Got your back brother: 1984 F150 4wd 300/ NP435, 11" HD clutch, 4.10s, locked rear/ LS front, 33" mudders... Isuzu casserole anyone?!

 

I'm the young'un here and even I could tell you that little Isuzu wouldn't last 10 seconds against the Big Dog 150 with a 300 I6!

Representin'! haha

 

It's still that the guy that asked the question has a '96 4x2. Therefore no low range, no compound low, and probably 3.08 gears. It'd be alot closer than most people think.

Justin

 

You think so? I still think the f150 would take it. I want to see it now though

 

Allright, after some quick research and number crunching here goes:
This assumes both trucks are automatics (4L30E and a 4R70W) with equal converter slippage (which means it drops out of the figuring), that the Isuzu has the standard 4.3 axle gear, the F-150 has 3.08's, the isuzu has 27" tires and the F-150 has 29" tires.

The Isuzu will deliver 2500lbs of torque to the ground at a road speed of 17mph (torque peak in 1st gear)

The Ford will deliver 1900lbs at 23mph.

Now lets talk about 800 RPM. the Ford still makes 150lbs, so it would be 1100lbs at 11mph (no converter slippage is being accounted for).

So long as the isuzu makes 90lbs of torque at 800 rpm (which i have no clue if it does), it will have the advantage as it would put down 1100lbs at 9mph

While the Isuzu may not build as much torque as the 300 or build it as quickly as the 300, the gearing makes it come in a lot quicker than it "should". That's why it would be closer than most people think.

Now if he had a 3.5 axle gear or more, no questions asked the F-150 would walk all over the Isuzu.

Justin

 

Hey his Rodeo, Is 4WD by the way.

 

I was just wondering, how would y'all think my truck would fair against it. Mine's a '78 150, I6 3spd and 3.25 gears. I ask this because i know my gears are lower, and have heard that the carbed 300's have a different cam, causing them to reach their torque peak at an even lower RPM. Just throwin' it out there

 

The problem is 2wd against 4wd... the guy in the 4wd has a better chance of winning simply because of his traction advantage. Both vehicles in 2wd, now that would be interesting, bottom line it comes down to traction and driver skill. You can have all the power you want, but it's useless if you can't put it to the ground. Motor versus motor the Ford will rip the Isuzu a new one!

 

How do you check the gears? I got under my pickup today and checked the tag on the pumpkin, and if I'm right then i have 3.08 gears. Does that sound right??? and if it is, then what does this mean for my truck??

 

That is a pretty high gear, but for a 2wd on the highway it's ideal. Not the best towing gear, I had 3.08s in my truck (4x4) but swapped in 4.10s later on when I lifted it.

 

Mine truck IS 2wd. So more than a towing rig it's just a cruiser? How much does it cost to swap out the gears? what would I have to do?

 

It's actually pretty easy to do if you have the right tools, know-how, and are comfortable tearing into a rear end. You have the Ford 8.8 axle in your truck, the differential carrier must be shimmed correctly in order to acheive proper mesh of the ring and pinion gears. A brand new set can be pricey depending on where you buy your parts from. If you do buy new, steer clear of the no-name gears... go with a good quality brand (Genuine Gear, Yukon, Richmond). You can also find other gears in a junk yard provided they are still in good shape. On many full size Ford 1/2 ton pickups and Broncos 3.55s are very commonly found in 8.8s. Many 4.0 V6 powered Explorers and Rangers used 8.8 rear ends with 3.73s and some came with Dana Trac Lok limited slip diffs. I you want to be able to pull a decent load and still have decent highway manners, go with 3.55s for heavier towing go with 3.73s. The downside to going to a lower gear ratio is you will lose fuel mileage and may not be able to cruise at faster speeds on the highway. I went from 3.08s to 4.10 because I went from a 29" tire to a 33" tire, I needed to compensate for the taller tire in order to get my power back. It pulls great, the down side is I can't cruise like I used to on the highway. You need to look at what you use the truck for before you choose what ratio is best for you.

 

Thanks a lot Pkupman. I want a capable pickup, but the reality of it is I never use it for work. I just want to be able to use it if I need to. I think I'm on 26 or 27 inch tires, nothing special. They're just wide.

 

All you gotta do is make him wind his up nice and high... the 300 will hold all day, similar to an old 366 big block GM dump truck engine I used to have, got to about 4500RPMS, but would hold for days(metaphorically speaking).

 

Do that or lightly hold the brakes and wait until he starts to spin his tires, then drop it into gear and pull him away!