Any Ford guys want to help a poor Chevy guy out.

[hillbilly 200x]

Hey everyone i hope I'm not going to be opening up a can of worms here but I have been thinking about selling my 1998gmc 1500 and buying a older f150. I like the look of the pre1996 models but don't know anything about them. Any one ever had one, what's your thoughts and opinions? I know i have seen some with a v8 and a few with a straight 6. Is there any major problems other then the crapy ball joints and tie rod ends?

[tri again]

Let's see, dead 82 f250,
Great 89 f 250 531 windsor, 8mpg, relegated to farm chores only

92 f150 is more like a car that will haul trikes and a yard of gravel. Great turning radius for parking lots, extra cab for clothes and makes a greak grocery getter.

Straight 6. Just wanted to be able to see ALL the sparkplug aaaAND the ground when I open the hood.
MPG sucks and they say nothing can be done to get them over 11 or 12 mpg.
Not sure if it's true.

intermittent spark? GREAT! get it cheap.
a 50 cent capacitor in the computer is usually the culprit.
Turn the key just to on.
Fuel pumps run 1-2 seconds and then shut off, from timing in the computer, NOT fuel pressure.

Best bad problem I could hope for.
Got it for 500 and fixed it for 50 cents with 160k miles on it.
If only I could get a little better mpg but I only drive 10 miles a month so not a real priority at this time. (2 trips to town @ 5 mi each)

Impressive torque, can pull out in traffic with a full load of firewood.
The sucker hauls for sure.

I use ford-trucks.com but think there's a F150 specific forum .
Straight 6 has been around for decades.

ps - found it, i think. f150forum.com

Yeah, after 96 they changed everything, v6, MAYbe transverse, can't see anything under the hood.
Engine may come out from the bottom.

I picked ford as the junkyards are full of them, both a good and bad sign.

[wisconsinite]

The ford 300 straight 6 is torquey and all but indestructible. Mine (it's in a 72 e300 van) only has a one barrel carb and it gets about 16-17 mpg.

[DohcBikes]

I've had several. I prefer the 5.0 because its a great engine, gets good mileage, has plenty of power, and parts are cheap. The best investment I made was to put some coil over shocks on the back for hauling, as the truck can handle way more weight than the soft stock rear springs want to carry. With those coilovers I hauled cars on trailers on a regular basis and never broke a thing. Should have never sold my 91.

[kebby28]

Unless you are into racing I would not get a f150 with a v8. The I6 is the way to go. It will haul way more than the suspention will handle. I usually added a few leafs to the rear springs. They are indestructible. I have owned a few of them and the only thing that goes wrong with them are the two relays under the hood. One is for fuel the other for ignition. Just keep a set of spares in the glove box and head cross country. I stepped up to the 96' f250 HD for hauling my boat. Like you, I like the looks and simplicity of the pre 97's. Late 70's fords are good looking too.

[Chopsaw]

I drive nothing but Fords . Always will . Listen to me . There was a time period where they took 5 inches out of the cab . Regular cab truck , not extended cab . I had a freakin nice lookin all the options 1994 two tone gray / electric red ,,, F150 THAT I HATED ,,, because the cab was to tight for me . Bought it brand new in 95 and sold it with 11,000 miles on it . Again that was a regular cab truck . If you like that year and style make sure you get an extended cab truck . The 5.0 in that year runs very well . I say I hated that 94 , but it was nice , all kinds of power and looks , just not enough leg room for me . I'm 6'0 tall so normal height . Just sayin

[hillbilly 200x]

I was wondering about the 5.0 is it the same engine that's in the Mustangs? How strong are the transmission transfer case and rear end.

[sledcrazyinCT]

not a huge fan of the 90's AOD tranny.... Why they didn't try to make the C6 into an overdrive those automatics were bulletproof.

[trike savior]

they are great indestructible trucks. as long as you stay pre 96. The later OHC motors are nice but tune ups can cost a fortune because they are notorious for breaking sparkplugs. The I6, 302 (5.0) and 351 are very stout and will run forever if you keep the oil changed properly. I have accidentally heat locked a 5.0 HO in college and it still runs good till this day, tens of thousands of miles later.

the only way to tell if the truck has the same short block as the mustang is if it has the roller cam. it came in some of the 302 and the 351 engines. there is some way to decode this but I can't tell you how. the later the year, the better the chance it has it, is all I know. they all have the same everything else on the outside of the motor. And you still do not really have the mustang motor because the intake and programming are different.

I think the AOD/ AODE/ E40d/ 4r70w/ 4r75w is more stout from the factory than the 700r4/4l60e. if you beat them hard enough they will break, but the AOD is not a ticking time bomb like the 4l60 with the sun shell that is guaranteed to break at some point. as well as all the valve body issues. The ford trans can be made 100% bullet proof. I have built both. Even with "the beast" sun shell in my 4l60, I worry.

if you want the best ford ever offered I would suggest a 95-96 with the 351. In 4 lo they will pull themselves and anything they are attached to, out of almost anything.

[fabiodriven]

Unless you are into racing I would not get a f150 with a v8. The I6 is the way to go. It will haul way more than the suspention will handle.

Elaborate please.

Everyone likes to say how much torque the I6 has but the truth of the matter is they have less torque and horsepower than any of the V8's and poor gas mileage. The loss in power is in no way worth the miniscule savings in fuel. Yes, they run forever, but it's really not tough to keep a Windsor engine going for just as long.


I was wondering about the 5.0 is it the same engine that's in the Mustangs? How strong are the transmission transfer case and rear end.

trike savior filled you in pretty good as far as the HO motor. I just wanted say that you can easily swap in the HO motor for some easy horsepower. I'm not positive about how you would make the Mustang's fuel injection work, but if you're going carbureted that would obviously be easy. You can use the fuel injection from the truck, but it won't let the HO motor breathe the way it is capable. The truck intake wouldn't hurt anything though. I can tell you for a fact that a carbureted HO motor has just the same throttle response as the fuel injected motors if not better and the mileage isn't much different. If you have a 9 inch rear end you can throw whatever horsepower you want at it, you won't break it. The 8.8 is great as well. C4's and C6's are both very stout. I don't know much about the AOD's. Transfer cases I don't know much about either. If it blew I'd replace it, haha.