I have a 72 F250 Camper Special. I love my truck the only problem i have with it is when i hammer on the gas it will sputter and sorta die down to where it almost dies and then picks back up and goes again. (Of course it does it worse when it aint warmed up yet. But i figure that just cause it aint warm.) My dad said i should replace the points with electronic. Also my truck has a 390 in it, so big motor big horses right? but my truck wont even try to chirp the tires and gettin up to 60mph to get onto the highway is a hassle (As well as gettin up to 45mph gettin on the main road in town). The rear end is a Dana 60 with 3.54 gears. (According the the metal tag on the back side of it.)

Can anyone tell me why this is?
It'd be much appreciated.
Thanks!
-Jace

 

On sale day, 360's magically become 390's!

360/390 share the same block, the bore is the same (4.05"), the stroke is different.

Measure the stroke to determine engine size. 360 = 3.50" / 390 = 3.78."

Auto-Lite/Motorcraft 2100 series 2V carburetor infamous for: Bogging down, stumbling, hesitating from a dead stop and when accelerating at speed.

Usual cause: Defective accelerator pump and check valve, available individually or come with the carb kit.

 

After rebuilding the carb that was on it when I bought it three times I finally replaced it with a brand new one. I'm under the assumption everything on the carb is at 100%.

 

"Big motor" does not equal big power. Your engine was built with low compression, restrictive exhaust manifolds, a roundish cam and a small carb. It is in a heavy vehicle. It is designed to haul/tow heavy loads long distances, and stay in one piece under extended load and WOT situations.

It may also be a 360, which is just less of the same.

If you want a hot rod, be prepared to spend some rebuild money on that motor.

Ford made some real hot 390s in the early '60s with 3x2 carbs, solid lifters etc. They toned those down, going to the 406 and 427 for high performance engines.

The 390s of the mid to late 1960s were spanked by Chev 396s, Poncho 389s & Chrysler 383s. They can be made to run, and run hard, but not with the pistons over .100 down the hole and the stuffed up manifolds your motor has.

THAT's why your truck won't light the tires. Also, have you done a compression test? They do wear out, and yours might be a bit tired on top of all the other stuff.

 

My dad ran a compression test and said everything is where it ought to be. I have headers on it, but aside from that. What do I need to do to it exactly? Higher compression pistons? Bore it out? I planned on putting a bigger cam in it just don't know which one to get.

If you were me, a 16 year old wantin a truck that will haul *** and last me. What would you do?

 

Buy a Mustang, it's a lot easier to find axles for it when you light up the tires, they crystalize and snap.

F250's were not built to hot rod, drag race and etc. Some parts, like axle shafts are getting difficult to find, especially the ones your F250 has, as they're 16 spline.

When I was 16 (1960), had a 1953 Merc coupe, flathead V8 with overdrive.

You think you bought an old truck, but what you really bought is a hobby...and hobbies tend to be expensive.

 

Alright. Well I appreciate the knowledge!

 

I have a 71 f250. 360. 4 speed. 3.54 gearing. If you work it right i can get the truck up to speeds easily. You juat have to learn it.
After driving like your truck like a nascar (lead footed) you are gonna drain your wallet. When i drive my truck about the pace of every other car i get 9-10 mpg. But if im racing around that goes right down to 6.5. Not good. These are heavy old work trucks. Like ND said if you want to hotrod around town buy a car. As long as it isnt one of them rice burner imports.

 

I've been drivin it for about two and a half months now.
I feel confident that I know my truck pretty well and of course can drive it well. I dont nessecarily wanna hot rod round town. But wanna have that extra power for when I want to burn some rubber. Just to show off. After all, I am a 16 yr old guy. Its what we all want. But I love my pickup. Couldn't imagine gettin rid of it.

 

Honestly, would I be better converting it to 4-wheel and liftin it alittle? Or would it be too heavy to play in?

 

This question inevitably comes up for those who have a 2WD but have 4WD dreams.

Sure it can be done but at 16 with as apparently little or no experience in fabrication and wrenching know-how you'd be better off finding a factory 4WD. Why? Because it takes time, tools, and money and in the end is alot of work for another pair of driving wheels.

But you did ask so here's a couple of links for your education. These are Dentside conversions but the principles are the same. By all means go for it if it is possible but fully understand what it takes to get there. If you get stuck, then we're here to help where we can.

4WOR Magazine: Project Two-by Four (4x4 Conversion)
FTE Thread: Quadrazer's F350- 2WD to 4WD Conversion...

Or go pre-runner style:
Autofab Suspension Lifts for 2WD 65-79 Ford Trucks
FTE Thread: ChaseTruck754's 74 F-100 Prerunner Build
Trent Beaver Motorsports (Dentsides)
Race-Dezert.com Thread - Pics and Stuff
FTE Album Gallery - Homemade 2WD Lift
76hauler's lifted 2WD F-250