I apologize if this has been asked before,but I'm new to this site. Im going to a Camper/RV Trade Show tomorrow in Atlanta and I want to get as big of a Camper or possibly a Gooseneck Camper as possible. My truck has airbags on it,but I don't know any of the specifics about my airbags. Can anyone give me some advice ? Thanks !

 

Look for a sticker on the driver side door frame. It should list your cargo capacity. That's a good place to start to know the maximum tongue/pin weight you can handle. Beyond that you'll need to find a '79 brochure that tells you the max trailer weight that model year can handle. The higher the rear axle ratio the higher the truck will be rated for trailer weight.

 

Thank you very much !

 

Any luck finding the sticker? I bet the towing capacity is considerably lower than a new F150.

 

I didn't look at the sticker because the truck currently has a 400 engine,but I want to replace it with a 460. So if anyone has a 79 with a 460,please let me know what the towing capacity is. And I don't doubt that a 2017 F-150 has a higher tow rating,but I love this 79 F350 and I want to get it refurbished. I sometimes think about the possibilities of changing the engine to an old 12 valve Cummings engine made back in the early 90's. ...."IF" I did that,does anyone know what the tow rating would be ? Thanks !!!

 

Yeah, a new F150 probably is rated to tow more. Does it have a stronger frame and axles than a '79 F350? ...I don't know.

My comfort zone would keep me under 11K lbs for towing with a '79 F350 and that's if the entire brake system, frame, and supspension were restored to like new. A 460 and probably a 400 can be built to handle that. The 460 has potential for way more torque and hp than it had when it left the factory.

 

towing ability...equals.

Frame, Brakes, axles, springs, then engine/transmission/final drive..

and how Great is the frame/axles/springs on a 40 year old truck...

I have seen a few .. where the receiver was ripped off the frame... frame rusted away before receiver did...

 

Definitely agree here, frame and hitch rust is something to check on every truck (especially in the salt/rust belt) every year after the truck gets to about 5 years old. Trucks usually last longer than 5 years but not always. Seems like a few superduties are losing their bed rails around 8 years in the salt/rust belt.

 

Engine isn't going to be you limiting factor. No matter what engine you pick it's going to be slow.
If brakes and steering are in perfect condition, then yes payload capacity is going to be the key thing to watch.

Good luck.

 

I think I see what you mean by payload being the limiter. An F350 will have a payload at a little over 3000 lbs....maybe as high as 4000 lbs. A 10,000 lb fiver will put down about 2000 lbs pin weight and leave 1000 lbs or more for passengers, tools, etc as well as some extra payload for safety factor.

For engine, a factory built 460 will be kinda slow. A well formulated 460 with aftermarket parts will make well over 500 lbft and 450 hp...enough to move 15K - 16K of truck/camper fast enough.

 

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I am very appreciative to everyone who has given me advice on this subject. I'm going to have the frame,receiver,suspension,etc. Inspected before deciding on what I should do next. So far,it appears to have very little rust. I think the engine may need to be replaced due to it getting hot when idling. Possible hairline crack in the manifold??? I like the suggestion of putting a 460 in it with a RV Cam and a different carb. I love this truck ! It's a Supercab, 4x4. It has a two tone paint job of Metallic Blue and Wimbleton White. I'm going to repaint it sometime the first half of this year. I can't wait to take some pictures of it and show y'all my chariot !!!

 

Looking forward to the pictures and the rebuild story.

 

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Agreed, check the fan, cooling, etc first. If you suspect a leak then pressure check the cooling system. Before swapping engines, might do a wellness check on what you have ...at least check compression and consider doing a leak down test.


If it's only overheating at idle, might check your timing advance too. Retarded timing will cause it to run warm.