Project 1977 F100 - New radiator + electric fan!

[hotrodfeguy]

Dam I would give ya the 2.75/3.00 gears here in the US. The 9" rear is really easy to swap the gears in, that really all you need to change out. You can maintain what you have. They do sell a OD trans that was made later in the 70's for that truck that would help. If you have the time and ability to suck up the following links and knowledge you will save your self some money and some serious MPG. With the mods you have done both gears and OD trans could be done. you could maximize your MPG and your work. Keep us posted.

Motive Gear F9-300 - Motive Gear Ring and Pinion Sets - Overview - SummitRacing.com

http://www.kevinstang.com/Ninecase.htm

http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/...s/viewall.html

http://www.5speeds.com/toploader.html

[bobo333]

Thanks for the info hotrodfeguy, very helpful

[hotrodfeguy]

I envision with gear change 14 MPG

[bobo333]

Thanks again hotrodfeguy,

Filled up finally last night, had to estimate fuel usage a bit as i was running for a few days on gasoline (only tracking the usage of LPG as thats what i use most of the time) so the 9.51mpg might not be 100% accurate, will be back on track next tank

[hotrodfeguy]

Any news?

[bobo333]

Nothing super interesting, my alternator has died, due to the big batteries i can still drive fine but im assuming because of the lower than usual voltage my starter motor has now given up as well, luckily im at the top of a hill so i can still drive but i cant stop anywhere flat or i wont be able to start again...

This puts my saving for new diff plans behind once again unfortunately, im also saving for a new bike that i will be putting a 50cc motor on and riding around during the summer, should help me save for the alternator, starter motor and diff much quicker

[dieselattempter]

i have had quite a few 73-79 fords all owned in my lead foot phase. the best i mpg i could get constantly was 1977 f100 swb 302 4 speed 17mpg highway. the first thing is a good tune. your truck need three things in order to run well fuel air and spark

air is easy you either have it or you don't, there are many manifolds that flow better or worse,but for now fuel and spark are key.

having a properly set dist, is gold but what even seasoned techs forget is (not doubting your guy but just adding food for thought) factory settings aren't always best for your fuel type/driving style and engine age. you can run your timing more advanced on higher octane fuel, without detonation. the idea is to get your spark in the window of peak efficiency and power. run a slightly larger gap, use a later model dist and ignition control box.

fuel... i am not so familiar with fords an lpg, not saying its bad, i just dont know em. but for gas carbs, mine loved to leak at the base gasket and egr, usually i tossed the egr and liquid gasketed the base. not the best solution but it worked. i have even swapped 2 barrel carbs to 4 barrels an gotten performance and economy. usually the primary barrels are smaller on 4v carbs so if you are light on the foot you can use less gas.

as far as your tranny/diff woes i have played the same game but through time learned to do my own research and find out what works. for a long time ford used two v8 bolt patterns small block and big block. most common are sb=289/302/351 bb=351/400/460(plus diesels) i know that australia got a de-stroked 351 aka 302c i am not sure if you guys got any other goofy engines. but look for 5 speeds in any ford truck 80-97ish and do a little reasearch and see if the input shaft is the same length. the trans might be a lil longer but if its cheep enough you take the drive shaft too. i was told by a shop that there was no way that any c6 would fit in a 77 f100 302 that had a c4. pulled one out of an 86 f150 5.8l bolted in on and moved the braked to the "c6" bolt holes and drove it for two years.

diffs are even easier find one out of any ford truck (just make sure it has the right lug pattern).if it has the ratios you want seat it. you might need to do minor fab work on brackets but you seem to be up to it.

i guess i ranted there but my point in the end is always look and think outside the box. trucks are easy they only have a few parts and 99% of them are interchangeable within 50 model years of each other.

if you were in the us i could probably find you a free trans and diff

good luck and boss truck!

[hotrodfeguy]

I know if he was here in the US I have a 5spd he could have for free, and a set of 9" gears

[hotrodfeguy]

Here is a link for a older truck with small block bell but should be close. Not sure what bell they put on those engines down under.

M5R2 5-Speed Transmission Swap Into 67-72 F100 - FORDification.com

[bobo333]

Thanks for all the help guys

I have now lost my license so i wont be driving the beast for a while, on the plus side my mileage/time is gonna go wayyyy up!

Still looking for an appropriate bike to strap the 49cc motor i have onto, looking into LRR tires and tall gearing and trip computers already...

The F Truck will be slowly worked on still while im without a license but obviously im not in any rush anymore... at the moment my other car is the main thing to get done before next years car audio competition season starts up