Ford Question

[Redneck86]

For my next truck after the 86 goes, i wanted either a 70s Ford pickup or big bronco. There tough and easy to find 390FE or 400M big blocks and NP205s /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> (no more chains). I was wondering the differance in a F100 and a F150 is? Also did they ever make 78/79 broncs with manual rear windows, i hate the power sh*t and want as little electric stuff as possible.

 

[miesk5]

For my next truck after the 86 goes, i wanted either a 70s Ford pickup or big bronco. There tough and easy to find 390FE or 400M big blocks and NP205s /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> (no more chains). I was wondering the differance in a F100 and a F150 is? Also did they ever make 78/79 broncs with manual rear windows, i hate the power sh*t and want as little electric stuff as possible.

Yo RED!

Some info;

F Series History Source: by John D at edmunds.com

"1973-1979

Ford's popular pickup was updated and improved in many ways for 1973. A beefier frame, a roomier cab, an optional 460-c.i. V8, an optional automatic transmission and revised.front suspension were the more notable functional changes. A new body topped these changes and featured a concave groove that ran the length of the body and a cleaner grille with integrated turn signals.

The big news for 1974 was the introduction (late in the model year) of the extended cab version of the F-Series, called the SuperCab. A SuperCab was available only with the Styleside body and could be fitted with either a bench seat or a pair of jump seats in the rear compartment.

The F-150 debuted for 1975. A half-ton pickup, the F-150 filled the gap between the F-100 and F-250 as it was a bit more "heavy duty" than an F-100 though considerably less so than the F-250. In that year, more than one-third of F-Series sales were comprised of the new F-150.

Aside from minor facelifts in the grille area, the F-Series continued through 1976 with little change.

Engine choices were revised for 1977 with 351- (163 horsepower) and 400-c.i. (169 horses) V8s replacing the 360 V8 option.

For 1978, the 300-c.i. inline six (114 horsepower) became the standard base engine and square headlights debuted (on all models except Custom). The luxurious Ranger Lariat was introduced that year as well as a new, more massive grille. .."

read more inhis article

We had a nice 78 step side; w/da 6 and manual; was a good torquer; made a few $ when we sold it,\.

No Big Bronco ever came w/manual crank or flip rear window.

I have seen 2 Broncos w/crude but close enuf to make better flip conversions. One was by a carpenter friend who made the mod w/oak/popular trim.

Seabronc has the correct TG motor/switch wiring diagram to repair any that are bad. Ez to do and less $ than trying to convert it to crank or flip.

GL!

 

[Redneck86]

Thanks man, that really helped. I always thought the F100 was more of a work truck or base line F150, that kinda blows about the rear glass in big broncos owell i still likem.

 

[Broncobill78]

Well, there isn't much I can add to Miesk's post. I would avoid the FE engines because parts are just getting too expensive, it's becoming a rare engine and quite honestly I don't see any reason to run one unless having one is the sort of thing that spins your propeller. A 351M/400 is a *very* stout engine and when properly built it'll run like a scalded dog. You can get a reasonably easy 325-340HP from a 400 *without* needing heads. Cam, intake & ehxhaust mods will get you into the neighborhood & when I was building my 460's saw several WITH head-work go on the dyno & hit 370+. The 429/460 is a simple & very effective swap for anyone wanting more power or looking to tow (you can pull an EASY 425HP out of one). As previously stated there was never a manual crank option for the rear window, but for one thing they're fairly reliable if you keep up on the tailgate maintenance (don't let it fill up with water every time it rains) but considering the layout it really wouldn't be *all* that hard to remove the elec motor & replace it with a hand-crank, but not everyone's comfortable with that level of fabrication and having a shop do it would probably blow the budget. The solid axle D44, 351M/400 & NP205 are pretty much the off-road STANDARD. that's the combo that every other powertrain hopes to equal. You'll *never* find a tougher or easier to work-on setup, the coil-spring/radius arm front end is simple, effective and easy to lift without complication. You simply can't ask for a better platform. Look for a 78/79 Bronco, you'll never regret it.

 

[Redneck86]

Yea man a want a 78 Bronc/short bed pickup with a 400M big block in it, and personally ive always liked the Ford 9"/Dana44 combo, i want a 78 because i think the round lights look tougher /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> . Ive been told to avoid 351M though because there dogs and it takes more money to get the power a 400 is capable of(swapin cranks), is that true or can they be built just as good with out swapin the 400 crank into it?

And i was thinkin of a 390FE big block because there a powerhouse with out havin to put alot into them(mainly just a carb swap), and there pre-emissions, speakin of that i noticed some kinda pipe on the back of my 351W that ran from the emissions sh*t to the back of the heads, i had no idea what it was either, do 351/400Ms have those?

 

[Broncobill78]

Well, actually the Ford 400 is a smallblock, same physical dimensions as the 351M block, GM had both bigblock & smallblock 400's but Ford took a different road. The 351M & 400 are absolutely identical in *every* way except that the 351M has a 3.5" stroke & the 400 has a 4" stroke. The crank & rods are the ONLY difference, every other part is the same. Of course it only makes sence that an extra 50 cubic inches will translate into more HP once you've rebuilt it & upgraded the cam, intake & exhaust but the 351M is a very decent performer. Swapping in a 400 crank & rods is an easy upgrade but even if you don't a well build 351M will pull hard and last almost forever. While it's a nice upgrade and a good way to gain cubes it's not a *necessary* upgrade, you can get an easy 300-315HP from a 351M. Do some headwork and you'll see another 25-30HP. All things being equal the extra 50 cubes of the 400 gives you another 20 or so HP.

As I said, the FE's are nice engines but they're less & less common. Parts are harder to find, more expensive (because they're less in demand) and fewer shops know how to build them correctly. At the end of the day you'll wind up spending more $$$ to make the same power from an FE as you will a 351M/400. If you WANT an FE then sure, go ahead, but there's no economic or horsepower advantage to having one anymore. Might as well look for a 427 side-oiler with sodium filled valves. It's the economics of scale, if Edelbrock sells 500 units of part X per year they have to charge so much per part to make a profit, if they sell 18,000 of part Y then the numbers are different. That's the catagory the FE has fallen into.

That line in the 351W is an emissions gas crossover and connects to the EGR. The 351M/400 doesn't have it.

 

[Redneck86]

Yea the but the pre76 (i think) Ford trucks had the FEs in them, so i kinda have to have it if i got one, and the post77s had the Milfords in them. I would take either one but i would prefer the 400M for cheaper parts. And how hard is it to drop a 460 in a 78/79 bronco, do the motor mounts weld in or bolt in and do you have to change bellhousings? Also do 385 series engines like blowin up? Ive seen lots of broncos up here with blown 460s or 429s in them, or are there just alot of idiots that run tired too hard?

And i thought that pipe was a EGR tube, but what the **** does it do? Mine wasnt even connected when i took the emssion sh*t off, it was rusted off. Theres no vacuum comin from it either.