I'm building a 75 f250 that I picked up from a friend for only $300!

It had new floor pans, cab corners, inner rockers, front cab mounts, brakes and suspension bushings along with springs and shocks when I got it.

The only rust are the rear wheel wells otherwise it's pretty straight and rust free, I traded the wrecker style bed for a box bed as part of the deal.

My original intention was to make a tow rig out of if for hauling my jeep but we bought an old international crew cab so now this is just gonna be a toy.

The factory 390 was fresh rebuilt but not included with the truck and the one that came with it is bored .060 over and looks like it needs bored again just by visually inspecting it, the crank is trashed because of excessive end play and has grooves in it while already turned .020/.020. Basically all that is usable is the rods and some small pieces, the heads we're also junk.

The truck is just gonna be a play toy, maybe pulling a trailer very rarely otherwise a fair weather queen once it's painted so I have been thinking about a 347 or 393 stroker since FE stuff is impossible to find and over priced when you do here. I also am a fan of Rpms and fe blocks don't mix well with that.

Either engine will be backed by the np435, I can buy a complete stroker kit for less than a rebuild able FE will cost also and have a bell housing for either.

Will the Windsor have enough torque in the heavy truck? I know I need motor mounts but that's not a big deal I just want to make sure it doesn't fall on its face every time you get on it dragging the extra weight around.

I've had several FE trucks before and to be honest I'm just not a fan of the cost to modify them at all.

I also forgot to include I'm going to cut this down to a shortbed while I have the bed off fixing the rust, I'm not bad at fabricating and do it every weekend almost building 4wds but have very little knowledge in small block fords.

 

. Are you sure the engines are FE 390's? These usually had 400's or the 351"M modification of that...


. A really powerful 400 can be rebuilt up fairly cheaply... check out the '335-series' engine forum below...

 

In '75, FE's were still be used all over the place, Buzz. It being a 2wd, it could very well have come with the 390. This guy sounds like he knows what an FE looks like.

Ok. I hear ya' on FE's being expensive. I just had a 360 rebuilt. I could've built two small block chevys for what I paid on the FE. All that aside, what do you plan on doing with the truck in earnest?

A stroker hotrod engine (especially a small block) will have to be spinning some rpms to make any power. Small blocks just don't make power down low. That's a simple fact of physics. A big block was designed to make loads of power and torque off idle so you can pull out at a traffic light pulling a trailer without slipping the clutch until it smokes. The more you modify a small block to build power, the higher the rpms have to climb before you see that power. Building a giant killer small block will make your truck useless for pulling a trailer. Building a mild big block will cut down on your high revving dreams.

What would I do? All things being equal, a junkyard 460 can be had on the cheap from dang near any salvage yard. Parts are also dirt cheap and on craigslist all the time. I think a mild built 429 or 460 would do everything you want, except spin at high rpms. You need to find the compromise you can live with.

Personally, I'm faced with the same situation. What engine to put in my F250 4x4 that pulls a trailer from time to time. I chose a built, hotrod version of a 300 six. ...but that's just me.

For the record, your truck isn't that heavy in the grand scheme of things. It weighs about 1 TON less than a 2010 F-150 4x4 does. Especially if you chop 18" out of the bed.

 

I think a stroked Windsor would work well in the truck. If you were planning on using the truck as a tow pig I would recommend retaining the FE. Are you sure you want to keep the NP435? It's a great trans for towing and very strong, but if your building a fun hotrod truck it wouldn't be my first choice. The ratios are designed for towing and it also lacks syncros and an overdrive. I think a stroked Windsor would be fun, especially when backed with 5 speed like a ZF5. A ZF5 would really improve drivability and also fuel mileage.

 

I'm positive these are 390's I personally tore it apart and was going to start machine work when I found out they were already at their serviceable limits in my opinion.

I worked at an engine machine shop for 3 years but we never did many high performance builds.

As far as what I'm mainly wanting to do with the truck I don't really see it pulling much weight at all, it will mainly just be a toy and I want it to have more than a 3500rpm window of good power and just can't afford a full blown FE build to deliver that reliably.

The 435 is not something I'm set in stone on but I haven't saw many zf's for sale, I would rather avoid the 385 series also mainly because every truck I've built has been FE or 385 powered i had a fairly hot 460 and was happy with it but want to try something different. 335 series are not an option to me I had horrible luck with them and they are just so choked up of a platform to start with.

 

Come on guy's I want your input good or bad, I have to get the bodywork finished and paint on my gfs project then this thing is going under the knife. My plan is to knock out the short bed chop first then get some paint on the truck before dropping a motor in, only working 3 twelve hour days a week I have plenty of time to kill!

 

. Choked up? Just a tall deck SBF Cleveland... cores cheap... 351M or 400 can be rebuilt into a 408" pretty cheaply... no expensive aftermarket stroker crank needed... uses off-the-shelf 351C cams... stock valves bigger than any Windsor valves... bigger than vaunted SBC 'fuely valves'... 500 lb.-ft. torque comes up easily... just decide how much HP at what RPMs you want to go with it...

 

335s get a bad rap because Ford hindered their performance from the factory. Late 70s EPA emissions regulations forced ford to kill the performance of the 351M/400. These engines are dogs from the factory. That being said, in my opinion they make an awesome power plant for high torque. I just got done building my 400 (relatively cheaply) and I couldn't be happier with in (build is in my sig). Anyone who says the 335 series engines are a waste of time to build is just ignorant. The OP says he is looking for high RPM and high horsepower. The 335 series are generally a low RPM high torque motor. I'd say a Windsor would fit his wants better.

 

A stroked windsor will make as much torque as a 400 but will also be able to pull past 5000rpm with cheap/ easy to get parts. Id be building a 393/408w. Not sure why so many people like fe's, they drive like a industrial engine unless you spend $$$. The windsors are much more lively plus they weigh less and are smaller, cheaper to build and easier to get parts. Its a no brainer IMO. As for the trans a zf would be way better behind a windsor in a truck thats going to be used for fun, the gear splits are closer and it can be shifted faster, plus OD for cruising on the highway

 

Maybe so but it will make it 2000 rpms higher than the 400. The 400 makes more low end torque than you can ever build into a windsor. Thats just the way it is with the long stroke.

 

The Windsor sounds better all the time, 400's aren't what I'm looking for in this truck. They may offer the torque but I'm after the hard fast revving power, it's just a toy if I find myself needing more power I'll throw a set of 4.56 gears in the back.

I'd rather give up torque for a motor that will pull hard to redline and make up for it on the top end.

 

Then build a 393 Windsor and go ***** to the wall.

Am I allowed to say that?

 

Well a 408w has a 4" stroke, the same as a 400, so your argument makes no sense. Stroked windsors easily make 500hp/500tq numbers. A 400 is like a fe, in that it makes good bottom end torque but falls flat on its face after 4000rpm. That hardly makes for an exciting engine to drive. The aftermarket support/cost of the W engines alone makes it a no brainer IMO

 

The aftermarket support is out there for an FE. Heck, even factory support is out there for an FE.

For most of us though, the checkbook support isn't out there for an FE.

 

Exactly, I would build a 445 FE any time because of the cool factor but the cost would never make it worth it in my situation. I'm like everyone else this is just a hobby and bills come first, I know even a mild FE build is out of my league.

I'm on the hunt for a Windsor locally and have actually been considering a complete fuel injection swap at the same time even though it's a whole new can of worms.

Right now I have to get my girlfriends project done before I can get really deep in this truck, we just bought a 1971 international 1210 crew cab that I have to get some body work and paint done on along with the brakes working in order to go on a wheeling trip we have planned in March after that I can really get started on a engine build.