I just recently bought a 1977 F250 ranger xlt camper special supercab highboy, with a beat 460/c6.
My plan is to totally rebuild, i have two main problems
1. not sure if its worth the effort to rebuild 460 or buy smaller more efficient crate.
2.more rust on bed than there is bed, replacement hard to find.
Any opinions or suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

First of all...you don't buy these things for the efficiency and mpg's. And a crate engine, doesn't typically have gas sipping abilities either. These things have the aerodynamics of a brick, and sometimes swapping to another engine sounds good in theory, but if you have your foot in the floor trying to keep it moving, the advantages of a smaller engine are negated. Regardless of what you choose froma 300-6 with a 4 spd to a 460 with C6, you'll be between 10-16mpg's.


As for the bed, expand past your area, around my parts, you can get a real nice bed for $500. So be willing to drive or ship...or get really good at body work.

 

1. If you go with a Diesel you would be significate fuel savings. Otherwise you are pushing a big heavy square block down the road, even the newest trucks that size dont get good mileage. A 302 would struggle to push a heavy load not making it more efficient. A new EFI 460 would get a little better mileage, sorry but there is not a good answer. I have a 351M CrewCab 2wd and get 10.9 MPG, have a friend with a 2001 F250 4wd CrewCab that gets 12MPG, his cost $17k to buy, I have a lot miles to make up for the purchase price difference.
2. That is kind of like saying the sky is blue. The beds are the same on the inside until 1996 the outer skin is different, maybe replacing the outer skin would be easier? Keep looking for a better one and good luck!

 

Im new so forgive me I guess I meant more horsepower efficient.Everthing Ive seen says Im only getting a little over 200 hp would like to get up too 350 -400 range.

 

That 460 you are thinking about sidelining is what a lot of us look a long time for to go in our trucks. You can easily get 400+ hp out of a 460 with the right heads and cam and piston setup. There is a 429-460 group on this board that can help you get the hp you want without having to do an engine swap which is never as easy as people make it out to be. A crate motor will be no better than your 460 after it has been rebuilt to the specs you want for the desired hp you need.

 

Use the 460 you have now, more than likely you'll end up being money ahead...assuming your engine is salvageable. And if it is usable and just a little worn out, a cam, timing set, carb, intake and headers will definitely wake that thing up. And those are typically very easy bolt on/ins...and should run you right around $1500 in new parts. And that should push you past the 300 mark relatively easily. Then if that's still not enough, I'd start worrying about re-working the heads or buying new, getting new pistons, machining the block, etc.

 

WHAT?!?!? Aw man...there goes my whole project.

Reps for you dude!

 

[quote= These things have the aerodynamics of a brick [/quote]

right! but their damn good lookin bricks!!!

 

Welcome to FTE

You have been mis-informed, and/or are unaware that...

There is no such thing as a Super Cab Highboy. No such thing as a High Boy Camper Special.

High Boys are 1967/76 F250 4WD's & 1977 F250 4WD's assembled before serial number Y20,001. The serial number is the last 6 digits of the VIN.

High Boys were available as a Regular or Crew Cab Styleside or Flareside Pickup or as a Cab & Chassis. Were not available as a Super Cab or Camper Special.

High Boys have a divorced transfer case. 1977 F250 4WD's came standard with a 300 I-6 engine, the 351M 2V and 400 2V were optional.

1977 F250 4WD's assembled from serial number Y20,001 are not High Boys.

There is no such thing as a 4WD with a 460 engine until 1983, and then only in F350's.

 

Depending on where you are in the world, you may not be looking in the right places. If you're anywhere where there's snow and salt though, then ya, there aren't going to be any really nice beds, and not many that will even be worth the work. I looked for months. To be sure though, don't just look on craigslist, go to the junkyards (go into the old sections, where there are old Fords that might have been junked after just 10 years on the road), and find the people behind the beds, don't be afraid to knock on doors.