1997 Ford F350 7.5L Engine Specifications
by James RutterThe 1997 Ford F-350 continued the ninth generation of a one-ton truck that Ford first manufactured in 1948. In 1997 Ford offered its F-350 one-ton truck with both a single rear axle and also as a "dually," with two sets of rear wheels. Ford equipped the base F-350 with a 5.8-liter displacement V-8 and offered two engine upgrades: a 7.3-liter turbocharged diesel V-8 and a 7.5-liter gasoline V-8 engine.
Engine History
The 1997 F-350's 7.5-liter V-8 was a variant of Ford's 385 engine series, which also included 6.1-liter and 7.0-liter V-8s. Ford installed this engine from 1968 to 1997 in its F-series trucks, luxury sedans, vans, boats and motorhomes, among other applications. The company built these engines at its factory, now closed, in Lima, Ohio. From 1968 to 1987, these engines utilized a carburetor. Ford began equipping this engine series with fuel injection for the F-series trucks in 1988.
Engine
The 7.5-liter engine consists of an iron block with iron heads. This engine's bore measured 4.36 inches and its stroke measured 3.85 inches, giving the engine an overall displacement of 460 cubic inches. This engine had a compression ratio of 8.5-to-1. Ford outfitted these engines with a multiport fuel injection system. The engine had an overhead valve configuration with two valves per cylinder.
Output
Ford's 7.5-liter V-8 generated 245 horsepower at 4,000 rpm and 400 foot-pounds of torque at 2,200 rpm.
Models
Ford made this engine available on all models of the 1997 F-350. Available models included one of three cab sizes: Regular Cab, Supercab and Crew Cab. Regular Cab models sat three people while the Supercab and Crew Cab models sat six. The Supercab featured a third rear door and the Crew Cab offered four doors.
Transmission
In 1997, Ford offered all configurations of the F-350 with a standard five-speed manual transmission, and buyers could upgrade to a four-speed automatic with overdrive. Ford manufactured the 1997 F-350 in both rear-wheel and four-wheel drive configurations.
Towing and Payload
Payload capacity depended on the number of rear wheels and the cab size. MSN Autos reports that a 1997 Ford F-350 Crew Cab with single rear wheels could carry 3,970 lbs. while the dually models could carry 4,570 lbs. A single rear wheel Regular Cab carried 4,690 lbs. while the dual-rear-wheel version carried 5,100 lbs. The Supercab with DRW had a maximum payload of 4,655 lbs.
All models had a maximum towing capacity of 10,000 lbs.
Equipment and Features
Standard equipment included anti-lock brakes with front discs, power steering, an AM/FM stereo, 235/85SR16.0 front and rear tires, chrome grille and bumpers, power windows and door locks and interior carpeting. Ford offered a number of options and options packages for the 1997 F-350. Optional features included a CD or CD-changer stereo system, air conditioning, remote entry and alloy wheels. The "Camper/Trailer Towing Package" added front and rear stabilizer bars and a trailer wiring harness while the "Off-Road Package" equipped the F-350 with stabilizer bars and skid plates.
References
Writer Bio
Since 2005, James Rutter has worked as a freelance journalist for print and Internet publications, including the “News of Delaware County,” “Main Line Times” and Broad Street Review. As a former chemist, college professor and competitive weightlifter, he writes about science, education and exercise. Rutter earned a B.A. in philosophy and biology from Albright College and studied philosophy and cognitive science at Temple University.
