Back in the truck game - Fullsize Mod!
 

Hey all, it's been awhile. For those of you that remember me I had a 2000 Ford Ranger 2.5L 2WD with a FX4 LII Torsen L/S 4.10 Axle and 3 inch lift spindles on 31s. I sold it when I went active duty in the Coast Guard a little over a year ago. I have since been in a little rice burner Suzuki my mom gave me. It's just a commuter and I hate it with a deep passion. My itch was getting pretty bad haha. So when I came home for the holidays my buddy gave me an offer I couldn't refuse............

1976 Ford F150 Supercab 2WD 302

My new project!! Don't worry, she'll be getting the ol' 4x4 swap and a little restoration work before you know. She has been restored once in the early 2000s but unfortunately being stored outside in 40 years of Ohio winters does some damage but it's still in better condition than my Ranger ever was LOL. 122k on the body and 80k on the rebuilt engine. The interior is immaculate, by far the best part of the whole truck. It has a small crankcase pressure issue with a stuck valve so the dipstick won't stay in because of the built up gases. That will be my first order of business.

https://www.ranger-forums.com/attach...ine=1356818804
https://www.ranger-forums.com/attach...ine=1356818804
https://www.ranger-forums.com/attach...ine=1356818804

Good looking truck!

I'm in love, great choice.

YES!

Good to see you again Kevin.

There is a similar truck right down the road. Its red though.
Great choice.

Nice looking truck! If it were mine she would be screaming for a 3/4 ton 4x4 swap and a Cummins 5.9 12v. But that's just me.

That is a great looking dentside.

Thanks guys! I am super excited to get started on it. So much planned and not enough time or a place to do it! HAHA

I'm glad you popped in Justin, your 77 is one of the ones that made me want to get one myself.

Sorry Derek she is staying 302, maybe 351 eventually. Defiantly getting a D44 and a 9in though. It depends on the part truck I find.

If you do the 4x4 swap you will want to at least get a 351. The stock 302 leave a lot to be desired, but there are a lot of options for modding a 302 motor

You already have a 9 inch in the rear

It looks like someone swapped an older steering wheel onto the column, finding a non cracked stock wheel from those era trucks is next to impossible. A new one will run you a couple hundred bucks easy.

Part trucks for a 4x4 swap are a dime a dozen if you are going for a 1/2 ton swap. At least in this part of the country

not a bad looking truck. plans sound decent, but if it was me, i'd find a 05-07 super duty donor truck, swap the axles, then swap in the 6.0 and the 5r

Haha yeah I figured that she'd stay that way. For some reason the first thing I thought when I saw the truck is a cummins swap.

Yeah I know the 351 would be better for 4x4 but I plan on building the 302. I figure it will serve my purposes well.

I'm not sure what the gear ratio is on the axle so I might end up using the donor front and rear so they match.

You know that's funny you said that because I was thinking the steering wheel seemed kind of out of place on that truck. I will try to find out where it came from.

I live in South Carolina so I figure finding a complete truck to swap with will be relatively easy. The key will be finding a 302 4x4 so I can use the trans/transfer case. We'll see.....

Did a little research.....steering wheel is from a late-60s/early-70s Econoline van or F-series which didn't have power steering. Now I know what my steering wheel feels like it's for an old cruiser lol

Looks good man. You don't see many of them running around anymore.
Those wheel and tires are the first thing that have to go.

All 302 and 351W transfer cases will work for your truck. The 351M has a big block bell housing.

I think you would probably be best to stick with the 3.55:1 or 3.73:1 gear ratio.

Your door sticker should tell you what ratio you have no

Nice looking rig and Welcome back to the site!

So the 302 and 351 use the same transmission bell housing? Do I need to switch to a 4x4 trans with the transfer case or is it just bolt on the case and go?

I was all Ranger so the whole V8 fullsize world is completely new to me haha

Yeah the tires are dry rot all to hell from it sitting for so long. I'm not going to get new wheels and tires until I get the 4x4 swapped in and get it to the lift I want though. I'm probably going to do Mickey Thompson Classic Locks with mud terrains of some sort. Probably going for 35s.

I looked on ebay and found a stock wheel for $130 but I didn't really like it that much. It looks cheap and out of place in my opinion. So I went with this:
Bronco F100 F150 F250 F350 Black Steering Wheel 15" New Polished Spokes | eBay

Only the 351W will match the 302 bell housing. I think you will need the 4x4 trans though

That's a nice wheel too

Oh gotcha so I can get a 302 or 351W part trucks to get my trans/transfer case and axles.

How do I tell the difference between the 351M and 351W?

They always stamp the engines, usually on the intake and block

The 351W looks just like a 302 but with a taller deck

Sweet. Thanks for the info. I'm on FTE now getting my PVC issue sorted out.

So I went out and braved the 20 degree weather for an hour to roll under the old girl. Besides some regular Ohio body rust and a few leaky seals; one of the valve covers, the trans extension housing, and the rear axle, she is in perfect running condition. Can't wait to start working on her!

FTE is an excellent resource for 73-79 trucks.

Yeah they are schooling me right now hahaha. I feel like I did when I joined R/F with no idea how to work on cars at all 3 years ago.

Y'know, the more I look at this truck, it makes me wish trucks were still like this. Simple. Trucks today are just luxobarges that have tons of unneccessary crap.

It's defiantly nice, simple, and bares bones. I can get in the engine bay with the engine in there. The wiring harness is a actually traceable lol. I can easily see and access everything in the truck.

I like working on trucks like that, where you can practically hide in the engine bay beside the engine. I like having space, considering I'm 6' tall.