73 Ford
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73 Ford
Thanks for all the advice. We replaced the points and the condensor and cleaned up the plugs and she fired right up. Runs great, but then I found out that the tranny is shot. Pops into any forward gear and slips right out, but it has a hell of a reverse! Guess that was a lost cause. I dont want to sink a tranny into a truck that I dont know how well it runs and drives. If anyone is intered in a $300 73 F100 4X2 with a strong 390 and a bad tranny let me know, I will get you in touch with the gentleman who owns it. It is as close to 100% original as a 167000 mile truck gets, even has original A/C compressor and lines. BTW its near Tulsa, OK. And if anyone has a beat up old truck that runs and drives (certainly doesn't have to look good) that they want to sell for cheap, let me know.
Thanks again
Aaron
Thanks again
Aaron
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: SW Michigan
73 Ford
Aaron, it sounds like a nice truck, but Tulsa is a bit of a drive for me. Why not go ahead and tackle the trans ? You already know the rest of the truck looks okay, the tranny problem is probably why it got parked. I would presume that you have a C6 auto- they are thought of as durable and are easy to get pieces for because ford used them for many years. Go ahead and try it. DF
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From: Nebraska Farm
73 Ford
A tranny swap isn't too tough. C6's seem to have grown on trees through the 70's you can find one in about any junkyard for $100-200. An afternoon of wrenching and you could have a cheap truck (insurance and licensing also).
Dave,
79 F-150 4x4, 390 w/C6, Edelbrock carb, 33X12.50 never will be finished.
Dave,
79 F-150 4x4, 390 w/C6, Edelbrock carb, 33X12.50 never will be finished.
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73 Ford
I will keep that in mind. I have found a couple other trucks that i am going to look at that are "running and driving good." Both are 360's. What engine is that exactly? I was looking through my Jegs catalog and they have nothing for the 360.
Thanks for the info
Aaron
Thanks for the info
Aaron
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From: SD
73 Ford
[font color=red size=2]The 360 and 390 are both FE motors, they use the same block and heads. But the 390 has a longer stroke and bigger pistons, giving it more power, especially torque. The 390 is a more desireable motor, but the 360 is good too.
Marty
"Cleverly Disguised as a Responsible Adult"[/font]
Marty
"Cleverly Disguised as a Responsible Adult"[/font]
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73 Ford
Just in case it matters to anyone, I no longer think the truck is a 73. I think the owner misread the title and took a 3 for an 8. It has a complete 78 or 79 hood fenders and grill. I realized this today when I was looking through the pic gallery. Which would also mean that the engine is not a 390. It is the original engine, so I guess its a 302, 351M, or 400.
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From: SW Michigan
73 Ford
Aaron, it may still be a 73 truck. A 78 or 79 would not have a points and condensor ignition, it would have a duraspark. The 73 body style is almost unchanged through 79 however, which means if the truck has had a crash in the past the newer grille and fenders will bolt right on. DF
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Joined: Jun 1999
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
73 Ford
Marty, How much bigger are the pistons in a 390, than a 360?? 
John
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66F100s Rule
In the cool still quite of night you can hear chevies rusting away.
John
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66F100s Rule
In the cool still quite of night you can hear chevies rusting away.
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From: Nebraska Farm
73 Ford
If you're still looking for visual clues as to the year of your truck, here's some.
73-76 has the fuel filler cap outside the box. 77-79 has a door
The badges on the side moved also. (F150-RANGER or CUSTOM) Before 77 they were down on the fender between the wheel and the door. In 77 they moved up to the cab.
I've noticed the taillight lenses are different also. The older ones have four screws instead of 2.
The seatbelts changed to a shoulder strap in 77. Before it was just a lap belt.
These are all things I've noticed by working on mine. You could always check the vin number and that would tell you for sure.
Dave,
79 F-150 4x4, 390 w/C6, Edelbrock carb, 33X12.50 never will be finished.
73-76 has the fuel filler cap outside the box. 77-79 has a door
The badges on the side moved also. (F150-RANGER or CUSTOM) Before 77 they were down on the fender between the wheel and the door. In 77 they moved up to the cab.
I've noticed the taillight lenses are different also. The older ones have four screws instead of 2.
The seatbelts changed to a shoulder strap in 77. Before it was just a lap belt.
These are all things I've noticed by working on mine. You could always check the vin number and that would tell you for sure.
Dave,
79 F-150 4x4, 390 w/C6, Edelbrock carb, 33X12.50 never will be finished.
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73 Ford
Ok I finally found one. Its a white 75 F100 Custom. Bought new here in town and has been in the same neighborhood since. Its certainly seen its fair share of use, but it runs. The current owner says he was told it was a 390 but thinks its a 360. It has C6 and working A/C. I drive a 98 Z28 6 speed, and this old truck is fast. It can't hang with my car, but I wasn't expecting the amount of power this truck has and its all high end. It is a bad collector gasket coming off the passenger side exhaust manifold, a little oil leak on the valve cover gaskets, needs some dask lights so I can drive at night, and a window handle. It was a little more than I wanted to pay, $700, but I figured its worth it for a truck with A/C thats been taken decent care of. I am going to pick it up a week from today. Anybody know any good ford truck salvage yards that sell their parts online?
Aaron
Aaron
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73 Ford
Aaron, you gotta be a real man and go to the yards and crawl around and under the trucks, and get dirty, none of this sissy on line buying and having it shipped stuff.
Sounds like you got a deal on your truck. :-)
John
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[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker|Club FTE since 01 01] My FTE Page
[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker/NCFTE.html|NC Truck Owners] NC Ford Truck owners group
66F100s Rule
In the cool still quite of night you can hear chevies rusting away.
Sounds like you got a deal on your truck. :-)
John
jowilker
[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker|Club FTE since 01 01] My FTE Page
[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker/NCFTE.html|NC Truck Owners] NC Ford Truck owners group
66F100s Rule
In the cool still quite of night you can hear chevies rusting away.
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