meat loafs first album, bat out of hell! i think it was bat outa hell. paradise by the dash board lites?

jack

 

Is that the one you said came from the factory with a 6 speed manual? Or was it a 5 speed auto? It was something weird if I remember right..

 

Yeah, it had a granny low, four regular gears andthen an overdrive. Wildest configeration I every seen. But boy would that SOB run.

 

Have you ever posted that truck in the older truck forum? Maybe someone might know something about some that were made like that.

I know Ive never heard of one, not in the mid eighties, and not stock!

Ya sure someone didnt custom make that truck Paul??

 

Nope, I bought it new at the dealership. The moment I drove it, I decided right then that I was taking it home. The snowstorm that was on did not influence me a bit. I drove it home without hubcaps/trim rings and the rear bumper and my plates stuck in the back glass.

I took it back to the dealer about three days later for the bedliner, hubcaps // trim rings, bumper and to have the first 500 mile service performed. Yes I put 500 hard miles on it in two days just to make sure nothing was wrong with it.

I did post it on the older forum and had several young smartasses tell me that I was wrong about it. I had the truck for almost 8 years. I knew the thing inside and out.

351M400 Stroker, 12 inch clutch, 6 speed trans, NP transfer case with shifter, manual hubs and 3.73 gear ratio on factory 10 inch wheels and 33 x 12.50 BFG AT tires. They were listed on the original manifest that I scrapped off the glass. Its top speed was around 140 mph when you wound that stroker up. You could outwalk it in low lock and granny gear. It would not climb a tree, but it would give it hell trying. I pulled it up against one once, put it into the lower gears, let out the cluth and it just sat there and burried itself at idle. Put it in reverse and it backed right out after being burried up to the axles.

Another funny thing about it is that it was marked as an XL, but it had the XLT Lariet Trim inside, but Chrome and molding delete on the outside. The only chrome on it was the bumpers, trim rings/caps, Grille and headlamp doors and the mirrors. It was painted dark midniite blue metallic with blue matching leather interior.

It was one hell of a truck!

 

Sounds like quite the truck. I wonder what its deal was, I mean it must have been one rare truck.

Ive never heard of a 351m400 stroker either, although im not really familiar with the 351m 400 family.

Too bad ya didnt still have the vin number of it somewhere, then a guy could do a seriel number search on it!

 

It was a 400 block and was supposed to be destroked to a 351. Mine wasn't. It had a 400 crank, connecting rods and pistons and some oddball heads from another group that had been milled and modified to fit. A 750 cfm motorcraft carb with electronic ignition finished the package. I would dare say that it ws turning right close to 325 horses and maybe more. It would bury you in the seat like the Powerstroke will starting right off of idle. I saw quite a few 5K shifts with it laying down a dual stripe at each one.

Like I said earlier, it drove the dealer mad trying to get the minor parts I needed for it.

 

you got 'er jack. must be a meatloaf fan too eh??

 

 

I bet that thing was a pain in the *** to find parts for Paul, kinda makes me chuckle thinking about the poor parts guy trying to figure out what was what haha.

 

bah humbug

 

Im with ya sherm! Im a damn grinch

 

amen... lets boycott commercial xmas!!!

 

Well maybe this will put a smile on your faces, a video from your DE buds,,, JibJab — Snowball Fight. Try a JibJab Sendables eCard for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and more.

 

yes sherm i am, but i'm a bigger FOGHAT fan! acually i like all types of music.
i'm with you guys bah humbug!!
and i have one hell of a mess to clean up. the aftermath of that storm that pounded us.
hey look on the bright side at least we have a bunch of firewood now. and another branch fell on house again! and hanging on the power lines again.....

jack