Replace the engine or cut my losses?

[1972hiboy]

Where are you located? this will have a impact on the value.

it looks like a pretty dang solid truck ( getting harder to come across these days). If you like the truck and it does what you need it to then I would feel safe about putting an engine in it. Like you said if you get somehting else you could be getting a whole new set of problems.

[eggman918]

[sargentrs]

How about the structural integrity of the under parts, i.e., cab mounts, frame, floor pans, etc. If the truck is solid, and the transmission is still reliable, then you're probably better off rebuilding the engine. Another consideration is what you use the truck for. If you do heavy towing, then you probably want to rebuild the 360 and stroke it out to a 390. You'd have a fairly difficult time finding a used one with some life left in it. You'd have better luck finding a 460. Gas mileage stinks either way. However, if you just use for pleasure cruising and occasional light hauling, you could drop in a used 351w and an AOD automatic for a whole lot less and have decent gas mileage to boot, at least down here in Georgia. The 351w won't bolt up to the FE though, at least I don't think it will.

[Ranchero50]

Reference to this I take it?
http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 21#p706221

I don't see a reason to condemn the motor yet. As said in the original thread, pull the valve covers and drain the oil to assess the condition of the engine. No metal flake in the oil it's probably OK. The old rubber valve stem seals get hard and break apart, end up in the pan and plug the inlet screen. Talk to some independent shops and see how much they would charge to pull the motor and replace the oil pump with the high volume version and replace the valve stem seals.

For your intended use and duty I don't see the value of replacing the engine. I also didn't see what grade of oil you are running. I wouldn't have a problem running 10w40 in it to help keep the pressure up.

[Nitekruizer]

It would be a good idea to check or have someone check your oil pressure with a real oil pressure gauge to find out what the actual PSI is @ idle and @ 2500 RPM. I'm assuming your running 10W-30 in it now?

Could a bad filter cause pressure to drop? If you've already tried another filter then disregard.

I'll quickly relate what happened to me when I first bought my truck. The engine would have normal pressure, then suddenly drop to zero. The engine would run rough and the lifters would become noisy whenever this happened. Then just as suddenly, the oil pressure would return, the lifter noise would go away and the engine would run better again. When I took my engine apart to rebuild it, I found someone had installed a 1/4" spacer behind the camshaft timing gear that caused the camshaft to "walk" back and forth, exposing the oil holes in the bearings. This caused the oil pressure to drop and affected the timing at the same time, causing the engine to run rough.

This would be a very long shot with your engine, but if someone had it apart in the past, who knows?

[rollercam1]

There is absolutely life in that truck! It looks very solid. I myself am not a big fan of the FE. Points distributor, umbrella cup valve seals, rope main seals, never ending oil leaks, the propensity to spin bearings, ect.. A scan of available junk yard small blocks or big blocks could be quite rewarding at an affordable cost. Parts are readily available and really wouldn't require much additional cost. I would think you could do a conversion for under 1200.00. A good 351W with a manual 5 speed or an automatic should be had for around 500-750 bucks. The rest in motor mounts, fluids, belts, ect.. could be scrounged up for another 500-750 as well. I have parts I could donate easily enough, and I am sure others as well. Some time spent investigating could be beneficial!

[popeyes71]

There are some good points being brought out here but again it is your truck and really, how much do you like or love your truck? Depending on really how much you like or love your truck is how much you will be willing to put into it. It looks as though you have a very nice clean original truck! Trucks in your condition are getting harder to find but the trucks are still not bring big money. Like you said, if you cut your loses and put $2,500 - $3,500 in another vehicle, that vehicle will probably soon have it's own set of problems. Having the motor done in your truck and having it fresh would really eliminate the amount of problems that could come up in the future and you will have many years of fun down the road. Plus, you will be driving something different down the road which will be different from the rest of the cars you see on the road.

[Jacksdad]

Owning a "classic" of any kind usually involves one of two things - getting to know your local mechanic and helping him put his kids through college, or learning about the idiosyncrasies of your new baby and becoming an expert a lot faster than you thought possible.
Since I got my bump I've done nothing but learn as I go. Here's the thing - it's been a royal pain in the butt at times, but it's also been extremely rewarding knowing it's still running because of me. This place is a Godsend when it comes to trucks like yours, and has more than enough experienced and knowledgeable people to point you in the right direction if you get stuck. Likewise, Google is a fantastic resource. Swapping motors might seem daunting, but it isn't particularly difficult in something with as much elbow room as your truck, and the tools can be rented/borrowed if you don't have them. And the nice part is it doesn't have a million emission control wires/cables/lines/sensors to keep track of like a modern car, just a bunch of cast iron that needs to be manhandled out of there.
If it were me, I'd give the old girl a new lease on life and pull the motor to at least see what's wrong, and either rebuild/replace according to your needs. Looking at the pictures, I'd definitely say she's worth the time and effort

[Kurt Combs]

Original trucks as old as our bumps are becoming scarce. A few years back I changed a 360 for a 460 in my 72 F-250, now I wish I had rebuilt the 360. I went from 13 mpg to 10. Yes it has a lot more power, but it doesn't sound as cool at cruising speeds (that is probably because I removed the turbos that sounded great on the 360). Do you really plan to tow heavy loads? If not, you don't need a 460. My truck is now the only vehicle I have owned where you can actually see the gas gauge going down while driving. I do recommend you rebuild your 360 to stock and maintain it in its original condition. Take the $$$ it would cost to make a 360 into a 390 and use it to help pay to have the transmission gone through while you have the engine out. It should cost less than $1,500 to do the transmission. With a rebuilt engine and transmission you should get at least 100,000 miles out if it with no internal problems.

[popeyes71]

Original trucks as old as our bumps are becoming scarce. A few years back I changed a 360 for a 460 in my 72 F-250, now I wish I had rebuilt the 360. I went from 13 mpg to 10. Yes it has a lot more power, but it doesn't sound as cool at cruising speeds (that is probably because I removed the turbos that sounded great on the 360). Do you really plan to tow heavy loads? If not, you don't need a 460. My truck is now the only vehicle I have owned where you can actually see the gas gauge going down while driving. I do recommend you rebuild your 360 to stock and maintain it in its original condition. Take the $$$ it would cost to make a 360 into a 390 and use it to help pay to have the transmission gone through while you have the engine out. It should cost less than $1,500 to do the transmission. With a rebuilt engine and transmission you should get at least 100,000 miles out if it with no internal problems.

I completely agree. I have a 429 in my highboy and you can watch the gas gauge move just driving around town doing a few errands.

[abe]

who said the engine is shot? Did they or you do a compression test? Did they do a leak down test?

I had a guy do a leak down test on my 54 F-100 about 5 years ago and he said it needed a rebuild. He gave me the name of the guy that rebuilds the engines for the excavating company he works for and called him the next day. I followed up and got an estimate.

My brother in law did a compression test a few weeks later and said it should be OK. Compression was low but all 8 were close. I have been running it ever since!

Your truck is in great shape. I would keep it but just make sure you need a rebuild before you do it.

[Old Greener]

Beautiful truck! Sort out your engine issue and drive it for another 47 years!