@Burla Mike this ones for you,lol

[Wild one]

Ford 300 inline-six isn’t flashy, high-revving, or exotic — but it’s one of the greatest engines ever built. Born in the mid-1960s and used well into the 1990s, the 300 cubic inch (4.9L) straight-six earned a reputation not through speed, but through sheer durability, torque, and simplicity. It powered everything from F-100 pickups to farm equipment, delivery vans, and even industrial machinery — and often outlived the vehicles it came in.
With its cast-iron block and seven main bearings, the 300 was built to last. It produced excellent low-end torque, which made it perfect for towing, hauling, and hard work — especially in rural America where reliability mattered more than horsepower. And because of its simple design — carbureted or EFI, pushrods, and easy access — it was beloved by mechanics and backyard builders alike.
Today, the Ford 300 lives on in the hearts of enthusiasts who admire engines that just won’t quit. And when turbocharged or modernized with EFI and tuning, it transforms from a farm tool into a street-savvy torque monster. It’s not just an engine — it’s a mechanical legend that proves toughness, not flash, makes something truly great.

 

[nlambert182]

That was certainly a sweet engine... I wish Ford would've kept making engines like they used to... I might still have one sitting in my driveway.

My uncle had an 86 F150 with the 300 and that stinkin thing went 200k miles before we turned it into the farm truck to pull the hay trailer and run into town on errands. I went well over 400k miles before he retired it. I learned to drive at 5 years old in that thing. Drop it in granny low and they'd stand me in the seat to steer while the family tossed the hay bales on the trailer.

In fairness, dad had a 93 with the 5.0 in it and it went to 250k before we replaced the oil pan and valve cover gaskets and turned it into our work truck. Went well over 300k before he retired it.

My father in law had a 94 F150 with a 300 and he is HARD on vehicles. He went to 200k before he junked it. That's saying a lot for him since he doesn't believe in taking care of a vehicle at all. Not even sure that he changed the oil in it. He just drives them until they die.

 

[Wild one]

That was certainly a sweet engine... I wish Ford would've kept making engines like they used to... I might still have one sitting in my driveway.

My uncle had an 86 F150 with the 300 and that stinkin thing went 200k miles before we turned it into the farm truck to pull the hay trailer and run into town on errands. I went well over 400k miles before he retired it. I learned to drive at 5 years old in that thing. Drop it in granny low and they'd stand me in the seat to steer while the family tossed the hay bales on the trailer.

In fairness, dad had a 93 with the 5.0 in it and it went to 250k before we replaced the oil pan and valve cover gaskets and turned it into our work truck. Went well over 300k before he retired it.

My father in law had a 94 F150 with a 300 and he is HARD on vehicles. He went to 200k before he junked it. That's saying a lot for him since he doesn't believe in taking care of a vehicle at all. Not even sure that he changed the oil in it. He just drives them until they die.

My brother bought a 89 shortbox with the 300/5 speed combo brand new and it was surprisingly quick,and he'd probably still be driving it,if a distracted driver hadn't totalled it on him

 

[jawzs2]

Agreed, great engine. I had a '78 F150 that was bulletproof. went well over 200k. Had absolutely no options except for the auto trans, so nothing broke - LOL. I installed an underdash A/C unit for an old Galaxie or LTD that was sitting on the shelf in our parts dept for years gathering dust. Took about 3 minutes to freeze you out of it. What a great truck it was for its day.

 

[Yardbird]

32 year owner of a 1987 F-150, 4.9/300, with granny gear 4 speed. It's still in the family. I gave it to my oldest son that is still using it.

 

[06 Dodge]

The only thing I hated about my 1987 F150 with 300 6 cylinder was that stupid electronic box attached too the side of the distributor would stop working aka engine would stop running for no reason, after IO sold it was told it was the engine bay heat that would kill the electronics inside of it....

 

[Cmz2800]

0-0

 

[tjfdesmo]

The only thing I hated about my 1987 F150 with 300 6 cylinder was that stupid electronic box attached too the side of the distributor would stop working aka engine would stop running for no reason, after IO sold it was told it was the engine bay heat that would kill the electronics inside of it....

The infamous TFI Module. Not one of their "Better Ideas"...

 

[mikeru]

What you guys subconsciously know is that manufacturers no longer care to make vehicles for longevity. Furthermore, they design & make vehicles with “shelf life”.
As a truck driver myself, I see TONS of good vehicles being transported from/to junk yards. Good vehicles. This entire system is rigged to keep the average or above average citizen from financial freedom.
We’re always wanting the next new thing; new car, new house etc.
im driving around in a 25 ram so I fall right into this trap lol.

I disagree a bit with your first sentence. While I have no doubt that manufacturers could design and build cars that would last longer than they do, it's way better now than it was a few decades ago. Back then they designed cars to go 100k miles. I can remember when it was a real accomplishment if your vehicle rolled over the odometer at 100k miles. Many cars of that era didn't make it that far.

But I think you nailed it with your third sentence, at least the bit about cars. Most people now seem to want nice new cars and trucks with all the latest gadgets.

 

[20IndyRam]

I picked up a '69 F100 from my Uncle in 1975. 300 - 6 with a 3 on the tree and NOOOO power. Manual brakes, armstrong steering and a blank plate where the radio would have gone (I did install one later). I did love that truck for it's simplicity. It was yellow and my future wife nicknamed it Baby - that was short for Baby Sh$t Yellow. She hated everything about the truck, including that fact that you hosed out the inside whenever you washed off the outside.

The truck had 26K showing when I got it from my Uncle. It really had 126K on it, but the odometers of the day couldn't display above 99999.9. You just put another mark on the metal dash when the odometer rolled over. While I'll agree that the drivetrain was bullet proof, the rest of the vehicle demanded maintenance. Oil changes every 3K, plugs, points, condensers, filters every 10-12K - vehicles of this vintage kept you busy. The great thing was that everything was easy to work on and most of the parts could be purchased from K-Mart. It also ATE voltage regulators (mechanical) and starter solenoids. K-Mart had them and I kept spares in the truck cab.

Then there was the rust. Living in the snow belt in Indiana was death to vehicles in the 70's. I can't begin to remember all of the sheet metal and Mig wire I put into this truck. I also became rather good at bending brake and fuel lines for this vehicle. Hard to believe that Dearborn/Detroit were just up the road, but the Big 3 couldn't produce a vehicle that could survive the rust belt for 5 years without shedding body parts. To this day, I have never retired a vehicle due to a drivetrain problem. I have retired them due to rusted frames/unibody structures.

Fast forward to 1989 and we have a baby on the way. I realized I needed to downsize my fleet and sold/donated the truck to a close friend. It was showing 40K at the time (2 marks on the dash = 240,000). I didn't realize at the time that I was singing up for many future years of welding on the same vehicle. He moved to Arizona in 2008. To the best of my knowledge he still has the truck.

 

[Yardbird]

The only thing I hated about my 1987 F150 with 300 6 cylinder was that stupid electronic box attached too the side of the distributor would stop working aka engine would stop running for no reason, after IO sold it was told it was the engine bay heat that would kill the electronics inside of it....

I was really lucky with my '87. In all those years it never failed to start and never quit on the road.

I guess I had to do less to that truck than anything I have ever owned.

When I gave it to my son last summer, the battery was 13 years old and still good, and it was a rebuilt battery from the battery place down the road.

I still have a 14 year old rebuilt battery in the '94 Dodge 2500. I don't know if I will ever buy a new battery again as good as the rebuilt ones have been to me at way less than 1/2 the price.

 

[06 Dodge]

The infamous TFI Module. Not one of their "Better Ideas"...

View attachment 570606

Thanks I had forgotten the name of that stupid thing, all I can say is it was a pain in my @ss as the 3 times it quite working it did so when I was in the lane furthest from the curb, oh the joy of unhappy drivers behind me...

 

[Bad Tiki]

My dad had a 78-79 F150 with the 300. That was his daily driver, and it also pulled a hardtop tent trailer all through Canada and the US camping. It was also my first vehicle to drive. As a 16yr old in the late 70’s the things I did with that truck , and never told, the hill climbing with a box load of friends, the “off road bush parties”. That thing was a tank!! Made me a Ford fan boy for years, till I came over to the dark side haha

 

[HEMIMANN]

We used that engine at work in power generators, converted it to natural gas and propane fuels.

Ford Industrial Power Products hardened the valve seats and lands for use, for use with dry fuels. This engine is like Chrysler's Slant Six engine, except turned vertical with a better displacement for more usefulness. Nice low speed torque output.

 

[danielmid]

I ran the hell out of the Chevy version of this, the 292, in a 66 C10. Even ran an Edelbrock 4 barrel carb made for the Ford 300 on it. 4 speed with a granny 1st wasn't too great for stop and go traffic though.

 

[Ritchie_Rich]

Old thread, but I had a 95 F150 short bed with a 4.9 6 banger and 5spd. Loved that truck.