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Hello I am A proud owner of a 73' F-250 named Lucy. Currently it has a 390 with an Edlebrock performer rpm intake and cam as well as an edlebrock 750 carb, headers and dual exhaust. The current engine needs rebuilt as the wrist pins are coming out of cylinders 4 and 8 thanks to a poorly balanced crank from the original rebuild. After some research I've decided to swap the 390 for a 410 to give the old girl a little extra pep in her step. My goal for the truck is basically a hot rod, however I don't know how to build a hot rod. So my questions are what kind of other modifications do I need to make to the rest of the drive train? Clutch and flywheel? driveline? Rear end? Transmission? Brakes!? Other engine mods like an ignition control unit maybe? Any advice to point me in the right direction of the whats and whys would be appreciated
Nice bones there, already looks nice, it is 50 years old ... but gonna be tough to make it a 3 ton plus hot rod. I'd concentrate on maintenance, little upgrades, and going after a "look".
That's a solid point. It's heavy but it scoots just fine, even with the current engine problems. I don't necessarily want a race truck, I just want to go a little bit faster
To be fair it only weighs around 4500 so it’s not too heavy. It sounds like it has all of the basic performance upgrades on would do to hop up a F250. I would shoot for a heavy duty clutch when you do the engine.
You either have a T18 or NP435 trans. Both are pretty stout but they do not shift quick. If you want a bit more drivability, there are a few modern transmission that you could swap in with a bit of work.
The driveline should be able to handle some power, at least for a bit. You will probably bust some U joints if you’re dropping the clutch and driving hard, but I’d probably just upgrade those as they fail.
Your rear axle is a Dana 60 which is pretty stout. I believe some members have upgraded to beefier axle shafts but it wasn’t cheap. What’s your rear gear ratio? The higher the number, the better the acceleration but the slower the top speed.
I went through the same thought process as you. If you're going to do a 410, you might as well go ahead and do a 445. You have already done some weight reduction work with the aluminum intake. You'll save another 40 lbs going with aluminum heads. An aluminum water pump will help a little bit more. If you get the Trick Flow heads instead of the Edelbrocks you'll make about 30-40 more horsepower. They're more expensive, but if maximizing power and torque is what you're after they are the way to go. My 445 with the Edelbrocks, XR282HR cam, and all of the supporting mods you have made 440HP and 500 lb-ft.
I would suggest improving your suspension with front and rear sway bars, new shock, and some progressive rate springs. Add some new tie rods in the mix while you're at it. I kept the stock style two piston caliper front brake system but bought fresh calipers, master cylinder, lines, and an F-350 style booster from Battleborn Brakes.
Regarding the differential.... That's a heavy topic. Your truck has the old 16 spline axles. There are no parts available from anyone that will allow you to keep the axles and add a posi, which in my opinon you are going to need if you're using a 445 or even a 410. I wanted to bring the cruising engine speed down so I swapped to 3.54 gears and added an inch of tire height. When we went to add the posi we discovered that not only did I have to buy new 35 spline axles from Moser, I also had to purchase a special tool that costs $900 to bore out the axle tubes to accept the larger diameter axles. It was a nightmare. I ended up having nearly 4 grand into the rear end alone. If I were you, I would try and find an axle that already has the larger spline axles from the factory (I think Ford used 32 splines?) and preferably already has a posi that you can rebuild if needed. If you want to keep your existing housing, let me know and I'll rent you the boring tool since I can't seem to resell the darn thing in order to recoup some of the outrageous cost.
In fact, here's something from an 80s truck that is exactly what I wish I would have bought instead of using my original housing. You'll need to do some research to figure out what mods you would need to do to fit the later model axle in your truck, but I think it's more than worth it.
Thank you for the input! I can confirm I have a t-18 transmission and Dana 60 rear end with 3.83 gear ratio (I think). I had considered going with a larger engine than a 410 but I think I'm going to stick with the choice mainly due to cost, on the brightside the long block I'm ordering will be coming with aluminum heads from a reputable local shop. I hadn't considered an aluminum water pump before so I'll be sure to add that to the list.
My suspension certainly needs some love, probably a complete overhaul after the drivetrain. Between 95-100 the front end will lift and start to float so there's a little pucker factor there that needs addressed for safety as much as performance.
In regards to the rear end, after some light research it looks like the rear end from a 73' mustang or cougar would be able to handle some power through it as well as providing disk brakes, posi, and a 5 lug pattern (for cosmetics down the road) can anyone confirm if this is a viable option?
You can definitely swap in a Ford 9-inch, that’s what came on the F100/F150’s and is very common in the drag racing world. Your gearing is probably 3.73, which means you’d be turning about 4k rpm at 100mph. You can change to higher gears (lower number) to get a bit less rpm at that speed.
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