Hey guys I have a 1966 f100 with 352, believe it or not never knew ford made a 352. Im a 5.0 mustang guy but have recently acquired this great truck. My questions are everything..haha how can I make this truck perform decently and run good. oh yeah its a 3 speed on the column. everything is stock or seems to be stock. any and every advice will help. thanks a lot for your help.

 

jason7482 Welcome to FTE & the FE engine forum.

The FE engine family was quite a family of engines, the 390, 428, and the famous 427 are a part of this group.

Lot's of things have changed since they were introduced in 1958. It is a strong pulling engine but other engines can spool up faster for hot rodding. It is a strong puller and drinks like a sailor.

I recommend electronic ign. like the Petronix, dual exhaust, and enjoy the old truck for a truck, it isn't a car.


John

 

WELCOME TO FTE
The FE can make some power you just have to have the money .
no budget do a survival prison break 445 stroker kit
link
Survival FE Engine Kits

 

A lot of people think all trucks should be high horse power race trucks. If the 352 runs good, leave it alone and it will run forever almost and enjoy it as a truck, they are great work horses.

 

If it needs a rebuild, a 390 crank and rods with stock 352 pistons would help a good bit.

 

Congrats on the old truck. Get a good service manual and do some reading. A factory 352 is no hot rod, but with a good carburetor and ignition system they are bulletproof and will run forever. Nice torque. There may be better engines out there, but I have a soft spot for FEs.

 

Congrats! Don't forget pics!

 

when i start off in 1st it takes alot of throttle when releasing clutch to get going and when in 2nd if u give alot of gas it sputters? Brakes seem to grind alil when close to complete stop and the pedal is stiff. Also the rag joint looks like 2 bolts have wore off- lots of play in steering wheel. One more thing truck wont idle unless choke is out bout 1/4 out and idle seems high.
Thanks

 

Sounds like you need a carburetor rebuild and/or the points checked. My first suspect is that your ignition points are bad or out of adjustment. This will also throw off your timing. One of the fun quirks of getting used to not having electronic ignition... which is cheap and easy to fix by installing a Pertronix Ignitor or any of the many available aftermarket solutions.

I would definitely check the brake shoes, should be drum all the way around. Your pedal will feel stiff compared to what you're used to, as your old truck probably doesn't have vacuum assist power brakes.

 

i was told the carb was rebuilt about a yr ago from past owner and i changed points month ago i think intake gasket is leaking oil out the back.

 

I still think you need to re-check the point gap... it can be tricky. It takes some experience and a little luck to get the feel for it and get it right the first time. The only way to know for sure if it's set right is to hook up a dwell meter.

Then reset the timing. It sounds to me like your dwell is off and/or your timing is retarded too far. Remember that point dwell changes will always change the timing as well.

It is perfectly normal for the intake manifold to leak oil... that's all part of the external oiling system.

 

thanks for your help. Is it normal to have to give so much gas off the start or is that just how they are geared.

 

Congrats and welcome! We had a 352 with 3 deuces in a 58 ford ranch wagon that terrorized the streets here. Can make some serious power with mods. It beat our boss 429 ONCE hehe

 

You're welcome, just trying to help you get it figured out. It's much more difficult to diagnose at the computer than in person, but there are plenty of ideas to be had on the forum.

As for the extra gas to get started... compared to a modern clutch and engine combo, it will most certainly take more "gas pedal" to get going. However, it shouldn't take half throttle or anything crazy like that. If your issue is due to dwell and/or timing, correcting it should require substantially less gas pedal to get going. Proper spark timing and duration will maximize your low-end torque.

 

when driving down the road there is alot of play in the steering, im constantly moving the wheel right to left?