Bringing An Old School Straight-Six Back To Life - Engine Power S1, E3

[@Mechknight73]

I gather the 300, like its Australian cousin evolved from the 170 cubic inch "Super Pursuit" inline 6? In Australia, they went as big as 250 cubic inches, with a high compression option known simply as the 250 truck engine. It has huge torque comparable to a diesel, but comes with a cross flow head, electronic ignition, Weber carburettor and was hugely reliable. I worked with an '83 F-350 tow truck that had one as its power plant, and was never for want of power. Its passenger car version evolved into the legendary "Barra" inline 6 cylinder. 4 litres, double overhead cam, turbocharged, intercooled and fuel injected. Good for 1000 reliable horsepower

[@Thomas-pq4ys]

My '78 Econoline work van, 400k miles, runs smooth as silk... 3 on the tree as well, is my pride and joy. This van will outlive me... and I've had it since '91... It could tell stories. I did all the rust work 9 years ago. I don't drive it in the winter... That was a huge job...

[@timothystacks2947]

I sure hope there are several people shadowing Frank! That guy seems like a true talent!

[@TrumpsEarBandage]

He seems like a douche

[@lashlarue7924]

I have a tremendous amount of respect for professional machinists. That stuff is some real arcane virtuoso joojoo right there, boi!

[@1575murray]

That is highly skilled labor. One mistake can ruin an expensive block or head. These guys are worth every penny you pay them.

[@lashlarue7924]

@@1575murray Indeed, there’s a difference between a mechanic and a machinist!

[@1575murray]

@@lashlarue7924 When you have good ones working together you will have a good running engine that will last when well cared for!

[@derekcollins1972]

@@lashlarue7924 Two totally different trades.

[@granularSodacan]

😂

[@framusburns-hagstromiii808]

Folks like Frank are a national treasure!!....gave a returning Vet a shot at building a career and still supports him...Respect!!

[@cliffdaddy126]

Ford, chevy, and Chrysler all made fantastic inline 6's

[@carlsegerstrom3989]

Unfortunately inline six engines get overlooked for the higher horsepower v8s. I would love a straight 6 in a truck but a v8 for a car.

[@williamsanders468]

I’m sorry but I’m gonna say it, some better than others

[@AnonYmous-kd9el]

To bad cummins got the baddest straight 6 😎

[@redram5150]

@@AnonYmous-kd9el gee, whoda think an engine originally sourced from a backhoe would have more torque that a gasoline light truck engine???

[@spicydeath82]

amc inline 6 was pretty awesome to. stayed around well into the 80's in jeep Cherokees. i had a gremlin with a 3.8 liter straight 6. thing was fun.

[@tonybaggett1984]

Love the straight six builds.

[@renc3920]

Was just having a back and forth with my fiancé about the possibility of starting a F-100/C10 build with a S6 and turbo. Hopefully I can find a good roller or better :)

[@tonybaggett1984]

@@renc3920 that’d be sweet. I believe that there is a lot more performance possibilities with straight sixes than people realize. Low end torque they are unbelievable and of course reliability. On top of that there’s the fact everybody is running V8s and being different is cool 😎

[@DavidMoore-br7ge]

My 1977 f150 i6 is getting a turbo soon, I put a posse track in the back and it's a 4 speed. Just want to beat some new chevys

[@SchizoGamingChannel]

I just got one!!!! jeep grand Cherokee

[@brucear]

@@tonybaggett1984 I believe Ford originally designed this for heavy-duty applications like dump trucks. I think it has gear set instead of a timing chain. They started out putting these in pickup trucks as a temporary fill but the customers liked it so much they kept doing it.

[@MoctezumasRevenge1]

This episode dropped a ton of knowledge, I thought I was done with sunday school.

[@janlepena9060]

These are my favorite videos, machine shop ,and old 60's and 70's 6 cyl. engines.

[@rsvp9146]

I'm a 30 year Porsche/BMW/MINI specialist. Every once in a while, I get to rebuild some old iron block. Thank you for the information. Awesome shop setup. Fantastic engines.

[@piousminion7822]

I wish I could afford to do this on my 78 F-150. About to replace all the lifters and gaskets, but I want to do so much more.

[@larryhutchens7593]

Fresh back from Iraq. Welcome home GI. Way back when I was returning from a tour in the Navy, 1 tour of duty on a carrier just off the coast of N. Vietnam. Jobs were hard to come by back then. Hang in there, seems like you have a decent guy to work for. On the inline 6: Most will try to make them run like a V-8 but that is a mistake. Build it for torque, that's where they excell. Another thing from way back when: Some guy ran an altered using one of those 300 inline 6 Ford engines. He took a pair of cleveland heads, sawed off 1 cylinder of each, oven brazed them together & ended up with a cross flow 6 cylinder cleveland head. If I remember correctly he did quite well.

[@sabgab]

An old 6 cyl modified trick.

[@qwiked]

Rydell, Hope & Lang..

[@donellmuniz590]

The head bolt holes all lined up?? Oil and water passages too? They must have needed a ton of mods (besides the "surgery") to make it fit.

[@donellmuniz590]

It would be awesome if Clifford or somebody took that, made patterns, and cast them in aluminum.

[@larryhutchens7593]

@@donellmuniz590 Don't know all the machining difficulties just the brief description in Hot Rod at the time. I do know that there are quite a lot of parts in the 300 that are very similar to the 302 & 351. Ford did that to reduce overall production costs, make parts interchangable. Chevy did the same with the 194, 230, 250 & 292 I-6 engines.

[@davidtatum8682]

Hard to beat an old school in line 6 for straight reliability. Things will run forever.

[@kingjames8283]

The Ford 300 L6 has always been my favorite engine. Found in everything from pickups, UPS panel vans, school buses, dump trucks, and a host of other class 5-7 truck chassis. The Ford 300 cid and GM 292 cid engines I had a lot of experience with and geared right, they would move a mountain. I was surprised to learn the connection between the placement of the water pump and wear on the number one liner. I might be old but still learn something new everyday.

[@philjerome9795]

Back in the 80's, I had a Ford van with the 300 and a Chevy van with the 292. They were both great, I wish I still had them.

[@Hawkers02]

The Ford 300 also powered generators, sprayers, and a few other things

[@girthquake1413]

I remember reading a neat detail from drag racers and Inline 8 guys- they'll actually move the placement of the thermostat housing and water intake to the middle of the manifold to alleviate that problem and to get better exhaust temps all around, because otherwise the flamefront is cooled too much.

[@93jake81]

@James Barrow wait so that’s what that is? i’ve got a 300 i’m planning on rebuilding and when checking the cylinder wall diameters i noticed 2-6 were almost the same, but 1 was a bit more worn front to back than side to side. so the water pump being where it is causes that? that’s pretty interesting

[@kingjames8283]

@@93jake81 - Yes, that is the first time I learned about that too. Very interesting what we can learn from these pro-guys.

[@woodstockbrian]

That has to be one of the best videos from Powernation ever! Great work!

[@drtb69]

Frank is the man!! The man talking is humble , because there is no "taking a chance" on a war tested Marine veteran who is still in his prime! That man is gonna bring it to work or the battlefield day in and day out and on time! Thank you for your service to our country , and God Bless. The 300 Ford 6 cylinder is Legendary, I been wanting to put one of these straight 6's in my full size 84 Bronco for awhile now, this video is a great help thank you

[@falloutpc1]

At first i thought this was related to the industrial ford 300 generator project that mike and pat are doing but this looks like a regular 300 engine that has seen better days and been rebuilt before. I think this is a a separate video project.

[@Oldford777]

This is a different 300 ford from season 1. I though the same thing at first but it’s not

[@tomisamish]

I was hoping to see the final version of the season 1 engine. I can't figure out how they were going to get a good enough exhaust seal to drive the turbo they eluded to.

[@DavidMoore-br7ge]

This video is old af I'm actually pissed they re-uploaded it cuz I've been waiting for the new 300 episode

[@dwightpruitt6809]

WOW ! Did you figure that out all by yourself . . . .

[@jerrychizmadia1275]

This is why I watch this show. Finding a Frank is a once in a lifetime deal

[@JohnThomas-vb9se]

I sure miss hanging out at the machine shop. My machinist retired a few years ago and it left a void. In a society that’s set on just throwing things away, it’s almost a lost art.

[@1320pass]

Absolutely. These shops do more for small town America than just engines.. they can fix damn near anything.

[@SSDracerSD]

You guys make my Sunday mornings with coffee awesome 👌

[@cliffdog2004]

Is it just me or do freshly-machined surfaces bring a smile to your face?

[@martentrudeau6948]

It's impressive how professional Frank and company are, it's great to watch.

[@alexyo3927]

I loved the back story and great work

[@767dag]

They way he has his arms crossed as he watched the engine leaves , u can tell he’s a good man

[@bobteachesphoto6379]

This was very well done! The story and attention to detail was great, I thought I knew a few things but the machine work it takes to do it right was eye-opening, Thanks!

[@baby-sharkgto4902]

These are my favorite videos, the machine shop videos

[@charlesdjones1]

Easily.

[@corporalpunishment1133]

One of your best episode's yet another example of how good Americans are at auto media.👍🇭🇲

[@تاىلب-ن1ج]

Ö8خ7.7تج 6 8 d?, سم -

[@stevenbohannon956]

This fella Frank knows his stuff head down to to get your engine work or rebuild with someone who takes the time to do it right the first time! Darn good video Congradulations Power Nation you got another winner later Rev

[@killerwowmaster]

love the episodes with all the tech talk, definitely not just a restatement of the same info every time

[@donellmuniz590]

Yeah, I actually learned a couple things, for a change.

[@il_calabresi8672]

great work and genuine guys.. not many round like this anymore especially giving away information for free and making it fun to watch..

[@JWBEATY1012]

I believe i am my own Frank. My dad passed last year and he talked about doing all this stuff himself with hand tools . He was poor. He loved straight six engines and he passed it on to his son. My 8 year old has fallen in love with my 90 F150 that has a 300 and 5 spd. HE will get to drive it one day . Thanks for this video.

[@francisbrackney2061]

Great video man. I've known a lot of fellas over the years with those 300s in trucks and vans. Those engines would often last until they only had a few horse power left in them.

[@ernestschultz5065]

That engine will be BETTER than when it was new. I had a similar engine in a 67 Falcon I had a long time ago.

[@Fahrenheit_Motorsports]

I don’t know what it costs the average customer to get this work done but I’m going to assume $5K at the very least. Looks amazing!

[@estpst]

This is great, so much attention to detail.

[@scdevon]

I was questioning why they started with such a clapped-out block since these aren't rare. Maybe to demonstrate what's possible on a well worn block.

[@JohnDoe-bc8wu]

Frank one of many motor kings great mind set & a lot of knowledge.

[@txwylde]

This is awesome. I had the 300 Ford. I always thought it was dog slow, but had great torque. At the time, there was not a lot of performance parts for it. I am glad to see there are more things I can do to this motor.

[@donellmuniz590]

Hell, Offenhauser and Clifford have been makin intakes and (Clifford only) headers for over 40 years. I think a cam would really wake em up. I had one too.

[@francisbrackney2061]

Tell your friend Frank. 👍👍 . Awesome job on that Ford V8. That engine made beautiful music on that dyno He is a true artist.

[@jimclarke1108]

The BARRA's grandfather, the best 6 ever built, oi oi oi

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

'cept it's not. It's more like the Barra's great uncle, not so much direct line, but a side branch of the family tree. There's a lot of that tree explained in the comments section on the last Ford 300 video Engine Power did.

[@jacobkite5497]

the barras grandfather was the ford 250 and the xflow

[@TheTeeroy32]

The great great grandaddy of the Barra is the old Ford 170 cube straight six, not sure what the yanks call it, thrift master or something.

[@andrewrollason4963]

@@TheTeeroy32 The Thriftpower Six 170. That became 200 on the second casting and the 250/4.1L casting was exactly the same from the 1970s onwards and still made using the same lasts until 2016. (The whole top end changed massively and it went from 4.1, to 3.9 to 4.0)

[@TheTeeroy32]

@@andrewrollason4963 thanks for correcting the name, the rest of the info I'm a walking talking encyclopaedia. I'm a die hard Australian Ford man.

[@GorillaCookies]

I used to work with a old timer named Irv Watts. Irv was a country boy from West Virginia living out here in California. It didn't matter what I was working on when building a boat , car or bike, he had the correct answer to every question and could solve every issue that popped up with whatever it was I was building at home or in the shop. Talented knowledgeable Guys like him and Frank are a fading source for information and instruction unfortunately. RIP Irv , RIP

[@bcfmef]

one of the best episodes yet. I wish I could have worked in a shop like that . Older equipment with older machinists showing you all the tricks of the trade. This is a dying breed in the engine/machinist trade. Today its just a bunch of punk kids with with rich parents who give them tens of thousands of dollars so they can get a crate LS motor and put a bunch of bolt on BS so they can ride around and act like some doosh bag

[@rhubarbpie2027]

The Japanese have a term for when you find your purpose in life, it is called "ikigai" and I think Frank has found his.

[@68mustangmustang77]

This was a great episode. Good machine work leaves my head spinning in all the set up time and effort to get the results. What a cool shop.👍🍻

[@timdixon9224]

From what I have seen in this video there are a lot of old master techniques being revealed

[@1320pass]

These local engine machine shops are a true asset to a community. Support them by buying your go fast parts wherever possible from them as well as the machine work you just watched. Auto zone would love to sell you a 'rebuilt' engine but you never know what you get.

[@Dirtyharry70585]

Thanks for your service. Glad to see you have a lifetime trade.

[@Onethirtytwo]

Its high time We see Pat and the boys rebuild a 12 valve Cummins! Love the straight six!

[@Hawkers02]

Its also about time to see progress on the duramax build

[@andrewhart3882]

One of the best engines ever made.

[@emiliosequeira7495]

Hello!!! I don't speak english!! Nice work congratulations!!! I like motors!! Good bye from Argentina!!

[@user-qk6vr4jx4r]

Ive been waiting for this i have a 1985 f150 with a straight 6 and its a great engine

[@Hawkers02]

85 Chevy Scottsdale with a 305 V8 thats never been taken apart

[@willsco76]

I really enjoyed these episodes. It's nice to see the shop build something different.

[@TannerRogers]

These videos are so helpful and entertaining at the same time

[@bassemelmaghrabi9086]

Thanks guys for sharing & teaching me those amazing steps.... Wish to work with you if I went there.

[@baronoflivonia.3512]

More episodes like this please.

[@wicked49ford]

Awesome episode! Im at awed seeing how much tools and machines it takes to revive/mod an engine. I can watch those segments over and over though I don't really understand the technical stuff. Great stuff!!

[@PaulThomas-qo9vy]

We want the 300 to recieve turbo boost after baseline tests! Beat the 292 that was recently tested with boost! Thank you for the love on the Ford 300. I want to build mine up some day.

[@JorgeRodriguez-po7kx]

Old School Mechanics The Best Love it !

[@victorwelder]

Amazing Job guys💪my 62 bel air White Top Blue Body 4 doors was punch 30 over loved how it ran in the highway. Congratulations on your Build✌😊

[@CubNole]

Our local Jasper would skip all these steps and ship it to us hoping the paint holds it together.

[@jkDLux1]

Thanks for getting my hopes up and delivering an ancient video

[@mylesdeep1736]

This was one of the best motors built!! Mine is creeping up on 325,000 miles and with just basic maintenance.

[@InuranusBrokoff]

I don't know if it's true, but rumor has it that when cash for clunkers was a thing they had to drain the oil from engines, pour sand in the top end, and run the engines until they ceased. I've heard the 300 sixers could go through a tank of fuel before locking up. Sounds nonsensical, but it's what I read.

[@TheMec1978]

Impresionante trabajo, me encanto! Saludos desde Argentina.

[@Z-Bart]

My 91' had this engine. Wish the transmission would have been as bulletproof.

[@2001falconfp]

OMG that's my build. I've already got the 300 block but I'm getting two more industrial versions for the parts. That last pic shows my Carb, my intake and my Dizzy. Wow, I want to see what you do for a cam and the gear set. Woohoo

[@Brucelovesjulie]

Great video, thank you for posting this.

[@justinwright6611]

Definitely one of the better episodes.

[@djej2821]

I love this shop and everyone thankyou I like this job

[@danielweisman496]

Excellent video! Great angles and editing!

[@donaldrempel32]

I remember back in the 70's that some guys would drag race with the Ford 300 and run them at 10,000 to 12,000 rpm. My brother in law was at these races and told me.

[@willsco76]

My '67 Ford Custom had a 240 six.

[@xaenon]

I'll bet it ran like a watch, too. Specifically, a Timex. Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

[@wakjob961]

The south...and California. You guys get it done in machine shops. I wish central NY had more of these resources ;-(

[@erictaylor1320]

Glad to see Mike in the episode.

[@rjcoady21]

Next time you need an inline, I have a 1946 IHC BLD-250 you can do all that machining too. All I did was hand lap the valve seats and change the head gasket.

[@ArcadiyIvanov]

"Do not operate without eye protection" Operates without eye protection.

[@bmstylee]

Sounds like every rifle range I go to. Hey. Do what you like by I enjoy my eyes in working order.

[@bmstylee]

Was there a hearing protection sign or no? I've been in a machine shop. They aren't the quietest thing around.

[@tphvictims5101]

👀 didn’t see that 😆👍🏻

[@joegilly1523]

Yup when I went to get my first ever new Ford truck I wanted to have a 300 in my new one like my old one . Nope had to get the 5.3 ,wish the 300 was around even 21 years ago . I do like my 3.5 twin turbo

[@stevenmorris2293]

This “is” rocket science

[@RatsburyRaven74]

Love the Ford 300 and loving this episode!!

[@josebonet1396]

Can’t wait to see you guys finish up the industrial 300 out of the water pump. I got one out of a vacuum pump on my engine stand that I want to build and I want to see what you guys get out of it.

[@rotax636nut5]

First class video showing the processes involved in engine repair and reconditioning but I would like to say that using a severely damaged block that needed such a highly stresses main mounting welding back on after an 'accident' is a no no, at that point the block should have been written off and another sourced. Also later when the engine was being used hard in the truck the engine failed due to the flywheel bolts coming loose which would have caused a lot of damage to the crank requiring repairs or replacement and this failure happened because it's inherent in almost all straight sixes when they are hopped up due to the extreme torsional harmonic vibrations straight 6's suffer from when used at high rpm and power outputs, the crank should have been fitted with a specialised harmonic damper at the front and the flywheel should have been dowelled in place in addition to the 6 securing bolts, at least 3 x 1/2" dowels should have been used but preferably 6 or this failure will just keep happening. I am a race car engineer of 40 years experience and I hold a Technicians Certificate in Mechanical Engineering and I specialised in engine development.

[@larrykostopulos1332]

Here in Australia we have the 4 Litre straight six, my current wagon runs a Barra version which is 190 kilowatts (nearly 260 hp). Lots of power on tap, a wonderful cruiser and get s 9.7 litres per 100 kilometres (29 mpg)

[@stewartlandin7909]

Finally been waiting forever for this

[@ttinnovations3310]

Electric might be the future, but as long as I live, Still love old school combustion engines =)

[@mjupao1957]

That's cooler than the v8

[@bmstylee]

So spending more money to make less power is cool?

[@mjupao1957]

@@bmstylee i doct care for me its cooler than a v8

[@williamsanders468]

@@bmstylee V8’s are great but a straight six like this is something else, if you really just want to go fast then yeah go pick up that LS engine from a junkyard

[@bmstylee]

@@williamsanders468 yes. It's something else that is a relic. If I want to go fast and use an I6 there is this thing called a 2JZ. Now that's cool. This not so much.

[@bmstylee]

@@mjupao1957 Performs poorly. Packages poorly. Costs way more to build. Explain to me why it's cool? Seems like one issue after another to me. From every measureabe approach it seems to be a horrible choice. If you really throw money away just give it to me. No one uses inline gas engines.

[@mattfarahsmillionmilelexus]

The buzzin' half dozen!

[@big6red389]

Frank looked really Disturbed when guy put that motor on that tire and drove off😂😂😂

[@bdavidson9021]

Awesome another straight six you guys gonna finish the other one?

[@tootall5559]

a whole lot of years ago, when ARP was a tiny company, my step dad built a Boss 302 engine. It was a fairly hot, it kept breaking even the best rod bolts he could buy locally, so he sent to CA and some ARP (I'm not sure if that was the company name at the time) rod bolts. They never broke again.

[@themanofquality3582]

You are champions💫💫💫👍from indonesia🇮🇩

[@jesusyeshuaelelyonelshadai6295]

I remember seeing a old wrecker truck with a 4 speed manual a inline six and a carburator size of a mower carb.. but on low gear had crazy torque on a duelley truck.... Like 70 something year crazy what inline six can do

[@johnbouchard9447]

my name is also John bouchard. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I wonder if we have any relatives in common. huge fan of the 300 six.

[@bp6508]

Love the inline 6. Got one in my old f100.

[@VncentValntine]

Dang, I went into this thinking there would be more eps, but this is a fresh episode lol

[@plantfeeder6677]

I found my Frank when I raced go-karts in the '70s. Ed Shiffert built great motors.

[@KevinMn1]

Great content and presentation 👍

[@microcolonel]

Straight six is where it's at.

[@Ecosse57]

kudos for hiring a jarhead. extra points too for the six build.

[@peterjohnston1224]

Really enjoyed the video showing the very technical aspects of exacting engine re-builds. So, you set the hook, but I can't see the second half - where the old 6 get reassembled and put on a dyno. I'd love to see the cycle completed. Please advise.

[@VenturiLife]

Really good video on the rebuild process. Nice.

[@MatthewBerginGarage]

How the heck did you guys know that my boys and I were about to put a 4.9 liter in a 75 F350. We were thinking of a little refresh as well.😲

[@tphvictims5101]

6 cylinders can be VERY angry motors 😉👍🏻🇺🇸 Good mechanics/Machinists are real life Wizards 🧙‍♂️. Magic.