New Member - Greetings from Jacksonville Fl

hello! my name is Alex Guenther and I live in Jacksonville, Florida with my wife and son.  We just picked up our first project truck, a 1982 ford f100:

I have always wanted to have a project to tinker with and finally pulled the trigger.  The main goal is to just have fun, learn a lot, and meet new people along the way.  The truck has the 3.8 v6, which I now know is not exactly a popular engine choice .  There was a lot of oil leaking and compression was bad in two cylinders so I pulled the engine out and really want to upgrade but want to make sure I don't get in over my head from an experience and cost perspective. Before pulling the engine, I had only done oil changes and brake repairs so this has been a whole new world, exciting but also intimidating.

Really happy to meet you all and look forward to joining the site.

Thanks!

Alex - Glad you joined!  Welcome!  

We have a member's map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu), so would you like me to add you to it?

Nice truck.  Hope you'll start a thread about it in main section.

On the engine, if you have to rebuild it I would consider going to a Windsor, like the 302 or 351W.  I say that because I think you can build one of them for the same or less than you can the 3.8L.  That's because there's very little support for the little V6 and there is lots of support for the Windsors.

Having said that, the engine perches are different.  So you'll have to change those out, but we had a thread earlier today for a nice pair of those for $100.

Hey Gary!
Yes, please add me to the member map and I will start a build thread in the main section as well. I will also take a dive into the 351w since I have seen it recommended a lot in the threads I have read.  

Thanks for the heads up on the perches too.  When I pulled the engine I also took out the transmission (SROD) so I am trying to think of it as a blank slate.  Is the most cost effective way to get a new engine to get one from the JY and rebuild it?  I am in no rush to get this done and I thought it would be a great experience to learn about engine building.

Thanks,
Alex

You are now on the map.

As for the engine, it is hard to beat the price of a crate engine.  That won't get you any experience in engine building, but it is more likely that you'll have good results.

I say that because there are many pitfalls in engine building.  I've had the machine shop make mistakes on more than one engine.  And I've gotten intake manifolds on incorrectly.  And I've had core plugs come out right after a rebuild.  You shouldn't have those problems with a crate engine.  But if you do they should stand behind it, and someone on here recently had that kind of a problem and the manufacturer did stand behind it.

However, this is a hobby, so sometimes learning how to do it is what is desired.  And there's nothing wrong with that.  If that's what you want to do then we'll be here to help you along.  You'll have to decide what you are going to want the truck to "be" when you are done.  Is it going to be a daily driver and you want reasonable MPG?  If so, then the 300 six or a 302 might be a good choice.  Or, if you want it to be the king of the stop lights and you could care less about the MPG, then maybe a 460.  But the sweet spot in my estimation is the 351W.  Enough stroke to have good torque, but small enough to get acceptable MPG.

Notice that I didn't mention towing.  That's because an F100 may not have the brakes to do a good job there.  Also, there's the transmission.  The SROD isn't the strongest one out there, and won't bolt to the 460 and might not hold up behind a 351W.

Bottom Line: You'll need to set some goals and then ask how you might achieve those goals.  You'll get lots of opinions, and then you'll get to choose.

Welcome!

Welcome to the forum.
Gary has set you on the right path, what is the final goal for the truck?
Part of not having a running project and a first project at that is becoming overwhelmed and giving up.

If me I would try for a running 302/351 and if it has a transmission, even a auto great.
You could drop it in the truck and enjoy it some as you plot the next part of the project.

You may find the motor & auto a good combo for you but the motor needs a little more pep.
You could then find another motor that needs a rebuild to learn that part but still enjoy the truck.

Not all of us can spend 4 years rebuilding a project truck and not give up, wanted to a few times but did not give up LOL
Dave ----

Thanks for the welcome Dane and Dave!  

Your all right, I should've stated my goal for the truck at the outset.

Goal: This truck will not be a daily driver and will never tow or haul any heavy loads. This truck will only be used to get around town and the occasional highway trip.  With how few miles I plan on putting on it, MPG is my last concern.  My main goal is to just have something that is fun to drive and work on while staying within budget.  

Where I get lost is, other than the test drive in the 3.8, I have no experience with these trucks or the different engines and on top of that our family car is a prius so power is a foreign concept lol.  

My only goal is to get it road worthy by August since we are expecting another baby and time will be tough to come by for a bit.  Sounds like the smart move is to find a 302/351 and go from there.  

Thank, Alex

Welcome from a few hours south!

salans7 wrote

Welcome from a few hours south!

Perhaps I should explain the Florida Man emoticon.  Heretofore it has been meant sarcastically.  In derision, in fact.

The background is that I acquired Big Blue from a gentleman in Florida.  He'd been fleeced by some of the worst "mechanics" around.  For instance, it took one of them 4 years to build his 460, and then it used a quart of oil in the first 20 miles.  Or, maybe I should say it "shed" a quart in 20 miles.  Turns out they'd not put valve cover gaskets on.

Fast forward ~5,000 miles and I pulled the engine because it was still shedding oil way too rapidly.  And I discovered that the engine appears to have been pulled from a salvage, painted, and given to the guy as a newly-rebuilt one.

Then I discovered that someone had used a sawsall on the engine crossmember to get access to some nuts.  And, they'd left 3 of the 6 bolts out when installing the engine perch.  Plus they'd used the sawsall to cut a piece of of the radiator support so they could mount the engine oil cooler where it shouldn't be, which then required that they cut a chunk out of the back of the grille for clearance.

But, the thing that caused poor Vernon, the previous owner, to throw his hands in the air and part with the vehicle was because they'd bypassed the safeties on the engine and were running the fuel pump any time the key was on, not just when the engine was running.  That caused the fuel to flood the carb and then run down into the cylinders and ultimately fill the crankcase with gas.

And all of this was done by

Come to the 300 Six side... we have cake, and low end torquey fun.

TheScatch wrote

Come to the 300 Six side... we have cake, and low end torquey fun.

As much as I like the 300 six as I have one in my 81 F100 Flare side his truck frame mounts are set for the 302/351W motors.
If he went with the 300 six he would need to find the frame mounts for it.
Dave ----