A-D Fix
August 2007 is the best issue ever. It answered some questions I have had about my truck. I see something different in the pictures every time I look that gives distinctive character to each truck.
Thanks,
Max
Via the Internet
Being a huge fan of '47-53 Chevy trucks, that was the easiest issue for me to put out to date. Even our in-house Ford guru Grant contributed a considerable amount of material-including the cool cover. It's too bad we can't do monthly issues devoted to specific eras of trucks to keep everyone happy all the time. (Better not say that too loud...someone upstairs might get a harebrained idea!) By the way, very nice '49, Max!
Aspirated Or Injected?
I am full of questions! I have a '55 Ford 1/2-ton with a carbureted 302. I bought an '89 Lincoln Town Car with a fuel-injected 302. My question is, will it be a bear to put it in my truck? With the wiring harness, I could eliminate what I don't need. I have an aftermarket crossmember for a '74; will I have to get another one? As far as the fuel pump, will an electric one be good enough? Should I get a fuel pressure gauge? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. I'm anxious to get the motor in, but from past experience, I don't want to rush it.
I purchased the truck in '84 for $400. It had a bed from [the other brand]. It was a childhood dream to have a '55 F-100. I am very pleased to say that the dream is turning out like I wanted, with the exception of the fuel-injected 302. It has a sunroof, swivel bucket seats, sliding rear window, and an all-steel tilt front end. It will be burgundy when it's all said and done. I've been a subscriber for approximately eight years. Keep up the great work on the mag.
Thanks again,
Scott
Via the Internet
Well, I'm a little unclear on a few things, Scott, but I'll try my best to answer most of your questions. First off, you didn't mention "why" you were considering the swap from the carbureted 302 that I'm assuming is already powering your F-100 to the injected 302 from the donor Town Car. Are you having problems with the existing Ford engine? If the answer's no, maybe you might want to rethink the swap. Furthermore, what transmission is currently behind the engine in the truck? The '89 302 will have come with an AOD, and I'm betting the older (is it an older 302?) one is probably backed by a C-4. While you won't experience any problems swapping the engines when it comes to the motor mounts and their respective locations, unless you don't plan on keeping the overdrive trans connected to the newer 302, you're going to have some issues to deal with there. It also sounds like you have the "stock" wiring harness for the '89 engine-no matter what, you'll need to address that with a specialized harness from someone like Painless Performance or Street & Performance to make everything jive in your '55.
As for that crossmember you mentioned, again assuming on my part, I'm figuring you mean a '74 Mustang II crossmember. If so, what's currently under the 302 you've got now? Lastly, regarding the fuel pump, you'll have no choice but to run an electric pump with the EFI setup, not to mention using an appropriate fuel tank outfitted for fuel injection. With a little more info, I'm sure I could be of more assistance. I hate to see you get all caught up in electric la la land when there might be an easier route to take with the drivetrain you're currently running in the F-100.
Gauging Proposal
I purchased a 1951 GMC cab off an old grain truck. I have aspirations of putting this cab on a '79 Chevy 1/2-ton pickup chassis. Oh, by the way, this is all for my wife-she loves the look of the '51 cab. Anyhow, she wants to keep the old look inside and out, including the old-style gauges. How do I keep the "so-called" modern electrical with the old-style look? The '79 also has factory air. Please, if you can help with suggestions or even point me to someone who could guide me through this project, I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
TJ
Ohio
My first question is, does the '79 fall under any emissions laws in Ohio? If so, you might want to consider using a pre-smog pickup for a chassis donor. As for making the old work with the new, that's pretty easy. If it were mine, I'd scrap the entire electrical dash harness on the C-10; basically, strip the chassis down to the bare mechanicals. You can have the old GMC gauges converted to electronic, and still keep the original look, by Classic Instruments-I just had the gauges for my '47 Fleetline done by them, and they turned out amazing. However, if that turns out to be a bit more costly than you anticipated, there is another option: have the GMC gauges converted to 12V (Jim Carter Truck Parts and even Chevs of the 40's can do it) and then swap out the electronic sending units on the '79 to mechanical.