Guys, this is my forum (my truck was stolen, and I'm considering another one, but it's a 78....Bear with me)..........and I have a question about the 460 Carbureted engine in front of a C6......

The truck I'm looking at has what he calls "standard" rear gears, so I assume they're not too low.....It's an F-150 with bells and whistles....A/C, fancy pants package (Ranger too, I think) from '78.....WELL taken care of, under 80K original miles, and obviously a creampuff ... whomever owned it treated it well....Near Mint condition with no restoration.

I'd like to know what realistic gas mileage figures I could expect from this beasty......I had a 460 Fuelly in my 89 350 Fifth Wheel hauler, and the mileage was abysmal.

Do any of you'se guys have experience with this combo? PLEASE let me know asap...................... Thanks. Doc

 

460 in an F150. I forgot Ford did that.

Properly tuned in stock configuration, it should push the F150 with 15 or 16 mpg if you're lucky. Expect 13 or 14 at most. It'll get better gas mileage in the F150 than it will the F350 you drove.

Tune it with a vacuum gauge, set timing at slightly advanced, and put an egg under the gas pedal. I think you could get 16 mpg out of it if you worked for it. You'll want to ditch the C6 for a ZF5 though if you're going for mileage.

The upside is, it'll bark the tires and stand up if you want it too.

 

I'd be surprised if it got more than 11.

 

I agree. I don't think the factory ever setup a 460 for fuel mileage, though you could try and change some stuff around to help it. If you ordered or where looking at a 460 on the lot, you where looking to move something.

 

I'm torn between the 78 150 Classic 460/Auto in nearly mint condition for about 7 grand + TTT.....OR a 95 150 302/Auto in nice condition, plain jane (but NICE body and paint!) and 186K on it for only 3 grand + TTT......Both have good brakes, etc. with good history reports.....

To make the 95 into something snappy, I'd be spending nearly 3 grand in extras and equipment by the time I was finished (easily.....it adds up FAST).....

The 460 is finished as-is......even has a full length matching hinged tonneau....sharp.....that alone would be over $1500. I believe......Plus it has a complete class III tow package already, while the 95 needs it........

SO, I have to decide on "all at once", or "piece meal" customizing........Small block or big block.........

 

See what I mean. If you are planning on pulling a large camper and go on trips with one of these trucks, the 302 is not going to do a very good job of it, though it would get good fuel mileage empty.

What are you going to do with this truck? You can't have everything you know.

 

Hinged hard ABS tonneau cover painted body color is around 700 bucks.

If the F150 is a Trailer Special, it will have a trailer special emblem on the tailgate. If not a Trailer Special, where did you get the Class III tow package info?

Ford didn't offer trailer hitches whether the truck was a Trailer Special or not. All they offered were two different sizes of trailer hitch ***** that attached to the step bumper.

When customers asked about hitches, we sent 'em to U-Haul.

1978: Do not believe the miles shown on the odometer! It reads to 99,999.9 then returns to ZERO.

 

What I have to pull is a 16 foot concession style trailer loaded with musical gear.....I do community outreach ministries, concerts, emergency relief, etc....... The F-100 that was stolen had a 302, and it had plenty of power to pull it around and maneuver it...............

The Class III was installed on the 460 at some other point than factory.....It's complete though, all wired with a controller......nice job, and just what I need.....

I'm going to use the truck for more than hauling the trailer though.....The trailer is spotty usage, and generally short trips.....All other use will be around town, and an occasional sprint to Orlando or something (Like Old Town, or just a day out of town)................THIS is why I'm torn.......I don't know if the fuel I'm going to save with the 302 is gonna be "cost-effective".......I like customs and classics, and I KNOW that the 95-302 is going to be yet another project to get into.......Parts, customizing, installations,.....and It will still be a 95 F-150 when it's finished................with 187K on it...............

???

 

A '78 in near mint condition would be something that would turn heads. A '95 in "nice condition" won't be a head-turner w/o a lot of dolling up, read "cost", but even then it is handicapped by being a more modern design. On the other hand, it is more modern and probably more comfortable to drive. (I recently rode in a 2004 F250 SuperDuty turbo'd diesel that was pulling a stock trailer, and it rode better than Dad's truck, so they've certainly improved things over time.)

Part of the question should be what do you like to do: Have something that turns heads or make something that turns heads? I'm sure you can doll up both the '78 and the '95 like you did with the last truck, but IMHO the '95 will never be a "classic" and the '78 is already.

 

My 76 F250 with the 460,4V (E-brock 1405,600CFM) will get about 14, IF you baby it...

It has the 3:55's in the rear...

Expect around 11 loaded, pulling a trailer,etc..

Less, depending on state of tune,quick starts,etc.

But, no more miles than I put on it yearly (about 6K) I LOVE it..

It doesn't matter what you are pulling, if you want to go, just mash on it..Note: If nose starts bleeding from the surge of power, please reduce pressure on gas pedal......Trav..

 

Kind of sounds like you have pretty much made up your mind on which truck, and just need that last little convincing. IMO, if you want that "classic" look, you won't get it with the '95, no way, no how (I have seen a few of the 90's trucks that look really nice though).

So there's no leads on your old truck that was stolen? Has the insurance company written it off already? If you really like the '80-'86 styles, why not look around for one of those and see what comes up? Just trying to get an idea of what's going on and what YOU really like the most.

 

There's a reason when looking for a Supercab I cut off my search at 86... I found lots of 87-up trucks that were turn-key but I bought a basket case 86 because it was exactly what I was looking for and had that classic look.

I doubt you'll actually see too much difference in fuel economy to justify it. The 460 might need a little tweaking to get it there but my 86 F150 EFI 302 was 12-14 around town. Sure it got up to 19 on the highway but you just need X horsepower to get around and it takes Y gas to give it to you. 460, 302, six... The BTU output of gas doesn't care what it's burned in... The only other issue is mechanical efficiency but I doubt it's enough to matter.

I say get the 78 and don't even look twice at the 95.

 

One thing to look at, I believe the 78 will have one of Ford's infamous 4300D carbs. When working right it's not too bad. It was sort of a Ford Quadrajet. If it isn't working right it is a total pig. Even an Edelbrock is an improvement on a bad 4300D.

FWIW, my 86 F350 crew cab DRW got 10 mpg empty or loaded, 8.5 mpg towing a 30 ft 10,000 lb 5th wheel. As far as pulling anything, a 460 will pretty well pull it. There are 2 Harley Davidson nuts around here, both have real nice 78 F-150s with the 460 engine, I'm thinking they got 12-14 with them.

 

By the way, for those interested.....I triple checked the fiberglass tonneau cover that's on the 78 150...........

It's from Specialty Products, and it's $1559.99 to my door, painted to match the truck, including $275. freight charge.

That's a lot o' dough........

I can't find ANYTHING for a 78 (in glass) that's less than that. The 78 is starting to look better and better.............I sure couldn't build it for what they want.........They just got back to me with a final price.....$7250. serviced, +TTT..........(7250 minus 1550. worth of tonneau is $5700. smackers....I don't know if I could beat that, with this thing in near mint condition.... twin tanks too I didn't mention, and COLD A/C.....).

 

I think your mind is made up - right where mine would be. However, that is assuming you want a truck to use instead of a project to work on. Yes, with your woodworking skills the '78 can actually be a bit of a project, and maybe that's what you want/need.

And, I agree with you that you can't build one for that. You can't build any vehicle for that. Trucks in a field are good parts trucks, but nothing more unless it is very, VERY special. Even something drivable usually needs a lot to put it in "near-mint condition". So, if it truly is then the #'s are right.