Summit’s Ford 300 I6 Turbo Kits Turn Workhorses Into 500

The Ford 300 is dependable, but if you want to make it powerful, these are the parts you’ll need.

calebjacobs0611

calebjwords

You can say a lot about Ford's 300-cubic-inch inline-six. For starters, you can say it's insanely durable and laughably simple, which is exactly what you want in a workhorse. But you can't really say it's a powerhouse, at least in stock form. Fortunately, Summit Racing sells a few kits that address the issue by providing everything you need to boost the cast-iron engine to big numbers.

The kits consist of the parts that PowerNation's Engine Power crew used to make 522 horsepower and 597 pound-feet of torque on 13.2 psi. If you've looked into performance-built Ford 300s at all, there's a good chance you've seen that engine; it's easily recognizable for its white-and-red paint, and it used to power a truck-mounted sprayer. Anywho, the guys at Engine Power are the ones who compiled these components into off-the-shelf kits that anyone can buy, so long as they have the scratch.

If you want to copy their turbo setup exactly, you can get this combo for $2,818.36. It has the Turbonetics C15 TNX turbocharger, a VS Racing 50-millimeter wastegate, Turbosmart Gen-V blow-off valve, CSF air-to-air intercooler, Dorman exhaust manifold, and all the piping with Vibrant Performance fittings. It may be pricey, but they've done all the work in developing a turbo setup so you don't have to. And if you've already gone through the trouble, you can save yourself the scratch and buy whatever else you need.

Aside from forced induction, a big-power build requires key top-end upgrades that are available in a separate kit for $3,288.76. It includes hardware like a Holley Sniper XFLOW EFI system, a Holley EFI carb hat, Summit Racing phenolic carb spacer, Offenhauser C-Series intake manifold, Comp Cams High Energy hydraulic flat tappet lifters, and Harland Sharp roller rocker arms. There's a pair of ignition upgrades as well, like MSD Street Fire wires and a Summit Racing blueprinted HEI distributor, both of which are common mods in the Ford 300 world. (I have a similar setup on my 1966 dump truck!)

The last piece of the puzzle is the short block. Engine Power built theirs up with the host of parts in this $1,675.97 kit. It has all the components you'd expect, from DSS FX Series forged pistons to Total Seal TS1 piston rings, Clevite main bearings and cam bearings, Sealed Power rod bearings, a Comp Cams gear drive set, a Melling oil pump, GMB water pump, and more. The cast iron block itself is strong, but obviously Ford never planned on it supporting 500 hp.

This is a stellar compilation of parts that allows you to go as wild or as mild as you'd like, for as little or as much money as you'd like. I know a lot of people would rather put together their own turbo setup, perhaps one with a smaller charger for a flatter curve, and they'd still benefit from the top-end kit. Or maybe someone's already done the grunt work of building the short block and they've never messed with turbos before, so that kit suits them best. Or maybe they just want to buy it all for $7,783.09 and not worry about anything else.

Either way, these setups could be your ticket to embarrassing V8s, so spend accordingly.

Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: [email protected]