Just saying hi, bought an F100 with a 360Fe.
No reason other than I love the mid 70's trucks. I'd like to get the engine somewhere in the 350hp range as the truck will be purely for enjoyment, and is not needed for anything else.
I'm no stranger to engines, tho I've spent my whole life working on diesels. Specifically 2stroke, detroit 149 and emd engines, as I'm the chief engineer on an oceangoing tugboat. I've been on this forum for a few years as I have a 7.3idi in an F250 '89.
I intend to get the "Rebuilding Ford Big Block" book, I'd also like a book recommendation on how to work with carbuerators, as I am completely ignorant to how they work.... my truck, my wifes car, and even my lawn mower are diesels... so I'm fairly in the dark on this.
One benefit of always having diesels tho, is I am blown away by how cheap everything is for these engines. I'm used to 5-6k dollars for a stock rebuild, I can do alot with an FE for that it seems.
Anyway, this will be a learning experience for me, so prepare yourselves for alot of stupid questions.
Thanks
Drew
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'89 Ford F250 7.3 Diesel, used to be c6 I stuffed a zf5 in there now, ATS 088 turbo, 3.55rear, 2wd. Moosepump
Don't feel alone on the Diesel-to-gas thought blockage- completely different animals. Diesels tend to be A+B+C=Power, while gas engines tend to muddy the lines and seem to run on witchcraft sometimes. I use to work with an old guy in the early 80's that had started out as a motormac on a destroyer in the Pacific in WWII, and learned about early hydraulics & Diesels there. Crusty old buggar, could cuss a blue streak, and you always knew how he felt about things. Went on to become a shop foreman and troubleshooter for a big CAT dealership, and was working for a little engineering outfit close to home as he approached retirement. Really knew his stuff on anything Diesel or CAT- but it was amazing that ALL of our pickups and gas-powered trucks ran like s#$t- really bad. Wouldn't idle, fouling plugs, pinging, and lousy mileage. Mystery was solved one day, as I walked up on him cussing out our little 1/2 ton '66 Dodge with a 318 It wasssstutterrrringandgaaaaspingandtryingtoidle, and he says "Those little screws on the carburetor just totally mystify me" So I ask, can I try it? Did a basic idle screw setup, about 45 seconds, and it was purring like a kitten- he was so happy that I had to do 3 more. He never did figure them out, and they still pi@@ed him off, couldn't just time the pump, run the racks, and adjust the valves- it had spooks in it
Anyway, this will be a learning experience for me, so prepare yourselves for alot of stupid questions.
We've all asked them from time to time. Welcome to the forum. You will not find a more helpful, friendly forum anywhere on the net. Our moderators don't get much to complain about. In fact, I think we went without a moderator for a long time. Anyway, ask away.
FE's will hook ya! Crazy motors but can make some big HP. I have a 360 in my 73 and tho it's not a dragster it is a very nice unit. Tough very tough engines. Welcome.
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- art k. - Moderator for the Superduty, V10, and FE forums
'01 F250SD SC SB XLT V10 4x4 auto 3.73 Warn hubs Volant CAI, eBay headers and y-pipe - 5-star custom tunes on SCT X3
'97 Cougar XR7 30th Anniv Edition 4.6L
'74 F250 Highboy FE390 deceased! I've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again. Just wait and see.
They're probably out of print by now, but "High Performance Ford" by George Reid and H.P. Books "Holley Carburetors & Manifolds" are great places to start.
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It wasssstutterrrringandgaaaaspingandtryingtoidle, and he says "Those little screws on the carburetor just totally mystify me" So I ask, can I try it? Did a basic idle screw setup, about 45 seconds, and it was purring like a kitten- he was so happy that I had to do 3 more. He never did figure them out, and they still pi@@ed him off, couldn't just time the pump, run the racks, and adjust the valves- it had spooks in it 
