My 79 ford build

Hey Guys,

First of all thanks for the new section Bruno.

My truck is a 79 ford f250. Currently it has 4.10's, 35's with a np435 and a 429 out of an old 68 thunderbird.

The new build is a 521 assembly from Lem that consist of a scat crank, 6.8 h-beams and probe pistons, approximate compression is 10.5:1, in a D9 block. Milodon 9 qt pan w/ windage. The Kasse scj heads from Lem. A custom cam from Scotty, which I am not sure if I am supposed to give up his custom grind info but in general terms its a .240-250 @.050 and .560-.580 lift solid flat tappet. I havent picked up an intake yet but I am looking at the weiand scj stealth intake.

For exhaust I have the L&L headers with dual 3" through Magnaflows.

I plan on mainly driving this on the street but it is a toy. This was my first truck and I have started the process of rebuilding it from the ground up. Not a daily driver but I want to make a 100 mile trip here and there.


For my questions:

What brand of carburator do you all suggest and what size for this engine. I have been told from 750cfm(which sounds a bit small) up to 950? There are lots of different brands out there like AED, Competition Carburators, Quick Fuel etc. Now keep in mind I am not the best carb guy in the world. I would like to get a carb that would get me very close if that is an option. I understand that there will need to be some adjusting.

Which intake? Like I mentioned above I have been looking at getting a weiand stealth scj.

Break in. I have spent a good bit of coin on this thing and I don't want to get cheap now. I was contemplating having it dyno tuned and broken in on the dyno. What are your thoughts on this? Is there a shop near Tucson that is good with 460's on the dyno? From previous posts it sounds like going to a dyno can gain you quite a bit if you have someone who is good with that particular engine.

I have a zf 5 speed that I plan on putting in it. I am not sure if I am going to use the 205 transfercase or the borgwarner. Any suggestions there.

I will try to post some pictures of the truck currently there is no front clip on it and the engine is out. But its a pretty clean truck

Thanks in advance for all the advice guys I am sure I will lots more questions.

Scott

Sounds like a very cool build. I'm not the best carb guy out there by any means, but the Quick Fuel stuff seems to have the best reputation for the race carbs. You might get with Phillip Oakley, he's the QF guy. The ZF might not be the best deal given the choice of the other combo. Where is the power band going to be compared to cruising rpms? I'm afraid you will be too far below the power band to utilize the overdrive at cruising speed. A dyno session is well worth the cost IMHO. Plenty of valuable inforomation including where the power peaks are and getting the optimal tune on the engine. I don't know who down in AZ is good, but there are a couple of members down there that could shed some light for you. AZFairlane, and Torkair live down there too. On the intake, I am a huge fan of the Stealth, I had one the first build on my engine and it was quite a good performer for me. I am not sure whether it would be the best choice for this application though. I'll toss a link to this thread to Randy Malik and see if he would chime in for you.

Thanks Smitty,

I havent done much engine and parts buying for quite a few years 15+ and alot has changed since then. There are quite a few new vendors and products that I don't know about. Lots of options with aftermarket carbs, cams etc.

I sure hope this thing runs well.

I would ask Lem about the carb and intake and run what he says. Lem is the man.

I agree that Lem is the man. Lem has put most of the combo together for me. He is a great guy, I just don't want to wear out my welcome by calling him about every detail. Not sure if you know what I mean.

One good thing about the vendors we have here on this forum, is that they not only love to sell the parts, but they are serious enthusiasts too and love to bench race and talk about details. I've called Lem many times for nit picky little deals and he doesn't seem to mind at all. Heck I pestered him today about stuff I might buy down the road in a year or more. Super guy in my book.

You are absolutely correct Smitty. I will give Lem a call and harrass him.

I am considering ditching the zf 5 speed idea all together and going with a c6 in lieu of the standard transmission ideas. I think it will be much more enjoyable to drive. I have no ideas what kind of things I need for a built up c6 or if I need a built up c6 for this build. Also what kind of stall would I need?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Scott

on my c-6,i had the red clutches put in with an r code servo,and shift kit,and running a 2800 stall in it

fordsrgrt,
I saw your video of the mud. Do you have anymore of your truck. I am really curious how my truck is going to run. We have very similar vehicles. All of the info, lessons learned you care to share I am very interested in.

Thanks for the response about your transmission. Would you do anything different? What shift kit did you use?

I have purchased a c6 tranny/205 transfercase. What kind of stall would I want to run on this combo? Also what are you guys using for shifters? I really don't want to change out my steering column unless it is necessary.