Aturbo 300 in a very heavy rig?advice please

there is a fellow in AZ whose work i admire very much he advises against a turbo on a 300 in my farm truck

the truck is a tonnner dually flat bed 4x4 tips the scale at 9000# dry . zf 5 speed.
i think i want turbo and propane on this rig
but his reasoning is compelling; the weight of the rig and that little motor are not compatible
they are compatible in a light bodied car but not a work truck.
Any experience in this ?

thanks

Why not? What does he think is going to happen?

A turbo doesn't make it a race engine.

Unfortunately I don't have any direct experience moving that much weight with a turbo'd 300, but I don't see why it can't be done and reliably. Propane has a lot of octane so unless you're planning to run tons of boost I don't think detonation will be a problem. You'll want to make sure your cooling system is excellent, and from my experience running a turbo'd 300 I'd suggest an oil cooler, and an intercooler. Finally for long term durability with the propane you might consider upgrading the valve seats, but all in all I'd think you would be really happy with the turbo.

well, don't tell Ford what he said. they have given the little twin turbo 3.5l Ecoboost a max tow rating equal to the 6.2l bent8 in the F150, somthing like up to 11,300 trailer weight.

is say it sounds like a great idea, i have thought about a similar combo myself. does the truck currently have a 300 in it?

The truck, in 1988 was originally equipped with a 460 /c6 auto. I ran it 200k with that (wish i had the gas dollars today that i have spent)
my opinion that this rig , one of the last before ford gussied up the model for the more city type buyers, is the last generation of the really unstoppable fords. not too fancy and simple construction with really tough running gear. So i repowered with a new to me 300 six.; forged crank, factory rods new pistons .60 overbore etc... a zf 5 speed 1356 transfer case, and soon a dana 80 currently a ford 10.25 rear.
Steel flatbed.

i used the 460 oil cooler, and radiator, with an electric fan from a taurus 3.8.
i have coolers on every component including the trans which has an on demand oil pump and cooler of its own. I am just now researching where to place the return nozzle on the transmission for greatest effect.

if i turbo i will use an intercooler or a heat exchanger , BUT, the propane shot has a cooling effect also and will i need the intercooler?
I don't know.

the weight of the rig makes the question : will it cause a little engine too work hard and to overheat especially with a turbo raising the temperature anyway?

my answer is i dont know but i do know we have used those 6 cylinders in the past in really heavy rigs with good result but we never blew hot air down their throats either.

i expect from the mods about 300 HP : 50 per hole and torque i just dont know. we will break the engine in on gas then switch to propane.
factory 460 was 165 HP so we cannot do worse. 8 MPG
propane costs here about 190 a gallon


thanks fellas

Propane has an octane rating of 114 ? If you keep the Boost @ 5-7 lbs. MAX, It should work fine. Look @ an Isky Turbo Cycle Camshaft. At low boost, you shouldnt need an intercooler. If it was needed, i would rather use a Meth./water spray (Snow Boost Cooler). You shouldnt want in Horse Power, since its Math X RPMs. The true measurement is Torque. For a Turbo Truck 300 six, you wont get 300 H.P. @ the RPM range you need. Think, 450 lb. ft. @ like 2800? RPMs

I am very interested in keeping up with your progress on this. I've started collecting parts to do basically the same thing. I ranch for a living and this $3.75 a gallon gas is killing me. Propane is just over $2 a gallon here.

My resume includes some logging, wood mill operating, dozer and equipment operation some cow keeping, and stock moving, scrap hauling, and keeping an eye on the old man : quite a challenge . sounds like your life too.

I just noticed today that diesel at the retail pump is at 4.04 a gallon and likely to creep up.
directly across the street a man is selling propane at 1.80 a gallon. It don't take a genius.....

Im in NW Oregon, i will post photos and the results as i get them i will also post the link to the rig again so i can share those photos again.

here is a photo bucket link to show some rough pictures of the rig as it sits now.
she's a rough old dog, but her bite is much worse than her bark. a really great model from Ford

link:
http://s807.photobucket.com/albums/yy35 ... 300%20six/

really appreciate the input !
give me suggestions and thoughts for any improvement .

the carburetors i photograph are of the great FISH carb.

Back in 78-79. Ol man had 2, Chevy 1 ton 454 4 door Duallies. Most here remember how Gas shot up then. He put Dual Fuel Conversions on. Didnt have as much power on Propane as Gasoline. But with 8 to 1 Compression, didnt expect much. We drove them to Colorado & back alot for work, Was fine on the road. Saved a lot on fuel costs. Many back then had a big tank in their yard,with a Dip tube. Could fill the Truck if they had to, but they would miss out on Road tax. The smart ones always had old receipts on them, showing they paid tax on some Propane. I would never encourage some one to do that. I THINK A TURBO 300 SIX, ON PROPANE. IS A GOOD IDEA !