The carb you are looking for is actually a 7200VV. An earlier (and preferable IMHO) version was termed the 2700VV, non-computer controlled idle mixture. Hard to find because people threw them away. Basically a case of not understanding what they had. VV's aren't new. Every single rice-rocket from the 70's to the late 90's had variable venturi carbs. The jap bikes were always in a performance war during that time (and today), but all of them used the same style VV carbs. Like these bikes or not, you have to admit they put out an amazing amount of power from a tiny package. And their horsepower technology tends to predate that used on production automobiles by a few years. I can remember when every "hot" Kawasaki street bike had dual overhead cams (and VV carbs )while the very few publicly sold cars available with such technology bore names like Cosworth and Ferrari and such.
Not to say Ford's VV was in such a class, but it was a surprisingly good effort.
It's interesting to note that the same VV carb can feed a 2.0 Pinto engine all the way up to a 460 the correct mixture with no adjustment. Of course the 460 will run out of breath around 4000 rpm's due to the venturis not being quite THAT big.
All that said, I've found a 2700VV's on 77-8 Granadas in the junkyards. The owners usually say "you really want THAT!" (more non-believers ) and charge me $5 or so. I rebuilt it and drove it every day in my 351W F150. I ran it with the 70's non-computer Duraspark II setup. One day the hot rod bug bit and I could no longer stand the thought of having a "2 barrel" any more. I just HAD to swap it out for an Edelbrock 4BBL carb and Weiand Stealth intake. Mileage is close to the same I think, but the VV delivered "smoother" power at all speeds.
I pulled the old+leaky Autolite 2100 off my wife's Mustang and put the VV on it. She was very pleased with the smoothness of the "new" carb. She reports a noticeable mileage gain. And interestingly enough she can also now lay a black stripe appreciably longer than before. OK, that was me.
VV's aren't without their idiosyncrasies. I've found that you can run a 7200 without a computer but your idle mixture defaults to pretty darn lean and there is no way to adjust it. The cold start enrichener tends to gum up pretty regularly and stick either open or closed at inconvenient times. No doubt if you could remember spray it off with carb cleaner at every oil change this would be much less of a problem. Replacement parts for the things seem to be getting rarer and rarer.
A "better" 2 BBL is hard to find. The VV's certainly aren't to everyone's taste. Certainly not for those who can't be bothered to understand them. Most people fall into that class, hence the VV's "bad reputation".
Good luck with yours. Should you choose to go with a Holley 2 BBL, that's certainly an option. I've never used one but have heard they work OK".

 

I really liked the carb untill it started to give me problems,are the 2700VVs hard to work on as I am building a 65 galaxie with a 289 and 4 or 5 speed for gas mileage and if one could be made to work right I would consider trying one as I would like to see if I can get more then 25 MPGs from it before trying to install fuel injection on it.

 

im inheriting a 1984 ford f-350 with a 460, and all i know so far is that ithas a new engine, but the carb got messed around with, and now it isnt running right. could it have the carb you guys are talking about? or could it be a common problem?

 

The 460 probably has a holley or a motorcraft 4 bbl

 

The VV carb is larger than the standard 2bbl. Instead of having a choke assembly, like most carbs, it has 2 slots in the top that open and close as the engine requirements change.

Mine is the 7200 Motorcraft. I bought it on eBay for a total of $24 including shipping. The kit cost more, and the labor put it over $100, but, it is well worth it to me. The gas mileage increase has been worth the trouble.

351W, C6 Tranny. 2 wheel drive. Easily smokes the tires.

 

I ran the VV on my 83' until it failed emissions.... after I had it rebuilt by a so called expert it ran worse.... so I parked the truck..... for 6 or 7 years....

until Plowpusher talked me into rebuilding the truck.....

 

Okay guy's I need some more help, I just got back on the truck a couple days ago and come up with the Distributor shaft being shorter then the original, I installed the Duraspark II to replace the EEC III distributor. Dose the Distr. go down far enough to turn the oil pump shaft? Also I got a wire harness from a '78 F150 to go from the new blue plug module to the distributor but it seemed that I wasn't getting any fire so I checked the voltage at the tach side of coil wire and found that I only have 6.8 volts coming to the tach side and I read somewhere it should be 12 volts, any suggestions?
Another question do I need to disconnect the ECM?
Any help is greatly appreciated because it just isn't trying to start.
If someone could tell me if I have the correct firing order it would also be appreciated, I have 1-5-7-8-6-3-4-2 is this correct?

Thanks, Chetmac

 

I would try to find a engine harness from a 80 and up,a six cylinder harness will work but a sending unit wire will have to be either lengthened or shortened. The distributor gear does engage with the oil pump shaft,but the 351 uses a 5/16 shaft and a 302 uses a 1/4 shaft. I dont understand how you would have a distributor shaft being shorter,but that makes me think you are trying to install a distributor from a different size motor. Jeff

 

So is the VV off of my 82 351w parts truck worth money on ebay?

 

Getting ready to remove my VV carb from my 1983 351W. It was rebuilt a few months ago. (see previous post in this thread) The gas mileage is horrible, and it likes to die when cold. I'm going back to the Holley that was on the truck when I got it. Only difference is, it has been rebuilt, and now boasts an electric choke that I bought at my local Holley parts location. Hopefully, I can double the gas mileage. Running at 5 mpg right now. I'm not driving the truck except back and forth to work. I'm looking at an AOD transmission, and a lower ratio rear end, also. The AOD is on a '84 302 car and it works.

I can probably rebuild another VV out of my parts kit. There's tons of extra new parts in the kit that my carb didn't use. Perhaps I can find a non-feedback VV?

 

Very Little!

 

chetmac, the order you listed the ignition wires (1-5-7-8-6-3-4-2) is correct for the EEC-III distributor, but incorrect for the Dura Spark II distributor.

The correct order for the wires on a 351w with a DSII distributor is: 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8

The firing order is actually the same, since it's the same engine. The DSII ignition wires are arranged in the actual firing order. The EEC-III distributor wires are arranged in a different order because it fires alternatley from both sides of the rotor.

The voltage you listed on the coil tach terminal is correct for the ignition switch in the 'Run' position. It only gets the full 12 volts when it's turned to 'Start'.

Before disconnecting the ECM you should convert the thermactor and EGR systems over to vacuum operation like in a factory DSII engine. Find a vacuum diagram for a DSII engine. You can use that to get what you need at the auto parts store.

 

I changed the firing order on the plug wires but still no fire to the plugs, is the EEC III coil compatable with the Duraspark II distributor and module box?
Also the wiring harness I picked up is off a '78 F150 and there were a couple of the wires cut which I assumed went to the coil according to the wire color code. does anyone have a copy of the wiring schematic for a '78 and a '82 F150?
Thanks for all your help
Chet

 

Chet, EEC-III used the Dura Spark II coil. So should be no problem there. I don't have a complete wiring schematic. But here's a diagram of the Dura Spark ignition system if you want to recheck to be sure the module is wired up right.

Dura Spark II diagram

It's labled in spanish because I drew it up for a guy in Argentina. ?No habla espanol. Let me know if it needs translation.

 

Okay guy's I really need some expertise here and I believe someone here has the right answer. I have been messing with this truck way too long now, I have a new Carb on it , a new ignition module (blue plug), new distributor, different harness and I get no spark, I ohmed everything out today and I believe everything checked okay.
Do I need to remove the old wiring harness from the Duraspark EEC-III system? Do I need to remove the under seat computer module? Does anyone have a diagram showing the steps to change over to the Dura Spark II from the EEC-III.
Any and all help is appreciated, I really need her running.