Slick 60's

I normally like manual trans old cars, but this little F100 short bed stepside, was a city work truck and came with a broken green dot truck C4 when i got it. So i had the C4 rebuilt, and the little 240, although shakes a little at idle (like and old tractor), does run smooth, but does not pull very hard. Its tired thought, 125-135 PSI on a compression check, warm throttle open. Mileage is fair, but only 11.5 to 16 hwy. I rebult the carb, holley 1940, but it seems jetted a tad rich.

I posted this question over on another engine forum but thought i should see what the the Slick 60s group thinks. Consider i may give the truck to my son for his first project/drive to school some/ truck. Well my choice would be an FE390 or bigger, LOL!, here are my options:

1) Keep it stock with the 240, try to improve the carb, pertronics, and maybe a rebuild some day
2) Get a full EFI 300 six from the yard, run a carb/duraspark now and have my sone help to install the EFI later.
3) My Brother in law has an A-Code 289/T10 i can pick up, its 150K on a 30 over build, but still runs good. Could bolt the engine to the C-4 and run it for now.

What is everyones optinion?

TIA.

What...no FE choice Pippin?

Add a turbo to the 240.

My son got and kept the 223 and got better milage than that with the t98.
Speed in the hands of a youngster does not always work well. You know your son better than anyone, let that aid in your decision.
You can always go the tim taylor route when he gets older.,or not

I would keep the 240. I would, however, switch to a duraspark distributor, and a carter carb. The duraspark will give you a better advance curve with centrifugal and vacuum advance, and electronic ignition to boot. The carter carb is just to make the ds work, but they are easy to rebuild and get decent mileage too.

My 66 truck appears to have a broken/collapse passenger rear spring, as the truck has a lean back to that side. The stock springs are 6 leaves (5+helper). I picked up a set of 1964 short bed springs, they are 7 leaves (4+three helpers.)

Research on line said my stock springs are rated at 950 or 1050 lbs. and the 64 springs are rated at 1150 lbs.

What are the opinions of the change in ride quality? I am thinking it will actually ride better empty.

F100forever wrote:My 66 truck appears to have a broken/collapse passenger rear spring, as the truck has a lean back to that side. The stock springs are 6 leaves (5+helper). I picked up a set of 1964 short bed springs, they are 7 leaves (4+three helpers.)

Research on line said my stock springs are rated at 950 or 1050 lbs. and the 64 springs are rated at 1150 lbs.

What are the opinions of the change in ride quality? I am thinking it will actually ride better empty.

I think the rear will sit higher and look too "stink bug." Try them and you can always pull a helper spring out if needed. I'd love to have the 6 cylinder coils out of that truck.

Keep the 240,Maybe add exhaust headers and a four barrel carb.

Hi Eric! Yeah I thought long and hard about putting my spare FE in with a TL trans (or get a C6 or the cruzo I gave away)... But decided against it for this truck.

Then I thought about using the 289 from my Galaxie but it's a 5 bolt block. I don' t want to cut the floor for a stick either.

I am surprised the A-code 289 is loosing the vote here, it won over at the FordFE forum.

F100forever wrote:Hi Eric! Yeah I thought long and hard about putting my spare FE in with a TL trans (or get a C6 or the cruzo I gave away)... But decided against it for this truck.

Then I thought about using the 289 from my Galaxie but it's a 5 bolt block. I don' t want to cut the floor for a stick either.

I am surprised the A-code 289 is loosing the vote here, it won over at the FordFE forum.

I have a clean, working Cruiso that you can have. I have a buddy with a 330HP 390 waiting for you. AZ isn't far.

240's are good little Engine's C-4 Auto 2 Barrel Carb Good Gas mileage!

I'm 17 and I have a A code 289 and c4 in my 66 f100 and it has plenty of power and if geared right and tuned they get decent mpg

I really like the Chevy LSx series of engines when considering an engine swap...

If you keep the 240, the Duraspark swap is a must-do. I did mine and it was like a new truck! Started better, pulled much better. Pulled away from corners without downshifting the 4-speed, just a day-and-night improvement.

240 is a fine old workhorse. If the truck runs good and has good compression, why change it out?

Keep the six, and warm it up a little with a header, intake, two-barrel, and a duraspark. Find the parts used where you can (header and intake) and buy the rest new.

The 240 is a great engine, especially when it gets to breathe a bit.

Just wanted to give an update in the trusty ol' 240 that is in my truck. (Since the 240 Option is winning, I thought i would try to make it run better, and it is.)

So far i fixed a couple vacuum leaks, Rebuilt the C4 trans (last summer), rebuilt the stock 1940 Holley (but i think i have a minor leak on the throttle shaft.) So I picked up a Carter CY carb from a F250, but the butterfly is stick, corroded badly, so if I cant free it up I may use it as a core replacement and buy a new rebuild from Rock Auto for $125 ( I read the CY are able to get better mileage with the metering rod vs the Holley style plunger power valve... not sure if that is true or not.) I also have an autolite 450 CFM carb i could rebuild and could put on a offy/clifford 4v intake, but i dont have that yet and since 90% of my driving is 45 MPH or less... i dont know if thats really the direction i want to go. I was also worried about cold weather performance and if the heater hose was enough manifold head if i decouple the exhaust.

I have been getting 12.5 mpg in town and 16 MPG on the HWY. I hope to get a little more now:

Today at lunch I dropped in a NEW Duraspark II ignition, Distributor and wires. I also had recently installed a used Pertronics blaster coil with a ballast resistor from my brother-in-laws mustang. Wow, rock solid idle, easy to hook up, and cost my only about $120 including shipping from Rock Auto (im starting to sound like an ad, LOL!) It fixed about 90% of tjhe shacking and shimmy at idle. Truck pull smoothly and requires a lot less throttle to get moving. I have not checked the timing curve, this was for a ~1980 F100 300 CID truck. I set the initial timing at 8 or 9. I will give further updates as i go. I want to go the the junk yard and get the factory pigtails for the harness between the dizy and the brain.

See my picture in my photo album (sub album) "Ignition Upgrade on 240" of the installation and wiring diagram.

I get a lot of stuff from rockauto too. I ordered a carb for a 1970 model 300 6 for my truck, and I have ds II ignition with a chevrolet HEI module. If you order your carb as a 70 model, it will not have a spark valve, so it will talk just fine to the ds distributor. The metering rod thing is true. be sure to check the bolt spacing. You should be fine if you have an original intake manifold.

is your carb a manual or auto choke?

I have a 1970s 1940 Holley on the truck, it's manual choke. (No heat riser)

My spare CY carb is from a 74 f250 I think and it's both electric and hear riser choke.