300 Sniper Install and Core Support Replacement

[Tyler]

As she sits! Core support came from LMC. Had to do a little custom work with it so that radiator would mount in. The old radiator perches had to be cut from the old CS and I bolted them into place. Also, the top radiator mount holes did not exist so my dremel came in handy.

BTW, I have determined that if you decide to "upgrade" to the FI manifolds, you will have to create a custom exhaust "y" pipe or have one made for you. The one I bought off Rock Auto for an '88 doesn't fit... save yourself the $$ and have a shop make yours.

Drilling a 3.25" hole in the gas tank is a little scary. Make sure you filler completely up with water if using a tank that had fuel in it. I also used some 30W oil while cutting to fend off sparks, just incase there was a bubble of fuel vapors in there (and there was).

[Gary Lewis]

Cool! A Sniper on a 300 six! I don't think I've seen one of those done, so am anxious to see what you think of it.

On the radiator support, apparently LMC's support is the 1980 - 84 version. You can see on our page at Documentation/Cooling Systems/Radiator Support that you have to make mods to an earlier support to fit an '85 or '6 truck.

So, when will you get to drive it - and report back?

[Rembrant]

I have to do that exact core support modification this week. I'm installing a 1994 radiator in a 1980. I hope it fits...lol.

My brain was drawing a blank wondering why you had to drill that big hole in your tank, but I see it is for your new fuel pump/sending unit?

[Tyler]

I have to do that exact core support modification this week. I'm installing a 1994 radiator in a 1980. I hope it fits...lol.

My brain was drawing a blank wondering why you had to drill that big hole in your tank, but I see it is for your new fuel pump/sending unit?

Yes, I bought the in-tank retro fit Holley fuel pump kit. It has connections for a return line. One tip though, if you only have a 16 gal tank the only place you can put the Holley pump is at the rear where I have drilled. This puts you in a precarious situation when driving downhill for prolonged periods of time with less than a half-tank of gas. I did a little experiment with a few gallons of water and I estimate that if you are at a quarter tank, you'd be risking starving fuel with just a few degrees of down angle.

So...Holley has a solution. Of course! Hydramat. Well, I bought some but it ain't cheap. Conveniently, they make a few pieces that mount directly to your drop-in pump. The youtube videos are pretty neat to watch.

[Tyler]

Cool! A Sniper on a 300 six! I don't think I've seen one of those done, so am anxious to see what you think of it.

On the radiator support, apparently LMC's support is the 1980 - 84 version. You can see on our page at Documentation/Cooling Systems/Radiator Support that you have to make mods to an earlier support to fit an '85 or '6 truck.

So, when will you get to drive it - and report back?

There are a few of them out there. As for mine, I am working on the wiring and then have to get towed to a shop to build an exhaust with a O2 sensor bung in it. Then, I can start it up for the first time. Exciting for sure. I took an Edelbrock 500 CFM 4 barrel off it, put on a 4-2 barrel conversion plate and got Holley's 2bbl Sniper.

I'm itching to get back on the road. This summer, I pulled the six and had it completely remanufactured with a slightly better breathing cam. It was down for about a month and a half and I haven't even put 3k miles on the motor yet.

I'll be sure to keep you guys posted.

[FuzzFace2]

Cool! A Sniper on a 300 six! I don't think I've seen one of those done, so am anxious to see what you think of it.

On the radiator support, apparently LMC's support is the 1980 - 84 version. You can see on our page at Documentation/Cooling Systems/Radiator Support that you have to make mods to an earlier support to fit an '85 or '6 truck.

So, when will you get to drive it - and report back?

Here you go Gary https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1557261-holley-sniper-efi-install.html

Tyler,

So what was the deal with the Y pipe not fitting?

I think that is where I got mine and had no issues with how it fit the manifolds.

Not even where the 2 pipes meet up the hole was big so I did not have to mess with it.

I have heard of some Y pipes that hole is not vary big and needed to be opened up to work.

Dave ----

[Tyler]

Cool! A Sniper on a 300 six! I don't think I've seen one of those done, so am anxious to see what you think of it.

On the radiator support, apparently LMC's support is the 1980 - 84 version. You can see on our page at Documentation/Cooling Systems/Radiator Support that you have to make mods to an earlier support to fit an '85 or '6 truck.

So, when will you get to drive it - and report back?

Here you go Gary https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1557261-holley-sniper-efi-install.html

Tyler,

So what was the deal with the Y pipe not fitting?

I think that is where I got mine and had no issues with how it fit the manifolds.

Not even where the 2 pipes meet up the hole was big so I did not have to mess with it.

I have heard of some Y pipes that hole is not vary big and needed to be opened up to work.

Dave ----

Dave,

First, I tried to install from the bottom and couldn't get the tail end to clear the transmission mount crossmember. Then I went in from the top, which required removing my heater core hoses and vacuum lines from the intake manifold and I removed the starter. The tail end kept getting hung up on the crossmember. So I cut off about 4 inches and tried again. The flanges finally lined up....but the end of the pipe was hitting the heat shields on the cab and also the side was contacting the bell housing where the starter mounts.

What a mess....I spent a lot of time looking at and attempting a different approach with no success. It seems like the first bend with the O2 sensor bung is too aggressive. The pipe is flattened out in that bend, way more than the IBR... but I didn't have anything to compare it to. And Rock Auto doesn't have a person I can explain this to so they want to charge me for another part then ship the old one to them to be assessed. I thought that since I bought the exhaust for an 88, maybe it doesn't fit an 85 and I somehow missed this in my research. Whew!

I've already lost the money for the part but would rather drive to a local exhaust shop than get towed there if possible.

[Tyler]

Dave,

First, I tried to install from the bottom and couldn't get the tail end to clear the transmission mount crossmember. Then I went in from the top, which required removing my heater core hoses and vacuum lines from the intake manifold and I removed the starter. The tail end kept getting hung up on the crossmember. So I cut off about 4 inches and tried again. The flanges finally lined up....but the end of the pipe was hitting the heat shields on the cab and also the side was contacting the bell housing where the starter mounts.

What a mess....I spent a lot of time looking at and attempting a different approach with no success. It seems like the first bend with the O2 sensor bung is too aggressive. The pipe is flattened out in that bend, way more than the IBR... but I didn't have anything to compare it to. And Rock Auto doesn't have a person I can explain this to so they want to charge me for another part then ship the old one to them to be assessed. I thought that since I bought the exhaust for an 88, maybe it doesn't fit an 85 and I somehow missed this in my research. Whew!

I've already lost the money for the part but would rather drive to a local exhaust shop than get towed there if possible.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Tyler, I'm not certain if the Y-pipe has changed.

*** not sure what pipe you're using there ***

As I remember the one ***Walker 45166*** we put on Josiah's truck fit right up to the manifolds and had no clearance problems.

(I went back and checked his thread on FTE)

[Tyler]

Tyler, I'm not certain if the Y-pipe has changed.*** not sure what pipe you're using there ***As I remember the one ***Walker 45166*** we put on Josiah's truck fit right up to the manifolds and had no clearance problems.(I went back and checked his thread on FTE)

ArdWrknTrk, thanks for the info.  I think mine was just bent incorrectly and unfortunately, I'll have to eat the cash.  I'm going to see if I can order the same part through a local parts store and compare them.