300 or 292, straight six. What's the most unusual place or heaviest vehicle you've seen one in?

[ebinmaine 72,706]

I know that both of those engines were used in industrial applications over the years. Generators. Large machinery. I've seen 292 GM in lobster boat applications here in Maine.

Where else have you all seen one?

 

 

[Pullstart 66,802]

A late 60’s Impala... same dimensions as a lobster boat I imagine!

[Racinbob 11,931]

Not exactly an industrial application but still a 300 straight 6. About 4 years ago while we were still living in Florida our daughter up here sent me this. I bought this 85 F-150 new and drove it 12 years and 285,000 miles. Besides routine maintenance the only work on it was a water pump, a throw out bearing and a rocker cover gasket. That 300 was a torque monster and I pulled a 30' travel trailer all over with it even though, equipped with the 4 speed manual overdrive, it was only rated for 3300# towing. She spotted it on the side of the road and recognized it. Aside from the rust and funky wheels it brings back some memories. Great truck and great engine. 

 

[posifour11 723]

Grain truck. 

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,371]

Friend of mine has a wood chipper powered by a 300. I also know of a 300 that served many years in an old 80 F150 before I finally junked the truck, now it is sitting on a stand in a field running a water pump for an irrigation circle. 

 

And even though I’m true blue, I must admit that one of the best trucks I ever owned was my old 1980 C30 with the 292 and 4 speed, never got in any hurry to go somewhere but the thing had the torque to move a mountain

[JAinVA 4,637]

Back in the day,292 in c60s and 300 in lots of F600s.Those were the baseline engines for both manufacturers. I got a chance to drive both.Slightly off topic but I know  225 slant sixs were in Lull off road 4wd fork lifts.I had a 65 d500  dump truck with a 225.

Edited August 15, 2019 by JAinVA

[857 horse 2,588]

1 hour ago, JAinVA said:

Back in the day,292 in c60s and 300 in lots of F600s.Those were the baseline engines for both manufacturers. I got a chance to drive both.Slightly off topic but I know  225 slant sixs were in Lull off road 4wd fork lifts.I had a 65 d500  dump truck with a 225.

225.TUFF AS NAILS !!!!!!   AND IM NOT A CHRYSLER BUFF,,,,,,BUT,,,,,GOOD IS GOOD,!!!!!

[JAinVA 4,637]

Not an industrial application but my 78 f150 and a 7500 lb towed load in 1983.The truck is a 4wd 4sp with 33s and 3.50 gears.I bought that truck in Dec 1977.Having driven much larger trucks with the 300 I knew it would do fine.I still have that truck.

[Darb1964 1,119]

I drove a d-500 myself, it was a 67.with the slant six.that was in the early eighties,the truck was a beast.I know the 300 and 292 were used in many industry applications in the sixties.They were good old American power and gearing, like us horseman seem to love. Now the trend seems to be to pore fuel to the big v8s get the rpms up get the job done faster. I like them too,just don't have the need or wallet for them now.

[ebinmaine 72,706]

Some great stuff here folks. Thank you for sharing and keep them coming.

 

I had a 1992 f150 2WD with a straight 6 and 5 speed. 3/4 ton springs installed by the original owner.

I latched on to a 31 foot camper which weighed somewhere around 7,000 lb and towed it home without even having any weight distribution hitch or even sure if the brakes on the trailer were working correctly. I assume they must have been because it stopped great. That engine did not even understand that it was pulling anything. I'd get another truck like that in a heartbeat.

 

Edited August 15, 2019 by ebinmaine

[posifour11 723]

Thinking about that grain truck brought up a great memory. In the summers when I was young and full of... vinegar, I threw hay after working all day at an honest to God service station (in the 90's!). 

 

The boss folks took the sides off of the trucks and they became hay trucks. They had a coupler welded on for a ground drive elevator. We usually had a six person crew and three trucks. The field driver was the bosses wife. She was in her mid 80's back then and the best driver ever. She was the only one who could keep those trucks from jerking or pitching on the uneven fields. 

 

The others on the crew took trucks to various barns of the buyers. Boss man had me stacking trucks because he said I could read the bales and stack accordingly. Proud to say, I'm the only stacker who never had a bale lost. 😃

[adsm08 3,259]

I always thought it was odd how in the mid to late 90s you could get the 300-6 or the 351 in the heavier Econolines, but you couldn't get a 302.

[posifour11 723]

1 minute ago, adsm08 said:

I always thought it was odd how in the mid to late 90s you could get the 300-6 or the 351 in the heavier Econolines, but you couldn't get a 302.

True. I know of one old Ford 3/4 4x4 that made it over half a million with just a timing gear and oil pump change. It belonged to a high school friend's dad, a farrier at that. 

 

I'm a Chevy guy, but those 300's were workhorses. 

[Lee1977 7,214]

There use to be a local junkyard that had a 300 six in a puck-up frame with a 6 or 7 foot bush hog mounted under it. The bed and cab was gone, self propelled bush hog.

[Razorback 1,129]

My uncle used one of these back in the 70’s when we were mowing hay. I think he liked pretending he was driving a tank...... had the 300/6 in it, if I remember correctly.... his had lever steering.

 

(or maybe it was his old Gleaner combine??? Now I’m not sure....)

 

 

Edited August 15, 2019 by Razorback

[Razorback 1,129]

59 minutes ago, Razorback said:

My uncle used one of these back in the 70’s when we were mowing hay. I think he liked pretending he was driving a tank...... had the 300/6 in it, if I remember correctly.... his had lever steering.

 

(or maybe it was his old Gleaner combine??? Now I’m not sure....)

 

 

Found an old ad for the Owatonna mower.... almost looks like my uncle.....

 

[ebinmaine 72,706]

Some pretty awesome machines!!

[Stepney 2,354]

Seen an old Cletrac dozer with a Plymouth slant 6.

As for the two listed engines..

Saw an old 292 in a re-purposed Erie steam shovel. What a marvel it was to see how that all worked. 

There is a 240 Ford (Same as the 300 more or less) in a small gauge locomotive stored in a shed nearby my place. 

[ebinmaine 72,706]

1 minute ago, Stepney said:

Seen an old Cletrac dozer with a Plymouth slant 6.

As for the two listed engines..

Saw an old 292 in a re-purposed Erie steam shovel. What a marvel it was to see how that all worked. 

There is a 240 Ford (Same as the 300 more or less) in a small gauge locomotive stored in a shed nearby my place. 

Those are cool examples.

 

Love to see pics of them.....

 

[Stepney 2,354]

The shovel was a display up at Higmos logging days engine show some years ago. Probably a permanent display, just haven't gone in years. The loco is sitting at a lumber yard. Think it was a switcher, likely never went anywhere to my knowledge. It may well be home made. It's an awful crude looking piece of machinery. I'll have to spin by there sometime. 

[ebinmaine 72,706]

5 minutes ago, Stepney said: