Duplicate post

 

If you don’t use more amps then you are just shunting a bunch of extra. I guess I wouldn’t mind a winch, but don’t currently pull extra load. I went out of the way to get the lowest amp system on my bike.

 

I still have the '79 free wheeling F250 4x4 my dad bought new with a Warn 8275 from dealer. I believe it's still the original alternator and it's skidded in a lot of camp wood and elk in . my other pickups have never run short on juice either.

This is all fine if you're into modification. but I'd classify it as change for the sake of change.

 

The 410 has really been the only "upgrade" I've done to my 1976 F-250, everything else has been repairs and replacing old worn out parts..
The next upgrade will be AC, then a rear Detroit Locker and then a front Detroit Locker.
Somewhere in-between I will add intermittent wipers.

 

Anything that helps the big 3, Start, Stop, Steer.

High torque mini starter
Upgrade to a dual diaphragm F350 P/B booster or even better Hydra Boost set up.
Borgeson steering shaft, if you have a flex joint AKA rag joint replace is with Borgeson u joint style steering shaft.
Stock Ford p/s pump upgrade to Saginaw P/S pump.
Red head or Blue top steering box
3G
Rear disk

 

Tasteful mods to me are

Champion radiator
CC545 grill mount 3 Row supercooling radiator
https://www.championradiators.com/se...all_566018034=
I have the CC545 with 4 11 inch fan shroud

CC480 for engine Mount side. 3 row supercooling radiator.

Auto cool guy pulse width radiator fan controller
Store
https://www.autocoolguy.com/

HF 125 is the one I have and I run 4 11 inch fans on it.
https://www.autocoolguy.com/product-...pwm-controller

Holley sniper EFi system

Tanks inc EFi fuel tank
Fuel sender
Fuel gauge system

https://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/p...rod/prd857.htm

200 amp 3G alternator from bronco grave yard

https://shop.broncograveyard.com/Alt.../products/269/

Red head steering gear box
Or
Blue top steering gear. Box

 

I am with 440 and have not seen any other posts yet as he nailed it
I dont have BC/CC and the steering is a Blue Top box but the rest is spot on.
My over drive is Advance Adapters Range Splitter,

My truck is a 81 F100 flare side and the only other "upgrade" I have done is added a 19 gallon rear tank with the factory 16 gallon front tank.
I used all factory parts to make this happen and looks factory.

now to go back and read the other posts
Dave ----

after reading: I forgot I added Intermittent wipers.
My truck did not came with AC but I swapped the firewall so I could add it to my truck.
Would love to add cruise control maybe in due time?

 

I think it's fine to have opinions, but don't let your opinion try to influence me and what I do to my truck. I enjoy upgrades that make my truck safer and more enjoyable for me, not for you. I also jump the hell all over upgrades that make my truck more dependable and fuel efficient.
#1 upgrade: Hydroboost brakes. Brakes are absolutely fearless. And, with 4x disks, gone are the days of adjusting and changing brakes every couple of years, If I'm lucky. I also UPGRADED the master to a Superduty master, same as the HB. The change is remarkable. And don't ... squawk at me about keeping it stock. I played that game for many years. This is FAR superior. A Saginaw p/s pump is part of the formula, one with dual return lines.
#2: Redhead steering box, along with all new tie rods and king pins, bushings, and rebuilt column. You have to drive a truck with a worn out steering system for a while to truly appreciate a tight system.
#3: Over-drive trans.
#4: Fresh, strong engine that makes you feel good when you need to stomp on it, and also makes you happy when you calculate your mpg.
#5: Electric cooling fan, two speed, done on the cheap with oem parts. Getting a $400-$500 system for $80 makes me happy every time the fan turns on.
#6: Engine bling. That's right. Every time I open the hood and see the polished aluminum v.cover and air cleaner, the headers, the MSD, etc. it makes me feel good, like when a stranger walked by and took a look and said, "dude, that thing is the tit!"
#7: Rebuilding the heater box and changing to the high performance, larger heater core. It no longer just keeps the cab on the edge of warm in the winter. It now rocks.
#8: changing all the mickey mouse oem plastic Ford bushing in the brake and clutch petals to bearings and heim joints.

 

The 130 amp alt (from a 94 Taurus) was a needed upgrade. My e-fans needed it, as did the amp for my stereo.
**Another upgrade I wanted to mention is seat belts. I have a 75 and it came with only lap belts. Adding belts that included a shoulder harness was essential.

 

Tell me more about the advantages of the high torque mini starter?

 

The OP asked for opinions, there's no reason opinions should effect what anyone does unless they want them to.

And as far as opinions are concerned there really needs to be some classification of what the end results are expected to be. do you want a classic 73-79 as original as possible ? or an original with obvious upgrades like radial tires and better paint ? or do you not give a FF you just want to try to make it more like the newer pickup you don't have ? my opinions fall somewhere in the first two categories. so change for the sake of change is going backwards not forward. " in my opinion " .


I have had 3 mini starters over the years , all failed sooner than a typical rebuilt stock starter and only 1 would they warranty. I think there are several advantages with size being the most obvious one, the problem is the quality just isn't there.

 

The advantage to the newer, EFI era starters is they are smaller and they spin the engine faster. The only reason I changed to one was because of header proximity. The down side is that they cost double what the old style costs.

 

Sometimes upgrades are snowballs. Just personal but some things I've noticed over the years that seems to cause major headaches are 1 wire alt, MSD ignition-cheap duraspark parts, questionable radiators and electric fans and last, brake conversions. Gawd I'm going to get a lot of hate for this. Honestly, all the factory equipment worked great for the intended purpose, if you go outside the intended purpose, it's on you. You just need to know ahead of time about the snowballs. I kind of like the looks of the Dakota digital dash, do I need it, nope. Saving for the 93 Lightning wheels and maybe the rear sway bar. Do I need it, nope. I'm caught in the trap too.

 

I try to run a bit of a litmus test on my mods. I might ask questions such as is it going to make the vehicle more comfortable, safer or more reliable? Is it going to improve performance? How noticeable is it from a visual/aesthetic standpoint? Will the mod affect drive-ability? What’s the cost? Is it going to send me down a rabbit hole with other modifications that will have to be made? I’ll admit all this needs to be balanced against overthinking things.

I want my truck to maintain a somewhat stock appearance but if the rewards outweigh the costs than yeah let’s do it.

 

And the first thing I did was junk the radials and bought good old 7.50x16 bias ply pizza cutter traction tires.
For me they were a huge upgrade over the tires that were on it.