not always. some engines are very dependable and some not so much. there's good and bad with all makes and models but one almost always get what they pay for

 

and which years are the bad ones ?

 

for me personally I like the older ones before they came out with the fuel injected engines even though I have no problems with them until they go wrong and one can't figure out why it stops running. but what I like ain't what you asked is it, as i stated earlier there's good and bad in all makes and models, if you can find one with a 4.9 engine you can use it for whatever you like they have a reputation for longevity and are for the most part pretty dang reliable and of course they stopped making them in 96

 

I like that 221-260-289-302-351. Best engines Ford ever made IMHO.

 

there's good and bad with any engine, the reason I said the 4.9 is because it has better torque than the 302 and smaller V-8's gets better fuel milage too

 

I have the 4.9 in my '80 one ton with about 400,000 miles, but I still like the V8s better.

 

all of us have our own opinions and we all know what they're worth. just because one has a V-8 in their vehicle doesn't always do the job we intend for them to do. I had a 1971 Ford F100 with a 302 and a T-18 four speed behind it and it didn't have enough gumption to do what I needed it to do. then I got a 94 Ford F150 with the 4.9 and a 5 speed trans. behind it and it does a way better job of pulling a load than my 71 ever did. that 302 was just plain lame when it came to hauling a load or pulling its own weight. it has a lot to do with how they're geared up i guess but all of those inline six's just seem to have been built to work harder and give more power than the V-8 302 351's had a bit more power to do the same thing as the 4.9 but this is just my opinion and that's all I can say about it

 

Guess I like the v8s because I grew up driving hot rods and racing on short ovals.

 

that's cause you're so old that nascar wasn't even formed yet Rusty

 

Well, we did race chariots when I was young.