I currently have the 5.0L with 4EOD trans. It is a 4x4 but I am still not back home yet so not sure what X-fer or axle gearing. This truck is gutless and won't crawl or climb through much. My 2005 V6 Mercury Mountaineer will crawl through a lot more snow and mud than my full size 4x4 v8 pickup... wtf. Anyways, I will eventually either rebuild the tired 302 or swap in a 351W, along with trans, converter, and x-fer. I cannot afford to this right now, I will probably wait until something quits working and needs it.

I get pretty good gas mileage and see about 80% of my driving is on road. I would like to address the axle ratios before doing all that other stuff. I would prefer something like 3.73 or close to. Basically, I need to get the truck more able to handle all the mud and snow and would like some more response down low... I know 4.10 is what everyone says but like I said before I do a lot of highway use and think that would be a little horrible for gas mileage.

complete axles are so expensive. What do you recommend for swap front and rear? If I am gonna do it, I want to do it right... don't want to go used and end up with a piece of s that has problems. Would it be better to find complete used axle and swap it in or get new diff or go new? I currently have the 8.8 rear housing. What kind of options are there out there for the TTB front?

I am lost and have limited internet time (deployed)
Thanks.

 

I think you can bolt in a 3/4 ton front axle but your not really going to gain much. The design of these front ends are crap and its a lot of work to swap in a solid front. For rear axle you can go 3/4 ton or get a 9inch. Your not really going to get a difference in crawling through snow and stuff with changing axles. That were gearing, tires, and weight come in. If you get good tires and add some weight you shoud be able to go through a lot more than what you think!

 

I have a 92 F150 4x4 with the 5.0 and factory 4.09/4.10 gearing and can still get 20MPG on the HWY-just cant do it over 60MPH. If you are willing to drive slower than some-you can have the low end power and MPG-just at a slower speed on the highway.

The 4.10s really change how the 5.0 feels at low speeds-and when the transfercase is in the low range-the 5.0 feels unstoppable in first gear.

I bet that you have 3.08 gears in your truck now-and the 4.10s would really wake up your truck.

 

Thanks. Almost everyone I talk to tells me to go 4.10. most of the highway use with this truck is on county blacktop speed limit is 55mph, so I am usually going right about 50 or so. Any interstate or freeway driving is done in our Mountaineer not the pickup.

So basically just work with diffs. I could just get new ring and pinion gear sets, possibly new yokes to match whatever spline count. How complex is it to gauge those and what special tools are needed? What do you recommend? The choices are limitless. All my 4-wheeler friends tell me that the splines and axle housing is an issue with these trucks, they are the ones telling me to scrap the 8.8 rear and upgrade to 9. They also beat the heck out of their toys and I do not. If I can keep the stock axles on there is best, just replace the "guts".

I have driven military CUCV chevy pickups and enjoyed their locker and gear setups... Eaton front and Detroit rear. They came in either 4.10 or 4.56 ratio depending on vehicle model. I was able to tow a disabled MaxxPro with complete equipment through sand with a tow rope and a Chevy Blazer CUCV. It had the crappy gutless 6.2L diesel and 4.10's for gearing and stock wheels tires, but she definately got it done.