Give me your thoughts

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Jul 31, 2012 | 02:43 PM

stickbow9

Thread Starter

Freshman User

Joined: Jul 2012

Posts: 36

Likes: 0

Give me your thoughts

So I am sure that this has been talked about forever, but I am new and just curious. I have a 77 highboy F250 with a pretty strong 351m by the vin.... I don't know if it is really a 400 or not but it has been upgraded and starts perfectly. Runs and sound good too. So my question is, when I do a complete restore on it from the ground up would it be better to stay with a 400 built up with the manual tranny or go with a built 300 with an AOD? I only drive about 6000 miles a year and that is on the high side. I do live in an area where most of my driving is at freeway speeds and several hunting trips yearly. I doubt that I will ever be towing super heavy loads over long distances. This will be more of a DD with comfort and realiability being key. I know that it is pretty much just personal preference, however I am just wanting to know if that 300 with and AOD is worth the effort to achieve better mpg, and if it is enough motor with a decent build to drive that truck.
Thanks

Jul 31, 2012 | 07:47 PM

bertha66

Lead Driver

Joined: Oct 2004

Posts: 8,062

Likes: 35

From: Central Oregon

IMHO I wold stay with the v8, with a heavy f250 4x4 the 6 will work a lot harder and burn more gas. I went from a 352ci engine to a 390 in my 66 4x4 and the MPG went up a bit.

Jul 31, 2012 | 10:54 PM

stickbow9

Thread Starter

Freshman User

Joined: Jul 2012

Posts: 36

Likes: 0

Thanks for the advice. That makes some sense, especially since I have upgrades already.

Jul 31, 2012 | 11:37 PM

garthneddy

Posting Guru

Joined: May 2012

Posts: 1,271

Likes: 9

From: Franklin, IN

If you drive your truck unloaded most of the time then the overdrive and 300 will net better mpg, especially if it has the factory 1 barrel carb. People are getting very good numbers out of the stock carb 300s