I have a 95 f150 flareside extended cab 5.0 4wd 4r70w 160,000 miles,3.08 gears

The truck I am thinking about replacing it with is a 1990 f150 extended cab,5.8,4wd,E4od(trans code E) 85,000 miles,axle code h92(3.55 gears,front and rear axle LS,correct?)

The reason i am thinking about switching is because if i keep the 95 and don't make the switch,i am going to swap a 5.8 into it and swap the gears in the axles. The price for the 90 is cheaper than the gears and engine swap for the 95. My 95 is the 1st "newer" model ford truck I have owned,have never owned an early 90's model. looking for opinions/thoughts!!....thanks

 

I would keep the '95.

 

Do you have MAF on the 95? That would be the major question to me...

 

It's the same truck except for sheetmetal and personally I like the interior of the earlier trucks better(the radio location in the newer trucks looks like they forgot about it at the design stage and had to hack a hole in the dash on the assembly line), though the inner door skin layout is better in the later trucks(power window/locks were an after thought when the '90 was built).
Now if your '95 is mass air that's a big plus because you literally don't need to do anything to put a 5.8 under the hood.. just plug it in. And changing gears can be expensive but you could DIY it to 3.55's by simply swapping the whole rear axle and the pumpkin on the front.. all parts that are common and pretty cheap in the scrapyard in most cases. I don't know.. did I help your decision any?

 

well... that 95 is probably a roller motor... But Paul is right it's about the same truck. The mass air is what would sell me on the 95. But then again I use my truck for "Truck" purposes... So I like the cargo space in the bed. Oh and FYI Paul that 5.8 that i have been working on... A guy about a mile down the road is selling his 92-96 flareside so I might give that a looking at to see what the full stats are and what it has under the hood... Might be a good home for that rebuilt 351w...

 

yes,my 95 is Mass air,i considered that when i started thinking about the switch. What would be the difference in power in my 95 5.0 and the 90 5.8? the lower mileage of the 90 has my attention,but that isn't the main reason I would switch if i do. The guy is only asking $1500 for the 90,i could get more than that out of my 95.

 

If the '90 is all stock then your '95 5.0 actually makes more HP, but put a cam and exhaust on the 5.8 and it'll tow the 5.0 truck around backwords.

Well... OK... I exaggerated a little.. but you get the picture.

 

Personally I prefer not to ever buy a diffrent car or truck. The thought process it you know your truck when you buy a diffrent one you can check things over but cant see everything. I guess after buying one truck that 5000 miles later threw a rod I kinda quit buying trucks. And no there were no signs of a poor maint. engine. If you want the 5.8L put it in yours. If you want the bigger bed take the bigger bed. Really comes down to what you think is best. Higher mileage or higher age that could have hidden problems expecially selling for such a low price.

 

Built not baught is my motto keep the 95 and do what u need to it to suit you. You'll kick your own a$$ ford trading. Not saying the 90 is bad or anything, but you know the 95 in and out and only know specs on the 90. Just my thaught process.

Ultimately it comes down to you and your preference and also mechanical skills.

 

Well the 95 is about the best you can get , mass air and sequential fired injectors , just like the mustangs , that with the 4R70W is a good combo , and the aftermarket support for these are about the best ....Lew

 

Get rid of your beautiful black FlareSide and I'll hurt you. Badly. I love your truck.

I say keep your truck and do an engine swap. You might not even want the lower gears after installing a 351. Did you think about that?

 

What the hell is with this MAF thing? Why would you prevent your self from a good truck/deal just because of MAF?

That ain't the first time I hear that from someone, what's so special about it? Just cause it's OBD2?

 

The 95 trucks are OBD I , they have MA and SFI , the best efi system made for our trucks IMO , its a much better way to measure the in coming air , and is much easyer to tune for performance upgrades......Lew

 

It basically allows for more agressive cams, heads, and intakes without having the computer throwing a fit... The Speed density computers in the 88-94ish trucks use a "table" in the computer to calculate the incoming air based on what other sensors are telling it the conditions are. Instead of relying on the SD computer to calculate the amount of air needed, a MAF sensor (in between the airbox and throttle body) will calculate the air going in the motor. This allows you to sup-up your engine with bad *** modifications and not need to worry about the SD computer having the ability (or non-ability) to calculate the right amount of air that is needed after the engine is modded.

 

Ah hell, I'll never have to worry about that! I'll never bother modding a Fuel injected engine!