Batmanstang

Thanks for all the feed back.

Here's some of the replies:

Transmition- I have the original FMX automatic transmition. I don't know if anything has been done to this.

Carb- I have a new Holley Harb that was just tuned up in May. I'm not sure what size the carb is but it is probably only 1yr old. I was going to get rid of it, but my Mechanic told me to keep it because it's new and works fine.

Fuel Pump- This doesn't look old and I'm not sure what size this is. I'll look into this

Stall converter- what does this do?

Gears- I was thinking about going to 3.89 gears, but will this be too much for my transmition on the highway? I do drive it alot on the highway and make some decent size trips in the car 1-3hrs.

Could I be flooding the engine?

Soaring

Here is the information re: the stall converter.
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2000/09/converter/

65mojoe

Fuel pump wise, the easiest thing to figure out what kind of fuel pump you've got will probably be to take some pics and post them for others to see.

Gear wise, 3.89's would be a little to low for highway driving, I would say don't go higher than 3.55's.

Carb wise, yes it is possible that you could be overjetting the carb. If you can dig up some info on the cfm rating and also what kind of jets the mechanic installed after the rebuild that would be helpful. If your carb is overjetted, this could contribute to that hesitation you are feeling.

Get some pics up and some more info from your mechanic.

Batmanstang

What about 3.73 gears?

atomsk680

the FMX tranny wasnt the best

with your setup a stall is pobably needed

3.55 is good, but i think 3.73 would be fine too

i emailed the holley tech support team and they told me with my setup, mild cam, intake, carb, 4v heads, to run 3.55 - 3.73 gears

Soaring

Wanna add a supercharger? Here's how.
http://www.mustangandfords.com/howto/5270/

Aussie66Fastback

I agree with Mojoe. I wouldnt go any higher than 3.55 for highway. I do a lot on the highway and often consider dropping back to 3.20 to save a bit of gas, but then i go to pass someone and the top gear blast from 60mph up makes it all the worthwhile!!!

amuscle69

I have a similarly built 351c 4v with the original unrebuilt FMX and 3.00 rear end. It is rather disappointing off the line but the top end is scary fast. I have a new edlebrock 750cfm and it seems to feed her plenty of fuel.

Batmanstang

Thanks for the feed back guys. Considering how much I drive me car (not that often) I think I'll just go for the 3.73 and hope gas keeps going down. Here's the set up I'm going with to solve my acceleration problem:

Eddlebroc EDL-2665 Intake
Holley 12854 80gal pr hr fuel pump
MSD Coil 8202
MSD Box 6420
MSD Distributer 8477
3.73 ford racing gears

Think this will solve it?

THUMPIN455

Is your mechanic a rodder type, a by the book and everything must be set per the book type, or a parts replacer type? I guess since you arent a wrench spinner you wont be able to tell. What I would do with your car is forget the factory timing and ignition curve and do some experimenting to see what the engine wants. I woudnt change anything that was in good shape at first. I would get it running as good as possible like it is, then start adding new parts to it as upgrades for durability.

Another thing to consider is valve spring pressure. If you have weak valve springs it is going to be down on power, especially at the higher rpm. If you have an aftermarket cam, the stock springs are marginal at best. Even a stock cam would benefit from better springs.


When you start changing things like the cam, headers, carbs, intakes, and the like, the factory timing wont give you the best performance. Even on a stock engine you can always make some changes to get more power and it wont be in a book as a factory spec. People oveerlook simple stuff like how fast the vacuum or mechanical advance comes in, and there is power to be had there. It takes some time, and most shops wont do it because they dont get paid enough to monkey around with a carb and points distributor. They will just set it to the spec and send you down the road. Stock spec is a nice starting point, you know it will probably start and run there, then you can make adjustments to get it to run better.

Not saying that someone who has a race car will know how to do it properly either, but the point is to take the time and set it up so it runs right. Its tough to find a guy who can work on a carb and points these days. Most have no clue what dwell is, or even how to set points. They dont know how a carb works because it wasnt taught in school, they dont see them often, and they may have never owned a car that had one on it. the only factory specs I use are machining tolerances on cranks, rods and other internal engine parts, but also I have been workin with carbs and points for over 25 years.

I think its all in the tunning, but since you probably dont live close to Lake Superior I cant be of much help. it would be near impossible to impart what someone else has learned over the internet. If you come up for the St Ignace car show next June, I would be more than happy to set it up for you..