I just bought a crate ZZ502 recently for something at work and something like that would make a good engine for your 56 since we have now graduated to big blocks. It was in stock at Speedway.
300 ford ^ 3/4 ton ZF 5 speed with a little help in the intake and exhaust they will really run and go forever
You already have a 390 Caddy, build it and put it in. Makes a ton of torque , its Hamb friendly , bolt a T400 on it with a GV . looks 100 times better than a 472 or 500....
Worst thing about the Old's is the center exhaust ports on the manifold, they tend to get out of shape at that point.
I was thinking about your upcoming project and that it's a 56 and the tank behind the seat. If that's something you might want to change and not put one behind the rear axle I could give you an idea and you can go from 20 Gal in the Cab to 34 Gal in unused space that doesn't cramp exhaust space. You can even use the Stock fill tube hole in the cab with a little work.
Why I picked the Ford 300 I built One for my daughter> A 85 f 150 300 with a C6 4 barrel carter EFI exhaust ,manifolds 240 head a mild Crane cam 350 gear.Truck ran 15.10 in the quarter and got upper teens road milage.
I’ve got a dt466 with a 5 speed behind it . You might have to remove the firewall and have 2 cylinders in the cab with You . But You could pull anything You wanted to . Lol Don’t overlook 6 cylinders if You looking for better mpg . I used to haul 16 round bales with a 66 c60 and a 30 ‘ gooseneck trailer all day long on a tank of gas . It had a 292 , 4 speed and a 2 speed rear axle
I already have a tank. I bought a universal from Tanks, Inc. It fits perfect behind the axle. Not cutting etc. I think it's a 16 gallon if I remember.
I like the valve covers on the older Cads better than the 500 Cads and plan to do this on mine. I had the same idea, but someone beat me to executing it. Note the adapters showing at each end. But I have a pair of valve covers like these that I plan to use. The Caddy is a fairly light engine for a Big Block weighing less than most others and about 50 Lbs more than a smallblock Chevy. The big difference to me is the torque curve available. Here is a sample of a dyno run for a 500. Note: This is a higher dollar build, but the one below isn't ....... And another one Note that this is done with a 9:1 Compression Ratio. This thing will run all day on regular gas and pull anything you want to hook to it. Turn the air conditioner on and still no lack of power. And with 500 HP it ought to scoot pretty well too.
Maybe it will show up better now........ HT383 Vortec Crate Engine Thats what cubic inches will do, even with a low Compression Ratio. Note that the Chevy NEVER gets to match the Caddys torque at only 2500 rpms and the Caddy continues to rise with rpms.
I run a 455 Mondello built, aluminum headed, 11:1, 650 foot pounds of rubber destroying snort. Runs on 92 octane pump gas and has for many years. 8 MPG but it's a damn fun 8. Oh, don't pay no nevermind to the avatar on the rollback, it's a dependable engine.
I have no idea if this truck build will see much time driving around in a town or not. What I do know it you have to feed cubic inches of motor, doesn't matter if those cubic inches are in a small block or in a big block, you still have to feed them. If the truck will see mostly highway miles, feeding the CI on the highway usually is not too bad, the final drive ratio through OD or rear gear can assist with that. City driving is different. Those traffic lights with the stopping, waiting for the green light, and starting to move again kill mpg, regardless of the final drive gear, or the CI. The larger CI directly relates to more fuel getting consumed in city driving. I find it interesting that it appears that Root is concern about going faster with a loaded trailer 5 or 6 times a year then he is about how that is going to effect the driving experience over the entire rest of the year. Personally I would be content with having adequate power to accomplish the few towing days and have a more drivable ride the majority of the driving year. I live at the edge of a 20,000 population town, so I can get out of town without driving through it. Even then, I find that a high percentage of my truck driving experience is driving through towns, and I put over 8,000 miles a year on my truck. His truck, his choice. I only share my real life experiences. If the towing HP has a higher priority then the majority of the driving time does, then that big inch Cady motor sounds like the best option. Probably going to take an mpg beating around town, but it would fit the bill for the other areas.
I'm not really concerned about going fast while towing, but I do like having the power on tap when I am climbing a grade. With that said, I plan on retiring in the next 3 years, so I will be pulling my vintage trailer behind it, so when that happens it will go from 6 times a year to full time. I will drive this unloaded as well, I live in town but I am building a house and shop out in the country, so commuting to the grocery store etc. I am looking for all around drivability, power, mileage, reliability etc. I know it's a tall order, but it's replacing my daily.
If you want all that your choices of engine and trans combos are probably beyond the scope of here. if I build that c10 mentioned, I’ll cruise the 250 6 for a little while but for a tow pig something like one of those alphabet v8s and a trans with at least 6 forward gears would be optimal.
Your avatar reminds me of a boat I had with a 455 Old's with a jet drive, that thing was allergic to water.
Daily driver and needs to stay all Ford? I'd go with a 351W simply because Ford used it for 31 years. You could walk in to any auto parts store and get parts for it. Fuel injection or carbureted - pick your poison because Ford made it both ways. Auto or manual? Ford did that, too. Forget all that Y-Block, MEL, Cadillac, yadda yadda nonsense.
I had a 22 foot day cruiser with a 455 Olds in it and a Jacuzzi jet. Horrid boat to ski behind, or put gas in, or drive at low speeds, or when the river was rough, or trailer, or sell.
I understand this in a way. I also live in town ... population 2500. I own a house built in 1948 .... Nice house but needs some updating. I as a medically retired remodel carpenter, I want to remodel my 1948 house using my 1949 truck. I just feel it was good enough for my Grandfather to get the job done .... It will work fine for me also. I want to use my truck to haul the bags of concrete, to haul the lumber, to pick up the new counter tops. I get it sounds stupid to others ... I have a modern truck ... No I want to remodel my house using my 1949 truck. @Roothawg we are in different worlds, I bet I will have $5k in my truck total and I'm going to drive the crap out of it and use it like a truck. I'm going to smile every mile I drive it. You have a 1/2 way decent truck and thinking tossing $20k into it ..... Will you toss in 6 bags of 80 pound concrete & haul it to the job site? Or are you just building another beauty queen?
I did this swap back around '69 or so. My BIL (RIP) had nice 55 chev ½t and thought that a v-8 would be good. Off he goes to a local bone yard and back he comes with a 390 Cad and trans in the bed. Literally, a weekend swap minus finished exhaust. Gawd that thing was scary. My sister made him sell it within the year.
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