Hey, FTE, it's been too long.

Some may remember my user name from a '65 F100 that I had, may she rest in pieces. A couple years back, an old lady ran into it while it was parked outside my house, and I salvaged what I could and sold the carcass to a wrecking yard. Sad day.

Well, fast forward a could years, and my neighbor blows up the 302 in his '72 F100. After a bit of badgering, he sold it to me for $500. I threw the '74 390 I had in it and found that somewhere between sitting for a year and being installed, it has cylinder pressure leaking into the cooling system and coolant flooding the cylinders.

So now I have a '74 351W short block and GT40P heads sitting around. The heads are fresh, and the block is virgin--has barely 30k miles on it. (The history of that one is pretty straight forward. Old lady car, barely got driven, was T-boned, and the lady's son parted it out.)

My current plan is to make a 10:1 351W with the GT40P heads and throw it into the truck while I build a nasty 390 up for it. I'll have cash to take the short block to the machine shop pretty soon.

For the brakes, I have a full '75 F100 Ranger disc brake front end I'm planning on throwing in 'till I have money for a Crown Vic swap. I am wondering if anyone knows of any good brake upgrades for that '75 front end, and the pros and cons of the Crown Vic swap.

 

Here's a link that may interest you, in reference to a single piston front caliper upgrade.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...e-upgrade.html

Dentside front suspension/brakes are bolt-on. CV isn't. I have an '03 CV front suspension assembly but, I decided to install a front disc brake suspension in my '69 F100 from a '77 F100 instead.

 

A "con" of a CV swap is the result of different wheel lug patterns. Thus, the rear pattern would have to change too unless you're okay with carrying two spares or swapping the rear end to an early 80s F100 and relocating leaf spring pads.

Do it.

 

I like the 9" rear this truck came with...what is the general feeling about wheel adaptors for the CV front to get it to match the factory rear?

Also, the CV swap would be a little while down the road. The '75 stuff is free right now, and free is easier to budget for!

 

Personally, I think I'd throw a set of head gaskets in the 390 since it's already in the truck and drive it while you build the 351W, and then swap it and in and leave it there.

 

I have thought about going that way. The 390 ran pretty strong, but it has a bit of a questionable history. On the plus side, I put an MSD pro billit distributor on it, Performer RPM intake, Holley 670 carb, and Hooker full length headers. I also scored a gently used set of heads with bigger valves and a light port job for another Performer RPM intake from a coworker who upgraded to Edelbrock heads.

On the minus, the engine seems to be missing a harmonic balancer, has a who-knows-what cam in it, and is a '73 model with 8.3:1 compression from factory. It really does need a rebuild, and the 351W is an option I can fully know the specs and parts quality while I run it and build the FE into something a little more...special?

The final home for the 351 will be a '72 Maverick I have a healthy but unimpressive 302 in currently.

 

One disadvantage of the CV swap is that it is a wider wheelbase. It needs high offset wheels to clear the fenders and has a smaller bolt pattern. No room for adaptors. Then you need to change the rearend to a matching bolt pattern.
Another disadvantage is it lowers the front a lot, which requires a matching drop in the back which requires a frame notch.

 

Didn't you say the truck has a blown 302? I'd just go with the 351W. It will be an easier swap since the 302 will have the same motor mount perches in place and the 351W will bolt right up to the existing tranny. The radiator will be right. All the pulleys and stuff will bolt right on. The 351W is also a WAY lighter than the 390.

 

He said it HAD the 302 but he's already swapped in the FE.

 

Haha! Yeah, the 390 is in there along with a Cruise-O that I thought I'd run 'till I could find a C6. The motor perches were a bit of an adventure to find, but I held onto the small block ones just in case. What I didn't hold on to, though, is the C4 that was in it, because "what do I need a puny C4 for? It's not like I'll be using it with this perfectly good 390!"

...facepalm.

Anyway, I hadn't really thought about the leveling of the rear if/when I do a CV swap for the front. That makes me wonder if it would really be worthwhile, even with the rack and pinion steering, reduced weight, more modern geometry, and generally badder-*** stance due to being so much lower.

 

What about a C6 behind the 351W? I realize they rob a bit more power than a C4 but if that 351W is built well enough it shouldn't be too bad.

One of the best setups I ever ran in my old '72 F250 was a 351C with a C6. It was a 4bbl. which sucked on the bottom end with the train tunnel ports, but with 3.73 gears it still had more bottom end grunt than when I had the same setup in my Ranchero with 3.00 gears. I always intended to either put Aussie heads on it, or maybe just port plates. Now the truck and the Ranchero are gone and the 351C and C6 are just sitting in storage till I decide what to do with them.

 

I never realized how great the C4 is until I took mine out. It was all stock and still performed well behind my 351C. Put a shift kit in it and it would have been an awesome hot rod tranny. My AOD, not so much. But, now I can run 4.11 gears, and the overdrive cuts them down to a measly 2.75. So that's a plus. I need to rework the valvebody and governor on it to make it run and shift a little better.

 

 

A 68 torino fastback Jeff? That is one of the cars I want someday. Or a cougar, or a cyclone, or even a ranchero. Or a fairlane/galaxie fastback.

Any car that would hold a 5-600hp 393 Cleveland. With a 5speed and big fat tires. 4.56 gears, locker. A real H.A.M.!

 

Darn close Garrett. 1969 in the pic. But I'd suggest 68/72 Torinos to Dan. I like 'em all. For a 390 car...66/67 Fairlane.