I bet I know why you had to put a clutch in it.

Try it out with your trailer, but if you are not happy with how it pulls, you need to get rid of that 2.75 rear. That rear is great for fuel mileage and running around general duty, but not much for towing something heavy.

 

Nice truck, welcome to fte

 

I've been away from the internet for a few days and wow, thanks for all the replies. "82 Ford", your truck looks great. I think if you check those bed rails you should find a motorcraft part number, they look original.

I know a lot about my truck because my mom bought it when it was about a year old and I've also been learning from you guys. I probably won’t even think about working on this truck if it wasn’t for this site. I also have been talking to the shop that has done most of the work on it for the last several years.

“Franklin2 thanks for the insight on towing and the rear end in this pickup. It is something that I knew and didn’t even think about it. If It doesn’t do well at towing that’s no problem I’m hoping to get some good MPG out of it. My backup plan is a ’91 F350 crew cab with a 351 and auto that is also a daily driver for me.

My son and I spent a few hours in a local wrecking yard this weekend. Had a good time a found a few good parts but didn’t bring much home yet. If anyone is interested we found 4 instrument clusters with tachometers. I was quoted $25 each for them, and 2 tan dashes in good condition with no cracks. Interesting note is that out of the 40+ ford pickups that were there they was not a single inline 6 motor there. They must all still be on the road.

 

Heavy towing and the 2.75 rear gear ratio isn't exactly a great match, but I've done it many times with my truck. Pretty much the same as your truck, except mine has a C6 auto.
The funny thing is, the 2.75 gears don't really help the MPG that much either. I've seen many cases where someone swapped in a 3.00 or 3.25 gear set, and got better MPG than the 2.75 yeilded, whether loaded or empty. The towing capability goes up drastically as the gears get lower (higher number), but the MPG doesn't always fall off to match. It all comes down to how and where you use the truck, as to what ratio gives the best balance between towing power, and MPG.
I was planning to swap 3.25's into my truck, but came across a matched pair of 3.50 axles. A bit lower gearing than I really wanted, but for the added pull of 4wd, worth the effort in my opinion.

 

So true, mpg has so much to do with driving habits. I really am not planning to touch the drive train on this pickup anytime soon. I've got an F350 that can step in if needed. I'm just planning to do a little fix and repair and updating. keeping it a daily driver in the process.

Anyway could someone look at my garage link, I think I have an oil bath air cleaner. I didn't know they were still around in 1981?

You'll also notice that the interior is a bit of a mess right now. My son was trying to see what was wrong with the radio. I should be getting about 50+ pounds of parts tomorrow that includes a dash thanks to a follow forum member. Merry Christmas to my pickup

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/a...p?albumid=9865

You'll also probably notice in a couple of the photos of the truck like the one of the side marker light that it used to have an adhesive strip down the side of it. It was part of the Explorer package for that year. There is another pickup on the forum from California "81-F-150-Explorer " https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/member.php?u=205875 that is the same color and is amost a twin to this one. I don't know it I'm going to source new strips or paint the strips or two tone the truck. Time will tell. You can also see the shallow of the tape on the tailgate.

 

That isn't an oil bath air cleaner. It uses just the standard replacable element. You have to take the housing off completely, then turn it upside down to access the wingnut to seperate it for gaining access to the filter.

Aside from the color, and the trans, that looks very similar to my truck. Well, mine has Ranger instead of Custom on the side.

The 2.75 gears will work pretty decent with the stock 215/75-15 tires. Even stepping up to 235/75-15 will make a noticable change in how it pulls, though it may not be as bad since you have the manual trans.

Nice truck.

 

That interior color matches the outside alot better than that burnt yellow crap that was in my truck originally.I've always wanted a truck with a caramel color interior to make an older version of a King Ranch truck.

Word of advice,don't put 31's on the truck unless you don't mind being in your own way.My 2.75's like to fight with the 31's on my truck.

81 Explorer is a great resource here,and has alot of info about the Explorer package trucks.I'm really surprised he hasn't poked his head in this thread yet.

 

I'll back that statement up 150%. I too have 31's on my truck, but only on the rear. Not a great choice with 2.75 gears......

 

So if I change wheels/tires I probably should change the rear end too? I kind of like the looks of some of the trucks here with the chrome rims, leaning toward the Cragar Nomad II, and nice tires. What would be a good set of gear to put in it with those tires?

I'm actully thinking about making the interior a 2-tone because the brown interior parts are tough to find. The dash I'm getting is tan along with several other interior pieces.

Thanks for the info on the air cleaner I haven't opened it yet. I hadn't seen an oil bath cleaner since my '53 Ford Pickup and my '53 Henry J and was a wondering. And no I didn't buy them new.

I noticed that 81 Explorer and I have twin trucks. He hasn't login in since the 18th. A lot of the thing I found out about my pickup came from info he's posted.

 

Tire size has more to do with gearing than wheel selection. For instance, a 275/60-15 is nearly the same diameter as the stock 215/75-15, but much wider. Both are around 27.5". The 235/75-15 is closer to 29", and most 31x10.50-15's are between 30.5 and 31".
Most all trucks that came with the 2.75 gears, also had the 215/75-15 tires, while the trucks with 235/75-15 tires came with a 3.00 or 3.25.

Here is why fordzilla and myself both caution against 31" tires and a 2.75.
at 55 your engine is only turning ~1640 RPM, at 65 it's still only turning ~1940 RPM, and at 75 it's a whole ~2240 RPM. While it sounds like this combo should yield good MPG, the engine is struggling to maintain speed.
For reference, with the stock 27.5" tires, 55=1850 RPM, 65=2185 RPM and 75=2520 RPM. Rather large drop in RPM just by adding a little more tire diameter......

All figures are according to a mathmatic equation (MPH X Ratio X 336 / Tire Diameter) but use a generalized figure for tire diameter, so actual results will vary based on *actual* diameter.


For 31" tires, a 3.25 will yield near the same RPM @ any given speed as the stock 2.75 & 27.5". (IE: 2640 RPM @ 75 MPH)

 

My truck came with factory 3.08 gearing and 215/75x15's. I now have 31x10.50x15's on 8.5in. wide rims. With the factory setup, I could lay plenty of rubber. With what I have now, it will barely bark the tires. But, when I am offroad, and I put it in 1st and let it pull itself along, it works great. I should also say that I do agree with you though about the drop in RPM.

 

Thanks, Great info. I'll not to that point yet but this is going in my notes of things to do if I do decide to upgrade the wheels and tires.

 

Ha,not even 215/75's.My truck came factory with 205/75's.lol.Definitely skinny suckers.When I got the truck it had 235's all the way around.

I didn't know 81-Explorer hasn't been on for that long.Hope everything's alright with him.He's usually a frequent poster.

 

Check out my tires this evening. They are 235/75-15 all the way around. Looks like I already need some taller gears.

 

I would not panic quite yet on the gears. You do have a 4 speed and a little extra shifting of the transmission might get you by.