For what it's worth, i have a '95 F-150 super cab with a 4.9L/5 speed. I have three loaded toolboxes in the back, and the last time it was on a scale, it weighed over 5200 pounds. I have a K&N FIPK, 300+ wires, a PS 91 coil and a JET chip. A good friend of mine has a '98 F-150 regular cab with a bone stock 4.2L. I beat him every single time we "race". On the street and on the freeway. We both took boats out to the local lake a few months ago, and I could out tow him as well. The numbers may say that his truck is faster, it certainly is lighter, but I can tell you first hand that my truck is faster and stronger.

Take care,
-Chris

------------------
'95 Eddie Bauer F-150 SC & '64 Falcon/Ranchero
-------------------------------------
Are you A.S.E. Certified ? If so, ask me about
iATN...the best tool you'll ever have ! ! And it's
free

 

Chris: What kind of mileage are you getting with your 300?

 

All hail to the I-6!!!!!!!! the best dam engine ford ever put in a truck!!!! this is my third one,bought this one new in 96 it has 75,000 and running strong. the 85 had 260,000 on it when the oil pump bought the farm.

The 78 had over 200,000 when my dad gave it to me,and I drove it for 3 years. guesstamate 150,000 "hard miles" that I put on it, in my book that = ONE TOUGH TRUCK. that was on the factory block and head. you could throw a cat threw any part of the body,but hit the switch and it started every time!

So as far as bringing back the I-6?? what do you think!!!!!!

------------------
1995 FORD F-150 4.9 5/SPEED
K&N FILTER KIT/ GIBSON CAT BACK EX./ PRO-COR 8mm WIRES
SPLIT FIRE PLUGS.SOUND::: ALL KENWOOD, TAPE CD CHANGER 4 SPEAKERS AND A 200 WATT AMP.

WISH LIST:: SUPER CHIP/NEW TIRES AND WHEELS

 

I guess I'll add my 2 cents worth here, the inline 6 is a legend in its own time. Excellent choice for work and many fire depts where I live are still using them in extreme service conditions.
It does exactly what it was designed to do...Work, and it will do it for a very long time with little or no problem over it's lifetime.

I am not at all opposed to the new modular designs of todays engines, they are designed to suit an entirely different market and a whole new society of people that are concerned about environmental issues.

I personally like both setups, if you are buying a truck today, you buy it with what Ford has to offer and your particular needs 4.2 for medium duty occasionally heavy work , 4.6 for a good all purpose truck, or the 5.4 for just about anything you can throw at it.
As for the inline 6-300 back then it was designed to cover all the bases and that it does very well, people did not by trucks as commuter vehicles. The market has changed and the purpose of trucks have changed since then.

As far as bringing it back? I doubt that Ford wants to revert back but maybe as some others have mentioned it could be converted over to a little more of a modern design.......OHC or something like that.

 

In 1988 I bought a F150 with the 300 cid 6. I changed the oil every 3000 miles with Mobil 1 10w30 and performed maint at recommended intervals. Other than 2 rear main seals no repairs needed in the 275,000 miles I kept the truck. I can't see bringing it back becausethe 4.6 V8 has the same torque rating and way more HP and gets better fuel economy.

------------------

 

4.6L? That is a V-8, were talking about the 300vs.4.2L. here.

 

4.6l might have same or more torque as the 300 inline-6 but will never be able to take the abuse or work as hard as the 300,nor will it be as reliable. Dont get me wrong i like the new engines,but heyi'm the kinda guy who thinks trucks should be trucks not something to look pretty in. Yea give me more comfort but dont give me no week truck that its capabilites are limited to making me look good.



Just bought 95 F-150 EDDIE BAUER 4WD,WITH 38000 MILES 5-SPEED AND GUESS WHAT ENGINE.



LOOKS LIKE IT JUST CAME OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE AND I ABSOLUTLY LOVE IT.



WISH LIST-ALOT,BUT SO ARE MY PAYMENTS RIGHT NOW, SO THE MODS WILL HAVE TO WAIT.



---HAIL TO THE INLINE SIX---

 

Pastmaster-
Pretty crappy. I average around 13 mpg. Keep in mind, my truck is always loaded down, and I drive it hard. I always down shift, and often have the A/C on. Over the past couple of years, I have noticed that my truck gets the best gas mileage when I drive it around 55 mph. If I keep it there, I can achieve better than 20 mpg, but I'm usually over 80 on the freeway. Even the difference between 55 and 65 is about 3 or 4 mpg. I guess my truck was designed for 55mph, seeing as that WAS the speed limit in '95. Too bad I just can't drive that slow.

Take care,
-Chris

------------------
'95 Eddie Bauer F-150 SC & '64 Falcon/Ranchero
-------------------------------------
Are you A.S.E. Certified ? If so, ask me about
iATN...the best tool you'll ever have ! ! And it's
free

 

remember when they first started putting fuel inj. on most cars. everyone wanted their beloved carbs back. didn't happen then and probably won't happen now either.
as for me i had one I6. when i bought it i asked the guy how many miles were on the truck. he said he wasn't sure how many times it had turned the odometer over. truck lasted 2 years w/o any major repairs.
i hope the 4.2 can do as well, although i doubt it.

------------------
'97 f150 rc, flair side,4x4,v6,5 spd, k&n air filter

 

The 4.6 has 290lbs-ft torque and the 4.9 had between 250-260lbs-ft torque.

 

First, why is everyone comparing the I6 to the 4.6L? This post was initially started by FAST46Triton about the 4.2L vs 4.9L. Of course the torque on a I6 is higher than the V-6's of the same caliber. But the 4.2L is more emission friendly than the old 300. A lot of good that does out here anyways. I don't know anything about the 4.2L and I only know of a few people that have them, and so far everyones liked the new engines. I know that most 300's mated with a E40d get worse/same mileage as a 302(v-8) mated to a E40d. I am sure that the 4.2L gets better mileage than a 4.6L.

[This message has been edited by Pastmaster (edited 11-02-1999).]

 

yeah, i got it dynoed. just bought truck, dont know much about the motors except what ive heard about em being about the toughest thing around. took it to a performance shop n got 130 hp 240 ft-lbs. not a lot, but its a baseline to build on. couple more parts to clifford performance n ill get it done again, but the k&n n throttle body spacer got me some more noticeable pick up and im getting 17 mpg avg city n highway driving. bring em back

 

the 4.2 is rated at 202 H/P the 3.7 is in the Ram is in the 200 h/p range, the 4.3 Vorteck is the better v/6 engine, I never owned a stright six, I love the 302, but with flue injection and a manual transmission, the 300 six gets my vote over the 4.2 ( 3.8 )

 

Holy old post!

No argument on the 300 being one of the best damn motors ever made by Ford. Perhaps that is the reason the bean counters at Ford's higher up levels maybe pushed for it's axing...

A powertrain engineer I met with once said the official reason was it couldn't meet emissions. Right. He said it while rolling his eyes too.

Adrianspeeder

 

I'd buy a 4.9L I6...again. I had an 88 I6 5 Speed Manual. Had 235,000 miles when I sold it to a friend...still running strong with over 250,000. Only thing I had to replace was the water pump. Everything else was just maintenance....Those were the days.