Hey Guys ____ Need some input , I"m looking at a "79 Ford Ranger XLT Bronco Auto 400 c.i. How strong is the drivetrain(axels,R&p etc)also the auto trans., and tranfer case are they strong,and how would it compare with chev or dodge of the same era.Am I on track with this ford (componet wise) or should I look elsewhere?Oh yeah also how good is the engine?____ THANKS BAYRUNNER

Its pretty basic. If it's an auto, it's a C6.. Mostly impossible to kill with a stock engine as long as you don't overheat it.

400 engine is decent.. Good torque, will pretty much run forever, but beyond that, it's a serious smog engine. Crippled by the government, and fairly expensive to build decent. If/when it blows, replace it with a 460, bolts right to the trans

Tcase is either gunna be a np203 or np205.. I'm not gunna explain the details here, those are available ANYWHERE..

Front axle- HP D44; rear axle- 31 spline 9"

Most common gears are 3.50's, barely ever see anything besides those stock. (though thy do exist)

Don't know much about Dodges, I belive the less I know about Dodge the better my life will be. As for chevy.. Well, chevy's never had HP front ends, and that damned 10 bolt in the back.. 10 bolt axles SUCK, no matter how you try and put it. In the axle department I'd say Ford kicks GM's ass(half ton wise). Tcase are mostly the same stuff, both had 203s and 205s.. so nothin big there. I personally think Ford's C6 is at least on par with the TH400 and TH350's of chevy, and don't know much on the manual trans' so can't comment.

Engine.. well, the 400 is a dawg. It runs good, has decent power, but I gotta say they're embarred easily by chevy v8s stock to stock. I've had a couple different ones. I made the mistake of rebuildin the 400 and putting money in to it. If I ever do it again, I'll be throwing the 400 block into the junkyard and putting a 460 in it's place without a second thought. BUT, I wouldn't be going out of my way to do it unless the engine blows..

Hey Imnotright_____ Thanks for the info ,trying to decide wheather to buy it as a light towing, light trail, and DD rig. I haven't decided yet. ____ THANKS BAYRUNNER

they work great for all 3.. Well, not so well on the last part, DD. Your pretty much only ever gunna get 10mpg out of the 400. Ever. No matter what. Of course you'll be getting 10mpg highway, city, towing, or shut off sailing off of a cliff.

Other than that, if it's in good shape and you can take the abuse at the gas station, jump on it.

Hey____ Can a 460 do any better at the pump,if so maybe I should hold out _____ THANKS BAYRUNNER

well it wouldn't be any better, but it won't be any worse. At least you'll have the power to justify the milage though.

Hey Imnotright_____ Thanks for the info,greatly appreciated____ THANKS BAYRUNNER

That 400 will really wake up with a cam, 4BBL, intake, and exhaust.
you won't get better gas mileage with a 460.

http://www.projectbronco.com/Technical_Articles/351m400_performance_build_up.htm

"Your pretty much only ever gunna get 10mpg out of the 400"
mpg depends on driveing style, i've seen 14 a few times, but mostly 11-13.

THEY ARE THE BEST DAMN TRUCK EVER!

but i have a byased oppinion I own one, Used to own 2.

talk around at www.projectbronco.com and you will have 2,000 guys tell you the exact same thing.

Mike

bayrunner

FWIW they didn't come from the factory with a 460 in it it would have to have been swapped in later so that will make it more difficult to find.

And if you do find one with a swapped in 460 you have to ask yourself was it a cobble job or was it done correctly.

And how bad the truck has been abused with the 460

on the MPG
I have a 79 bronco with a 400 in it gives my 10 MPG
my 4dr bronco with 460 gives me 11 MPG

bronco has C6, 205, 3.50, 235/85R16 tires

4dr bronco has C6, 205, 3.54, 235/85R16 tires plus an extra set of doors :)

The 400 is still hampered by the anemic 8:1 compression.. And it's fairly expensive to fix that issue.

No the 460 was never stock in a Bronco, but it's all the same junk to a F350, just swap everything over. (motor mount perches and motor mounts) Not a whole lot you can "cobble" together there.

Personally I'd keep the 400 untill it blew up, like I said, or just plain stopped being adequate.

I've had 3.. (ok, my parents had 1, i had the other 2) I drive a lil agreesively, the parents babied it.

78.79 f-trucks with a 400. They all got almost dead-nuts 10mpg. Period. One I had rebuilt with a shaved heads, still only managed about 8.7:1 comp, edelbrock 650 cfm carb and performer rpm intake, msd ignition, headers, while it ran great (little too much cam though, sucky bottom end) it still got.. Yup, 10mpg!

I got 10 mpg towing a k10 at WOT 2nd gear for 65 miles down the highway averaging about 50-55mph. (lol, was only running on 7 cylinders).. I don't know why. But the 10 mpg has been the magic number for me.

My last truck was a 250 with 4.10's and 31s (other two were 3.50's and 31s) and it got 10mpg. Strange.. yes seems odd being so freakin consistant.. it just kept working out to 10mpg!:confused:

edit: just babbling, not chalanging your claims of 11-14mpg.. I've heard of other people getting it sometimes, just could never unlock the secret myself.

Edit again: Doing some re-reading "maybe i should hold out".. just caught that.. i wouldn't hold out cuz swapped in 460's are few and far between..

by the way there is no factory motor mount for a 460 to go in a 79 and earlier 4x4 period and the F350,F250and supercabs have different frame stands then the f150 and bronco so even if the 350 4x4 did come with a 460 it mounts wouldn't work with out mods anyways and 2wd stands aren't even close

the 460 only only came in 2wd trucks (not including passenger cars) from 1973 till 1982 in 1983 it was in both the 2wd and 4wd 3/4 and 1 tons
and in 1980 the truck and bronco frame got a major change and those frame mounts will not fit any 79 and older trucks

so yes it is very easy to cobble in a 460 into the truck I have seen a few scary jobs (I usually just junk the vehicle if I end up with it
because if it is cobbled in then the truck/bronco is usually abused)

the above sounds harsh but I am just stating a fact no flaming intended :)

no flame taken. obviously i've forgotten some items..:(

If the body is in good condition and the price is decent don't worry about what engine is under the hood because you can always swap it out later.

'78-'79 Broncos are some of the beefiest trucks out there, even the full time NP 203 case is pretty burly (you can still get part time conversion kits for them) and yes, the 400Ms were hampered by emission controls and low compression but, will really wake up with a little more compression (I belive you can get pistons for them that'll address that problem) a good dual plane intake (Edelbrock and Weiand come to mind) and a vacuum secondary 4bbl carb (I think an adapted Rochester Q-Jet would be an excellent choice!) or maybe a Howell TBI kit, a mild cam and headers with duals (with a balance tube). It would probably be easier (and less expensive) than swapping in a 460 and would probably make better low end torque (the 400 has a 4" stroke compared to the 460's 3.850" ;) ) but, of course that's just my opinion:D .........Hans