post your vin and if your rear end is stock then that could tell you

 

As long as the truck is in gear you pretty much can't blow it up going down the road. You probably can hold the throttle wide open sitting still and do it, but too many things are thrown in to do so while moving.

Take it out on a big road and hold the gas pedal down.



John

 

sorry, i know this is an older thread but, i was looking for the top speeds and i ended up seeing this. (should have just looked here in the first place). i have a 66 f100 with a 352 3 speed manual, all original and i have been driving it for well over a year and havent gone on the highway yet. i have only had it up to maybe 50 or 55, but my dad has had it up to 75 and he said there was still plenty to go. im just affraid to because the engine has A LOT of miles on it, and it definately doesnt stop on a dime either.

 

Not gonna hurt it dude. As long as the tires are ok, take it out for a spin on a big road. They would go fast out of the box 40 years ago.




John

 

jstephens2,

By changing the rear end gear set to a lower numerically ratio would reduce the engine rpms when at speed. However, by doing so will reduce the gear multiplication (torque) at the rear wheels. If you never tow or haul loads, you may not miss the higher gear ratio.

As OldHarlley indicated, back in the 60s, these old trucks were likely not designed nor INTENDED to be driven much over 70 mph.

Notice the advertisements from the day on these old trucks, most of the talking points were about hauling & towing and a few points about ride quality. I can't say I've seen any ads referencing top speed abilities. Now did these trucks have some sort of governor system or rev limiter? - No. So are they capable of speeds over 70 mph? - sure. But it wasn't a priority when they were built back in the day.

Which brings us to, "How fast can they be driven SAFELY?" BOSS9F100 says he'll soon have his '66 F100 capable to attain 140 mph. I'm confident that he'll have modified the OEM suspension & drivetrain to be driven SAFELY at those speeds. Now some here will claim they've driven their OEM 40+ yr old truck beyond 70/80 mph....some specifying to only try it on a clear, smooth, big road. Such a run would be preferred to be conducted in broad daylight, as the OEM headlights did not provide good vision in the darkness at higher speeds.

If you plan to find the 'top end' of your ol' truck, please first ensure you're confident that the steering and brakes are in the BEST CONDITION THEY CAN BE to allow you the peak control it can afford.

I prefer to drive & enjoy these ol' trucks as they were intended, for hauling and towing and driving under 70mph. When I want to go faster, I will jump into a Mustang or similar 'speed intended' vehicle... JMHO.

BarnieTrk

 

Not stock, 351w with FMX auto trans, cruise all day 75 run up above 100+ just can't
get pass a gas station!...lol

 

My '66 4X4 with 4.56:1 rears and a 4 speed goes 75. I figure that's about 3700 RPM. It's real smooth at 70.

 

Don't know for sure what the top speed is. Every time I really get going the speedometer sticks at 100 and from there it is a guess. Not quite to a fruit of the loom moment yet. Guess I could start up the gps and have a passenger watch it.

 

What a difference the rear ratio can make. With a 3.00 ratio, my tach at 3,000 & the speedo sez 82mph.

That truck prolly came with a 240 6 banger in it.




John

 

I have to agree with John. I am also running the 3.00 ratio now but I also run the C6 with a 2800-3000 stall speed torque converter. I can light em up all the way down the street and still get great MPG on the highway. I used to run a 2.75 with a 2400 converter but the off-the-line was a little slow so I upped the stall. I'm thinking that now with the higher stall, I might give the 2.75 another try. As for top end speed, well, I forget.

 

Try adjusting the linkage from the throttle body to the gas peddle . I had a 65 with the 300 3.9 I6 and before I adjusted the linkage I got her up to aprox 130 but took a great bit to get her to that speed . I'm only guessing the mph based that my speedo went to 90 and I had it touching the 0mph marker so it went fully around . And yes the speedo cable was dialed in proper had a cop friend help me bring it to where it would not go over 65 . . With my 65 I had the 300 4.9 I6 with 3speed manual transmission with a 682 rear end . My rear end came off a 6ton box truck duell axle my budy converted to a regular 5lug not the 10lug . So that may be a reason I was able to get that speed but who knows give it a shot

 

I have a 1960 ford f-100 with a 223 in it. Max speed is about 65 to 70 with no pedal left.

 

Old thread, but while we're at it, the HiPo clocked me at 103 MPH when I still had 4.10's. With the current 3.31's, I tend to cruise around 90 MPH but she will do well over 100 MPH id need be.