So my mother's friend and husband are pretty much selling everything/giving away everything they have. I bought her husband's f-150 for $500, and towed it to a carb shop today. It's sat for about 2-3 years, and he has owned it since 1990. He said he has put 3300 in it to get it running recently(i think this includes the transmission he recently put in it, engine, and carb).

I just talked to him on the phone, and heres all the info he gave me

*RV H/O Cam 351, rebuilt 3 years ago, 100 miles on it, supposed to be broken it at 1000.(what gas mileage could i expect?)
*rebuilt 3spd no o/d transmission with 40,000 on it, linkage installed.if i were to get o/d installed, how much more mpg would i get? how much would this cost?
*overload springs
*new rear shocks
*takes 20-50 oil(is this what i should get?)

started it up the other day, had trouble keeping it running(carb wouldnt move on its own) and the throttle was sticking. he said the carb and the throttle linkage needs to be adjusted. approximately how much will this run me?(shops going to start working/looking at it on tuesday.)

it also needs the entire air cleaner replaced.. i was told that the bigger the air cleaner the better the mpg. what would be the best to get?

mpg is the most important to me, as i have a 50/60 mile commute every day(awesome right?) any tips or tricks including the air cleaner that would increase my mileage? even if it lowers the performance slightly i would still be interested in hearing about it.

highlighted the questions if that makes it any easier for you guys to answer. One more thing, if i were to get everything fixed and sell it(dont think i will), what would i expect to get, roughly?

thanks.

 

First of all how much MPG do you need bare minimum.

-351's are not known for great mpg in carburetor models. My friend averages 13-15mpg with his 94 w/351 and EOD overdrive transmission.

-No overdrive transmission will prevent you from getting over 14 on the highway if you drive 60+mph. If you have overdrive you can possibly get 15-18mpg *** If everything is correct*** I.E. tires good shape and factory size, bearings good, brakes not dragging, ect.

-20W-50 oil is for diesels. The higher weight (20 is the weight in 20W-50) the thicker the oil and therefor the more engery (Fuel) required to move the oil. I use 5W-30 although I'm sure a lot of people will tell you to run 10W-30.

-Aftermarket air cleaners do not make much of a difference, in fact at lower speeds they actually hurt performance with hot air they take in, and they also are horrible in the winter VS a factory air cleaner with a heat riser. A good twin snorkle aluminum top 5.8 H.O. air cleaner with heat riser and cold air tubes to the front always looks nice under the hood of a ol F150 351.

- Mechanic repair, depends on who you take it to. They can charge you 200 for spraying some WD-40 on a few cables or 20 bucks.

One of the best tips I can give for MPG is tires, they make a huge difference, oem size and maximum pressure yeild the best mpg. I'm babying my 302 with a overdrive transmission and getting about 13-15mpg currently, I'm sure once I get my alignment set I can get to the 16-17, maybe even 18+ with my vacuum advance working.


Expect the worst, hope for the best. I think a C6 351 will get at best 14 on highway, but I am wrong often, hopefully some 351 guys can correct me because I still want a single cab 351.

 

so let me get this straight, all they have to do is spray WD-40 on the cables? i know thats not all they do, but it still shouldnt be more than $50 for both the carb and throttle right? Guys i took it to are supposed to be the best in the area, guess i'll find out how honest they are pretty soon..

14 on the highway sounds great, i'd actually be happy with that.

 

One of the things I hate about peeps putting after market air filters on is they usually go smaller, that's ignorant!

Smaller flows less air, less surface area, thus quicker to plug, thus choking the motor, causing the carb to suck the fuel resulting in poor mileage.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

My guess is at the worst you would get 14-15 mpg on the highway.
With an OD tranny you might get 3-4 mpg more depending on your rear end ratio, I'm sure how much manual transmissions cost, but I think an OD would be in the ballpark of $300.
Shops charge anywhere from $50-85 per hour and it shouldn't take more than an hour to adjust the carb up unless it is froze up which means it would need to be rebuilt.
They are a little pricey, but I really like K& N air filters, they run around $50 and are good for 50,000 miles and can be cleaned and recharged so it never really needs to be replaced and the recharge kit is about $20. The make entire K&N air filter cleaners, not sure what they run. I've noticed a roughly 1-2mpg increase with these filters.
To get the max mpg I find getting the truck to max vacuum yields the best gas mileage, the closer to 20 inch pounds the better. It will also increase your performance.
Other things that increase mpg a little are the skinnier and or lighter the tire the better the mileage as less rolling resistance takes less power to move. The less weight you carry the better the mileage as well.
If it is a good daily driver that's not all beat up, a good 20 footer should bring around $2000, if it is rust free and the interior is not messed up and everything works perfectly you could get up to $3800.

 

unless its a daily driver to hell with mpg!! you have a good start for a cool truck, start with intake, carb, and header out exhaust. you shoud get a few more mpg with a better exhaust system that flows good and sounds great!!!

 

My personal suspicion is 11-12 will be real-world MPG. These things are heavy and have all
the aerodynamics of a brick.

 

yeah its my daily driver for now lol.. prolly get a rice grinder here pretty soon

k cool, i was expecting worse.

holy crap thats awesome, dont know about rust, dont think so since i live in arkansas so no salt, and i havent really seen the interior but im probably going to add leather seat covers and fix anything thats screwed up

 

ok how hard would it be for me to adjust the carb and throttle? The ignition and starter might also need to be replaced. cant afford for the mechanic to do it(probably going to be about $500 for all of the above), and as long as they dont require any special tools i should be able to do it right?

 

ok how hard would it be for me to adjust the carb and throttle? The ignition and starter might also need to be replaced. cant afford for the mechanic to do it(probably going to be about $500 for all of the above), and as long as they dont require any special tools i should be able to do it right?

 

you need to track down your problem first. will it crank? when you move the throttle linkage does the carb spray gas or if you remove the fuel line is it pumping gas at the carb when cranking? do you have fire at the plugs? are the plugs good? is the wiring good around the engine bay and distributer? they are a few things to get you started. anyone can work on a motor like that if they just take one step at a time.