So you tell me. I'm thinking what drivetrain I want to put in my 69 crew cab. It has to be a stickshift (of course) and preferrable a 5 speed. I need adequate power but don't need to change the rotation of the earth or anything. Maybe tow lightly on occasion, say 6000-7000# max.
And I want to get 20 mpg. Gas or diesel but no big heavy engine like a 6 BT, nothing much heavier than the original 390. And also it has to be cheap/easy to find the donor vehicle.

 

Yow.... that's alot of weight to attain 20 mpg.

Principally, I'm gonna have to go off-brand and say an EFI'd LS engine, a TKO-500/600, and a 4.10 rear gear.

Staying with the Blue Oval... hmm..... a F.A.S.T. XFI and the same trans and rear gear.

How about some aerodynamic mods???!!!

 

Aint likely gonna happen.



John

 

i'm with John on this one.
but if you want to get close, i'm thinking your only shot is a 300 straight six, and whatever 5-speed overdrive transmission you can bolt up to it.

 

Gotta agree. Only way is to put a PSD with 6sp and maybe some 3.73 gears? Find a wrecked truck and buy it all. Tear it out and put it in your chassis. Find a 2000 or such, nothing too new. Likely find plenty of rusty old ones with lots of miles. Even with 250K miles, they will last forever.

Don't think there is any gasser that is going to touch that kinda of number and be able to have enough power to not constantly downshift to keep 55 mph. Let alone PULL anything.

My '00 PSD/CC/DRW 6sp/4.10 got 16mpg on the highway at 65 mph. Put some better gears and likely get near 20 mpg.

 

My first choice, if I had the money, would be a 4BT Cummins with a ZF. Pretty sure 20 wouldn't be a problem, lots of guys getting 25-28 in F150 SC pickups. Power stroke is too heavy and 20 is a stretch for one. Another option would be a 6.2/6.5 Chevy turbo. It's easy to find a 6.5 turbo pickup with a broken crank for cheap and my nephew has a pile of HumVee take out 6.2 engines in the crates. I kinda hate to desecrate a Ford with a bow tie engine. Another option might be a diesel from one of those foreward cab import delivery trucks like an Isuzu or ND.

 

Don't know why you don't hear more about the Isuzu, there are a lot of those 6 wheel trucks in my area.

I drove an E250 once with a 4 cyl Ford industrial diesel engine. That one didn't turn the rpms needed to make it move. Turbo would be a must.



John

 

20 MPG's out of a crew cab?
The only way you're gonna get 20 MPG's out of a crew cab is if you don't drive it.

 

not exactly true..... i know of 2 different crew cabs that get 20 mpg both owned by the same man... truck #1 a 77 super cab has a 460 with a c6 and a splitter box (it's an overdrive/overdrive unit don't know the name of the company that makes it but it was in the $2000-$3000 range) he drives it from Moline ks to Wichita every day during the week his # 2 truck a 74 extended cab has a 4 cyl diesel from a Frito lay chip truck hooked up to a 700r4 chevy trans and he has shown that it gets on the higher end of the 20 mpg spectrum but he has to sacrifice speed for fuel mileage he can't go over 65 mph and most of the time only 55 mph so there are ways to do it you just need to choose that you want either power or fuel mileage only way to get close is the truck #1 option gives you all sorts of options but its pricey for an initial setup but for a daily driver you can't beat that option without getting a car

 

Yeah, on the 460, I'd have to see it to believe it. 460 trucks with factory overdrives don't even get 20 mpgs.
As far as the 4 cyl. goes, whomever would stick a 4 cyl. in a tank is beyond me.

 

The Frito trucks had a lot of 4BT Cummins engines and I don't doubt for a second that you can get 20+ with one. They're not bad on power either/
If the Frito truck was a chevy chassis, it could have came with a Turbo 400 or a Muncy pickup 4 speed, maybe newer ones had a 700 R4. If you find one in a Ford chassis they have a small block Ford bell housing adapter and you can run a ZF. I have a friend who has a 4BT and a ZF in a 39 International. It runs like stink and gets high 20s for mileage. I've been with him when he buried the speedometer. There is also a 4 cylinder version of the 24 Valve Cummins and I'm sure it could do the job. I've seen one ton 4wd Dodges get in the 20s with the 6 cylinder. I just don't want that much weight on my front end.
20 with a 460? I'd have to wave the bs flag on that one too.

 

4bt seems like the ticket there. Even with 4 holes it is still heavy as hell and would be a dog when GVW capacity, but if the work load is light that seems like the trick. I also like the 700r4 idea, the bolt pattern is already a chevy pattern. Makes sense.

 

believe it or not i have set and enjoyed quite a few brew's with him and he has shown me the receipt's an odometer readings (not everyone believes him so he carries them in his wallet for bragging rights) i have known this man for years and he isn't the lying type .... he added the 700r4 it originally had a 400 i didn't know there were any that bolted up to a zf so that is awesome news i might look a little deeper on those i love that idea....

 

I no believe.

 

I'll drink the cool-aid