[quote=nstueve;10276352]1/2ton 5spds are M50D's not ZF's... M5OD's are light/medium duty tranny's... I was strictly talking 3/4-1 ton trucks that have the ZF.

ok i got ya, there is a local guy who has a 1989 f-250 4wd with a 302 5-speed. pretty crappy, a 302 can barly move a bronco i think thats why the 302's are so uncommon in 250's..

 

Well it's my own person belief that the 302 should have been left in the ford cars and not put in the F-series truck... The 300 has/had just as much torque as the 302 and if you wanted more power the 351w is/was the way to go. 302's like high revs to make power and when you are in a truck you aren't looking to make high revs to git up and go... trucks were made to have low end grunt for hauling loads and towing stuff... not street racing! But hey that's my own opinion and I'm just a guy who uses his TRUCK as a TRUCK and nothing else...

 

Ok, i really don't know much about a zx or any newer 5 speeds for that matter, would an m50d be ok, what about the m560d you mentioned. As far as front axle i think a 44 will be fine, i have a '79 kingpin 60 but its goin in my pulling truck. The '88 truck doesn't need to be built too heavy, i've got two older 4x4's i just figured i have a bunch of parts laying around so why not build another 4x4. Thanks for the info onn trannys, really helpful!

 

sorry the M560d was a typo... my big fingers must have hit both the 5&6 at the same time. the M50d is a light-medium duty tranny that ford used in 1/2 ton pickups and some light duty 3/4 tons... the m50d is a good tranny but if you want a HD tranny you definatly want a ZF. they have a 1st gear granny low for pulling/carrying heavy loads. I guess it all depends on what you're going to be using it for, but if you have a dedicated HD rig for towing/pulling/hauling/carrying... then I would stick with a M50d if you have one on hand. And if you're not going on the highway and worried about mpgs... I'd step back a few years and get a NP203-205 and a 4spd T19 to put into it; both are rock solid, easy to fix yourself, and reliable!

 

This has not been my experience with any TTB or TIB truck I have ever owned, and I've had a bunch of 'em. If you like the solid axle better that is fine, you don't have to add a story about tire wear to justify your choice to me.

 

Well the truck has 3.08 gears with an overdrive tranny now, i'll be switching to 3.54 gears. I would like to stay with an overdrive tranny. The problem I have now is first gear is a little tall if taking off with a load. I have a '78 4x4 with 390 and np 435. That is what I pull a gooseneck with, it's bulletproof but hard on fuel. Also have a powerstroke that we use for towing. This '88 truck might pull a small skidloader now and then but not anything huge. So would the m50d and zf both be overdrive? I think either would work well, i'd like to have the granny gear but don't want to give up overdrive.

 

If you want granny low and overdrive your only option is the ZF s542/s547. It's a great transmission and you won't be disappointed. FYI the ZF uses ATF and runs really well on a good synthetic atf... RedLine, Mobil1, Royal Purple, Amsoil, etc... I have RP in Thumper right now...

 

Well its sounds like the zf is the way to go then. I notice Thumper has a 300 in it, you pretty happy with that combination?

 

A couple years ago I converted my 96 F150 300 six 5 speed from a 4x2 to a 4x4. Along with that I replaced the broken M5od with a Zf, I also dumped the original 2.73 gears for 3.55s. The 300/ZF/ 3.55 combo with 32" tires is an excellent combo IMO. The truck has tons of grunt down low (especially in 4 low) and still scoots down the freeway at 70+ mph with ease... not to mention still gets decent fuel mileage. I ended up going with the D44 TTB/8.8 combo underneath for the simple reason I acquired all the parts for next to nothing.
Your plan sounds like a great idea, hanging a straight axle in the front shouldn't be too difficult provided you have some welding and fab skills. IIRC you can go a couple different ways as far as front springs. You can use 73-79 front coils if you have all the mounting plates and hardware that attach the coil springs to the front housing. Or you can build some adapter plates for the 80-96 springs The upper end of the 73-79 springs should be the same as the 80-96 springs, so they should fit right into the 88 coil spring towers. For the radius arm brackets you could cut up a set of 79 and older brackets and make them work or build your own. The steering is really easy, the bar going from knuckle to knuckle stays the same. All you need is the draglink from an 85-91 F350 4x4, it will bolt right in. You will also need to build a track bar bracket, when doing this you want to keep the angle of your track bar as close to the same as your drag link. If not kept the same it will have some nasty drivability problems, bumpsteer, death wobble, etc. The biggest thing is when you do this type of work, you need to be on as flat and level of work area as possible. Also double and triple check your measurements, make sure everything is square... attention to detail makes a big difference in how it will turn out. Sounds like it will be a nice rig, good luck with your project... keep us updated!
John

 

Oh yes, almost forgot about a track bar. There is a '79 half ton at the local scrap yard thet I plan to grab some parts off of. Did they have a factory track bar?

 

Yeah. Hey had one. Your best bet is to make one or buy an adjustable one. You do have to fab up a mount tho on the frame.

 

Ok sounds simple enough. Right now just need to collect all of the parts, I'm not in a huge hurry as long as I get it done before snow starts comin!

 

Ahh nice to see I'm not the only one who tries to get things done before snow hits! The 79 and older track bar will not work unless you shorten it, most of the SAS conversions I have seen on these trucks guys make their own with heim joints on both ends. The track bar is an absolute must have, or the front end of the truck will shake and wobble all over the place.

 

Well dad and I are in the process of insulating the shop. I live in western ohio and it gets so cold I hate workin out there. PLus I want to be able to drive it in the snow. I figure I have time, shouldn't take too long after I get all the parts.

 

I am very happy with the combo Thumper has! The F250 suspension allows me way more cargo capacity than a 1/2 ton. The 4.9L is a very very reliable engine and so I have taken plenty of trips to Colo, IL, MN, etc and never been worried about breaking down.

If I had it my way, (and had plenty of money to blow) I would probably go 3.73 gears instead of 3.55's. 4.10's are a little tall and any gas savings would be lost to higher RPMs when running down the interestate. There just isn't enough gain from 3.55's to 3.73's to justify the cost. If I had 3.08's they would be replaced with 3.73's the next week! Still 3.55's are a nice mid-range gear that have done just fine for me, and to be honest the 3.55's are probably the best mix of power and mpgs for the I6... I would just lean towards a little more power than gas b/c I use it for heavy loads and it would be easier to keep highway speed with 3.73's. I have hauled a bed and trailer full of wood several times and don't have any problems keeping 65 mph on the interstate in 4th gear.

The ZF transmission hasn't given me any problems since it's overhaul 3 years ago... Well except for the ability to down shift easily from 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st but I should have replaced my syncros (so that's totally my fault). If you are hauling heavy make sure to get a HD clutch put in! And yes Granny Low on the ZF is AMAZING for getting heavy loads rolling... When not loaded down I just start off in 2nd...

Thumper has been invaluable so many times it's hard to count and she's never let me down... Heck! I was even surprized when she kept 60-65 mph on the hwy when towing ol' Girl home on a tandem axle trailer!

Oh and just FYI for any I6 owners out there... The 87-91 EFI I6's have more stock horse power and torque than the 92-96!