Motors

[Excursion745]

Ok im not new to this site but i havent posted anything.. i just like to read up on other peoples projects and i love ford trucks.. because ive never posted b4 doesnt mean i dont kno how u guys can be.. ive read on a few posts where u guys can be real big d!cks to other people for their thoughts about little things or this or that.. so all im asking is that harsh-ness be kept out of this and strickly be ur thoughts of the matter..

K im a divoted Ford lover, my father has always owned them and im on my 2nd ford truck plus my project truck that i hope to start this summer, other than it sitting in my driveway for another year.. i started this topic to see what kind of motor i should think of when i want GOOD MPG with decient power.. my first thought was the newer 4.6 mustang motor seeing is how i was stricktly thinking ford in a ford.. but not long ago a buddy of mine was telling me that the LS1 motors get really good MPG and their still V8's that give a better feeling than a 4 cyclender.. Now ive owned a 88 F250 with a 351W which i loved that truck to death, but after awhile of gettting 5MPG i was like ok this has got to go.. and while gas was at $4 a gallon i was forced to buy a 4 cyclender while still being in school.. that little POS didnt last long in the winter when the 200k motor went on me.. so i picked up my current truck a 95 F150 with the 4.9 300 in it.. granted i love both my trucks the 351 was all raw power but no go.. i could pull anything i wanted in that truck but when it came to drag with my buddies POS dodge 1500 i lost like he was running circles around me.. NOw in my 4.9 i do get 15mpg on a good tank but at the same time i have to shift every 10mph and still as much of a work horse of a truck it is i dont see that motor doing nothing other than work..

So what im geting at is i dont want the 351W or a 4.9 just because they dont get the MPG i need nor do they have the get up and go for a quick truck.. In ur opion what whould u be looking at for a good motor??

[JMcTurnan]

Yea if your looking for fuel effciency dont go with the 5.0 302 either XD, but I run about 14mpg. But yea we should all be kind, start posting things so we all can start getting to know you.

[Excursion745]

well i used to kno this guy who had a fox stang and ran drags.. hell if i could remember what #'s he had for Hp and Tq but they were high.. but the 1 number i do remeber him saying was that he ran his pony so lean that it got less than 5 mpg when he drove it around in the summer time..

[FreakysFords]

Been wanting to do either a Lincoln Mark 32v 4.6 or Navigator 32v 5.4 for a while now. If I find another bump side after I get this one farther along, I might just do it. An aftermarket EMS controlled 32v mod motor is quite impressive on pwr AND mileage. (well, not so much the 5.4 in stock form, but with the timing set to true zero it will).

I'd actually prefer the 4.6/ scat stroker kit / HY35, but that's just me.

[fordman]

gas mileage and fast trucks is a hard deal to do.

[thebannister8]

[FORDification]

I agree...you can go fast, OR you can go for (semi)-decent mileage figures. You're never really going to get both, especially in a vehicle that has the aerodynamic properties of a barn, and using '60s/'70s technology. You can go with more modern drivetrains, which would help with the mileage aspect, but with the money involved with transplanting those into your vintage truck, you'd have to buy a LOT of gasoline to offset the costs involved.

So which is more important to you? Will the truck be a daily driver or a weekend cruiser? Will you be hauling anything in it or pulling a trailer? And most importantly...what's your budget?

[kaptnkaos]

A built 300 6-popper in a short bed F100 should give you a little of both...
I've seen 6ers that would blow the doors off of most V-8's... and still have decent milage...

I had a '65 SB with a 240 3 in the tree and it would give me 23mpg out on the hwy, and still pull darn pretty good.
It would light up the tires any time I wanted...
I wanted to built it up and upgrade the tranny to a 4-speed, but ended up selling it when I got my '68 CS ...
The wife just couldn't see any reason of my having two trucks...

KaptnKA S

[mljjones67]

I am thinking a cummins 4bt would be perfect. Good mileage and as much power as you need.

[JMcTurnan]

I mean I got a 351w racing engine, with a holley. I beast it, but if you don't drive stupidly you get decent mileage.

[DuckRyder]

I would say that the 3 best high mileage options would be:

EFI 4.6l.
EFI 5.0.
EFI 300.

4 speed overdrive auto
5 speed overdrive

~3.00:1 rear gear.

Particularly with the rear gearing its hard to have it both ways, you have to ask how much performance you are willing to give up for mileage and vice versa...

[taylor351]

Would the 3.00 to 1 rear gear be to much for a 5 speed and 302 or 351 motor. I am looking for better gas milage but am concerned that the gearing would put any motor out of its effeciency band. A friend of mine has said it would be perfect for it, but I am thinking something in the 3.55 range.

Keith

[averagef250]

The proper gearing for a truck with less than 31" tires and a close ratio 5 speed is 3:1 to 3.25:1. 3.55 is too low, makes first gear kinda useless unless you have a tiny motor that likes to wind out.

[taylor351]

Thanks sorry I hijacked the thread

Keith

[Excursion745]

what im looking for out of this truck is to be a good daily driver with good gas mileage.. i do want power but i think a well geared V8 would be plenty fine as long as it doesnt take me 10 secs to get to from 0-60 and i would like a good top end.. and i kno the aerodynamictes of a brick arnt the best and does anybody kno their current weight of a rebuilt truck after it went throuhg a complete over haul.. it cant be over 3k if u rebuilt everything so its no longer a work truck more for a play truck.. i already have my 95 150 that i use to do my work out of and haul stuff..

my project truck has litterly been sitting in my driveway for about a year now and i think as long as i get a good summer job i can start it up and get the frame all ready with a motor by winter and hoping it should be on the road for the next summer.. so im really going to take my time when going through the truck.. my dream is to modernise it with custom dashboard, and just a whole new revamp.. i dont see much of this truck being anything close to oringail parts.. so alot of time and money will be put into it but this truck has been in my family for many years and i would like it to be nice enough for even my kids to enjoy one day..