I joined this forum to get some ideas from you experts (my ol' dad always defined expert as: an ex is a "has-been" and a "spert" is a drip under pressure). Anyway, I'm moving to Alaska and I want to build a Ford F250 that I can fix myself (pre EFI and computer modules), has decent gas mileage and can still pull a load. What can you recommend in a year, engine and transmission. I'm ready to put some money into rebuilding an engine to accomplish what I'm after, but I'd like some ideas.

 

2WD or 4WD?

Pre-electronic ignition module would put ya on a 73 or 74.

"Decent gas mileage" usually equates to a 300 inline six. But what does "decent gas mileage" mean to you? 15 MPG with an FE is considered very decent.

How heavy of a load and how far? I towed an early Mustang with a 2WD 76 LB 302 but it was a dog on hills and such. It made the 450-mile trip but I felt like a road hazard on mountainous highways.

 

D60 front/rear axles, 300-6 motor, np435 tranny, np205 t-case would be a pretty bulletproof drivetrain while still offering decent gas mileage and gobs of torque.

 

Add a 4bbl intake, carb, and headers (EFI Exhaust Manifolds if you can get em!) And you'll have gobs of torque with enough power up top to get the truck moving if you need to. The stock 300-6 is a great engine, these mods just make it even better.

 

I intend to haul the things my wife and I can't part with to Alaska: 3,600 miles. After that, hauling would be for firewood, building materials, etc. etc. So what I'm needing is a good everyday truck. Using a six, would I have any top end?

 

Some, you should be able to do the speed limit.
I would opt for the 300 with electronic ignition over points. You can keep an extra distributor and brain handy if you are worried about one going out. The reduced maintenance and ease of tuning makes it worth it. Performance gains are a given.

 

Is there no way I can go with an 8 and still get gas mileage at or above 15 mpg?

 

Is it impossible? No, but it isn't going to exactly be easy getting there. A mild 351W, 400, or 360/390 might do it. Just remember the larger the displacement, the more fuel it is going to require. However, with that increased displacement you get more torque, which will allow you to tow/haul better.

I still vote for the 300, but if you want to go with an 8 just don't do a 302. Not that they are bad engines, they are just short stroke, high winding, and not right for most truck applications without modification.

 

The only 302 available with 4WD prior to 1980: 1969/77 Bronco.

Davie J: Welcome to FTE

Where are you going to live in AK? What routes are you taking to get there?

 

Seldovia: Anchorage to Homer, ferry to Seldovia.

 

You won't need too much top end in Seldovia and gas is probably over $5.

 

You're correct, gas in Seldovia is about $5 pg. And, no need for speed. However, there's the occasional trip to Anchorage. If they ever get the Testamina back in the water, I can put the truck on it to get over to Homer.

 

I am also planning on going to Alaska soon, and just got a 79 F250, 4x4, 300 I-6, 4 speed, long bed, dual tanks, for the same reason as needing a truck that can tow, get decent mileage and ease of repairs.

 

I'll weigh in on this. A classic truck is not what you want for your daily driver in Alaska.

I gave it a shot one winter and all I can say is, nope, never again.

You can get by without ABS just fine, but over the course of owning a truck with them I've come to the conclusion that unproportioned 4 wheel drum brakes are downright dangerous and should never be driven on ice. Ever. There is no driving-skill equivalent to compensate for this. You just have to go 25 mph under the limit at all times.

Carburetors and winter don't mix. In the winter our fuel has tons of ethanol in it. My 2001 MPFI small block GMC goes from 14-15 MPG to about 9-10 MPG in the winter. Any idea of getting more than 10 mpg average go right out the window, or right out the tailpipe in a black, rich cloud. Down south you can get away with it, but if you ever had to drive it up to Fairbanks in the winter, well good luck getting it going after it's cooled off.

Our gas prices are close to, if not the highest in the nation.

Finally, you want something that is reliable. I'm not saying that old trucks aren't, or that they can't be, but I certainly wouldn't buy a 40 year old truck and drive it up to Alaska and expect parts not to fall off. Unless you're dropping in a new engine, transmission, and going though the axles and t-case. Even still, you've got to worry about 40 year old wiring.

The ALCAN, and the Glen, and the Seward highway down to Homer have stretches hundred of miles long between cellphone towers. Hundreds of miles between the nearest anything.

Parts for old trucks up here are not exactly easy to come by. Old trucks tend to rust into oblivion, or sink into the hereafter of trucks through Bermuda off-road Triangles like Jim's Creek or South Cushman.

Our salvage yards often don't stock truck parts for much of anything made before 1990. Most people don't tend to hold on to their old truck up here. You have to resort to Craigslist. During the winter those pull apart trucks on CL are covered in snow, so you'll have to wait until spring before they go back up again. By winter I mean November through May.

Another infuriating thing is getting parts off ebay. You can't really do it up here. Experiment a little, go to ebay and punch in 9950() area codes. It will either say does not ship to AK/Hawaii or it'll be something outrageous. A transfer case will run you about 700-900$ shipping for example.

This also goes for getting parts shipped up from sight unseen lower 48 salvage yards.

However, if none of that has deterred you this is my constructive advice.

4wd, 4wd, 4wd. A truck without it is dead useless in the winter. We have long winters.

Studded tires are essential. If you don't want to pay the full price just go to Craigslist. Lost of people get new tires each season and you can find ones with two or three seasons left for a decent price.

Get a recirculating coolant heater and a manual choke. That was the saving grace of my time driving the 71 in Fairbanks. Unlike a block heater the circulating heater will warm up the block, the heater core, and the rad. A manual choke is the only kind of choke I've not seen fail. Springs, vacuum, electric, they don't last long.

Wire up a second battery. Ideally with a charging isolator, and a solenoid canister so you can make the thing jumpstart itself when the battery runs down.

Get sealed cell batteries. They hold up better in the cold.

In extreme cold a manual gearbox will freeze in whatever gear you left it in. Put a stick on silicone heater on the pad and run synthetic fluid.

Compound low is a blessing on ice. If you get a standard box it must have a good compound low like the NP435 does.

Get something with disc front breaks. Biggest thing here.

Also, make sure the heater core isn't plugged or leaking.

That's about all I can think of. Personally I'd be happy driving my other off road truck the 87 diesel year round. A lot of diesels don't like the cold but IDI's seem to be fine with it. IDI's don't have any computer modules if that's just what you're trying to avoid. Late 80's is about as old as I think I'd ever go again.

 

You'd be better off driving to Seattle, then taking the Alaska ferry north to Seward, instead of driving cross country thru British Columbia, Tok, Fairbanks, Denali to Anchorage.

There are long stretches of the BC portion of the ALCAN that are gravel, long stretches where there are no services, nothing to see but trees and snow capped mountains.

There's a very good chance of snow in May and September, leaving a window of June thru August to make this trip.

Everything is more expensive in AK because everything has to come in by barge. Juneau is the only US capitol city without an interstate, if you want to go, taking a boat or plane are the choices.

I love AK, have vacationed there 5 times over the past 8 years, but I wouldn't want to live there or attempt to drive on the roads in winter.