By the end of the 1970s, the use of the Super Duty engine began to decline in heavy trucks in favor of diesel-fueled engines; in medium-duty trucks, variants of the similar-displacement (but higher-efficiency) 385-series V8s became more commonly used.
The early Super Duty has a unique intake system where the intake plenum is connected directly to the cylinder head; all four cylinders pull the air/fuel mixture from a single "log" type port in the head.
The engines could "spit" when cold and blow the choke plate out into the air cleaner because of the large port configuration.
It was available either naturally aspirated or with twin-turbochargers with an intercooler, and had a dry weight of over 1,300 lb (590 kg).
Outside of the F-Series, the Super Duty engine was used in several model ranges of Ford heavy trucks, including: