A Week Long Restoration turning into a Summer Time Adventure! 86 XLT Lariat Explorer

[Gary Lewis]

Jim, I would like to know where he got 6000 lbs. Darth weighed on a certified scale (not a truck stop one) with both tanks essentially empty, a maybe 100 lb aluminum cap and no one in him, 6400 lbs and that is after installing the E4OD and EFI top end. I am darn sure the 35" more cab, including a bench seat, two more doors with internals and two more 245/85R16 tires even on the Alcoas should easily add over 400 lbs.

Big Blue weighed 6560 a couple of weeks ago, inc 30 gallons of fuel, dual batteries, winch, air compressor, inverter, etc, etc, etc.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Big Blue weighed 6560 a couple of weeks ago, inc 30 gallons of fuel, dual batteries, winch, air compressor, inverter, etc, etc, etc.

Gary, 250's have thicker (heavier) frames, eight lug axles, E rated tires, etc.

I'd want to say a stock 351 F-150 4x4 is likely well under 5,000, but I don't know. 🤷‍♂️

Which is why I suggested John should.

Either way I don't think weight is making this poor truck deliver 8mpg.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Gary, 250's have thicker (heavier) frames, eight lug axles, E rated tires, etc.

I'd want to say a stock 351 F-150 4x4 is likely well under 5,000, but I don't know. 🤷‍♂️

Which is why I suggested John should.

Either way I don't think weight is making this poor truck deliver 8mpg.

Exactly. Big Blue weighs a lot more and still turns in almost 13 MPG - albeit with EFI. But it got 11 MPG with a carb.

Dad's 1/2 ton with a worn-out 351M and a C6 got 10. When I put Rusty's built 351M and a ZF5 in it we got almost 14 IIRC on a 3,000 mile trip to DE and back from OK and we had a load of furniture on the way east.

So a stock 351W in a 1/2 ton should get something like 10 - 12 MPG depending on the transmission and driving style. But not 8.

[Machspeed]

The 9" came in 3.50 gearing and the 8.8" in 3.55.

Well Gary, this on the rear end is interesting. I always assumed I had a 9". Need to crawl under that sucker and look at that.

As to the cam gear, I replaced the OEM timing chain and gears lasts Summer, and they were metal. At 100k, that chain had some serious slack in it too.

Not sure on the weight of my truck, but don't think it's 5k pounds. I'll have to look into that.

As to the Carb, I was able to use the factory kickdown and all with the Edelbrock 1406 Carb that I put on it. I'll get you some pics. This is a great carb, easy to rebuild, reliable, can't say enough good about it. My experience with Holley's has not been so good and I absolutely hated that factory carb. There is at least one member on this board whom raves about it, but I'll take this Edelbrock any day over that OEM junker.

[85lebaront2]

Exactly. Big Blue weighs a lot more and still turns in almost 13 MPG - albeit with EFI. But it got 11 MPG with a carb.

Dad's 1/2 ton with a worn-out 351M and a C6 got 10. When I put Rusty's built 351M and a ZF5 in it we got almost 14 IIRC on a 3,000 mile trip to DE and back from OK and we had a load of furniture on the way east.

So a stock 351W in a 1/2 ton should get something like 10 - 12 MPG depending on the transmission and driving style. But not 8.

FWIW, my 1977 F150 2WD, originally a 300/C4 and 3.55 rear did reasonably well until I put the 11.5 ft Wolverine slide in camper on it. Highway speeds I had essentially 0" manifold vacuum which is why I ended up with the 390 Camper Special engine and C6.

With that combination, less camper, 16-17 mpg with a .030 over 390. I did have the correct Holley carb and DS-II distributor for that engine and a self designed dual exhaust using actual Corvair Turbo mufflers. Truck was pretty quick empty, but you had to be careful to avoid frying the rear tires.

[Jake Papageorge]

the last few 5.8 ho engines that I have redone or replaced the timing sets in had steel gears. that does not certify what they should have left the factory with, only what I dealt with. that said only one of them seemed to have had the front cover off before. but none had what I would have called a replacement set. I normally put back a melling or cloyes at least and usually a double roller. even still it is a little disappointing to see how much play they acquire in a short time. but in order for it to have enough slack to jump time in 50k it seems to me that it would mean a total cam gear failure and 6 degrees of take up does not indicate that but composite over aluminum gears is not anything I would want. that is what was in my 86 4.9 and it now has steel. that engine I rebuilt 20 years ago.

I would recommend looking into Rollmaster true roller timing chains. I have one on my SBC and after 21K, I had to take the front cover off to fix a failed timing cover gasket. That chain was as tight as the day I put it on! I don't use Melling chains, but the Cloys true rollers have really gotten cheap and flimsy over the years! Back in the day, they were the chain to use.

 

[Jake Papageorge]

Jim, I would like to know where he got 6000 lbs. Darth weighed on a certified scale (not a truck stop one) with both tanks essentially empty, a maybe 100 lb aluminum cap and no one in him, 6400 lbs and that is after installing the E4OD and EFI top end. I am darn sure the 35" more cab, including a bench seat, two more doors with internals and two more 245/85R16 tires even on the Alcoas should easily add over 400 lbs.

I got it from the door jamb sticker. You know, the one that gives you all the vehicle weight information.

[Gary Lewis]

I got it from the door jamb sticker. You know, the one that gives you all the vehicle weight information.

The certification label tells you what the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is, meaning the maximum weight the vehicle was designed to carry. Not what the vehicle weighs.

[Gary Lewis]

Well Gary, this on the rear end is interesting. I always assumed I had a 9". Need to crawl under that sucker and look at that.

As to the cam gear, I replaced the OEM timing chain and gears lasts Summer, and they were metal. At 100k, that chain had some serious slack in it too.

Not sure on the weight of my truck, but don't think it's 5k pounds. I'll have to look into that.

As to the Carb, I was able to use the factory kickdown and all with the Edelbrock 1406 Carb that I put on it. I'll get you some pics. This is a great carb, easy to rebuild, reliable, can't say enough good about it. My experience with Holley's has not been so good and I absolutely hated that factory carb. There is at least one member on this board whom raves about it, but I'll take this Edelbrock any day over that OEM junker.

John - The 9" was used all the way through the Bullnose years, but in '83 the 8.8" was introduced and it was used on many of the light-duty trucks in place of the 9".

It is easiest to see this in the chart for the Broncos (U150) as they didn't get the heavier axles so the chart is simple. But I can't tell you why one vehicle got the 9" while others got the 8.8".

The easiest way to find out what you have is to look at the code on the certification label and then go to the page at Documentation/Specifications/Axle Ratios and look up the code. A 3.50 ratio is a 9" and a 3.55 is an 8.8". (Apparently the slightly smaller size of the ring gear changed the # of teeth they could have, changing the ratio.)

[85lebaront2]

I got it from the door jamb sticker. You know, the one that gives you all the vehicle weight information.

Example, as I posted, weighed Darth on a certified scale here in town where grain trucks are weighed. Weight, almost empty tanks and only an aluminum camper shell. 4 of my wheels are now Ford Alcoa aluminum ones which reduces my empty weight. Here is my sticker from the back of my left front door:

Note the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) it is 10,000 lbs, now take the tare weight off: 10,000 - 6400 = 3600 lbs capacity which gives 1.8 tons on a nominal 1 ton truck.

Now, try adding the front axle GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) and the rear axle GAWR together. 3900 + 7400 = 11,300 lbs and subtracting my tare weight of 6400 lbs you get 4900 lbs or 2.45 tons.