Hey there guys, looooooong time lurker.
Lemme throw yall a little background. Im a very avid car guy. Ive got a 83 tercel wagon 4wd that Im turning into a quite the battle wagon. Even with a roof rack and deer guard Ive gotten close to 40mpg using EOC and P&G techniques. Regular driving pulls 29. Lots of mods in this little beast including removable doors. XD Here it is with the doors, lemme know if you want a shot w/out.
Ive also got a 78 Ford LTD Landau and a 85 dodge ramcharger (also picking up an 85 Dodge ram monday), but Im not concerned with their mileage ~10 (BIG v8s) as they dont get driven much.
Anyway, without further adieu, let me introduce the Honeybadger.
Heres how it looked when I got it.
Just your average 78 F150 longbed with a 351m, c6 automatic trans and 2.75 gears in the 9 inch rear. Bought it cause I needed a truck to haul stuff. (sadly sold me 85 cressida for it, but meh, priorities).
Anyway...the most I got was 12mpg empty. Well...those 351M and 400 motors have aluminum timing gears and a steel timing chain. At 139k it died on me. I decided I was going to make a ford copy of my uncles 67 C10. So I got a legendary 300I6 a 3 speed trans, and a new steering column.
So now its 3 on the tree with a 300 and 2.75 gears no ac or powersteering...at 55mph Im cruising at 1800rpm and pulling 20mpg. not to mention the MOUNTAINS of torque this motor makes is simply outstanding. Its very consistent too which is what I like. I weighed the truck the other day at the dump and with me and a friend and 1/4 tank of gas, it weighs 4400#s. Not bad eh? Even loaded It pulls pretty good. Id say 90% of my driving is rural highway/backroads 60mph and less.
Heres how she sits now.
Future plans involve a brownie over-under-direct auxiliary trans for overdrive, if I can find one. Some grill blockage since the I6's rad isnt as big as the original. 3g alternator conversion, electric fan (already have, need to figure out how to mount). I would love to lower it but drop arms for the front are a good $600 or more. Also need a new carb, the bushings are worn out so it idles at 1000rpm. No amount of adjusting will fix it.
I know Im forgetting some things Ive done to it...but yeah. Heres my project. Looking to get a consistent 25mpg without EoC unless I can find an electric oil pump to minimize wear upon starting back up.