towing
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towing
I have an 87 f150 xtend cab 4x4 with a 302 that has 106K miles on it. I don't seem to have enough power when pulling a grade with my camp trailer. The trailer only weighs 3200lbs, but an 8% grade slows me down to 20 mph. I have been told that if i rebuild the engine and have an rv cam and rv torque converter put in that my performance will improve considerably. Also how can I tell what my gear ratio is in my rear end. and on the last steep grade to where we camp I'm down to 10mph no way to get a run on this last grade. would it help to put it in 4 wheel since its only about a mile.
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Joined: Sep 2001
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From: in the country
towing
flymaster , one factor that will materially affect your performance is the altitude that your vehicle is operating at---they say that for Each thousand feet Above 4,000' ---your engine will lose ~4% of its rated hp\torque at whatever rpm you normally cruise at---this is especially true for normally aspirated engines as the carb can only deliver fuel at a fixed rate---even though the air becomes less dense as altitude becomes higher and consequently the air\fuel ratio becomes very lopsided in favor of the fuel , fd
:-X11
:-X11
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towing
that helps to know because that means that by the time i get were I'm going that I have lost about 16% of my horse power. so the question is would the rebuild with an rv cam and torque converter improve my towing ability.
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Joined: Jun 1999
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From: LAT 46.55501° & LON -122
towing
Unless your 302 is really sick, a rebuild with a RV cam is not going to help much. The RV torque converter will reduce heat in tranny and possibly help mileage, but it won't get you up the hills much faster. The best thing you could do would be to swap out the 302 for a 351W. Easy swap; most external parts interchange except for distributor, and you will have dependable power more up to the task. 302's are great motors in Mustangs and lighter cars, but not trucks towing loads, especially up hills.
I would recomend the RV torque converter and an aux tranny cooler if you go 351 since you will be throwing more power at the tranny and working it harder.
I would recomend the RV torque converter and an aux tranny cooler if you go 351 since you will be throwing more power at the tranny and working it harder.
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