camper special with a 352 and a 4:10 limited slip rear.It winds up pretty tight but is orig to the truck.I am looking for a donor for P/S disc breakset up.Should I swap out this rear or maybe get an aftermarket overdrive?I kinda like the way this thing launches but the fuel mileage is in the single digits(only drive it for pleasure)and its so wound up on the highway I'm afraid to take it on an extended highway trip.Anyadvice?Anyone else runnin this rear?

 

Once you find a donor for P/dics Brake etc check the rear end and try and get it if its running say 3.25 or 3.50 gears; swap rear ends; and keep your orginial for future use or to put back for sell down the road; I not to sure on what year models swap but I bet upto late 70's will; I'm sure someone will post soon; also do a search using this forum for swaps.

Just a quick .02 cents worth.

CustomCab

 

Do you have a F-100 or F-250? 9" pumpkins are easy to swap in and out and are plentiful in higher gear ratios, my parts 69 has a 3:50 set in it.

 

My 66 250 camper special has the 4.10 gears too and I am looking into swapping a NV4500 trans to get overdrive,I priced a new trans with all the parts to install and its in the same price range as a gear vendors add on unit. 65 to 72s have the same width frames and the 67 and up had optional taller gears. Jeff

 

I run 3.00 behind mine. The engine can handle that ratio just fine.

John

 

My 66 f250 was converted to half ton front and rear, using 75 era parts and everything bolted right in. currently running 3.55 but might switch to 2.75 out of a lincoln that i have.

 

Thanks for the replies.The truck is a 250,I would like to keep it a 250 jst wondering how the guys with the 4:10's like the gears.

 

Hey Dap, do you have a ford rear or a Dana? My 66' 250 - came with a Dana rear w/4:10 gears.

 

I believe it is a dana.My buddy says its a full floating axle,not sure what that means.I ahve never had much reason to mess with the rear end on any of my vehicles.

 

Mine also has the 352 and 4:10 rear end. This is a great delivery system for the FE power, in a truck.

IMHO, it's all about how and how much the truck is used. My use profile is local and occasional, for gardening and woodworking hobbies, major trash, now and then furniture or appliances, maybe some pea gravel. Our local freeway is max 60 mph, and the rural roads are mostly 45 and 50 mph. I might total 4,000 miles a year. All this fits the truck's configuration very well, and a taller diff could dilute its power benefits. Also, for me the effort and cost of a change would never come back in higher mpg, just because I don't run enough miles.

In the final analysis, it's a matter of preference. Mine's a little bit hobby truck, but it's also a working truck. I take pleasure in maintaining its "bloodlines" in the power train, and making use of that.

My tongue-in-cheek recommendation for better mpg is: Drive a little slower; give the locals a better chance to admire your rig as you pass by.

Don

 

Well put Don.We have very simular driving habits.I may just stick with the orig drivetrain for now.Still want them disk brakes and power steering.

Joe

 

Hi Joe.

When I'm in the parking lot at the home depot, I think power steering, too, that's for sure. Often, I just straddle a line and take two spaces, making it much easier to back out. On the other hand, the stock setup keeps the forearms toned up, and helps keep me a little in touch with my youth and my very first vehicle, a '56 F-100.

Brakes are something else--a safety issue. My decision was for power brakes but not discs. Since I do no trailering and almost no heavy hauling, and am generally a local, lower-speed driver, discs didn't seem to be necessary. The kit I used provides the dual MC and great pedal, and fully meets my needs.

Again, personal preference is key. My brother went with power steering in his '66 F250 with 300 I6, and put in a smaller, custom steering wheel. But I gotta tell ya, when I look in my cab and see that big ol' blue wheel, I feel real good that it's still there.

These Slicks are so easy to modernize and tart up that a person can get real enthusiastic about improvement projects stretching off into the future as far as the buck can see. Well, for a few years I did have an '85 F150, well equipped, and I could easily get my Slick nearly to par with that rig. But, for me a lot of the enjoyment of having an old truck is having an old truck. It's a time machine. It's great fun when a kid climbs in and says "Hey! Where's the radio?" or "How come the shifter is so long?"

Man, it's enough to make me sorry the rig don't have vacuum wipers.

Don

 

Hey Don, Do we call you a neandertholl (sp) man? roflmao

John

 

Joe

I would keep the 4.10 and go with an aftermarket overdrive. Going with an aftermarket overdrive will get you the best of both worlds. Lots of low end power and beable to cruse the interstate at a reasonable speed.

 

hmm I need a delete post for when I am not paying enough attention and try to double post like this