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78 ford upgrades?

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Old Jul 20, 2011 | 07:44 PM
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Tim Miller 78 ford's Avatar
Tim Miller 78 ford
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Lightbulb 78 ford upgrades?

im in the process of trading my 89 f250 for a 78 f150 ranger xlt. This year of truck has always been my favorite and ive finally got my hands on one. Im 99% sure its got the stock 351 in it. My question is what are some tips/tricks i can do without spending a whole lot of money to gain some horsepower? Or does this truck got plenty without mods? Thanks!
 
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Old Jul 20, 2011 | 10:40 PM
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HIO Silver
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Welcome to FTE.

Headers and dual exhaust system establishes a good basis to build from. With a 351 (it should be a 351M), I'd go for a 2.25 inch system with mufflers of your choice. Lots of opinions on mufflers in here and it is very subjective as to sound and power gains. Do some research and in the end, it's your call cuz it's YOUR truck.

After the exhaust, a really easy upgrade is an open element air cleaner and air filter... a 14x3 K&N fits the bill.

Next up is induction... a 600 cfm carb and 4-barrel intake. Again, some peeps like Edelbrock and some go with Holley. Personally, I find Edelbrock is less fussy and easier to adjust. Some Holleys are, well, just plain tempermental.

There is really no need to upgrade the ignition except for wires and plugs. An MSD system would be a waste since those are better suited for high RPM engines. There's no harm except to your wallet.

Post up some pics when ya get your rig. Btw, 2WD or 4WD???
 
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Old Jul 21, 2011 | 09:01 PM
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Tim Miller 78 ford's Avatar
Tim Miller 78 ford
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its a 4wd.. kind of weird story behind it...it was origanally my older brothers truck that him and my dad started to restore..but my bro got sick of it and sold it to a freinds dad about 4 years ago...well i ran into him at CarQuest a week ago when i was buying a clutch for my 89 f250..we got to talking and he said he'd sell it or trade it for my 250. I was like a little kid on christmas. lol.. Will that 351 have more grunt than the 302 in my 250? my 302 is fuel injected, i know that makes a difference but i was wondering how much.
 
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