Howdy,

Could someone please tell me what the difference is between a 76 F-150 4x4 highboy and a F-100 4x4 highboy? Also, ahs anyone heard of swaping a 428 into an F-100? I am looking at buying a 76 F-100 highboy with a 428? Im just not fimiliar with this engien, or the F-100. So im asking the experts? What do you guys think?

Thanks,
Ben

 

I was under the impression that Highboys were only F250. I've also wondered what the dif. was between an F100 and F150.

 

Both F-100 and F-150s are half-tons. The F-100 line started in the mid 1950s. The F-150 line started in the early to mid 70's. The best story I heard was the F-150 line was created to circumvent smog laws for a while. The F-150 has a higher GVW rating making it exempt from the early smog laws. I can confirm that I have a 76 F-150 that has no cats or smog pump. My 76 service manual discusses these components so they must have come on some truck-- probably the F-100. The F-100 is a nice light duty truck. Good for daily transport and the occasional hauling job. Don't expect it to work like a F-350 but it is a tough truck.

The 428 is part of the FE family which includes 360, 390, 410, 427 (you know, the 427 AC Cobra from Shelby) and the 428. It is a good motor with great torque. I've had a couple of 390's and they will work hard all day and come back for more. Externally it is very difficult to tell the difference between the different displacement motors. So a 428 will bolt in place of a 360/390. The easiest way to tell an FE is to look at the intake manifold. It will extend under the valve cover. This is unique to the FE family.

I've heard that the only FE available in the 4X4 was the 360. It is possible that a 428 was swapped in place but hard to tell without measuring the bore and stroke. Do you trust the guy selling the truck? If it is in good shape and runs well I would buy it expecting it to be a 360 and later if I rebuilt it and found it to be a 428, Bonus!!.

 

So you are saying that the F-150 and F-100 are the same truck? One was just given a higher GVW so it wouldn't have to meet strict emissions standards? I am guessing that the truck would have a 9" rear, and a 44 front? With a NP 205 of 203 right? Oh, another thing, the seller also said that this truck has PB, PS, and disk front? I thought that the Disk front was only 78-79? Yet another truck I looked at before this one was a 76 with disk? Was it an option offered for that truck?

Thanks for the help,
Ben

 

I personally have never seen a half ton 4x4 with anything but disc brakes up front(at least 76-up).I didnt think they made highboys in any other than 250s either.Check for a dana 60 rear and leafs up front.It may be a 250 that somebody did a cab swap on,and now its registered as an F-100.People do that up here a lot.Check the outside of the pass.side frame rail a little bit in front of the cab mount.If you scrub hard youll see a vin#-see if it matches the cab.Thatll tell you if they changed the cab.You might get lucky and get a 250 for the price of a 100!!!

 

The 428 is an awesome engine. They were mainly installed in the t-birds back in the sixties, along with the fairlanes, and eventually the mustang. I'm not sure with the trucks but I can imagine the horsepower to weight ratio. The 429/460 is a more popular truck engine. I'd definetly be excited to have a 428 in my truck. I think I'd even paint the truck a bright red with a flat black hood like those 1969 Mustang Mach1 with the 428SCJ.