I just got a 79 F-150 Supercab, a few months back. I've been a Dodge guy for awhile untill I got the old girl. Its only got 145,000 miles on her. I would like to do some work on her but dont really know where to start. It has a 351m in it, 2 barrel (Unfortunately). Um Supercab, 8 foot bed, and its a 2 wheel drive. Interior is all new. So far I went ahead and changed the master cylinder, and power steering pump due to small leaks, also had to change out the fuel sending unit because my gas gauge wasnt working right, and its still acting funny but its better than not knowing anything at all. If you have any suggestions, please I would love to hear them. I'll take all that I can get, so send me alot!

P.S. If anyone has any clue why my truck spits and sputters when i get on it hard in first gear, and takes like 10 seconds 2start with a 1000 cold cranking amp battery, and new starter. Just did some adjustments on the carb a few days ago and got the idle down some....about 650rpm...idles alot smoother but still is hard to start, also seems like its getting too much fuel on start up and smokes when it first starts.

 

It might be a good idea to change the fuel filter. Then it sounds like you have a minor problem with the automatic choke and choke pull-off adjustment. Don't remember exactly if the choke coil is electrically heated or heated by manifold heat. In either case just check and make sure it is getting heated so it eventually opens. The choke pull-off is adjustable and is fine tuned to run smoothly on start up when cold. Also , fast idle is affected by choke butterfly position. The fast idle is adjustable and should come off when the choke is fully open. These were pretty simple carburetors to set up and maintain.

 

Also , the accelerator pump diaphram may need to be replaced. If worn or internally torn will give you hesitation , spits ,sputters when accelerator is depressed .

 

Thanks man for the input, since I know nothing about carbs, I'll be looking for someone in my town that can maybe help me rebuild it or something.

 

If you've rulled out ignition problems, one of the things thats very common to fail is the 'power valve' under the fuel/float bowl.. It has a small square cover attached with 4 screws. The PV threads into the bottom of the fuel bowl and is operated with 'manifold vacuum' to control fuel metering for the main jets. The vacuum diaphram will crack and/or dry out over time and after some 'off time' will drain the fuel from the fuel bowl down into the intake manifold making for a long/extended crank time and over rich condition on the restart. Other things to check if a rougher idle is the carb base gaskets, EGR plate gasket, and the EGR valve itself if clogged, stuck open, or sometimes the EGR spacer plate itself will rot through and cause vacuum issues..

Might be a good idea to pull the carb (easy to build) and replace all the gasket/kit hardware, and check the adjustments that have been mentioned as well as make certain that there are no vacuum leaks under the carb/EGR ect.

 

anyone know the basics on money for a rebuild of the 2 barrel, because if its too much, id think i would rather pay a few hundred bucks and get a 600 4 barrel and new intake manifold? But if its cheap, i would like to keep the gas mileage...

 

A 4 barrel is not that bad on fuel mileage since it can breath better and if you can keep your foot out of the floor with the accelerator pedal (just joking), but its nice to have the boost if you need it considering the secondary butterflys don't open unless you mash it near wide open throttle. Cost can definitely be an issue. Something to think about is, an engine that hasn't been run hard for a long period of time can do some unusual things when really pushed all of a sudden and it can get expensive if it decides to puke. Until you get it where you are comfortable with its performance,it might be better to just rebuild the carb and run it a while. A carb rebuild kit should have all the necessary parts and instructions to do a decent job if you follow the instructions closely. Its important to follow the sequence of adjustments in the order given. You may find some adjustments are on the money and won't need to be changed. There are plenty of folks on this site familiar with Ford carbs and probably help if any assistance is required.