New guy,truck story and questions.

[FordFighter]

Got a 70 3/4 here,paid 2000 and drove 300 miles to get it.Drove it home,smooth 55MPH truck,got it home and pulled the front drums,they were so bad I went to the junkyard and pulled drums off another,had em turned and put new shoes on,better,grind gone.The 350 had a good oil leak goin so I raised the engine an inch and a half and dropped the pan,new gaskets for pan, timing cover and crank,leak gone...Good Workhorse,has proven it's worth....Now,I see a 300 dollar 250 I6 on the web....looks clean...owner said strong runner...would a swap make a difference? If I buy this engine and take the time to bolt it up to the 350 tranny under there....is the torque and fuel economy going to be worth my frustration and sweat?What else can I say? The trucks *****en,I love it...I drive easy and I don't give a **** about speed,but I would like to get get a few more miles a gallon out of it without sacrificing it's ability to pull my trailer under load and sag the coils from time to time.Any takers?

[geezer#99]

Save your money and time. You likely won't get better mpg, probably less. Smaller motor doesn't always equal more mpg. You'll need to lean on the pedal more for the same results pulling or just normal driving.

[GASoline71]

Exactly what geezer said.

If you want fuel economy... buy a rice burner.

Gary

[lap15]

If there is nothing wrong with the engine that's in it- leave it alone!!!! Don't make extra work for yourself, you will get about the same MPG out of a carefully driven and maintained 350 than a six that the owner "says" is a strong runner. You can spend your money wiser fixing up other things on the truck rather than the engine that runs fine.

[FordFighter]

Thats all I needed.I like my truck just the way it is.An ol'timer told me once a strait 6 has a longer stroke...more torque than a 350.Thats what snapped into my mind when I saw that sweet lookin 6 on C.L. "Fit ain't BROKE,don't fix it,thanks fellas.

[pat 70/71]

I agree with the fact that you would be time ahead leaving your truck as is and just enjoy the wonderment that our trucks provide . I own a71swb fleet side v8 auto and a 70swb stepper with a six silly/3 on the tree. The gas burn numbers are similar when you drive around town w/ no load. Now haul something of any weight and the gas mileage favors the v8. Maybe keep your eyes open for a second truck with a six silly/3on the tree. Their out there and not as easy of a sale as the v8 trucks.(just my humble opinion) cheers, Pat
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[mygmctruck]

What I find a shame is we put who knows how much money into these trucks and then either worry about how much gas they use or can't afford the gas after all the work is done. I used to complain about it but never thought about it when I was restroing my Mach 1 and so it goes. So now I just enjoy.

[yuccales]

Sounds like you got yourself a good running work truck. I'd keep your small block, save up money, fix other things, and make it an even better truck. As for fuel economy, my 10mpg is much easier to live with then a $500 a month payment on a truck that MIGHT give you 20mpg.

[jocko]

If you are concerned about mileage, you would come out ahead spending that $300 on an overdrive trans. 700R4 or 2004R behind your 350 engine will get you better results than an I6 with a TH350 behind it. You didn't mention rear end gearing - but a 70 3/4 tonner will have a 4.10 or deeper gearing, so a higher (lower numerical) gear will also help. But, best bang for the buck is an o/d trans. If you hit the lottery later on, you can pursue better highway gearing in the rear. Or maybe you'll feel it's not even an issue once you have the o/d trans. (I have a 71 3/4, same concerns as you - my plan is for a Bowtie O/D's 2004R, whenever I get around to it. My TH350 is junk (don't get me wrong, TH350 is a good trans - but my particular one is not a truck original trans and is a complete pile of crap) so I need to replace anyway - will do so with 2004R in the future).

[FordFighter]

Perhaps a TH400 with a gearvender under/overdrive.....super tough,beautiful thing next time I run across 4000 buck or so.....