I recently went to the dump and had my 49 weighed and it was only 1364 (1364x2.2) Kilograms with me one kid and some garbage in the back that comes out to 3008 lbs

 

I owned a 38 GMC pickup a few years ago that ran a 250 inch inline six from a mid-70s Malibu and a TH350 transmission. The truck got really good mileage (around 20 MPG) and the power was acceptable. A Ford inline OHV six of around that size should work well in your truck. I think a 4 cyl engine might be too small.

Vern

 

Based on what I have seen here I am feeling the same way about the 4 cyl (too small).
Hopefully I will not walk down this path because my flat 6 will turn out well for me.
Time will tell.
Thanks for all the input and discussion.

 

oscarxyz, the 4 cylinder would do fine in your truck depending on what power level you want. It should do as well as a 4 cylinder newer Ranger with the 2.3 but most of us want alittle more power than that. As I said in an earlier post my friend was happy with the power and economy of his 48 with the 2.3/5 speed. It did not have any trouble keeping up with normal traffic and was a neat truck to drive.....

 

I'm just a newbie at the auto mechanics, but if you want my 2 cents i agree with ferguson777. A good old 302 v8 or 300 i6. In my opinion if you go with the 4 banger you'll sacrifice the sound which is half the joy of cruising around in a classic truck or any classic vehicle for that matter. And the 302 with minimal upgrades will not do so bad on gas milage if you just want it to drive and not like race or bag, your gas milage will do pretty good.

 

Etnies13 brings up a good point. There is no 4 or 6 cylinder that will ever sound the same as a V8. A good friend of mine has a 240 in a 67 F100. It has a cam, 4 barrel carberator, aluminum intake, and headers. His headers dump out in to dual exhaust that has flow master mufflers. The truck runs super good for having an inline 6 and gets very respectable fuel mileage but it just doesn't sound right when he floors it. My daily driver is a 73 F100. I put a 460 and c6 in it. My engine is stock with the exception of adding electronic ignition. I'm running regular cast iron manifolds with dual 2 1/2" pipes and flow master mufflers, and it sounds realy good. How ever....I'm only getting 12 miles per gallon. When you take a little motor and put big exhaust on it, the majority of the time it sounds like crap. If your going to run a little motor it would actualy sound better to run quiet exhaust pipes. The loud pipes on a little motor make a truck sound like a weed eater on steroids.
Mike

 

Hold the phone dudes. You are all forgetting about the 2.3 TURBO engine. I have a Turbo Tbird and it weighs 3380 empty. I have only spent a few hundred dollars on it and I run 14.2 in the quarter, it makes 190 HP 240 FTLBS from the factory. I know the 2.3 turbo will be enough for your truck, I have been thinking about putting one in my 55'. The only thing is I dont know how well it will tow or haul. And like some of you were saying, you need some decent gears to get moving, I have a 3.55 stock rear gear in mine. But once you get out of first, hold on tight! There are a few turbo rangers even on this site that are very quik trucks.

I also get 30 miles to the gallon sometimes =)

-Mike-

 

I have to admit, I've been considering pulling the 3.8 out of my 88 tbird for the 48. However, that would mean the 351W would have to go into the tbird. By the way I'm looking for an 88 turbocoupe. P.S. a 3.8 is a 302 with 2 cylinders lopped off.

 

I'd never run a V6 or a 4-cylinder in any of my cars. 4 cylinders have no torque, and 90-degree V6s (which as i understand it, all modern V6s are) have uneven firing inherent in their design. Plus they just shound like crap.

 

Thanks, Kooper. I think it was the "sounds like crap" that sold me.

 

Actually, as Im sure most of you know, the 3.8 is almost nothing like the 302. It gets bad mileage, unreliable, and no power. Not to mention its one of the worst engine designs Ford ever made (head gaskets)

I will point it out again, 190 HP and 240 FTLBS of torque is what the stock turbo engine makes. Those are considerable numbers.

I have a Turbo Capri with the same engine that makes 400+ rear wheel horse power. It runs the same times over and over again, is very reliable, and when I dont boost much I get over 25 MPG.

I have a big place in my heart for V8s, Ive built plenty of them. But my Tbird sounds JUST like a healthy 327 if you ever heard one. It has a tad bigger cam and a nice exhaust, but with your eyes closed you cant tell the difference.

I believe very strongly that this engine in particular, is the only other considerable option for a light truck like the F100. Other wise go with a small block for MPG.

-Mike-

 

If you want significant fuel economy, OD tranny with the right gear ratio rear end is definitely where to spend the money. My 400 Cu in SBC with 6 speed tranny (double OD) 3.70 rear in my Panel gets 26-28 MPG on the highway at "slightly" over the speed limit.

 

I'm impressed that that 400 SBC and 6 speed can get 26-28 MPG with the amount wind resistance I believe those old trucks have, my 1980 Corvette L-82 with a 4-speed ans 3.08 gears gets 18-24 MPG. I sure would like to see a wind tunnel test done on an F1 compared to a late model Ford truck.
I don't know what my 51F1 Flathead 226 is getting for gas MPG as my speedometer isn't reading correct. I know it's not real great, but at this point I don't really care I'm having fun with it. And its running real well for an engine that was last rebuilt back in the mid 70's and sat for 15 years prior to my purchase. But I will say that S10 5-speed transmission and 3.23 rearend has really made that truck enjoyable to drive. I believe that Flathead 6 and 5-speed is a perfect match for that truck. But I'm never satisfied so I imagine I will wind up Hot Rodding that truck one of these days.

Just my 2 cents
Rod 51F1

 

crownvics with the 4.6L get over 25 mpg and their not light vehicles.

 

I was being facetious in my previous post. My 48 is getting the 351W, however, the 3.8 isn't that bad of an engine. I believe it would sit good in a pinto for an economical daily driver, and still get looks going down the highway. I get 27 mpg in my tbird w/3.8 aod 3.08's. I wouldn't sacrifice sound for economy in a darkside 48F1, though. Now, where can I get info on engine mounts?