questions about an old ford f-100

[dyrtysouth69]

hey guys,
im just about to buy a ford f-100 (72-75, dont know exactly) with (i think because its 2wd) a 302 in it, no rust on the body, starts and runs, 200$ a friend of mine who is restoring it with meknows old cars pretty well, and ive had minimal experience working on my bro's car (he's in college now and cant help)....before i buy it ive got a couple questions though....first off, when a car gets old/hits 100k+, what is in most need of replacing? axle bearings i know should be replaced, air filter will definitly be upgraded, what else? next, is an 8-cylinder 302 considered big block or small block? something thats been bugging me, why would you want oversized engine bearings? and last, where can i find detroit lockers and how much do they cost to buy/install?
any and all help would be greatly appreciated,
thanks in advance for replies!
Joe

[dyrtysouth69]

cmon guys im sure some of you know the answers to this....please someone help me out?

[ervinj]

100K is not much old for a engine of that year. Make sure it's not 200K.
302 is a small block. Check the wheel seals for leakage, if there's no noise and no leakage, don't fix something that's not broke. as for the lockers, Sorry I can't help.

ervinj

[dyrtysouth69]

Originally Posted by ervinj

100K is not much old for a engine of that year. Make sure it's not 200K.
302 is a small block. Check the wheel seals for leakage, if there's no noise and no leakage, don't fix something that's not broke. as for the lockers, Sorry I can't help.

ervinj

ervin,
it's just a lil over 100k, just been sitting alot of it's life....i went ahead and bought the truck today, im very pleased with the purchase except it turns out it's not 8 cylinder but 6, and he didnt know the ci just that it was either 4.7 or 4.9 liter. do you know if aftermarket parts are available for that engine? im a little worried that i wont be able to find stuff that fits it...
thanks for the reply!
Joe

[97chevyman]

the 300 staight six is a very good motor, better than a 302 v-8. A detroit locker will run 600 for the locker and probably 1000 installed. As for aftermarket parts, offenheiser offers a single plane 4 barrell intake, crane and comp have different cams, you can shave the head and the block for more compression, and offenheiser also makes split headers for true dual exhaust. You get oversized bearing when you have your crank and/or rods ground down. A msd blaster 2 coil and 6al box wil lighten it up alot. As for the whole 100k mile thing, replace things as they need it. I do not go on milage of old trucks because simply they are old, things rust and dry out. I have had my project truck for a year and when i purchased it i did not know it was going to be a project truck lol. If you did everything i have so far said, you would be around 320 horse all low end and around 400 lb's or low end grunt. any other questions please feel free to ask.

[dyrtysouth69]

97chevyman,
im on a pretty strict budget here (im 16 and doin this out of my own pocket, which aint much), so im pretty sure i wont be able to afford much in the way of actual engine mods...besides getting it back in good shape (a new oil pan, spark plug wires because theyre somewhat dry-rotted, possibly new axle bearings), im hoping to add a fairly cheap aftermarket exhaust (new headers, glasspack or flowmaster muffler, dual straight pipes), fancy up the engine some (chrome plated K&N airfilter, chrome valve covers), add a new carb for a little extra juice, and get new tires and wheels because it needs them. do you know what headers, and valve covers to fit ? i found plenty on summit racing that fit the 8 cyl. 302, but im having trouble finding stuff for the 6 cyl.....thanks for the help, its definately appreciated.
Joe

[97chevyman]

Well, is what i did. I took my valve covers off my 390 and got them zinc plated, they look really neat i think, and quiet a bit cheaper, might want to go that route.

[Glamisman]

The 300-6 is a fantastic motor... it has been around for 40 years or more. Being a strait 6 with a long stroke it has great torgue at low end, just dont rev it too high, that crank is a long heavy piece of steel to be spinning fast.