I posted a question about this over in the towing forum, and it was suggested that I bring my questions over here. I've dabbled in many things automotive, but I have yet to play with a big block Ford. Please excuse me if this thread becomes a rehash of info that's been covered before.

My dad is a full time RV'er, and has recently gotten himself a pretty heavy trailer. I'd guess at somewhere near 10k lbs, maybe more with all his "stuff" in it. So he got his hands on a 79 E250 with a 460 in it to move it around with. It has a little over 50k miles on it, but it has had it's share of troubles already. We have been sorting out the fuel system, but have come to the conclusion that the carb is shot. So my first question is; carb or EFI? I would be interested in an EFI set-up, but I don't know if they were ever fitted with it or not. It would also have to be plug-and-play, as I am not set up for burning chips,... yet. I'm thinking about hedders, but I'm unsure about which ones to avoid (last set I bought was for my 440 about 15 years ago ).

What I hope to gain (or gain back) is the rock steady dependable rig we all know this can be. This truck sits about 99% of the time, but when it is pressed into use it's worked. They only go about 500 miles a year over mild mountain terrain. Power is more important than economy, but obviously we don't want a heavy drinker either. So now I divert this to you. All the low-buck tips and advice I can get would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

you'll want to stay with carb. the switchover to MAF 7.5 will be definitly in depth. you'll want to go with maybe an aluminum intake and 700-750 cfm intake, vac secondary, and some sort of RV cam. like an edelbrock package for instance. nothing radical, but it'll work good. headers-well...L&L seem to be good but they're a bit pricey, banks makes them-REAL pricey, and heddman make them but dont know much about them. i wouldnt be expecting 20 mpg though.

 

I agree with everything except the bigger carb. For towing keep to a 600 CFM carb is going to help towing whereas a 700-750 is gonna help max horsepower at max rpm only and hurt the bottom end.

 

ok i stand corrected.. i was gonna say 700 ish cfm but i tow with a diesel not a 460. my 460's are for higher hp applications

 

For the amount it is used, I would just suggest a good carb, like stated above, and a tune up of course. The factory Fi is fairly indepth, and would take some work to get it operational. Aftermarket efi setups exist, usually a throttle body setup-and will work well. Efi=$$$ to buy the components, make operational and parts replacement.

 

When you speak of a "good carb", what are you thinking? I mean brand. I was thinking of the new Edelbrock/Carter AFB. I have a 600 on my Scout 2 that will be available as soon as I get the GM TBI working (read; installed ). It should work fine. But I'm not going to go with the GM TBI on the Ford, since a carb will do just fine for what it's used for right now.

Eventually I'll get him an MSD 6AL system for the ignition. For now we will just fine tune what we have. And I think we will just stay with the cam we have also. Though I might get an aluminum intake if I can find one for a good price. Hedders are on the list for sure. I guess it's time to start shopping the classifieds, eh?

Where do I find more numbers about what kind of power that these things put out, anyway? Thanks everyone!

 

I haven't been a fan of the Carter/Edelbrock carbs since I had a pair on a Hemi a life time ago, to frickin' may carb fires. Holleys are way more KISS and easier to tune. Whatever you get, a 600 would be your best bet for throttle response and low end torque. When towing, bigger is not better.

 

I went with a Holley 1850 (600 cfm) and Edelbrock Performer 460 intake manifold on mine. Puts more torque to the ground than the tires can handle, pulls like there's no tomorrow, and I just averaged slightly over 14 mpg on a weekend trip with my old F250 4x4, where I drove there (100 miles) drove around for the weekend (probably another 100 in town and to various places) and back.

 

thats an excellent setup JesterPgh!

 

Guess I'll have to try that set-up. Sounds like what I am looking for. Thanks for the tip Jester!

Had more trouble with the fuel system the other day. I think it's vapor locking. So I also plan on running a hard fuel line down one side of the carb, across the top of the trans, then over to the frame where it gets the short rubber one that's by the t-valve. Seems to cure most any rig I've done that to. Not sure why the factory didn't so do something like that. Especially in a van that doesn't get alot of air movement around the engine.

 

I have pretty much the same set up. A Holley 1850, with dual stage power valve and valve protector, jetted and with one step heavier spring in the vacuum secondary unit, done by yours truly. Plus I recurve my stock Dura Spark dist. for full advance at 3500 rpm and a total of 36° mechanical and 50° with vacuum. Still have stock intake and exhaust manifolds. But I have the mileage killing rearend, a 4.10 with a C-6 between the engine and the rearend. 7.5 max mpg when I got it, now will do just over 10 mpg not loaded or towing and keeping the speed to 58 mph or less. That's 2800 rpm or less, 2900 is when the secondaries tip in (maybe I should go 1 step heavier on the spring?). I've towed 12K plus pounds with it over a 5000 foot pass, that's starting at sea level, with no problem.