262 keep or sell?

[fomocofreak]

hi all
i have a dilema i have a very low miles 262 but it was needlessly tore down (long story) anyhow i also have a spare complete head and a pertronix distributor and coil and a manual trans and some gaskets
i want to build a torquey reliable but good mpg parts van for towing and collecting parts for projects etc the odd road trip
maybe a series 2 econoline or a wagon but i dont know if i should put this back together or simply buy a regular 300 etc
(i do have other ideas mainly diesels but i guess thats not for this forum)

so if i keep it and put it back together (its only done 25k) thats great but i havent really time plus i may run into a case of the
might as wells and start buying performance parts and i could do with the space back

or do i buy a 300? and add a t5 and if i do should i keep any of the parts i have to upgrade it? can i realisticly expect 25+ mpg with the right parts/gearing/tyres in say a e100 69 shorty econoline

thanks in advance.

 

[MPGmustang]

yes it's very possible to 25mpg on the freeway with an i6, any i6 that's in good stock (ish) condition with bonus power mods, of course I think you should keep it simple, so if it's easier to build your motor then go for it, IIWIYS I would try building it with what I have and only replace if I don't think it is usable. and spend what is nessesary. or if it's best, get a used running engine and swap over parts to the better engine ect... using used parts is okay, just make sure they are in working condition.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[flatford6]

Better decide what van you are going to get before going into the 262. The van you eventually get may already have a six in it; you could put a t-05 behind the existing motor. Don't forget about smog rules (especially in California) if you plan to do a motor swap. The mpg goal could be a problem as van aerodynamics are pretty poor (the brick like shape). Even some of the new vans can't achieve the mpg you are looking for.

 

[bubba22349]

The 262 are great engines and part of the first OHV six family IE 215, 223, and 262. I was hunting for a short block or engine a number of years back to build a performance engine for my Ranchero and started doing some research on them. Here is some of the info they were made from 1961 to 1964 - (65 Industrial use) Truck only motor 1961 to 64 C550 & C600 tilt cab trucks Door ID tag code B. In 1964 was used in the light trucks F-100, F-250, and F-350) Door ID tag code B: 1964 & 1965. In DIVCO trucks as the "G" series motor in Models 10-Sr, 40Sr, 40-D, 50-Sr, 50-E, 50-F, 70-Sr, 70-C, 70-D, 100-Sr, 200-Sr, 200-C, 206-C, 206-D. There are other possible industrial uses and some claim they were used in the F-500 & 600 N-500 & 600 trucks, B-500 & 600 Buses, but I cant as yet verify those as original applications. They will bolt into any 1952 to 1964 car or truck and very easy if it has a 215 or 223 six. But they were never used in the Econolines so you would need to make motor mounts and many other parts to fit one in. If you can find a Devco Van body it would fit into one of them and I think since they had an Aluminum body it would be even lighter weight than an Econoline. The 300 is a even better engine and much easier to fit into the Econoline and later model pickups. Good luck on your parts chaser project

 

[fomocofreak]

hi guys and many thanks for the welcome
to be totally straight with you all i would shove a diesel in it every time and it will get 25-35 mpg and pull fine (ask me how i know) but diesels here in u.s are a bit thin on the ground though i did think about the merc turbo diesels but would like it manual.
your right an old econoline 62-74 may well allready have a i6 and i think?? the smog rules dont apply to engine swaps of those years? (i live here and uk so not 100% sure) i would even consider a 4 banger but this is a ford i6 forum not diesels of 4 bangers.

the 262 i have afaik doesnt need any new parts except maybe as insurance but a 300 etc allready running would be fine
i was thinking maybe a torquey cam retarded to lower peak hp/tq peaks a free flowing exhaust mega jolt ignition mapped to suit and junk the dizzy and coil and either efi or a large single su carb then some free hp mods like no fan geared down water pump smaller alternator direct cold air intake electric fuel pump? all those type of things. im a big fan of junk yard mods.

i have considered shipping to uk with some of my stuff then shipping it back with some of my stuff and a diesel conversion
but i do like the ford i6 i had something similar? many years ago in a 52 zephyr zodiac and it sounded very sweet.
but if i could get enough torque and mpg from a gas motor maybe even run it on propane (higher ron in uk not sure about here?) i may have best of all worlds.

will my 262 with reversed intake etc work on a 300 is there any gain?
what about my pertronix dizzy? if i keep it old school.

thanks again cheers!

 

[fomocofreak]

hi guys and many thanks for the welcome
to be totally straight with you all i would shove a diesel in it every time and it will get 25-35 mpg and pull fine (ask me how i know) but diesels here in u.s are a bit thin on the ground though i did think about the merc turbo diesels but would like it manual.
your right an old econoline 62-74 may well allready have a i6 and i think?? the smog rules dont apply to engine swaps of those years? (i live here and uk so not 100% sure) i would even consider a 4 banger but this is a ford i6 forum not diesels of 4 bangers.

the 262 i have afaik doesnt need any new parts except maybe as insurance but a 300 etc allready running would be fine
i was thinking maybe a torquey cam retarded to lower peak hp/tq peaks a free flowing exhaust mega jolt ignition mapped to suit and junk the dizzy and coil and either efi or a large single su carb then some free hp mods like no fan geared down water pump smaller alternator direct cold air intake electric fuel pump? all those type of things. im a big fan of junk yard mods.

i have considered shipping to uk with some of my stuff then shipping it back with some of my stuff and a diesel conversion
but i do like the ford i6 i had something similar? many years ago in a 52 zephyr zodiac and it sounded very sweet.
but if i could get enough torque and mpg from a gas motor maybe even run it on propane (higher ron in uk not sure about here?) i may have best of all worlds.

is there an alloy head available?

thanks again cheers!

 

[bubba22349]

I live in So Calif. as far as the smog rules go for now 1975 and older cars and trucks are exempt so if your registering it in Ca and want to do a swap than stay with the older models. There is some new rules on the diesel's that is set to take effect in the next year or two is going to be bad on the old trucks here from what I have heard so you might want to research that too if you plan on a diesel swap. The 300 has loads and loads of torque and mileage wise they do fairly well if geared right. I have a 94 F150 short bed with 4.9 EFI (300) & 5 speed best I have gotten was 22.5 MPH but I don't really try that hard to get the best mileage so there may be a little more. The propane here is also quite good though have not checked prices on if it's more economical to use than Gas. As of now there is only a couple of race type 300 alloy heads available and the site owner was in developing one last I heard it's on hold due to the weak economy, He makes a very good one for the 200 / 250 inline sixes. There are also some that have done some hi-bred heads using 351 C, LS1, and Mopar V8 heads cut and welded together. There is virtually nothing from a 262 that would work on the 300 except maybe a carb and distributor cap you can use that same pertronix unit in an early 240 / 300 distrib. but the DSII are easy to find for a 300 and is much better performing setup.

 

[fomocofreak]

hi bubba!
thanks for that info i love the torque of diesels and the economy and that they dont need messing with.
but il look into these regs you mention ive heard about the duraspark set up but also the megajolt kits are cheap and i have a friend that works in a place designing an even simpler cheap alternative so you can map your engine for what you want
i was hoping doing this and like i said efi or maybe a simple su carb may add 4-5 mpg (hoping!) add lpg/propane and it may be a good idea. im not bothered about alloy heads for propane you dont really need it but i might skim the head and add some advance infact with a map system you can switch it from a gas map to lpg map

but i guess its all ,,bar talk,, untill i get a i6 to mess and i cant do that untill i sell this old truck so il keep you posted
thanks again

 

[bubba22349]

but also the megajolt kits are cheap and i have a friend that works in a place designing an even simpler cheap alternative so you can map your engine for what you want

Interesting would like to find out about those kits do have any more info?

I also have a couple of Ford 240 / 300 long blocks left and lots of Ford V8 stuff if you know anyone needing parts.