I'm slowly getting a 77 F150 with 400 engine and C6 transmission back on the road. Factory A/C, PS, PB, long bed, regular cab, dual tanks. It had been sitting for 5 years after a previous owner attempted a rebuild. I bought it for $500. The engine was freshly rebuilt but locked up with rust and some cylinder pitting, the trans looks freshly rebuilt, the rear axle looks good(given the 2.75 open diff and that I drive a lot of highway), the cab is nearly rust free, the seat cover is shot, the bed has no rust holes, the radiator was shot, thermal fan clutch shot, hood has bad rust, whole brake system shot, suspension unknown, one gas tank shot, radio gone, guages shot, steering coupler shot, windshield cracked, and a cowl vent full of everything you can imagine including snake skins. The good news is that the previous owner removed all the pollution control, as far as I can tell.

I rebuilt the engine with a 600cfm 4V carburetor and edelbrock performer intake, retimed the distributor, thinking about changing out the old bench with a newer leather one, thinking about rhino lining the bed and cab floor if possible, got the biggest non-aluminum radiator I could, thinking about an electric fan, undecided on the hood still, replaced the whole brake system, waiting for a drive to test the suspension, replaced one gas tank, thinking about what to do for a radio, replaced the whole guage assembly, new steering coupler, windshield glass, added a spare tire under the rear tank, and applied a generous amout of high pressure air to the cowl vent.

I should have the truck running this December. I have two performance goals. First, a good daily driver that can tow a boat when needed. The second, without compromising #1, is to beat my best friend's 1971 datsun 240Z in a fair 1/4 mile drag race.(about 16.5 seconds) My 1965 mustang is no longer a fair competitor, and winning in a 77 F150 would be a hell of a laugh.

So, any comments or suggestions? How do I drop the quarter mile time without hurting towing or daily driving? What's a good way to get a 2 drink holder in one of these trucks? How does the C6 work in stock form? Does it need a shift kit? If so what kind? What fuel mileage can I expect?(light foot, not lead foot) Any common problem areas with 77 F150s? Problems with 400 engines?(mine is not the bock cracking one)

 

You wont get much over 11-12 mpg if any.

 

With a 140hp 400, you better have a 10 second car tow you for the 1/4 mile. You can check out the engine forum for tips on building the 400 up, but you will be doing a lot of work and spending serious coin to do it. Best bet is a 460. You will gain lot's of hp for a modest price, and most likely pick up a mile or two per gallon in mileage. Reliability will be top notch too. The other option would be a 302. You would need a different tranny too, but the 302 is low cost to mod, and will easily get you into the 15's without heavy mods.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention an bargain brand cam modeled after the edelbrock performer cam, new timing set to get the cam straight up and dual exhaust.

Hazmatt9777: Yeah, I kinda guessed mileage would be about 12. I've heard a rumor that some shift kits will gain mileage. Is this true? And that a 460 would get 1-2 mpg better than a 400, can this be right?

Pre'80: I love the Tow Car suggestion! It seems odd that you'd gain a lot of performance with a 460 though. It's only 60 cubes and weighs another 250lbs. And REALLY odd that you'd get better gas mileage. As for the 302... not enough engine. I've pretty much decided a 351 is the smallest engine a F150 should have, unless it's an old flathead. Besides, how would a low reving 302 out pull a 400?

 

302 isn't enough engine if you plan on hauling with this truck. The 400 is a fine engine, once it's had a little work done to it. There's a great article here (https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...00_Engine.html) that will help with your engine work.

 

One of the build articles I'm fond of is at http://www.off-road.com/ford/flashback/400_power.html
They have good suggestions for power with an eye on cost/benefit.

Does anyone know of a shorty header for this truck?

 

NPD sells drink holders that fits into the ashtray slides.

 

I dont by any means know alot, but the 400 has the longest stroke (tdc to bdc) of any gasoline motor ever (if i read right). Longer the stroke the more leverage on the crankshaft=more torque. The 302 for instance is alot shorter stroke and revs quicker and easier than Any 400. The 460 even though its only 60 cubes bigger doesnt have a long as stroke as the 400, and revs better. And alot of the 400's werent any good because of all the emission things. My fathers 78 with a 400 sounds good at idle but anything over 2000 rpms sounds like dogcrap, compared to a shorter stroke motor. The 460's had alot better head design from what I see and hear.

 

not ever but it is the longets stroke motor ford makes. and guess what it can be stroked even more with a kit a little out of most of our price range but it can be done. i would suggest the 400 though. put a 4bbl carb and intake cam change headers and u will have a stout motot. the 460 will get about the same as a 400 both in stock form.

 

Thats 11-12 mpg is better then my something like 4 mpg...but my 428 CJ deserve's it...take a look at the pics on my gallery...my miss her...*damn army*

 

You can check out my gallery and see my 77 250. I've got a 400/C6- 4bbl intake and 650 edelbrock, called comp cams and ordered the cam they recommended for what I wanted to do and I have a true dual exhaust setup with 2.5 pipe all the way back. I have a sprayed in bed liner, 5th wheel, and pretty much what everelse I thought I needed for my farm truck. I've got a home made 5th wheel with 3 trailer house axles sitting on those stupid 14" wheels SOO my 5th wheel pulls something like a boat anchor, and gives the truck a good work out, especially with 1700 gallons of water on it. But it will pull my big bumper hitch really nice (10,500 trailer on 16's). I dont have any heating issues like I thought I might (I have a brand new high capacity radiator out of a diesel if I ever do). Its geared 4:10 so thats something you might wanna look at on your 1/2 ton, BUT I'm also sitting on 33x12.5x16.5 tires which dont help me in the pulling department alot.

 

After a little more research I'm thinking a 3.25 differential from a junkyard and a powertrax lockright. Should be a good compromise between highway rpm(2625@70) and 1/4 mile acceleration.

Anyone have experience with the lockright?

 

i supose an 871 blower would be a little overboard eh?


at least it will help with the low compression

 

Lol, that thought has certainly entered my mind. For right now I'm going all motor. But a nice underhood blower could be a later project.

 

400 and 460 come with the same CR in these years, BUT, there is little support for the 400 in the aftermarket. It costs little to nothing to go from 8.0:1 to the mid 9's all the way up to 11.0:1 CR. The 400 has about 120-140hp depending on the model, 460's were 202-216, depending on the model, in the mid to late 70's cars and trucks. That's a 25 to near 50% increase in power. The 460 in the trucks is a detuned version (bigger cc heads) of the powerhouse 429/460's of the late 60's early 70's. The 400 was built for the sole purpose of lower emissions. While a 400 can be made into a fairly powerful motor, dollar for dollar, you will get much more power out of a 460. To a certain point, fuel mileage goes up with more HP, this is why a 460, in the same state of tune as a 400, will get better mileage than the 400. The "theory" of stroke and torque, has been proven not accurate, when comparing different motors, time and time again. The only time longer stroke alway's equals more torque, is when a motor is "stroked". It's all in the design of the motor. I've seen shorter stroke motors, of the same displacement as long stroked motors, have a much bigger, and longer, torque band. Some even at much lower rpm's. The 400 might have a longer stroke, but it doesn't produce more torque, with the same amount of displacement, than a 460, becouse of the design of the motor.