I consider it only a core (but that don't mean I wont try to get more outta it. Put it on a stand n run it. May B just bearings n rings?)
There Does seem to be a lot of 'help' out there, why aint there more 250s chuggin around - too long ago/old an engine?? I seem to get more in Oz than here tho.
Forum down under swears I can bolt any x-flow head/intake to the '69 (commin next wk) from '66 - '98, i know that aint true cuz the Aussie's diverged from the US's in '72 when they made their own model of it down there - kept evolvin their own from that. The x-flow didn't come out till '76. Guy on a fourm (@ OZ) wants to sell me a pallet full of ('80) XD - say the alu. jober will boost hp by 125. They must be thinkin about what They can do to Theirs - not ours. Clifford/ford six/in-line whatever it is, is mums about it all.
I think I need to just go to 'stovebolt' n get the 2V "holley 5200" or "holley/weber 32/36" (I believe they're the same thing) for $45 (may B it's 2X that) & try it. Watchin AB tune his carb tells me hard work (tinkering) and time are the only thing U can trust - no magic, no knight in shinnin armor is gunna show up (esp w/my income) ;-}


a gem of a buy
If the shipper only follows up now.

 

Well....Sirs Lancelot, Galahad, Tristan and the rest of that bunch were probably severely challenged when it comes to carburetors.

 

severely challenged when it comes to carburetors

Cool, guess it's "too long ago/old".

Hey, try n get back to the thread. Nice detailed summation of the "w.i. pull" for your p/u.
It reminds me of some of what several of us discussed here earlier MrBill (6 cyl), and other players: your word - sweet spot. I thought that might be where the tq is highest. Others thought where hp is highest. Probably 1/2 way between? A that point the graphs I used 2 C in the hot rod mags was published in a forum post. What's your take on ideal spot for this concept occuring?

 

no clue on the weight but have 50 pounds air in the air bags and she is squat'n a bit.... my 10 foot camper wont do that... prob 1.5 cords of wood there and with my mod's is was no issue on hills at ALL... stock would have seen some 3rd gear action for sure but I kept up with the blue ford with a 429 in it and have more on then it does and never came out of 4th

 

Ut... thread must still AB alive?

It may B worthwhile to get some more accurate details to gage the effects of specific mods for our own info (4.9L guys) in financial choices ('apples 2 apples'). Ie:

"2 1/2 hour drive...held 1200 rpm MOL...6% MOL grades...for 3rd hole running...temperatures in the mid 80's and the idiot temp gauge barely moved...until we got back to in-town driving...no change in oil pressure...truck weighed 5360# and the trailer 3600# total GVW 8960#...MPG of 12.1. No oil usage (5w-30), no coolant usage…" ( I’ll stop here, there’s more).

1983 F150 300 I6, Comp Cam 260h and lifter kit, Port/Polished head, Offy DP Manifold, Holley 4160/1848-1 465 cfm, EFI Exhaust manifolds, Walker Y Pipe to 3-Way Cat, generic Turbo Muffler, Recurved DSII, Mallory HyFire 6a & ACCEL Super Stock Coil, Taylor Spiro Pro Wires, EFI plugs.
***********************************
86 f250 4x4 300 IL6, EFI exhaust, walker Y-pipe, flowmaster 40, and 2.5" out the back. offy DP with a holly 390, D.U.I dizzy and head P&P with a 30* back cut on the valves

/OR/

not bein more than an @ need user/not a trucker/non-mechanic I have little theory on all this automotive engineering and it would NOT B helpful to do so anyway (too many varables?)?? I look to those with more knowledge on the forum to enlighten me @ their will/leisure.

 

Awesome story. I had mine loaded near 6000GVW when it was bone stock (and probably not in the best of tune), and it lugged down in top gear like you describe. I have a thread about the experience coming up the hill to Breezewood with that load.

AB's calculations are correct, according to your MPH, RPM and tire size. 2.75 or 2.73 axle ratio. What does your axle tag say?

 

I had the axle numbers in a note book...which has since gone AWOL on me...and I dis-remember what the numbers were...I have an excellent memory but it is short and goes AWOL too.

 

My research, which I will caveat that it's my research, and not someone who's knowledgeable about these things, shows the following possible axles for your '83 F150, which includes a couple of 2.73 options.

3.55 8.8 S809P
3.00 9 WDM-DR
4.11 9 WDM-DM
3.25 9 WDM-DL
3.50 9 WDM-BK2
2.47 8.5 WDR-A
2.73 8.5 WDR-B, WFL-A
3.08 8.5 WDR-C, WDR-F, WFL-B, WFL-E
3.55 8.5 WDR-D, WDR-G, WFL-C, WFL-F
3.08 8.5
4.11 9 WFE-BL
3.00 9 WFE-BN
2.47 8.8 S800A

 

Good info. I'll file that and take a look at the tag next time I'm under the truck.

 

247 8-0 that's just unbelievable to me. I wuz thinkin of goin from 411 to 458 or :88. Got the 33" all lined up once re-employed. ;-}

What's a regular car (say an old Tarus with one of those V6s) got for rear gear?
How bout my Focus (2.3 4 cyl, automatic)? I don't mean exactly - but ball park...

Also still thinkin bout that sweet spot mentioned earlier - engin purin, good gas mileage, optimal revs for the load. Where is it, truckers? 500 rpm after peak tq?

 

I've only got access to live Ford axles. You can look up anything else with "The Google" but I'll list off some other passenger vehicles I know off the top of my head:

2005 Impala 3.4L: 2.86 axle with .7 overdrive. 1-2 shift at 25mph, and we typically drive it in 3 (1:1) unless we're over 60mph, otherwise it hunts in and out of lockup and heats up the tranny. 3.05 gears in the Buick, minivan and 3.1L versions of the W-body, and 3.29 gears in the supercharged and police versions. They hamstrung the 3.4L with the tallest gearing for fleet MPG ratings.

2008 Chrysler 2.7L: 3.90 axle with .69 overdrive. 2000 at 60mph. 5-speed Chryslers (3.5L/Hemi) got something like a 2.8 axle with a shallow (.8?) overdrive.

2003 Ranger/B2300 2.3L: 3.73 axle with .8 overdrive (M5OD). I forget the RPM's, but it was fun to drive in the upper RPM's.

Most old Mercedes 3.0L turbodiesels: 2.85 or 3.07 axle with no overdrive. 2000RPM at 60 for the 3.07, and about 100mph flat-out. 180ft-lbs at 2400RPM, 120HP at 4400RPM, governor at 5100.

Neighbor's '70 GTO came with 3.90 gears, non-lockup tranny, and a 455. Says it turns 3600RPM just cruising down the highway.

I recall lots of small 4cyl cars (Honda, etc) have axle ratios around 4 and even 5 for the really underpowered ones.

 

Thanks BB
So it seems closer to 1:1 as the weight/displacement ratio blend, lill motor/heaver vehicle weight high #s (increase power), and big motor/light vehicle - lower (mpg etc)? I know there's tire sz, tranny gears etc in there but this is all simplifin stuff for my pea brain to B able to begin to slightly comprehend...
I'd like to B @ 1500 rpm all the time, any speed (still tryin to get that sweet spot idea). I had 5 speed fiats n alphas in the 60s n '70s that did that. (also shifted like automatics but that's a different story ['square' engines]). ZF? NV3550? gotta keep searchin...

 

A rule of thumb for driveability is your low gear ratio multiplied by your axle ratio should be around 10:1 assuming a "factory" tire size (around 26-28" in diameter). Adjust up or down for different size tires. You can cheat on the arithmetic- just take the ratio of squares, instead of calculating circumferences. To use 33" tires instead of 28" tires, you'd need (33*33)/(28*28), or 1.39 times the low gear ratio, or about 14:1 to get the same final drive ratio. If you went with little 22" gumball lowrider tires, you'd need .61 of the 10:1, or about 6:1 to get the equivalent final drive ratio.

Also adjust for low-end torque. My 300-powered F100 does fine at 9:1 with factory tires. If it's a steep hill or I've got a heavy load, in granny gear is about 20:1 final drive ratio, and can turn the wheels easily under any conditions (or break something trying).

My wife's Impala has a first-gear ratio of about 7.5:1, and it's got a crazy factory stall converter to compensate (the GM 3.4L makes good torque, but it's also a 3700lbs car).

My Chrysler is 10:1 and it steps out smartly, even with the little 2.7 (it's got maybe better than half the low-end torque of the GM 3.4, in a car that weighs just as much as the Impala). We've never raced the two. I think the 300 would step off the line better, but I bet the Impala would walk away once I got out of 1st gear.

My first truck, a two-tone 88 F150 I got my screen name from, had a 13.5:1 first gear final drive with the M5OD and 3.55 axle, and that was too steep for daily driving. 2nd gear was 8:1 final drive, and was too low to be a useful starting gear.

The '03 Ranger/B2300 low gear FDR was way steep at over 14:1 with small tires, but the Duratec 2300 didn't have any torque below about 3700RPM, so it worked out.

A quick Googling shows a typical Civic has a 14:1 low gear FDR with even smaller tires. Including tire size, the 1st gear final drive ratio on a Civic is the same as my F100 in granny gear! (but the 90ci high-revving Civic has to work to get moving, and the 300ci tractor-motor F100 is unstoppable)

 

Everytime I pull away from a standing stop (even tougher on dirt 70 - 80% of the vehicle's use) the tires chirp. I gotta slip that clutch a little (as lill' as possible I assure U). Again it's a 170/2.8, 4:11, & RAT 3 speed (a RAN wuz for the V8 - just means 3. something 1st gear).
AB kin do the FDR in his head by now... wonder what transpires w/ZF, 4.1, 33" tire (@ 175 Lbs it has 5.72 1st, prob. start in 2nd most times, n .76 5th); or an NV 3550 (97 lbs - 4500 is too much I'd imagine - 4.01 1st, .78 5th). Gotta find out 2nd's ratio on them...

OK, good info, the 10:1. Thanks - I need all da ed u macation I kin get! Not having ANY facility with math (learning disabled) not sure on that 14:1. But I may believe, as U seem to, that factory original DR have been designed by folks much more researched n knowledgable than I. Wanna attempt a close proximity w/those numbers! "and can turn the wheels easily under any conditions (or break something trying)." No bucks for new Ujoints, Dshafts etc; no time taken out of service for repairs (it's all about money, even time, isn't it?).

Thanks again...how bout my two 5 speed ideas above? Way off for a 4.1? Different rear gear (n frnt due 2 bein 4wd)? Goals R 33" tire, the 5 speed of some sort, strong/inexpensive (as possible, those 2 last ones R 2 opposites ;-} ).

 

Here is a neat calculator for the mathematically challenged people like me. Most transmissions/transfer case are listed so you don't need to research their gear ratios. As long as you know your power band, you can see what each tranny does with diff gear ratios, tire size and rpm results at what speeds. Crawl speeds and side by side comparison for two diff setups. Best one I have found: Gear Ratio Calculator