F or 2F? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Mar 10, 2010
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24
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Location
Butte, MT
Theres alot of info in the faQ about the debate 2F or 350, but im wondering the differences between the F and the 2F. Id like to hear from some people that have owned both.I now have a F in my 74 and have never driven a 2F, but i did test drive a 350 that had way more power than the F. Im wondering if i decide to do a swap, if there will be a big difference between the F and 2F, or if i want more power to just go with a 350. Im not worried about speed, but i always want more power! Raised on Home Improvement i guess, ha. I have a chevy with a 6.0 liter and am used to the power, F just seems kind of weak to me. So would i be wasting my money switching to a 2F for more power, and is there any mods i could do to the F that i have to make it comparable to the 2F? Other than rebuilding.
Also, i already have a header and a weber carb. Header was on when i bought it and the carb made no difference, old one was leaking like a siv, so had to get a new one.

Thanks for any info guys

Brasco
 
In my opinion, if you are switching for the reason of needing more power, skip the 2F step and go late model vortec, even a 4.8 will kick the crap out of a 2F horsepower wise...

Also, having done a few v8 conversions over the years, I will say they always take more time and money than you budgeted. Little things add up. Getting the 74 F motor you have in a good state of tune would be a starting place, and frankly, just cause it has headers and a weber means nothing about how well it runs. Not saying they cant be made to run very well, but the best running,smoothest F/2F's I have driven have all been stock carb, vacuum advance distributor,fresh cam etc. Spending a grand on that motor in the form of a rebuilt stock carb(FJ40Jim), a new distributor(trollhole), a reground cam,(delta cams and others) and shaving the head/valve job(local shop) is going to net a really nice F motor. Smooth enough and powerful enough, and decent on gas...

You have a good year F, aside from a bit of displacement, it is in terms design a 2F with a slightly smaller bore. 90mm vs 94mm.
 
If i were to stay with the straight six, should i rebuild the F, or get a 2F and rebuild that, or would they be basically the same engine? Also how much more money are we talking to do a V8, rather than rebuilding the F, ballpark?
 
If i were to stay with the straight six, should i rebuild the F, or get a 2F and rebuild that, or would they be basically the same engine? Also how much more money are we talking to do a V8, rather than rebuilding the F, ballpark?

Is this the rig you picked up a few months ago? just get it running properly and drive it for the summer, then see what mods/upgrades you want to do.

dollar wise depends on what the engine needs done to it, but a major rebuild will cost some $$'s. almost easier to find a lower mileage 2F out of something and drop it in.
 
Absolutely nothing wrong with a stock F engine with original carb and electronic ignition if so desired. Smooth, tractor power with torque up the kazoo. Large 7.5 quart oil pan that can take the steepest angle of attack without starving the engine like a v mod would. Not the least, good for several hundred thousand miles. And best of all, originally designed for the FJ40 and all its capabilities.
 
the look up 'big gay 2f'. has lots of power but if you arnt will to do all that work to a 2f. do 350. but thats work to put it in as will.
 
Ya 3 puppies its the one. If i do any engine work it would be at least 2 years down the road, just curious and trying to learn as much as i can. Power steering is priority over engine work and that wont be till next summer. Ive already had to put a bunch of money into it to get it ready for hunting season. I had boxes coming from ups on a regular basis, told the wife that was going to stop. So anything else that i do now will be small stuff, and cheap! Some day i would like to do some engine work, and body for that matter, but not anytime soon.
 
I had a 74 F it died in 1995 at 185.000 miles after many many years of neglect by POs.

The machine shop estimated $1400-1700 to rebuild the F before I brought it to them. When they opened it up that number changed to $2600 + some before tax. Aka $3000 plus when the dust settled. Pistons alone were $500-600 for the set.
Then the had a look at a running 2F I brought in (assuring me it would be much cheaper to rebuild). After they looked at it they estimated $2600 + tax.
I just about blew a gasket when I got stuck with a $400 for the tear down work. PM me if you want the name of a shop I will never go back to.

Getting to the point...
My V8 conversion cost me $2550 after tax. This included a new clutch, new exhaust, 120 amp alternator, new RV cam, new Lifters, new Rockers, and a Quadrajet carb. I now have a reliable 300 hp 350 that I've driven from the top of the US to the bottom and back.

If the motor blew up tomorrow I could be back on the road for less than $500.

Just some food for thought.
 
That said... I would have loved to have kept the F.

It was reliable and would pull steadily from below idle. The F wasn't a racehorse but it sure got the job done.
 
I was thinking about a SBC swap and pulling my F motor ( which runs fine ) But after reading all this info, I'm gonna stay with my F and spend the money on a front disc conversion instead . Thanks for the info.:clap::ban:
 
The front disc conversion is sweet, makes a huge difference.
 

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