The 2 speed rear had two options for ratios; really low and even lower still (5.83/8.11 or 6.33/8.81). No matter how big your engine is, your top speed will be limited by the final drive gearing. But if you're planning on working it, the 390 will be a much better choice than the 302. Finding a 10.25" Sterling rear from a later truck to swap in will provide much better gearing with heavy duty strength for work.

 

Another option for higher speed driving is adding an auxiliary transmission equipped with an overdrive gear. This would get you that real trucker feel with the main transmission, auxiliary transmission, and two speed rear end. You would never run out of gears!

 

Thanks for the info on paint and where the info stamp is on the firewall! In the paint link, except for Alpine Blue all of the blues look black. The paint on the truck that has been exposed to weather looks green; the blue is what is under the gas tube grommet and the rear wall behind the gas tank. It looks close to Ford Blue, maybe a little darker.

My thought on the 302 was that I could use an AOD transmission to overcome the low rear; I would keep it out of OD when pulling a lot of weight. I can't get an adaptor for an AOD to a 390 and I don't know if I can get an OD for a C-6. I want to make as little modifications to the truck as possible outside of the powerplant, and an engine/tranny swap is a lot less than an engine swap and putting in a secondary tranny or an engine swap and a rear swap (just being realistic; those both are things I have considered but all the adaptors for the stock tranny and frame mods makes it unrealistic to have it ready by Spring). It will be pulling a 28' 5th wheel and my Courier with two motorcycles on the rear deck when fully loaded, far less than it's capacity. How it can navigate traffic when empty and still get better than 7mpg is what I am thinking about.

Edit: One other reason is I am favoring going to an automatic because my left knee is not what it used to be and working a clutch can be aggravating, to say the least (reminds me that I am getting older, I guess). Since I have been taking glucosamine it has troubled me a lot less, but it has just started getting cold here and so it is beginning to give me more problems.

 

Subscribing

 

So I have been thinking about the drivetrain, does anyone know where I could find an overdrive that will work with a C6 transmission? How much length would it add to the transmission?

 

This is a good robust unit. See link. Expensive, yes. You still have the torque converter slippage if you go with a C6. I went with a 700R4 for the lock up feature along with OD.

https://www.gearvendors.com/

 

Thanks Ray. Pricey it is, but it looks like a solid unit. I don't think it is within my price range, at least not on the income I have right now, unless I manage to sell off some of my accumulated spare parts. I found an adaptor to mate a E4OD or a 4R100 to an FE here:
Transmission Adapter Pricing
I bit pricey but nowhere near the price of a separate OD unit. Can either of these be run without a computer control?

 

AFAIK, any of the electronic controlled transmissions require a controller of some kind. That is why I went with a built 700R4, strong reliable, available and cheap. But then I went for SOB engine for all the same reasons.

 

If your going auto and towing, you really should address the brakes and confirm they are serviceable or upgrade them

 

That is next on the agenda after I get the wheels all straightened out. In fact, the drivetrain and the brakes are what I have been putting the most thought into. For example, right now the e-brake is attached to the output shaft of the 4sp, and when I swap in a C6 I am not yet sure how I will make an e-brake work. Does anyone know if there are later parts that I can swap into my 2sp rear to give it an e-brake?

 

Welcome to the can o' worms
There is no provisions to put an e-brake on the rear
Stock rear has double anchor shoes

 

Is there a different rear that uses the same size drum that has an e-brake that I can swap the backing plate into my rear?

 

That I can't help you with

 

Okay, for the drivetrain I guess I will stay with a standard transmission. I found a 5sp that came out of an older Ford bus (that is all the info I have on it, that and it has an e-brake attached to the output and a handle that looks identical to the one I have in the F6 right now). I am going to pick it up tomorrow and I'll know what model it is then. When I know, I'l post here what I have.

 

Late to this discussion I guess. One way to improve road speed, rear brakes, and retain the 5 x 8" pattern is to get a Dana 70HD out of a Dodge RM400 or 500 motor home. They have 4.56/1 gears and are a straight forward swap. I had one of these axles myself intending to do a project like yours, but it wasn't gonna get done so I sold it a year or so ago. I also have a Studebaker guy right now who is buying wheels doing it to his truck. He has moved the spring perches on his. As I studied mine I thought they were only about 1/8" on each side which could be worked around by knocking corners off the pads. I don't recall how the parking brake is handled on them.



Here's the one going under the Studebaker. Stu