Whats thebest way to get my truck started when its -22 out side and i have a 1977 ford f150 automatic straight 6 but there its a aftermarket intake manifold and a 4 barrel edelbrock on it with a manual choke

 

Full choke, block heater. Should go.

 

I will try it tomorrow but i am thinking to change the edelbrock to a holley

 

The best way (well the ONLY way) is to keep it tuned up and maintained.

Not picking on you, but once it actually hits -22F below it's pretty much too late to really do much! Good plugs, wires, ignition, battery etc are essential. At those temps the oil turns to sludge and makes the engine difficult to turn over. A block heater would be swell, but even a 75 or 100 watt light bulb (not LED) next to the intake manifold would help with fuel vaporization on startup.

Bring the battery indoors. Keep it on a trickle charge whether indoors or not. At -22F below you can't really "overcharge" it at least not at a low amp rate.

 

You can buy aftermarket oil dipstick heaters relatively cheap. Never tried one myself because I don't live somewhere that frickin cold, but I'd be willing to bet that'd help some. Trickle battery charge would be good if that's causing any issues.

 

Having survived 60 winters in Vermont I can say a block heater which at times is usually a pain to install,is the best solution as the entire engine keeps kind of warm.Getting a frost plug out and the heater installed is at times a miracle depending on the frost plug accessibility. A tank heater in the heater hose is pretty easy to install but used to be a bit pricey. A lower radiator hose heater is generally used as it is easy to cut the lower hose at a good spot to get to,put the heater inline ,clamp the hose ends around the heater and your done. Many folks have used a lightbulb next to the battery,lightbulb next to the motor,blankets over the lightbulbs to keep the heat in as much as you can. No sleep those nights as you just know the blanket will catch fire along with your rig. I used occasionally,one extreme winter,a kids aluminum flying saucer that you slide on the snow,filled with charcoal briquets shoved under the motor and a blanket over the hood. A lot of folks would bring the battery inside overnight on the real cold days. Wow! Hard to believe we survived all those times!! You had to get to work no matter how!

Bottom line is do the lower radiator hose heater,cheap,quick,effective.

 

I would think the carb you have is OK for starting, especially with manual choke. If (or since) you don't have heat going to the carb as stock, warm up may be hard and more possibility of icing in operation. The stock setup is better in this respect.

As mentioned, make sure the tuneup is fresh (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, carb adjustment). Battery and charging system in good shape. A couple of good pumps, full choke and start.

Correct oil helps a lot. 5W40 synthetic diesel oil was my choice for cold start. 5W30 conventional would be OK also but likely need some ZDDP added.

If your gas has ethanol, that should take care of any water. If not, a can of drygas from time to time will take care of any moisture in the fuel.

The electric heater helps a lot and will be easier on the engine when it starts... lower rad or water jacket/freeze plug. I have used the light bulb in emergencies (frozen carb) but don't really like the safety aspects.

 

In severe cases, I have even used a propane space heater or weed burner under the engine.......not the safest but work.........but you really have to pay attention to what you are doing!!!!!! I really wouldn't recommend it to most people.

 

This is also where a garage makes all the difference, even an unheated shed will keep some warmth to make the next days start easier. The preventive maintenance done in warmer weather pays off by easy, dependable starts. Remember a dead battery will freeze at +25, a fully charged batt is OK to -40F. A frozen battery may explode if charged.

 

Tedster9.........been there blown up that battery.......it was even on a Dent........it ain't pretty........even a cold, dead battery will off gas worse than a warm charged one and a random spark from hooking up jumper cables will touch one off. that's why on the dead vehicle you should first hook the positive jumper to the battery and the ground to a good ground on the block, that way if you do get a spark, it is at the block, not right on top of a gassy battery. Luckily when I blew one up we had on safety glasses and had a large box of baking soda right in the shop. No one got hurt seriously........

 

A freeze plug block heater is the best in my opinion. Having the inline 6 will make installation a breeze! Wasn't all that tough on my 390... the freeze plug block heater will be most efficient by heating just the coolant in the block. Mine cost about $30 this fall. Needs to be plugged in about two to four hours to warm up completely. These are around 400 watts or so.

The tank type heater that goes in the heater hose lines would be my next choice... more heating power (up to 1500 watts) and would only need to be plugged in an hour or so to ease starting. These are around $50 to $100 depending on what brand and size you get. We have the 1500 watt size on diesel tractors and it will heat up in about two hours.

I tried the oil dipstick heater one time, the one I had just burned the oil to the stick and didn't seem to warm the oil much.

The lower radiator hose heater would be my last resort. They need to be installed so the warm coolant rises toward the engine, which can be difficult depending on how the lower hose fits. I have seen too many of these installed wrong and then the warmed coolant rises toward the radiator and doesn't assist in starting.

A battery heating blanket or trickle charger will keep it warm and help to provide maximum amperage to spin the engine over faster. Battery cables and clamps in excellent condition are necessary as well. I have the largest battery I could fit, 1000 cranking amps and 850 cold cranking amps, combined with 2 gauge cables to transfer all that power.

A timer will help save electricity with any of these.

Worst case scenario, I have started cold engines with a shot of starting fluid and heating the intake manifold with a hair dryer or heat gun... be aware of the risk of starting a fire with these.

 

Those are excellent suggestions but the OP is asking what he can do now, unlikely he's performing any maintenance outside in subzero temps, like installing a block heater. At least, I would suggest doing those things in the summer or fall, "prudent squirrel" like.

 

I bet! The potential energy stored in a battery is impressive. That's yet another reason I don't really try to wring every last electron out of them, and replace when there's still some life left in them. Batteries that get low on electrolyte - exposing part of the plates to air - open the possibility of internal arcing during crank or charging, and therefore explosion. May be rare, but it happens. I keep batteries on a tender or zap them every few weeks and keep them 100%. Cold weather and long cranking times really put the whammy on them.

This is one reason why a well tuned motor - properly timed, good ignition components, quick choke operation and so on saves on wear and tear of the starter and battery and motor. When folks are just grinding and grinding on the starter that's the sound of it burning up, fuel being washed down the cylinders into the oil, etc.

 

What about those magnetic block heaters? I believe they are made to be stuck to an oil pan but im sure you could put it on an intake or on the block, Our napa carries them around here.

 

I'd second the block heater, but I sure wouldn't be putting one in at those temps.... Another option would be getting a battery 'blanket' I know I can buy em at NAPA up here in Canada for $30 or something - little heating blanket that goes around the battery and you just keep it warm all night. That, combined with a block heater, would probably work great.

Another thing I'm thinking of just now is getting one of those circulating heaters (I've got one in my Jetta TDI - not hard to install) and have it hooked up to circulate through the heating plate of the offy intake AND the engine block. That way you get vapourized fuel and a warm block! Maybe I should do that when I install my Offy intake With a battery heater too, I don't think you'd have any problem getting it to start.