The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 302 I-6 power ?

what was the power numbers for the GMC 302 I-6 ?

Mike

They were rated at 160HP @ 3800 RPM 268 ft. lbs. torque @ 1600 RPM

Wow, I was told it was only an 85hp engine.

Makes a person wounder why the GI-Spec'd 6x6's went from the 160hp 268tq 302 GMC to the REO-331 which made 130hp 250tq . . .

But the then again the GMC-302 was backed up with an automatic trans with 5.?? gears and the Reo-331 had a manual trans and 6.72-6.79 gears with top load Rock Wells . . .

Making the "new" Deuce and half seem strong better faster ?

Mike

I have a bit of a fetish for old military trucks and one of the things I learned early on in getting into the hobby was to remember that the government generally awarded contracts to the lowest bidder, assuming they met the requirements. And, in particular, they have never "overpowered" their trucks. Slow and steady is the name of the game. Don't want those 18 year old GI's thinking they are driving a hot rod.

I guess so, have enough engine power to barely tow the required load, then over build and over gear everything behind it so it'll last 30-50 years . . .

Ever notice a Mil spec Rig V.S civvy Rig ?

The Mil-spec rig can sit for several decade, pour in some fresh fuel and add fresh batteries it'll fire up and limp on home . . .

Not saying that a Private sector Rig won't. most of the mid/late 70's and older ones will too . . .

Now picture everything from say 1980's forward doing that very rarely if ever . . . Unless its a Mil-spec unit, so lowest bidder don't = low quality.

they still got a very durable vehicle they just didn't pay to much for it

Mike

Those old engines were pretty tough. The original '56 270 in my truck sat so long that a couple valve seats had rusted away, I had pitting in three cyclenders so bad it required sleeving, on top of the 6 or the bores being so worn out the piston rings barely sealed,... It essentialy was running on three cylenders, almost. Some gas in the car and a boost to the battery & it still started up & wound up to 45/50MPH. Wasn't winnin any drag races, but it ran!

But then again, we had a VW van when I was but a wee lad, sheared the cam so only the rear two cylenders were working, and one of those was barely hitting. We drove it 35 miles to the nearest shop, not real fast but it got there without a hitch. Lets see a new car run on 1.5 cylenders! :P

Yep, tis how they go . . . from 1985+ reliability took a big hit for the ability to produce more for less . . .

Mike

The above is misleading. The OA331 that went in to the M34/M35 was rated at 130HP but so was the 302 GMC in the M135/M211. The latest incarnation of the 302 did make 160HP but the latest 331 made 170HP. I have owned several of each. Both engines are good but the Reo engine was a much more modern design and significantly heavier duty than the GMC.