Hello ladies and gentlemen, I am looking at purchasing a 1984 F-600 box van, with a 370 V8, 5 speed. Decent condition. My questions are...

I keep hearing 370 are very underpowered... any remedies?
Are there any places that continue to sell parts besides junk yard, such as online?
Should I avoid it like the plague?

Thanks for your input, I appreciate your help...


Travis

 

Moved from pickup forum.

Welcome, Travis! Thanks for joining us at FTE. Our Large Truck forum is brand new and your topic should get more views and replies here. Good luck!

 

Being that the 370 is in the same family as the 429 and 460 engines, you could possibly install a 429 or 460, or maybe just use some heads and intake/exhaust solutions from the 429/460 automotive family.

My brother put a mid-to-late 70's era (brand new crate engine) 429 into his '68 F600 flatbed. Going from the original 330, he said it was a major wake-up in power.

Going from a 370 to a 429 or 460 would be even easier.

 

Not sure what the differences are between the truck 370/429 vs. car 429/460. Compression ratios, cams, and other internals are different, but not sure about engine mounts and bell housing patterns. Maybe someone can advise.

Ford, and I suppose everyone else, "lo-po's" the truck engines. Compression ratios are in the 7s, cams look round to the naked eye, carbs are small. Thus, you have low end torque and they last a long time.

You have to be careful making a swap. Consider the power curve of a newer engine and how it matches the gearing etc.

A 460 with an rv cam would be fairly cheap, and bring you 50 to 100 lb/ft of extra torque methinks.