53 F100 how to go highway speeds ?

i would like to comfortably do highway speeds with my f100 whats a good way to do this ? im looking into the flat o matic for a trans swap but that in the $1000 and up range is there anything less expencive i also will be towing a old boat 14ft verry light

53 ford f100 215 inline 6cl ford-o-matic
whats my options !?

 

Performance isn't cheap. At least not often.. If you're looking to be able to do highway speeds, then I'd look into what it would take to mate a T5 up to the 6. That's probably your best bet. What's your rear axle gear ratio?


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Highway speeds can mean 85 m.p.h. nowadays ...

You probably need to change your rear end ratio for starters

Depending on how original your Ford is, you might think twice about
driving faster than you are now .....



Jim

 

ya i dont need to be doing 85 ! it tops out at 65 and thats my "highway speeds" i just dont want the engine to be screaming while im doing it i just feel it wants to blow up at 65

and im going to keep it a automatic i think the T5 is a manual right correct me if im wrong because im not positive

and i will look into what my end ratio is

thanks

 

Your problem is the overall final drive gear ratio. With your current stick shift that is the rear axle ratio ( 3.92 :1) since the transmission is 1 : 1 in top gear. Changing to a Flat-O-Matic doesn't change that. It's still 1 : 1 in top gear. You need to change either the rear axle ratio to a lower number or the transmission to something with an overdrive top gear-like .70 : 1. since your current rear axle is not conducive to simply changing the gear set, you need to consider a complete rear axle switch to something like a later model Ford car or truck with a ratio around 3.25/3.00. An axle change is probably the simplest/cheapest way to go. Changing over to an overdrive transmission is really the ideal but more complex. The easiest choice would be the Borg Warner overdrive transmission which was an option in the truck originally but finding one and getting it to work properly might be a challenge. Converting to a T-5 (5 speed with overdrive in top gear) is the overall best bet but can be expensive.

 

Trailer it behind a late model truck.

 

Yeah, a six auto '53 F100 is not a good trailer towing truck. As said above, tow the boat with something else, or maybe swap in a bigger engine/trans.

 

its a 53 tomahawk wood boat probly with the trailer and engine 400 lb max i have my heart set on towing it with the 53 ford as a set ...
I dont feel the work switching a Automatic for a manual is really worth the effort and i dig that my truck came with the automatic in the first place
and a engine swap is wicked expencve to do right and its best to do it right the first time
i would like to use my truck this year. ive been verry slowly working on it for years while going to school now finaly have some money to finish it to the point of beeing a usable truck
i could do a rear end swap easy if i found the right one
and why is a 53 f100 not a good towing truck ? curious if im overlooking something right in front of my eyes

 

staypoor, we are never going to get rid of the snow anyway, so using that boat won't be an issue this year.....-2F this morning....LOL

 

I got to work in that cold on and off all night made me wonder if we will have open water for opening fishing

 

Please excuse my overly complex reply-I didn't read all of your original post. I missed the 6 cylinder/automatic part. The only part of my reply that really means anything to you is changing the rear end to obtain a better ratio. That's fairly cheap and easy. Anything up front is expensive and complicated.

 

Staypoor,

I would recommend trying to figure out the rpm your truck likes and swap a 9 inch from a mid-60's ford truck with a gear ratio the best meets your cruising speed and rpm. So, for starters, you might hook up a vacuum gauge and tach to see what rpm your engine feels most comfortable with (record on piece of paper the engines rpm and corresponding inches of vacuum). Once you get this data, select a 9" with a gear ratio that works best.



You might also consult with these guys.
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum41/

 

you forgot to say informitive and appropriately complex just didnt exactly aply

 

A 9" rear from a 57-72 ford pickup is almost a bolt in deal....lots of ratios available.
However, the 215 isn't gonna have enough power to pull much taller gears than what you have.....

 

now this sounds like a solid plan and its quickly looking like a rear axle swap is in order

 

more reason to find go fast parts down the line then right it has 100hp ish now
does anyone know what a 2carb intake split exaust adds on somthing like this ? 20hp ?

 

I owned a '53 F-100 from 1979-1992. It was powered by a 327 Chevy with 350 horse cam, 2.02 heads, Edelbrock TM-1 intake, Holley 600, backed up by Turbo 400 and original 3.92 rear gears. It easily went down the highway at whatever speed I wanted it to, easily towed other vehicles, laid rubber in all three gears, and if I drove it nice, got 18 mpg on the highway.

I sold it to a friend 21 years ago this month and he still won't sell it back to me! But at least he still has it, and if he decides to sell, will call me first!

 

that sounds like a great truck !
my dream engine is a 289 hipo like that was in the cobras with a supercharger

 

Adding more Carbs won't add more Horse Power by itself. As mentioned above the 57-62 1/2 Ton truck rear axle is a direct bolt in. Now your into a standard 28 spline axle 9" gear set. Lot's of ratio's to pick from. It will help some. Just remember taller gears slows R.P.M,s at speed. However standing start is a bit slower. You probably won't notice it with an automatic. If you choose to do the rear axle swap know that you need the top spring plate that centers the U-Bolts being the axle tube in the later housing is larger, also get the lower cap and shock mounts. These are all necessary for the bolt up to be correct. Now the stock shocks hook back up and the drive shaft is a direct bolt up. All the rear brakes including backing plates bolt right back on the newer axle housing. If done correctly you won't even need to open the brake lines. It's a Nutz & Boltz deal. Nothing to it.
The Wizzard

 

Now that ....

Is damn funny ....





Jim

 

If I was planning on swapping in a V8 at a later date I wouldn't be spending a lot of extra money on the six now. Swapping to a nine inch out of a later (not much later) pickup and being able to put 3.5 or 3.7 gears in it to drop the ratio a 1/2 point or so should let the truck run more comfortably at road speeds. it may not pull up to that speed as well and may be a bit of a slug around town though. The rear end swap won't be money thrown away though as it is one of the things you would do during a V8 swap.

Personally, I'd come back to reality and build a plan. Find a proper 9 inch rear axle, get the right gear ratio and get it installed and then drive the truck while you put money back to put a V8 in it. I'm not sure I'd go whole hog with the later model blower motor though and lean more towards a 302 or 351 with an AOD behind it that would make a good reliable drivetrain that didn't break the bank and did what you want it to do.

 

thanks for the great information this is defintly the way to go and seeing i dont have a welder bolts are the way to go ! so to do the swap i need

57-62 1/2 Ton truck rear axle
a top spring plate that centers the U-Bolts
lower cap and shock mounts

am I corect that the plate and mounts come from the new axle ?

 

at the moment its operation back on the road not worying about trying to add power or build a engine
and im trying to stay pre 65 with the build of the truck and would rather build a v8 to put in somthing fast later and keep the 6 in the truck

 

Yes you are correct. All the parts mentioned are from the same newer Truck you get the housing from. For a good reference slide under your Truck prior to shopping and you'll see what I'm refering to. On top of your rear springs is a flat plate between the U-Bolts and the top leaf. The one you will need is longer due to the housing tube being larger. The lower bracket your U-Bolts go into is stamped steel with the shock stud mounted on it. The new one will be Cast Steel for again the larger housing tube and the shock mount is a single piece. You need all of that to make this work correctly.
The Wizzard

 

How boring.

 

You need to put a higher geared rear axle under it. I used a 66 Lincoln [was only 35 bux....couldn't afford a 9 inch at the time] 9&3/8ths with 3.00 gears under my 53 ford pickup. Yeah, I had a chevy 301 in it but your 6 banger should be able to handle a 3.00 gear hauling a 400 LB boat.
Width was ok if using skinny wheels/tires. I had 10 inch wheels in the photo, hence the wider rear fenders. Be advised....60s Lincolns have 5 on 5 inch wheel bolt pattern,,,a 50s-70s ford pickup 9 inch has the correct bolt pattern and my 57-60 ford pickup 9 inch measures right at 58 inches flange to flange...a better choice for you.

 

That 6 will not go any faster with more gear. Unless it is down hill with a tailwind. Sorry for seeming so harsh. That 6 auto set-up has it's limitations.

 

Go to the Ford truck enthusiasm site FTE ,get on the 48-56 board,They are a great bunch with plenty of helpful ideals.

 

Also if you swap in a 9" pickup rear end your drive shaft will be too short as the 9" has a shorter pinion shaft. So not quite a bolt in. You may get lucky and find a drive shaft the correct length at the junkyard. It has happened for me a couple times...

 

Not exactly true. You are correct in that there are several different 9" Ford yokes and U-Joints. However we have been talking about a "stock" 57-62 rear diff. So as long as what he buys still runs it's stock driveshaft it will have the Stock 1/2 ton yoke and his Stock 53 driveshaft will connect up directly with No issues. staypoor53ford should be aware that things do get changed around over the years so there definatly is a good chance he could end up with a diff yoke that may not be correct.
The Wizzard