Hello

Let's just start with I've never owned a Ford before always been a Chevy guy but found this 1977 F-250 2 wheel drive sitting in a farmers pasture and couldn't see it rust away so made the leap and purchased it. It came out with a 400 from factory but at some point in time someone put a 460 in it figured that out from another post here stating to count the valve cover bolts thanks for that BTW because I was lost.. now onto the problem.. did these trucks come out of factory with floor shifters for automatics? There isn't a shifter on the column and it looks like at one point a floor shifter was on the middle hump in the floor boards someone at some point Jimmy rigged a shifter on it. And it's just sticking through the floor.

Also on another note I drive highway to and from work about 40 miles one way and the trucks rpms seem to be way up there around 65 mph if I can trust the aftermarket tac it's hitting alittle over 3 grand.. is there a better tranny that I could stick in it or would switching to a manual tranny be an option? Looking for better gas mileage from this gas guzzling beast.

Thanks for your time.

 

I have never seen an automatic floor shifter in one of these trucks. Considering someone changed the engine, I'm pretty certain that's aftermarket.

As far as your RPMs, that sounds correct. If you have 4.10 gears or similar that's right where it will be.

Youre likely getting 8 or 9 mpg and that wont change with a different non-overdrive transmission. Overdrive would help a little bit but we're talking like 11 on the freeway versus maybe 9 or 10 freeway now. maybe someone else can chime in on that, but I would say not at all worth the effort. 460 and gas mileage don't go together. I ended up putting a modern engine and transmission in mine to hit the teens gas mileage numbers. This wasn't easy or cheap so again, is it worth the effort? probably not.

Taller tires are an easy way of effectively changing your gear ratio. Your RPMs will go down a little, mileage might get better (not much).

A basic tune up might be your best bet- plugs, wires, cap, rotor, air filter, fuel filter, replace V belts, change oil, check air pressure in tires, etc.

 

Are you sure it's a 460? It could be a 429, as both have 7 valve cover bolts per side.

429's were only installed in 1969/73 cars, but are swapped into trucks. You'll have to measure the stroke to see what size it is.

No truck until the late 1990's has an A/T with a floor shift.

What usually occurs is...the A/T's pot metal shift collar has an internal bridge that connects it to the shift tube. Over time, the bridge begins to crack, eventually breaks off.

Now, people aren't going anywhere until the puppy is fixed. Some people don't know where to get a replacement (*), so they install an aftermarket floor shifter.

btw: Your truck has Ford dealer installed Economy A/C

*D5TZ-7228-A (replaced C5TZ-7228-A & C9TZ-7228-A) .. A/T Shift Collar Kit / Obsolete ~ Dozens available NOS

1965/77 F100/350 & 1973/77 Bronco.

If there's no evidence that the shift collar was there originally, someone replaced it with the extension (C3DZ-3590-A) used on 1961/77 F100/350's with 4 M/T's, 1965/66 Mustangs with A/T & M/T