Hello, I've joined here because I have a new problem.

The problem is a 1983 Ford F150 4x4 auto that's been sitting in a corner of my property for at least eight years. It was here when I bought the place and the previous homeowner left the papers saying that it had belonged to his long disapeared wife's kid.

Well, I'm in Washington state in an area with smog laws that apply and since the truck wasn't running and would need smogging to register I've let it sit. I have a Dodge that does my truck stuff just fine.

But now the Ford is old enough to be exempt from smogging at 25 years old (actually 26 but I'm old, infirm, and lazy besides). So I took a battery over to it to see what might happen and it fired right up! Well,...almost. It ran with blue smoke and a bunch of gasoline running freely out of the carburator.

Phooey! Who needs the hassle! But I see what looks like a pretty new trans under there, and there's paper in the glovebox showing that all the brakes were changed only 150 miles ago, nine years ago. And it's a 4x4 truck, which is always good. It looks good too, in an old fashioned two tone longbed way, and even has a Warn winch on the front.

Here's the question... Whew.

This carburator looks to me like it's a controlled device, like somehow computerized. It's got more wires than my stereo.

Now that the smog folks won't be interested is there, to anyone's knowledge, a good non smog replacement carburator that'll work for something like this?

To tell the truth I don't know which V8 engine it is, and I hate to admit that I can't tell easily whether it's a two or four barrel carburator, or if it has three or some other odd Ford response to the requirements of EPA law.

Maybe some hints.......some things to look for. Any help will certainly be appreciated, or, if someone's local, paid for.

 

A non-feedback carb can be directly swapped, but a little wiring may be necessary to make it idle & warm-up properly. The EEC won't be happy that the original is missing, but you can pull the bulb (if it has one).

To totally delete the EEC, you'd need to rewire the engine bay for the more-common ignition system & swap the distributor. But that's not necessary to just swap carbs.

 

Thanks for the interpreter Steve, that'll help a lot.

I just finished refurbishing and then recharging the truck's battery and verified that the door sticker is still in place.

I'll try to come back with photos of the old girl if I can get her going and cleaned up a little. (A little won't do it. I'm in tall trees that drop stuff, and it snows pretty good. The truck's a moldy mess right now).

 

This truck runs, but there are issues. I was able to start it, and after cycling the PS back and forth until the belt smoked I was able to drive the truck out of the trees and onto my garage pad outside the house.

It is a 5.8 litre, 351 Windsor engine that sounds good - no heavy knocking, no excessive blue smoke. I think it'll live but it does have this variable venturi carburator and it won't come down below 2500+ rpm unless in gear which drops it about 500 rpm, maybe a little more. It's running too fast.

The engine compartment doesn't look like it's been bubba'd and everything seems intact, albeit rusted and dirty.

I'm not one to make changes to something that works so if there's someone who can steer me to a slower idle using the V-V carb, I'm listening.

Failing that, if someone knows which carburator installs as a replacement for the V-V carb with as little turmoil as possible, I'll buy one.

I like the truck already - it's perfect for my 60 year old self to putter around in, so long as I don't need to work on it much.

 

I dont know much about the VV carburetor, but i can attest to the fact that on the 5.8 the most amazing carb i've used in my personal experience would be the edelbrock 1406. give it a look!

 

Well Jacob...tell me more. Did that 1406 bolt right onto the OEM manifold?
Did the fuel line and throttle linkage attach with no need to build a whole new cantelevered monstrosity to get the pull going the opposite way or come from the other side?

Summit's got your carb for about $270. and I'm fine with that if it'll go in E-A-S-Y. I'm telling you, my back won't straighten back up after I spend any time bending into an engine compartment without my wife getting out the cherrypicker.

 

Go to any parts store & axe for a reman carb for your truck. When they ask you, "Is that a VV?", say "No."

But the best thing you could possibly do to it would be a STOCK EFI swap. Find the newest engine you can afford, get as much of the wiring & accessories as you can, and drop the whole mess in as a complete system. Don't try to understand or redesign how it works - just let it work exactly the way it was designed to. That's what I did on my '83 Bronco, my '94 CV (both linked in my sig), my friend's '75 Bronco, and what Quint did on his '78 Bronco. It's easily the best & most-reliable modification that can ever be done to any carb vehicle.

 

Kept stock everything, even my cruise control bolted right up but, it was perfect, only issue with the 1406 is if you have a manual choke, you need to run an accessory hot wire to the electric choke on the carb, or buy the 1405 which is same carb but manual choke

 

Steve, I hear you and if I was anywhere a lot closer to TN I'd BEG you to do the job on this one. I like everything about the way FI makes engines run.

Thanks Jacob, but let me make sure that you and I aren't talking about apples and oranges.

This one is an '83 351 with the carburator that you can't look down into - the "variable venturi" carb. From it's stance on the manifold I'd almost swear that it's bolt pattern couldn't be big enough for any four barrel that I've ever seen, even though I can't see the bolts thrugh the mess and the way the float bowl overhangs the mounting points.

Is this the same setup that you had before you put on the 1406?

 

No that is not the same setup, But they do make simple adapter plates that you bolt to the manifold between the carb and the manifold to make it work