Looking at a nice '74 F-250 Highboy. The only potential negative is that it has a 360 in it. I've owned one 360 powered truck in the past, a '71 F-150 for a very short time back in 1990. It never did run right and probably wasn't a good example of this engine.

The truck will be driven around 500 miles/month on two-lane mountain highways, county gravel, and under-developed ranch road, pulling a trailer that will sometimes but not always be grossed out at 6000-7000 lbs. I need a turnkey truck, so building it into a 390 or bigger stroker isn't an option right now.

How do you all think a good running 360 will handle this sort of use? I'm not looking to win any uphill drag races but don't want to do the 30 MPH dog-pant either. Should I keep looking?

 

Internet says 327 ft/lbs of torque, thats just about the same, if not slightly higher than 90’s 5.8L Windsor, which I’ve pulled 5-6k behind no issue.

I’ve seen no less than (owned two) 70s f250s with the 360 that had hitch receivers bolted to the frames and I think brake controllers too, so obviously they were towing.

and obviously it wouldn’t even compare to a new F250, but if that mattered, you wouldn’t be here…


You won’t win any races thats for sure but you will get there.

hope this helps.

P.S. if you’re not buying it from the original owner, then there is the possibility it is a 390, if it ever was rebuilt, all that needed done was to swap rotating assembly to make a 390 out of a 360.

Also, consider getting a 352 or 360 block for a couple C-notes and build it while you drive.

 

The 360 was always gutless there's no way around it.

I used to pull a loaded gooseneck out of the mountains with a 360 high boy because that's what Ford made for such purposes at that time. it worked . that said by todays standards it was a POS for towing, and the lack of power was just one of the shortcomings. if you really need a pickup to use buy a newer one they're far superior in every way . if you want something fun to play with buy the high boy.

 

Well considering highboys are becoming 20k+ collector vehicles I would find something else. There is little fun running a 4 speed ,drum brakes and manual steering towing 7k. Step up to the 80's and you will find more capable and comfortable trucks.

 

360s ... like 3 compression rings and an oil ring I think, otherwise many got swapped to 390s. 360 will tow fine, just not fast, but then I never tow in a hurry.

 

360 seems to get a bad rap as a slug but it was a little slow. Many miles in one, didn't seem to mind wide open throttle for climbing hills or picky about the gas. It did it's job well. Sounds like you are looking for something in the 2015 SD 6.2 era. I don't mean to be a downer, but if you want classic you have to put up with classic. If you are in a hurry and you want to pull that kind of weight jump up to the SD and save the disappointment. Not that the 360 High Boy won't do it but you may be late to the party.

 

The transmission and rear axle gearing will be the most important variables. A manual tranny with low "granny" gear coupled with a 4:11 or 4:56 rear axle ratio will move a great deal of weight. Not fast but it will move. Fuel consumption will be commensurate. Traction is also a factor so include tire specs in your calculations.

 

I towed a 6,000 lb. trailer with a 73' F250 4:10's a c-6 and a 390 4 barrel through the Mtn.s of Colorado for 4 Summers. You had to travel during the part of the day it was cooler and continuously stay on top of things. Why? Because that's what I could afford. The wife and kids never complained about being passed by turbo diesels or fancier rigs but what I do hear from them Is you remember when we went to fish for trout up at Steamboat lake or down on the Gunnison? Build what you can afford don't wait for something better make it safe and road worthy . MAKE SOME TEST RUNS AND THEN JUST LET HER GO ! Just get out there and don't look back. You'll never regret.

 

I’ve towed 5000 plus a twin axle trailer with a worn out 400/5 speed in a 79 f250. 5 speed is the same as a 4 speed 1-4 and I never got into 5.


Mild hills and through town it did fine. I have 3.54 gears and was doing 55-60 in 4th most of the time.

This same truck embarrassed me with the same twin axle trailer with 2 dirt bikes and two sport quads. Coming up a steep hill and start having to down shift to 3 so now I’m barely doing 50 in a 65. Semi trucks stacking up and minivans blowing by me. The base timing was off and the distributor wasn’t fully advancing it.If i had known what I know now would have fixed that way before that trip but I was awfully green then. Now I’m way better at being able to maintain and care for an engine like hours.

You have to look at what you’ll actually be doing. Towing heavy day in and day out yes a 40 year old small block can get a little old but there’s a lot of variables.

The speed limit of the road being a huge one. A 80 mph zone is gonna be a lot harder than a 55 mph zone. Our trucks will usually turn a good rpm in direct drive at 50-65. This will definitely help things power wise because youre definitely not gonna get anything done lugging it. But at 70-80 they can also suck an incredible amount of gas and buzz you off the road if your whole truck isn’t set up right.

While on that topic, you got to give the old trucks fighting chance. Old worn out oily brakes, yeah it won’t stop good.
Short shifting it or being afraid to rev it isn’t gonna get you anywhere.
A super loud leaky exhaust is gonna suck to be around no matter what. A quiet well implemented exhaust could make a truck that’s unbearable st 65 a ***** cat in comparison. Not digging at you I assume you know all this stuff but it’s something to think about. If you really want to see what it can do you gotta have it set up right.

I love driving our trucks and old cars in general. I’ll trade everyone’s fret and hurry for a cold pop and the window down. So the choice is easy for me. Old truck, but i know I’m not gonna tow the moon at 95. Not that I would if it could.

 

Ask about towing something similar on a test drive and see for yourself.

I agree with some of the others that it should handle the load, just don't expect to be running even with the super duty crowd.

I had a 360 in a 75 F100 4x4 with a C6 when I was in HS that I bought it from a mechanic. It had a Crane cam and a 4bbl on it. I was also told it had 390 heads. I was too green to know if that meant it was really a "390". It was a strong motor in my opinion although I never pulled anything quite as heavy as your loads.

 

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. I'll probably only be that heavy a few times each fall, hauling firewood from the remote property I'm developing back home. All the big grades will be downhill going that way. Hauling materials in will be going up but not as heavy.

The truck has been gone through and restored but I think I'll hold out for something with more displacement under the hood in.my price range.

I don't want to spend $60K on new or recent used, and prefer to forego all the electronics, so my year range is approximately '73 - '83. New enough for PS and PB, maybe front disc, old enough to have a carburetor

Some nostalgia is involved, of course, and this twice-monthly trip is never made in a rush but is a weekend getaway while I build my retirement place.

The truck will earn it's keep, and be well maintained, but in the end it's a weekend driver I'm after, and something to keep me busy tinkering.

 

If you are really looking for something practical, don’t stop at ‘83 extend your search range up to ‘87–heavy duty trucks came with carbureted 351w and 460s until then and pretty much the same ignition and wiring as a 1976.

1986 or 87 F250 HD is almost no different than an ‘83.

Also, those trucks are much more practical than a highboy for hauling.

Real power steering, front disc, larger rear brakes, better visibility etc.

 

My 1987 F350 dually carburated non catalyst 460 with limited slip dana 70 rearend . Paid $2k and had 104,000 miles on her. Hauling home a 76' highboy chassis.

 

Nice.

I realize that my requirements/desires have put me up against the high pricing of the collector market, so extending the range to '87 should broaden my horizons. Also considering diesel now, pending more research. They're all great looking trucks, IMHO.

 

That’s a great point. 6.9 and 7.3 Diesel trucks were non-electronic and non-catalyst up to ‘91.