Hello,

I'm new to the Ford scene. I have a 1975 F100 Ranger pickup for a project. I know the engine has been swapped, but I think the original was a 360 for this model. I also think its supposed to be a Ford 9" pumpkin.

In driving this truck home (a 550 mile trip), I noticed a couple things I'd like to fix so that I can drive it (and haul) while doing the restore. When I accelerate around a corner, even very lightly, the engine pulls so hard that the truck does not have time to straighten out. I realize this has a lot to do with the new engine being a bit more jumpy than the old 360 (its a 351C).

Also, when climbing a 5-6% grade, or when just doing the general driving through the Blue Ridge and Smokies, I notice that it struggles going up and it gets pretty hot. Depending on the mountain, I've got top speed from as low as 35mph (in second) to 45-50mph (in third). These speeds were as fast as I felt I could go without putting too much strain on the engine and drivetrain, so these speeds were lets say "comfortable". I did have a light load (say 200lbs).

The F100 has a C6 trans, and I think both the engine and trans came out of a Cougar, Mustang, Torino, or something of that sort. But I'm pretty sure the rear end is stock for the truck. I would also say the truck (including rear end) has 153K miles. I plan on doing some hauling in the bed and some possible towing using a trailer, and its likely I will be going through "them thar mountains" under load.

If any of you have some detailed specs, ideas, driving tips, mod tips, and/or web sites that can help me learn more about what kind of rear end I have and what to expect out of it, please let me know...it will be greatly appreciated.

Thx...Kaylah

Hey Kaylah, congrats on stepping into the wonderful world of ford. I have a 72 F250 that would walk all over the road with a few hundred pounds in the bed. all of the suspension bushings were shot. I've replaced all of them with polyurethane bushings i got at lmc truck. (been real happy with lmc so far) but its still in the garage waiting on other things so I'm not 100% sure that will have fixed my problem or not. but with anything as old as 4Jaw, it probably could benefit from new rubber.
As far as pulling uphill under load with the slow speeds, did the truck feel like it wouldn't pull harder without overheating, or was it an unsafe sensation you were getting? I'm thinking tranny if wouldn't pull with out getting hot..... but i been wrong before huh.......

sidenote; I work with a guy who has a 73 cougar thats been parked for a few years that I'm trying to talk him out of. has a 4v 351C...... good motor....
Good luck with your truck Kaylah.

Hi Crazy Larry,

On the "uphill struggle" feeling, its not so much that the transmission seemed like it was overheating, but rather the engine. The gauge was dead, so I could not determine how hot it was, but it got hot to the point of blowing out some overflow when I was steady driving it 60-65mph in NC before the "Fancy Gap" in VA. When I stopped for gas, I noticed the overflow. Then I touched the "juice", and it was more like water than anything...no sweet smell or anything. I figured the gentleman who owned it didn't put much coolant into it because of the mild Winters.

I added almost a gallon while I was in VA (I stopped to visit kin). When driving back again, I opened up the heater to get better flow. When I climbed those big mountains, the heat coming out got warmer, so I used that as my "gauge." I adjusted my speeds so that the heat was just starting to climb. That resulted in the speeds I mentioned before. So I felt that if I went faster, it would have got hotter.

Also, I heard a few more rattles and maybe even some pinging if I gave it more gas going uphill, but the truck has so many noises that I could not really tell what kinds of rattles it was making...only that it made more going up the mountains if the speed was faster than those "comfortable" speeds I mentioned in the first post. BTW, I know about the 351C, so I was using 93 Octane.

I also made some new discoveries. The way this trans is hosed in is just plain silly. I mentioned before about the "wire-cut" oil lines that were nearly squished shut and then connected by neoprene hose 2 sizes too wide. There are also bends in the metal lines that were just bent by hand or pliers that seem like they could also cause some restriction. I'll redo the lines and flair them at any connection. I've been afraid to try the kickdown too, just getting the thing home without blowing the trans or overheating the engine was my first goal.

So fortunately, its home. I don't have any stinky trans oil smell...its still a nice cherry red that smells like fresh trans oil. And the shifting is perfect up and down...it was shifting good on the hills and mountains too. The engine never fully overheated, but I would stop every 150 miles or so, and let everything cool down even after I added anti-freeze. But it was a bit of a "nail-biter" ride back to Ohio.

I guess i was wondering if the hi-performance Ford car engine/trans was somehow not "in sync" with the old truck rear end. Or for that matter, what kind of things that rear end is noted for, and what kind of gear ratios I have.

The first thing you need to do is get that cooling system working properly. Correct engine temp is critical, and get a working temp gauge too. After that is taken care of and she's still pinging then you can look into ignition timing, carb adjustment (too lean causes pinging), and proper EGR operation (if applicable). The rear may have a tag on one of the nuts securing the center section if it's a 9-inch that will tell you the gear ratio. Here is a quick link to give you some quick info on identifying a 9-inch rear from an 8-inch. <a href="http://www.ridgenet.net/~biesiade/Fordrears.html" target="_blank">8-inch or 9-inch?</a> Start with the basics. Get the cooling system taken care of, get some gauges, check tune-up related parts (fuel filter, plugs, etc). Take her one step at a time. Good luck, Don.

Thanks Don and Larry.

Yes. Will do with the cooling system. I also noticed that I have a bit of rough idle here in the 40 degree Ohio weather that was not there down in Charlotte. I'll tune it up and go over the basics, then see if I have any more questions. This will keep me busy for a while.

keep us posted on how you fare with the "hot" motor with the stock rearend. my 72 i think is going to give me the same prob. it has the stock tranny (4 spd w/ stump puller 1st) and the stock dana rear. the motor is being bumped from a stock 360 to a relatively warm 396 c.i. (insert maniacal laughter here) and I don't think its gonna hold up all that well. we'll see.......

[quote]...but with anything as old as 4Jaw...<hr></blockquote>

I'm only a 36 year old man...

:p

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