Petrol360 Project Truck 1966 Ford F100 Update
Under the hood of the 1966 F100 is the beloved but often overlooked 300ci straight six. Often accepted as the only gas motor that will survive the apocalypse due to its legendary reliability. So why does everyone replace it with it’s only slightly larger big brother the 302 V8?
There are lots if reasons that the straight six is replaced with a V8. Mostly due to the abundance of aftermarket parts that will put the V8 well above the power output of the straight six. But if you spend some time talking with those who have driven the trucks powered by these motors they will often prefer the lessor of the two.
Put simply the answer is torque.
Sure the higher revving 302ci V8 made more horsepower but these motors were used in trucks, vans, boats, and in the case of the 300ci straight six countless industrial applications. Anywhere you need reliability and torque you will find the Ford 300ci straight six.
Although the Ford 302 is a great motor I am opting to keep the 300ci motor right were I found it. I am loosing out on a world of aftermarket parts but this older motor should have enough grunt to get the tires spinning. I don’t want to build a hotrod either. I want something that will be fun to drive and can work as a truck hauling junk. Plus I always like being different so the straight six is cool in my opinion.
Being Different and Looking Good While Doing It
The straight six may draw a bit more attention just for being different so I think we should give it a nice place to live. If im going to be different by not running a V8 I might as well own it. So I am doing a complete overhaul of everything under the hood.
This means almost everything is coming out and getting replaced or repainted. The motor will stay for now because, well its a 300ci Ford and its still in amazing shape. But everything else needs to move out of the the way.
Power steering brackets, pulleys, and wiring were all removed so I can repaint the inner fenders and firewall. The wiring was a mix of great and garbage. The previous owner replaced some but not all of the wiring. Honestly it was ok because I decided to change things up and upgrade where I could.
One of the upgrades I wanted to make was the alternator. The 1g alternator that was installed in the truck was not working correctly. It would also struggle with some of the later modifications the truck would be getting. So an upgrade was in order.
The 3g alternator is the obvious choice. With lots of power output and a built in regulator it will power the truck while cleaning up the engine bay. Any opportunity to de-clutter is an opportunity taken! Thankfully the 3g alternator has a very similar housing to the 1g alternator. Ford did a good job keeping these alternators similar.
With everything removed it was time to respray the inner fenders and firewall. I spent a few afternoons smoothing everything out by hand with 600g sand paper. I was in a rush and out of high build primer so I opted to use regular spray paint to help smooth out the last little bit. Unfortunately the green paint did nothing to fill the small low spots so it was a waste of my time.
Lessons learned the hard way are not easily forgotten.
High gloss black paint should really catch your eye at any car show. The 300ci looks good sitting in a nice tuxedo black home. The paint laid on flat and smooth but unfortunately the panels still had texture that the gloss paint now highlights. I had planned to go with the standard simi-gloss black but I think the gloss black does a good job of standing out and making it really pop when you open the hood.
With every thing looking fresh and clean around the motor it was time to address the motor itself. There was no reason to pull the motor its runs great and doesn’t leak any oil. But we need to make it pop while keeping the old look it now has. Someone repainted the motor blue a few years ago. Most of the paint was still on the block and head. After cleaning the motor it looks pretty good.
If you have followed along with any of my builds you will know I like patina. So the years of hard work that the elements have put in to make the valve cover look the way it does need to be saved. Two different shades of blue along with some rust and I love the look. So I decided to save the look with a heave coat of clear.
With the patina safely hiding under a protective layer if 2k clear the motor looked like it belonged. The high gloss sheen over the rust add a bit of class while still letting you know its an old truck. Now that the motor seems at home with all the fresh paint we can work towards reasonably.
Lots of cleaning and finishing touches went into the engine bay. Lots of wires were lengthened and tucked to keep everything tidy. Along with the motor and firewall all the motor brackets got a fresh coat of color. Including the alternator brackets and power steering brackets. I decided to powder coat them since they are serviceable parts that may get scratched up over time. A fresh water pump and thermostat to go along with the AlloyWorks Radiator to keep the motor cool no matter what.
After spending so much time making everything look as close to perfect as I could the last step of coolant lines seems like a victory. The whole project took me about two weeks of nights and one Saturday of wrenching but the results are worth it. Now anyone who casually walks by and peaks a look will know that the 300ci six is meant to be there and not just simply waiting to be swapped out.
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