266 or 304?

Early Scout

Early Scout

Member
I like the smaller displacement v8's in a smaller vehicle like the model 80, especially for a daily driver application with 33" tires and im wondering which is the better, more reliable, fairly economical (gas mileage that is) has a fairly good parts availability and is fairly inexpensive to rebuild and maintain.

Wondering what the main differences between the two are configuration wise? Do they share the same heads and manifolds like the small block Chevy's and just have different bores and crank lengths and such, or what?

Thanks, chris
 
If you are thinking about swapping an IH sv 266/304 into the Scout 80...don't even think about it!

I've done one, and I'll never get involved in a project like that ever again. Looks like a natural huh??? Not hardly!!! Look at a Scout 880 with a 266 or 304 and you will see why!

For an engine swap, I'd look at a 289/302 Ford or the Ford 2.8l v6 "german version" with appropriate tranny/transfer case out of a Bronco II. Those have major hotrod potential along with being tiny overall and strong!

All your other questions can be answered by spending much time reading threads in all the sub-forums. It will all come together after a while!
 
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....or you could pick up the IH 152 I have sitting in my garage :ihih:

for just a few bucks more, I will even make it go!
 
provience said:
....or you could pick up the IH 152 I have sitting in my garage :ihih:

for just a few bucks more, I will even make it go!
Click to expand...

Talk to me. Is your 152 a runner or does it need a go through? I just did a compression test on my girlfriends model 80 that I haven't figured out how to make run yet (shaking my head in disbelief) and it came out to 120 psi on cylinder #1 and 110 on 2, 3 & 4. I've searched this site and googled "IH model 80 152 compression" and have found nothing but ratio specs.

My 85 toyota 22r puts out 175 per cylinder so naturally when I the needle stopped at the 110 Mark after even 5 or 6 compression strokes I was a bit ...... How should we say.... Deflated.... Yeah.

Seriously, lets talk because I need to get this thing running asap.
 
earl Scout said:
talk to me. Is your 152 a runner or does it need a go through? I just did a compression test on my girlfriends model 80 that I haven't figured out how to make run yet (shaking my head in disbelief) and it came out to 120 psi on cylinder #1 and 110 on 2, 3 & 4. I've searched this site and googled "IH model 80 152 compression" and have found nothing but ratio specs.

My 85 toyota 22r puts out 175 per cylinder so naturally when I the needle stopped at the 110 Mark after even 5 or 6 compression strokes I was a bit ...... How should we say.... Deflated.... Yeah.

Seriously, lets talk because I need to get this thing running asap.
Click to expand...

Ihc did not publish compression specifications in service references.

And you can't compare any "modern" engine service data characteristics with these motors.

We have quite a few threads in this sub-forum regarding compression testing, leakdown testing, and overall engine diagnostics. The I-4 (152/196) characteristics regarding the upper cylinder area are identical with 266/304/345/392 sv engines. The only anomaly that affects 152/196 upper cylinder "pressure" numbers is the tendency for those camshafts to have one or more "flat" lobes. That characteristics is normally not present regarding the sv engines due to two different manufacturing processes which were involved in the oem camshaft production.

Depending upon how you performed the compression test, and if it was a "cold" test, then your compression numbers are not abnormally low.

An engine with the compression numbers you posted will run fine as long as all other systems are functional.
 
Kind what I was thinking. It was a cold test since I haven't really been able to run this thing normally for more than 30 seconds at a time.

Yesterday I finally broke down and broke out the wire wheel attachment on my 4.5" grinder, got under the vehicle and wire wheeled off the timing Mark on the crank pulley. Blam!! There it was.....

Hooked up a spark plug to all the plug wires (one at a time of course) to make sure I as getting spark at the end of the line -- which I was, so the only thing I can guess is I must not have set the distributor on the top of the compression stroke. Gonna double check it again today after dumping all the fuel laden oil from the crank case and see what happens..... Wish me luck!

Sure would be nice if IH or somebody would publish a dry, cold, wet and warm compression test data so that us 152 newbies that are actually experienced mechanically can have some kind of reference to go by....

Okay, so here's mine -- been sitting for a few years, barely run due to misfiring and such, 120 in 1, and 110 in 2, 3 & 4. Hope this helps others....
 
110-120 is ok for now. Untill you get some real run time on it I would expect low compression pressures........then I would not expect more than 135#
 
earl Scout said:
talk to me. Is your 152 a runner or does it need a go through? I just did a compression test on my girlfriends model 80 that I haven't figured out how to make run yet (shaking my head in disbelief) and it came out to 120 psi on cylinder #1 and 110 on 2, 3 & 4. I've searched this site and googled "IH model 80 152 compression" and have found nothing but ratio specs.

My 85 toyota 22r puts out 175 per cylinder so naturally when I the needle stopped at the 110 Mark after even 5 or 6 compression strokes I was a bit ...... How should we say.... Deflated.... Yeah.

Seriously, lets talk because I need to get this thing running asap.
Click to expand...

If you need to run asap, then it sounds like fixing your current one would should be good, after tlc. Mine is a ran when parked till the rain hit model so I am going to tear into it and make sure everything is in good shape. Hopefully, the worst case scenario will be cylinder hone and re-ring and then back together.

My current priority is a toyota 3.0 so let me know if you are interested in a 152 long block, but it will probably be a week or two until its done.
 
Ill let you know, but to be honest, rather than spending that kind of time and money to get limited results (power, performance & mileage) im almost thinking of either a Chevy 283, or the mercedes diesel -- either the 240d or 300d. Seriously!
 
Oh yeah..... :shocked: now that ive had this thing on the road a few times its more than clear that this 152 is absolutely guttless and running this 152 is not an option for the long term. No way!

So yeah, the cheap quick fix is obviously the Chevy 283 or 307 and look down the line to finding a nice little mercedes diesel to adapt to the Chevy drive train. I actually bought an 83 300d turbo in July of 07 just to study that engine and how it performed n all, and it was awesome! It had great horsepower up here in the hills and I got anywhere from 25-35 mpg. And that was with my foot in it all the time - ya know, like the germans drive.....?

If I had a 617 (the 5cyl diesel) on hand I wouldn't think twice of doing that conversion right now. I've ridden in an fj40 that has the conversion in it and it runs really nice. Simple too.... But was looking on the summit site last night and couldn't even believe that I could get a set of keith black pistons for a 283 for less than $140 bucks. And as easy and inexpensive as it is to find a 283 core or block..... I already have an adapter for a Chevy to t90 transmission, so..... If it wasn't for the fact that I had to get some jobs done so I can pay the rent right now id tear into it right now!
 
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