Out Of The Big Three

[Redbow]

Ford, GM, and Chrysler what engines were your favorite in those vehicles? I have owned quite a few of all the cars and trucks produced by the big 3. Ford I loved the old 352, the 390 and the 289 engines of years past. The 302 is a good reliable engine as well.

General Motors. The old 230-235 6 cylinder engines, the straight 8 engines were great reliable engines. The old 283, the 327 were good engines but my all time favorite is the GM 350 engine. Reliable, long lasting if you took care of them but not really good on fuel. But that is just my take on GM engines.

Chrysler. The old slant 6 engines, good reliable power that would run for many years not bad on fuel. Chrysler made a 273 V8 engine they were okay. I had a 383 that I ran for 77k miles still had power when I traded that car but a gas hog. My all time favorite Chrysler engine was the old 318. We had one in 1960 when I was growing up in a Dodge pickup. Three on the tree, 318 two barrel carb but it had lots of power and ran for many years.
I never owned but a couple of the big block engines in either of the big 3, no 413, 455, 440 or 426 . Never owned a GM car or truck with a BB engine but many of my friends did.

What has been your all time favorite car or truck engine from the past or present day?

 

[Triple C]

My comments are pretty much worthless on this subject. I know nothing about engines. I've owned Fords n GMC trucks over the years.

I'm driving a 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 with the 3.0 Duramax diesel engine. I love this engine. No idea how it will hold up over time. You would not know you were driving a diesel. In fact, embarrassing to admit this, but I bought it without even knowing it was a diesel until I drove it home to get my check book. Got back to the dealership and when I got out, noticed it said Duramax Diesel on the side-plate. Glad I didn't stop and put fuel in it at the time cause I would have put gas.

Amazingly quick acceleration and going up hills is a breeze. Bout to hit 20k miles. Mileage from the day I bought it is 24.1 mpg as compared to 16 mpg on my previous 2017 Sierra gasser.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Ford: 351 Cleveland, 300 straight 6, 289.
Chevy: 307
Chrysler: Never owned one.

 

[sinclair1]

Grew up a Chevy man. I like and owned big block 454 and a vintage 327 with double hump heads.
Had a few 350’s that were dependable but just low horsepower daily drivers.

My favorite sound besides my 12.5-1 compression monster was our flat 6 Porsche. The gurgle between shifts was music to my ears

 

[TheWildLife]

Mopar - 340
Ford - 351C, 460 (truck), and 300
Chevy - 350 and the 5.3 from the early 2000s

 

[Redbow]

Ford: 351 Cleveland, 300 straight 6, 289.
Chevy: 307
Chrysler: Never owned one.

I had a 351 cleveland in a '74 Ford Torino it had power but it was hard to pass a gas station.

 

[mguthrie]

Mopar - 340
Ford - 351C, 460 (truck), and 300
Chevy - 350 and the 5.3 from the early 2000s

I’ve owned several of the early 2000 5.3 v8’s. More dependable than the 350 and better fuel mileage. My son has a 2003 suburban with 350,000 miles

 

[Redbow]

I’ve owned several of the early 2000 5.3 v8’s. More dependable than the 350 and better fuel mileage. My son has a 2003 suburban with 350,000 miles

I drove a used Chevy pickup for about two days a few years back it had the 5.3 engine. That truck was terrible on gas I took it back to the dealer and said no way I would own that thing.

 

[mguthrie]

I drove a used Chevy pickup for about two days a few years back it had the 5.3 engine. That truck was terrible on gas I took it back to the dealer and said no way I would own that thing.

I didn’t say they were good on gas. Better than a 350. Ours get around 15 mpg. I had a 2002 f250 with the 5.4 liter engine. It got 12 mpg on the highway. Had a f250 with the v10. It got 8.

 

[mguthrie]

As far as the best engine goes. I’ve got 2-f 250’s now with the 7.3 liter engines. They’re just about indestructible. I daily drive a 2016 f250 with the 6.7 that’s deleted. It’s got over 500 HP

 

[Redbow]

I didn’t say they were good on gas. Better than a 350. Ours get around 15 mpg. I had a 2002 f250 with the 5.4 liter engine. It got 12 mpg on the highway. Had a f250 with the v10. It got 8.

Yeah I know you didn't say they were good on gas but even with a 5.3 some truck get better mileage than others. I have seen that in Chevy 350 engines also. That truck I drove the dealer really wanted to sell the thing but I think the original owner might have traded it because of the poor gas mileage. I bought a GMC with the 4.8 engine it was pretty good on gas and lots of power.

 

[basstrkr]

We were a chevy family. 327 all the way every day. 300 Hp, duals, with quadrajet four barrel. Moan baby moan!

When I worked in auto pars what we didn't like about the 351 Ford was the confusion between the Windsor and Cleveland engines. Sometimes you had to know the what time of what day it was made to get the right part.

No Chryslers but we had a couple Studebakers we kinda liked.

 

[ucfireman]

Ford ranger 2.3, not a lot of power but ran for ever!!!

 

[georgia_home]

74, iirc, 318 in my first car, dodge dart swinga’

great engine.

 

[Redbow]

74, iirc, 318 in my first car, dodge dart swinga’

great engine.

I loved the swingers a guy used to have one that he drag raced with just plain stock so he said but turned a quarter mile at 101 mph. We had a Ford Pinto it had the 2.3 engine it was a good car.

 

[Meriwether Mike]

Chevys its the 327. Oldsmobile had great 350s which were different than the Chevy 350. Those would go a lot of miles if you kept the oil changed. Had a Oldsmobile 330 in a Cutlass that had 320 HP. That thing was a terror out of the hole due to the switch pitch torque converter.

 

[FriedCatfish]

1971 Mercury Comet with the 302. It would scat but that motor was crammed in that car. Hard as all get out getting plugs out, and the pipes ran right over the starter. Burned up the windings in I don’t know how many starters.

 

[normaldave]

A lot of favorites but if I only had to pick one, it was my 1971 340 4-bbl I built for my 1972 Dodge Dart.


Direct Connection Purple Shaft 284/484 cam, Weiand Accelerator single plane intake, Holley 750, Hedmann Super Pro Hustler multi-piece headers with slide on collectors, 3.91 Sure Grip.

 

[Redbow]

1971 Mercury Comet with the 302. It would scat but that motor was crammed in that car. Hard as all get out getting plugs out, and the pipes ran right over the starter. Burned up the windings in I don’t know how many starters.

I had a '65 Mercury Comet with the 289 engine 4 speed in the floor. It was a nice little car and pretty fast but I had to sell it when I went into the Army in '66.

 

[Redbow]

A lot of favorites but if I only had to pick one, it was my 1971 340 4-bbl I built for my 1972 Dodge Dart.
View attachment 1287842
View attachment 1287843
Direct Connection Purple Shaft 284/484 cam, Weiland Accelerator single plane intake, Holley 750, Hedmann Super Pro Hustler multi-piece headers with slide on collectors, 3.91 Sure Grip.

I like that car Dave wish I had one now. Those 340 engines would get up and go. When we lived down in SC there was a guy who would build those cars he even crammed a 440 magnum into a couple of them.