Help with my new 65 F600
#1
Help with my new 65 F600
Just bought a 65 F600 at a local estate sale thats been sitting for 10-15 years. Put a battery in it and it wants to run but 2 problems are holding me back, excessive play in the distributer shaft and the starter bendix wants to kickout as soon as the engine starts to catch. How do I tell what motor I have, it looks like an FE 352/390 to me and if so will pickup/car parts swap in. The data plate says 160hp. Also its rated at 20000lbs and has a 12' flatbed dump on it. If I can find the right dump bed, I want to haul dirt and gravel with it. Will the truck handle a 12 foot body, I think I've only seen 10'ers on trucks this size. Thanks
#2
Assuming it is original, it is most likely a 330 medium duty. If so, you cannot tell the difference externally from other FE's. If it were a 330 heavy duty, it can be identified visually by a slightly different, larger water pump & front housing.
The 330 HD had a forged steel crank plus some other internal stuff, versus the cast crank on the medium.
The truck engine (FT) heads are different than FE, smaller valves, heat riser passage is between the the two middle cylinders, rather than at the end of the FE head, so intake & exhaust manifolds are different.
I believe the HD FT engines were balanced differently than the FE's as well. Different fly wheels.
Other than the above, all the bolt holes are in the same places, and most stuff will interchange.
Been awhile since I have been into one of them, so I am hoping my memory is correct.
Oh, and if the truck has a mechanical driven tach, then it almost certainly is a HD FT engine.
The 330 HD had a forged steel crank plus some other internal stuff, versus the cast crank on the medium.
The truck engine (FT) heads are different than FE, smaller valves, heat riser passage is between the the two middle cylinders, rather than at the end of the FE head, so intake & exhaust manifolds are different.
I believe the HD FT engines were balanced differently than the FE's as well. Different fly wheels.
Other than the above, all the bolt holes are in the same places, and most stuff will interchange.
Been awhile since I have been into one of them, so I am hoping my memory is correct.
Oh, and if the truck has a mechanical driven tach, then it almost certainly is a HD FT engine.
#3
#4
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Sun River St. George
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Rebuilt starter is no problem. NAPA and all other stores will have this. The distributor is also available. Careful when you pull the distributor! Your distributor has an adapter and a larger hole in the intake, if you lose track of this part it is difficult to replace. Best is to buy your new distributor and be sure you have all the pieces swapped over before you core the old one. Pertronix is a excellent investment in this truck as are the Ford flat cap, long nose rotor and adapter. 460 snap on wires go with this newer cap. For just under 200 bucks you can have a very modern and reliable electronic ignition system. Welcome to FTE! Post back we like to hear how these turn out.
#5
Yeah, you are pretty much right about the cab. In the F-600, I believe there were far more medium duty 330's than the HD version. You didn't say, but I am guessing it has a 4speed tranny.
As far as the bed, most 10' dump beds were considered a 5 cu. yard capacity.
5 yards @ 3,000lbs= 15,000lbs. Certainly enough for the 600. A 12' foot could of course be installed, but you would have to be pretty careful to load to the rear of the box, not loading to capacity. Got to be mindful of stress on the frame during dumping.
As far as the bed, most 10' dump beds were considered a 5 cu. yard capacity.
5 yards @ 3,000lbs= 15,000lbs. Certainly enough for the 600. A 12' foot could of course be installed, but you would have to be pretty careful to load to the rear of the box, not loading to capacity. Got to be mindful of stress on the frame during dumping.
#6
**** says 5spd and has the button for a 2spd axle. Called Napa, Carquest, Advance and Auto Zone. All claim no listing for this truck or a 330 motor. Its tough to find a good counterperson around here anymore, if its not in the computer, it never existed- even the napa dealer that claims to specialize in trucks. They do list starters and distributors for 60s 352/390 powered pickups. Will these work? Maybe swap the advance mechanism? One guy did ask me if the distributor was in the intake or not, I guess thats got something to do with the adapter William is talking about. Help, I've got tomorrow afternoon off and I really want to work on the truck. Thanks again
#7
I sure understand the parts frustration. Guess I'm lucky, the local NAPA still has some older books. OK, I believe this to be true, but I reserve the right to be as wrong as any one. From what you have told me, I think your engine is a 330 medium duty. One other thing the HD engines had that I believe the MD engines did not was a centrivac governor. This looks like another throttle body below the carburetor with a couple of small lines going to the distributor.
Anyway, assuming it is a MD, starter & distributor from a 352-360-390 should work.
As far as the adaptor William refered to- The HD engines 330,361, 391 did have different oil pumps and distributors with larger drive shaft and a larger distributor base, but again all the boly holes are the same size and in the same places. Therefore a MD
Dist. & oil pump could be installed in a HD block, but a sleeve would have to be pressed into the HD block to handle the smaller diameter MD dist. All of this is the long way of saying why I think 352/390 starter & dist. will work without any modification if your engine is a MD. When you get old & new side by side on the counter, I will bet they will work.
This family of truck engines ran through at least 1978, though by that time they were known as the 330, 361 & 389 XD.
I have an original '65 truck brochure. If you can get a mailing address to me, I would run off a photo copy for you.
Anyway, assuming it is a MD, starter & distributor from a 352-360-390 should work.
As far as the adaptor William refered to- The HD engines 330,361, 391 did have different oil pumps and distributors with larger drive shaft and a larger distributor base, but again all the boly holes are the same size and in the same places. Therefore a MD
Dist. & oil pump could be installed in a HD block, but a sleeve would have to be pressed into the HD block to handle the smaller diameter MD dist. All of this is the long way of saying why I think 352/390 starter & dist. will work without any modification if your engine is a MD. When you get old & new side by side on the counter, I will bet they will work.
This family of truck engines ran through at least 1978, though by that time they were known as the 330, 361 & 389 XD.
I have an original '65 truck brochure. If you can get a mailing address to me, I would run off a photo copy for you.
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#8
#9
No, it is not stamped anywhere on the engine. Just have to go by the mechanical features.
However, the data plate will tell you what engine the truck left the factory with. Look at the VIN #. The fourth digit or letter is the engine ID. Yours probably goes F60W--.W designates a 330 MD, the HD designation is M.
Good luck, let me know how it goes.
However, the data plate will tell you what engine the truck left the factory with. Look at the VIN #. The fourth digit or letter is the engine ID. Yours probably goes F60W--.W designates a 330 MD, the HD designation is M.
Good luck, let me know how it goes.
#10
#11
#12
Just got back from working on the truck. Put a starter drive in it and fixed that problem for $8. Bought a 390 reman distributor that looked right for $45, went in no problem and plenty of spark, out of the coil at least. Still worried about the advance curve being compatible. Carb seems to have been monkeyed with in the past, wouldn't take any gas from a gravity feed, pulled the top of the carb, no clip on the needle to hold it to the float, spring not doing anything, accelerator pump screwed up, somebody really botched the rebuild so I'm not sure I've got it completely sorted. Anyway it still doesn't want to run. I'm hoping it just needs plugs and wires at this point but it was after dark at this point, so it will have to wait till Saturday. I forgot to write down the tag info off the door, but the vin is F60AE712144 and it did say 160hp.The purchase price of the truck is a good story so I'll save it for another post, dinner time.
#13
#14
My mistake! My info does list F60A as a 330 MD. Looking further the "W" engine is listed as a 330 MD low compression. (Had no idea there was such a thing) As if 7.6 wasn't low enough to begin with.
Pntrbl, you sure made me dig through my books! you are right, those numbers were cast into most blocks.
The 330 MD might be considered an FT, though it does not share the forged crank, larger dist and other items of the 330HD, 361 & 391.
Pntrbl, you sure made me dig through my books! you are right, those numbers were cast into most blocks.
The 330 MD might be considered an FT, though it does not share the forged crank, larger dist and other items of the 330HD, 361 & 391.
#15
As for the purchase price. Went to the sale because there was a nice 56 with a period utility body that I wanted. After the 56 sold for about twice what I wanted to pay my wife got in line to pay for a couple items she won while we were waiting for the vehicles to be auctioned. Anyway, I was talking to a friend next to the 65 when they started to sell it and when the bidding stalled at $80 I turned and started to look at the truck in earnest, no rust other than surface, glass all good, doors shut nice, not even a tear in the seat, keys in it, couple of dents but hey, so I bid $90 and was stunned when nobody else topped it. I guess nobody wanted to move it. My friend was laughing and said "I can't believe you just got that for $90" when my wife walked up- "What Did You Do!" Its then I realized the true price I was going to pay for that truck.