so it seems i will have to build or buy a new engine. ive been looking onto what to put into it, but what all would you suggest? its a 69 Ford Ranger, had a 360 in it. should i stick with the 360, or put the 5.0 in it? or should i go bigger? i liked the way it use to drive with the 360 in it, but i would mind more power. i am trying to keep it classic, but also have a little muscle and sound great (deep rumble) when i put the exhaust and headers on.

 

Really is a matter of personal preference on what engine someone likes or has had good luck with but something to think about is swapping in another 360, 390, 428 will be the simplest assuming you want to use the same bellhousing/trans, driveshaft, and perches. Any of them can be made to perform well if you use the right components depending of course on what you want to do with it and what your budget is. I have several 67-79 f100s and I have a couple 5.0 overdrive trucks I could drive anywhere without worry and have plenty of power and get good fuel economy. But my favorite is an all original '79 with a gutless original 302 because I like originality a bit more than performance. Just depends on what YOU like and also on what is available to you in your budget. But I will say that when I go looking for a engine for one of my trucks I always try to find one that is running in good shape preferably a low miler or a low mile rebuild and not one that needs machine work and other bs unless it is something special. Doing it this way you'll be dollars ahead in the end.

 

It is all personal taste/preference. I like the old FE's, but they are tasty on fuel for the most part.

If I was making a nice driver, I'd find a roller cam 302 with an older AOD. You can throw a lumpy little cam, it will run great, you can put some decent gears in the back to make it run well and the old cable style AOD will make it get really decent mileage without having to deal with any electronics. I'm more of a stick shift person and would work on getting some kind of 5 spd in it, but the AOD would be simple.

 

FE Motors:
Deep rumble-check
Original-check
Fuel efficient-fail

 

FE motors are expensive to rebuild ,something to think about .

 

i do like the thought of keeping it original, which is what i think i might go with. ive been looking into buying a restored 360 (runs about $1800) and then working from there to update it as i need.

 

A mildly stroked 351W with around 392 cubic inches backed by a 4R70W transmission.

 

I'm thinking a feulie 408.

 

I was trying to be somewhat budget conscious.

Heck.. then let's do a Jon Kaase 557 cubic-inch big block backed by a Tremec six-speed! Alternatively, a 427FE from Roush Performance.. got $34K laying around?

 

Well as far as that goes, might as well put a WWII V12 Allison out of a P-38 Lightning

 

I would build a mild 390 and get the best of both. More power and better mileage than the 360 all day long!

 

thank you! ive been leaning towards wanting to put the 390 in it anyways.

gas mileage isn't to big of a concern as this truck will only be a Sunday driver and maybe entered in the truck shows. i have a 2019 F350 that is also a company truck/Personal truck. so i can take my time with this as well as not have to worry about making it gas mileage conscious

 

I went round and round on mine. Was going to use the 4.6 from a crown vic donor but it's just so ugly and un-hotrod. I'm yanking the 360 in favor of a 390 I will build. Always wanted to build an FE and have a '75 390 in a parts truck.

 

Totally off topic, but if I do an intake and carb on my FE 352 do you think I can improve my mileage a bit? 7MPG even for a Sunday driver is a bit crazy.

 

Personally, likely not see much improvement. At least not worth the cost. My first question would be what rear gears? 4.10? Going to 3.73 would be a better first step.
My '67 F100/352 would get maybe ~10 mpg daily driving with 3.25 gears. Just my .02.