F-150 Project (ish)

J.S.@SMS

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Well, I finally got it last Friday. It did cost me $90 for the towing, but the truck itself was free. And here it is.
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Now, the truck has somewhere north of around 800k on it, and it was used for hauling shrimp, and driven through a few floods. So I'm not putting much into the truck itself. What I really wanted it for was this.
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1978 Windsor 351 out of a Mercury Cougar, with around 200-250k on it. It's stock, so it should be making around 150hp and 270 lb-ft of torque.

My uncle said that somethings either wrong with the fuel line, or the fuel pump. Well the line is good, but the battery was fried (and 5 years 2 months old), so I'm replacing that first, since the engine might not have been cranking right. So I've been looking at other things on the truck. It does have either a rear main seal or an oil pan gasket leak, but I already knew that. The trans is an AOD, so I probably won't keep that. But I was looking on the axle and found this.
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That's an original ford axle tag, which is pretty rare. And it says thet it is a true 9 inch (some had 8" ring gears in the same housing), and that it's got a 3.25:1 ratio. I'm definitely keeping the axle, driveshaft and the engine.

So far I'm thinking of swapping the axle and engine into a Fox body mustang. A 351w will swap right into one (except for hood clearance issues). And you can get more power out of a 351 easier than a 302, and 351 blocks are stronger.
 

J.S.@SMS

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That or a cowl. But I was thinking of something where the bottom of the air filter sits at the top of the stock hood, with a custom bolt on scoop (something that's taller than most) that'll give it a ram air effect. And for the engine I'm thinking 408 stroker kit, stock heads but with reworked ports, a cam that matches the new flow numbers, Edelbrock performer rpm air gap (port matched and natural finish since it's half the price of the polished) or a tunnel ram intake depending on the space between the top of the engine and the top of the hood, and an 800cfm carb. Also I'd like to ditch the 3 v-belt accessory drive for a serpentine belt system.
 

Bgt2u

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You could always go all out, and do what l did. You could also put 351 Cleveland heads on the 351w (with only a few simple mods). That would actually be cheaper than the stroker mod, and give you better overall flow. The stroker option is a great option, however, you still need to get the extra air in/out, and your 351w heads will be your weak link. They are adequate at best, under normal flow, and they will limit the potential of your stroker kit. Just my two cents...lol.:thumbsup:
 

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J.S.@SMS

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I know that the stock heads suck, I'd have them ported a lot before I'd run them. I have been thinking of a set of dart or trick flow heads. Also, I'm not going all out (not enough room in the budget). I'd like something that makes enough power (I'm looking for around 450-500), but in a way that it's controllable. Because I want to be able to at least keep up with these ricers on a road course. So I'll also be putting some money into stiffening the suspension (ie. strut tower brace) and chassis (since it's a unibody).
 

J.S.@SMS

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Do you think you could explain that post, I'm not sure what you mean.

Well, I had an eventful weekend. I got a new battery for the truck, and got it to turn over. I also discovered that the fuel pump is bad, so I'm going to need a new one. I might replace the fuel line too. But the really big thing was that while I was cranking the truck over, I started to smell smoke, and saw some coming out of where the a/c is. I went and looked under the hood, and sure enough, there was smoke coming out of the a/c. So I pulled the fuse going to the a/c and heater, and it hasn't smoked since, so I think I'm good. But I used a water bottle with a hole in the top, to pour some gas into the carb, and got it to fire. It actually sounded a bit beefier than my grandpa's car, which is funny because this thing is a 150hp engine from a mercury, and my grandfather has a 245hp corvette, that's 6 years newer.

And I also discovered that the truck is an '82, not an '86 like I thought.
 

J.S.@SMS

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I'll stick with the mechanical. It's $19.95 at the parts store and the holley is $50. Plus,I'm not exactly sure what I'd wire it to. There isn't much of an electrical system (there are 18 fuse positions in the fuse box, and 5 of them aren't used at all, another two aren't used on this truck, and I pulled the one for the a/c and heater).
 

J.S.@SMS

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I picked up the fuel pump yesterday from the parts store. It was $21.29 with tax. So hopefully once I put it on, the truck'll run. It might need a carb clean, but I'm hoping it doesn't.

Also, do you know of a way to block off the back brakes to just use the front? The brake lines are just about gone, and I don't want to put that much in this truck. And I figure it'd be much cheaper to just fix the front.

Ps, this truck is a farm truck, and it's not going back on the road. Also the brake lights are busted, only one of the fuel tanks works, and the torque converter lockup is gummed up. Not to mention the rust.
 

J.S.@SMS

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Well I’ve made some discoveries. I got the engine to run (it needed a fuel pump and new lines). It took a half quart of power steering fluid and a gallon of atf (it still needs a quart or two). And it’s the front brakes that aren’t working. The flexible lines are rotted out, so it needs new ones. But it’s not making muck oil pressure. The gauge is showing about a needles width below the “low” line. So I’m going to do some digging around, checking the connections on the sending unit wires, maybe replace the sending unit and possibly the gauge. But i just hope the pump isn’t bad.
 

950speed

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Well I’ve made some discoveries. I got the engine to run (it needed a fuel pump and new lines). It took a half quart of power steering fluid and a gallon of atf (it still needs a quart or two). And it’s the front brakes that aren’t working. The flexible lines are rotted out, so it needs new ones. But it’s not making muck oil pressure. The gauge is showing about a needles width below the “low” line. So I’m going to do some digging around, checking the connections on the sending unit wires, maybe replace the sending unit and possibly the gauge. But i just hope the pump isn’t bad.

Lol you sure are lucky having and auto and power steering. My 66 has none of that and it’s a bear compared to the Hyundai I usually drive. Can’t help with the oil pressure much except say check you grounds.

I’ll be following this thread for sure, mechanically almost the same truck as mine
 

Snaker

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Just this morning I was watching a video of a Ford Maverick Grabber all done up with a 351. What a beautiful car. Seems like the Ford fans are making the 351 quite the popular engine again.
 

J.S.@SMS

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Yeah, the 351’s a good engine. They also have plenty of room to be bored and stroked, up to a 4.125 bore and 4.17 stroke with the right block (FYI that equals a 454).
950speed, mine’s an XLT Lariat. Top of the line in it’s day.
 
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