[ihc] Ultimate Travelall

[Archerzero@xxxxxxx]

Howdy folks,

I'm soliciting opinions on my Travelall project. I need a better tow rig. My 
70 Travelall has a bent frame and dog tracks and has drum brakes that are 
borderline without towing anything.  I could fix all the little things wrong with 
my TA but it just doesn't have the coolness factor that the older models do. I 
have a two axle trailer and a class 5 VW racecar to tow. The combined weight 
is around 5000 lbs which is not a great amount. I was thinking about getting a 
Ford F250 with a Powerstroke. My brother towed my trailer and baja with his 
Powerstoke and it pulled it at 75 mph like it wasn't there. It was stable, 
quiet, good brakes, lots of power; a very confident ride.

So what I really want is the towing performance of the F250 in an old TA.  I 
can get better brakes off a newer 3/4 ton truck. I can drop in a Powerstroke 
(along with the drive line if I find a wrecked truck) or I can upgrade to a 
bigger gas engine. How about turbocharging a 392? If I turbocharge a 392 I was 
thinking of making it as simple as possible. One turbo drawing though a 4 brl 
carb, no intercooler and no more than 5 or 6 psi boost. I shouldn't have any 
detonation problems if I keep the compression ratio around 8:1 and I shouldn't 
have to use any fuel enrichment if I keep the boost below 8 or 9 psi; keep 
everything else in the engine stock. I would have to build my own exaust system but 
would keep the stock manifold castings. 5 psi is about a third of an 
atmosphere so if I move a third more fuel air mixture I should get a third more power. 
A stock 392 makes about 195 hp? So I may get about 260hp? The Powerstroke is 
a 444 in^3 diesel running at 15 lbs of boost so I won't be making as much 
power as it but it will be better than a stock engine and if I'm ever running 
around in the Rockies I'll be better off than a naturally aspirated engine.

I'm also going to be selling my 64 Scout so if anyone is interested I can 
send pics. It has some surface rust but is in good mechanical shape. I'll answer 
any questions offlist.

andy