200/250), not the "Big Six" (240/300).
The small six was a little, light duty thing and I don't think it was ever put in trucks. The big six was built, IIRC, on the same bore centers as the Windsor (and Cleveland, and like six other V8s 
) along with having seven main bearings vs. four for most of the small sixes, a taller deck height, and such as.
IIRC someone exploited this bore center commonality to do some hacking and slicing and made an inline six LS head for a 300.
Yeah those Australian sixers are based off the "falcon" 6. If we had the heads they got over here I would have left the 200 in my car. They were 7 main bearing and durable as hell but the US head didn't breath for E36 M3
On the transmission side of things:
C4 -> AOD -> 4R70W. That is to say, the C4 evolved into the AOD which added an overdrive, which evolved into the 4R70W
C6 -> E4OD -> 4R100. C6 evolved into E4OD which added an OD, which evolved into 4R100.
In a very similar fashion to TH350/700R4/4L60(E) and TH400/4L80E
The F100 and F150 nearly always got the C4/AOD/4R70W in GVWs under 7500. Over 7500 got the C6/E4OD/4R100. By that rationale, there should be thousands of 300's out there with an AOD behind them. This also makes sense because the 300 has the SBF bolt pattern, and C6/E4OD transmissions almost never come with SBF patterns.
I wouldn't worry towing with any of the above. The 300 doesn't make enough torque to kill any of them very quickly.
When we had our '96 F150 4.9 with a 5-speed, my friend had the same truck with an auto. Pretty certain it was an AOD in that thing.
In reply to Mr_Asa :
Actually its the HP that is plateau'd over RPM. I chassis dyno'd my 96 F-150 5 speed 300 and from around 1800 in 3rd (because it couldn't make a pull in 4th) it went from 112HP all the way up to 117HP then found some valve float around 4700rpm. Torque started out over 300 and just dropped at a steady rate that made the HP curve very flat.
I remember going down hill with this truck 3rd/4th/5th....would only go 92mph regardless of which gear it was in. I'm sure the 320k+ miles didn't help. There was a week and a half while in college (Bemidji, MN....more like Buuurmidji) it didn't get above -20 degrees. That 300 inline 6 popped off at -48 without being plugged in!!!! Actuall "popped" isn't a good term....more like I could count the cylinders as they fired it was running so slow. But regardless the oil pressure came up and I went back inside. 20min later it was all warmed up and normal.
Another fun fact...due to various leaks I learned that it will have oil pressure while running with only 1/2qt in the pan.
Had a '90 F-150 XLT Lariat w/ 4.9L and E4OD that I towed w/ in the early-mid 90's. Car trailer w/ tire rack and car loaded was probably 3200 + lbs. , car was rather light. Fiberglass step up cap (that cap was heavy) and 600 + pounds of gear in bed. SWPA to NHIS, Summit, Nelson, Mid-Ohio, Glen and once to Atlanta. Towed like a champ. I think the 3.55 axle and EFI really made that truck.
I've owned earlier F-150's w/ carbed 302 auto and carbed 4.9L manuals. That '90 was the best.
4.9L EFI is still one of my favorite engines ever.
In reply to asphalt_gundam :
That could be called a good "torque rise"... If you slow down going uphill, the amount of torque the engine makes will increase.
Mr_Asa said:L5wolvesf said:Thank you for the input, very good to confirm/know. If I can at least do 65 towing I can live/work with that.
My trailer has good brakes, the truck that got me to asking (85 F150) has an automatic. If I do get this I’ll look into upgrades to get a bit more out of it
If you really get into it, Fordsix.com has a buttload of info on upgrades and all sorts of fun stuff.
There are a few simple upgrades that an '85 can take advantage of.
Yeah I've already started thinking thoughts that should be reserved for the race car - and I don't own either yet. I found out it has a carb (one single one barrel carb) so one thought immediately came to mind 32/36 Weber sssss. I have 6 or 7 in the shop. So they're free, easy rebuilds, easy to tune but the manifold is evidently protected by unicorns - high priced unicorns. The conversion to a single 32/36 would be easy but the adaptor just looks stupid.
I also looked up the swap to upgrade to Ford's EFI but too much work for hardly any gain.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:On the transmission side of things:
C4 -> AOD -> 4R70W. That is to say, the C4 evolved into the AOD which added an overdrive, which evolved into the 4R70W
C6 -> E4OD -> 4R100. C6 evolved into E4OD which added an OD, which evolved into 4R100.
In a very similar fashion to TH350/700R4/4L60(E) and TH400/4L80E
The F100 and F150 nearly always got the C4/AOD/4R70W in GVWs under 7500. Over 7500 got the C6/E4OD/4R100. By that rationale, there should be thousands of 300's out there with an AOD behind them. This also makes sense because the 300 has the SBF bolt pattern, and C6/E4OD transmissions almost never come with SBF patterns.
I wouldn't worry towing with any of the above. The 300 doesn't make enough torque to kill any of them very quickly.
The one I'm talking about doesn't seem to have OD. The pic of the dash only shows D - 1 - 2.
In reply to Uncle David (Forum Supporter) :
Agreed to what you said. Hardest thing would be the patience part. Maybe a radio upgrade to keep my mind off the s l o o o w w w ness
L5wolvesf said:Mr_Asa said:L5wolvesf said:Thank you for the input, very good to confirm/know. If I can at least do 65 towing I can live/work with that.
My trailer has good brakes, the truck that got me to asking (85 F150) has an automatic. If I do get this I’ll look into upgrades to get a bit more out of it
If you really get into it, Fordsix.com has a buttload of info on upgrades and all sorts of fun stuff.
There are a few simple upgrades that an '85 can take advantage of.
Yeah I've already started thinking thoughts that should be reserved for the race car - and I don't own either yet. I found out it has a carb (one single one barrel carb) so one thought immediately came to mind 32/36 Weber sssss. I have 6 or 7 in the shop. So they're free, easy rebuilds, easy to tune but the manifold is evidently protected by unicorns - high priced unicorns. The conversion to a single 32/36 would be easy but the adaptor just looks stupid.
I also looked up the swap to upgrade to Ford's EFI but too much work for hardly any gain.
Actually, one of the best low-low-down torque tow-builds for the engine uses the 1bbl, I think it also requires an Edelbrock aluminum intake which is rarer than hen's teeth.
The EFI exhaust manifolds are an easy upgrade for exhaust flow. You can also install Chevy 250ci I6 rockers for a small bump in lift. 1.5 to 1.6 if memory serves? Both of those are fairly cheap and should wake it up nicely.
Edit:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1252647&cc=1030071&jsn=6
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LFXAVX6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1
May be able to find these in a junkyard, but its almost worth not having to pull them. The EGR tube is a pain. They also warp with heat cycles, so you might just want to get new ones anyways.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=14209&cc=1122084&jsn=1977
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=14208&cc=1122084&jsn=1978
With the rocker arms, you may need these, depends on what you find under the valve cover. I think you can find a better price if you look around as well.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CCDLXE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
L5wolvesf said:Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:On the transmission side of things:
C4 -> AOD -> 4R70W. That is to say, the C4 evolved into the AOD which added an overdrive, which evolved into the 4R70W
C6 -> E4OD -> 4R100. C6 evolved into E4OD which added an OD, which evolved into 4R100.
In a very similar fashion to TH350/700R4/4L60(E) and TH400/4L80E
The F100 and F150 nearly always got the C4/AOD/4R70W in GVWs under 7500. Over 7500 got the C6/E4OD/4R100. By that rationale, there should be thousands of 300's out there with an AOD behind them. This also makes sense because the 300 has the SBF bolt pattern, and C6/E4OD transmissions almost never come with SBF patterns.
I wouldn't worry towing with any of the above. The 300 doesn't make enough torque to kill any of them very quickly.
The one I'm talking about doesn't seem to have OD. The pic of the dash only shows D - 1 - 2.
Pretty much has to be a C4 unless it's a particularly high GVW, in which case it would be a C6
Let's keep this thread going a little bit longer
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/d/forest-hill-1989-ford-f150-4x4-49l-5sp/7200944055.html
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/d/baltimore-1988-ford-150-xlt-lariat-clean/7200715551.html
NM/NA
In reply to Uncle David (Forum Supporter) :
They're all over the place down here. I think there are half a dozen on craigslist for under $3k, most far under
This is very convenient as I've been considering a 300 powered truck. I'm tired of my 7.3 and transmission issues. That's a different story though.
Pretty sure I'm going to get rid of it and get either a 90's f150 with the 300, or a 90's f250 with the 460. Older trucks also considered. Just looking for something cheap and simple do mostly handle Lowe's runs for house projects, and do towing occasionally. Honestly it could go either way, I was almost on the road today to pickup a 2wd 460 truck for $1500, but I just can't take the time today.
460 and 300 are two of my favorite engines for different reasons.
300 is a bulletproof torque maker. The 460 has large displacement, but one of the shortest strokes of any big block. Every hear one spin to 7000? We built one for a Hot Wheels Mustang we built for Mattel. 815 hp, 725 lb-ft, 7000 redline.
Power Nation is starting a 300 build. Took an old industrial 300 that had been sitting for 20 years and converted it from CNG to gasoline, then did a couple baseline dyno pulls. Starts about 2/3 through the video.
The industrial 300s are generally the heartier versions of these, but this doesn't look like one of those. Exhaust manifold is incorrect.
Uncle David (Forum Supporter) said:Focus on brakes and suspension, the 300 is the least of your worries.
Get a weight distributing hitch and learn how to set it up. You already said the trailer brakes are good.
Auto is better than a 5 speed in this application, so that's good news for you. The 5 speed used in half ton Fords of that era is weak.
Shorter than stock rear gears are your friend. 4.10's is what I'd use. Tow in 3rd at about 60 mph. And patience, you'll need patience. But you'll always get there.
If he mentioned WHAT he was going to tow, I missed it. An open trailer under 3-4K can be towed on the bumper all day long without any worries. Would a proper hitch help, yes! Are there better chassis to start with these days, of course. But in the 60's and 70's folks towed with F100's and F150's all the time.
The 78 300 3-on-the-tree Ford my dad and I had in 1980 has the 4;10's and would pull your house down the road. Would do just as fast on the hwy with a load as it did empty... although that was not real fast! Not dangerously slow in traffic, but slower top end than my friends 302's. WAY out pulled the 302's down low, even with the same gearing.
No 5 speeds available then, and no overdrive trans in those trucks either.
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