What are you using it for? Daily driver, mudder, rock crawler, dragster, tow-rig, etc etc...

This way we can figure out if it'll suit your needs. Gears can fix a lot of things too.

 

Daily driver, twenty five mile round trip. Only on rainy days or winter. Occasional family off road trips and hunting/ camping duty. But by no means a dedicated trail rig.

 

I love my 300. I have a manual trans think that it is perfect for a bronco. Keeps the MPGs at a decent rate and moves the bronco around easy.

 

I have this with a 300 6, I bought it new in 1990

I have owned 302s which are a very good engine, IMO in a heavy vehicle like a Bronco the 300 makes a better truck engine because of the torque it makes at low RPMs.

 

My Bronco has a 302, but I used to own an '86 1/2 ton 4X4 pickup with a 300 and 4-speed. It was absolutely a great combo. IIRC it did fairly well on gas, and had acceptable power for everything I did, even at 5500 ft. elevation. I even used it to tow a 27' travel trailer to the mountains once, and while it isn't an ideal choice for that, it did it without issue.

If you had an automatic it would be a no-brainer to go with the 302, but since you have a standard i would vote for whichever can be done the easiest. I don't think you'll mind the I6.

 

I have an '81 Bronco with a 300 in it. I've probably put a good 50,000 miles on it since I've owned it and have taken it everywhere. The only thing it lacks is passing power on the highway but it moves Broncos around without blinking an eye. Off-road, you just can't beat the low end torque.

That said, I outfitted mine with a 4bbl carb and a high flow exhaust, and now I can't think of any reason to ever put a V8 in. It does anything and everything I could ask of it, and get better mileage.

In fact, my wife loved it so much we got her an '84 Bronco with a 300 in it and outfitted it with a 4bbl setup.



That said, I've never driven a 300 with an automatic behind it. I hear they don't go together very well.

 

My stock 92 has the 300 and M5OD transmission. It's a great truck engine and gets me from point A to Point B. I'm glad I have the 300 and not the 302/351. More room in the engine bay for future mods/accessories. Better all around Torque to get you moving and keep you moving. If you want speed and go fast, go 302. If you want to move and keep moving no matter what, go 300.

 

I have a 300 I6 in mine with a C4 auto behind it....The motor is AWESOME and is very durable....the tranny though sucks ass. Can't wait for my ZF swap to happen. The motor has power and with a manual transmission, they're indestructible... I'd swap the 300 in for sure :thumbup