The 66 I bought this summer has an inline 6, 200 CID engine in it. Has run fine, but lacks power, carb is a pain sometimes, etc. Recently it started began ticking and I have determined the valve in cylinder 4 is going out, so to rebuild or not. No good history on the engine, and would kind of like to go to a modern engine, so I think I will be shopping for a replacement. Here are some questions:

Carb or EFI?
6 or 8?
What is the best way to get a reasonable and sound motor?
I do not have the space nor expertise to pull this off myself. Is there a recommendation of an individual or shop I can pay to help get it done?
What should be the expected costs with the various options?

For several reasons, including $$, I will probably just park it in my garage over winter and try to get this done in the spring. I know many of you have done what I am going to try to have done, so any advice or contacts you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!
Steve

Howdy Sweigum - sorry to hear about this development.

If your not wanting to keep it as a stocker then I would definitely recommend converting to a 5.0 EFI engine.

IMO, the best approach is to get a complete one out of an Explorer as the accessory drive is small enough to fit in an EB without having to relocate the radiator.

As to $$$$, I would budget about 2,500 - 3,000 which should get you a good motor, EFI tank, RJM harness, and exhaust. Of course, this depends in large part on what you have to pay for the engine itself but if your gonna wait til next spring that gives you plenty of time to find the right deal.

Yours might be more since you would be swapping from a six to a V8 which I believe requires you to weld on new motor mount perches and probably makes a new radiator (bigger) mandatory.

As for a shop, BMF Performance up in Windsor is finishing one for Rdanford as we speak. You could PM him for his opinion on how they did and costs, etc. They hosted our September Breakfast with Broncos and I can tell from talking with them and seeing their shop that they are quality people for sure.

I am doing mine over the winter and you would be welcome to come over any time to talk shop and see what is involved.

Meanwhile there is plenty of knowledge on this board with doing this swap and we just happen to have a few experts that have done it with success.

Keep us posted and let us know what help you need when the time comes

x3 on explorer

A couple of questions for you before you swap out engines....
#1 is it a DD a show piece or an off road rig?
#2 are you wanting the power to keep up in highway traffic or just power to go over the big obstacles?
I ask because that I-6 is a still a pretty good engine. It gets roughly the same MPG that a V8 gets (and in some cases, I have seen where it gets better, when tuned properly) and there are no major modifications to do as there would be with a V8 swap. If it is highway power, there isn't much you really can do, but if it is offroad power, regear it and it will do just fine. But if you are just wanting the V8, I'd go with the 5.0 or 5.8 EFI. But make sure that you do all your research before you jump into it. You will basically need everything from the core support back.

I would agree, 302 or 351 EFI are the most economical to swap in.

Other options listed below, but come with a price tag:
4BT cummins/turbo - want power and mpg's?
Know a buy that put a turbo on his inline 6 (called it the buzzin half dozen) and that thing would smoke most v8's. Info is hard to come by, but here's what I found:
http://t6racing.org/t6racingbb/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27

I don't know the history of the engine unfortunately, so I am reluctant to rebuild something that may end up turning into a g machine. The time when I want more power, a long incline, is the other biggest issue. It would take me days to reach the Eisenhower tunnel. :)
My plans for it are to have a sharp, original looking rig I can drive everywhere....off road, down the highway, on a ing trip, etc. Not a show truck, but looks great like zillie's trucks!! ;) It has pretty much been my daily driver since I got it just because I like it so much. I think I have decided to go the 5.0 EFI route so it is reliable, powerful, versatile, etc.
I have been a car whore for years, buying selling, whatever to get the next new ride, but I REALLY like this one, so the extra cash will be worth it when I can afford it. That way i can drive it for ever, then be buried in it.

I don't think you'll be sorry for that decision. That's probably the engine that most bronco owners upgrade to for good reason.

Yeah, for what you want, I'd go 5.0 as well. You won't be sorry, but I'd recommend while you have everything going, save yourself the headache of dual gas tanks or a single small tank and get the 23 gallon from BC. It has the absolute best mounting system available and you can get it with the pump in the tank.