So after getting some bad news about how much body work is probably needed on the cab of my current '87 f150 I have decided that I might take and get one in better shape. Plan would to be to get one with no cab rust, switch the bumper from the '87 to it so I keep the winch. Of the 6 below which one(s) would you recommend and why and how much you would offer? All you input/opinions are greatly appreciated since I don't really know what to look for on the Fords.

And yes all of them are extended cabs. I personally like them for that extra bit of room in the cab

'93 f150 XLT
'87 f150 XLT Lariat
'92 f150 RWD
'87 f150 4x4
'88 f150 XLT Lariat
'93 f150 XLT

 

The first 93 sounds like the best deal for the cash.

 

i've said it before and i'll say it here... for the age and price you'd be better off with a f250... thicker steel will have whethered better for the age your looking at. And F250's come with any engine choice too... they also have the comfort of the TTB front end and the added payload capacity. There might be fewer but they usually don't get that much more for them and most would look for the F350 if they wanted a big truck.

also pick an engine and tranny combo (or two) that suits you best... I'm personally a 300 I6 and 351w 5spd 4x4 guy myself. Base your purchase off what you need the truck to do. an I6 has done everything I wanted it to with outstanding reliability but you may need something bigger. Stay away from 302's... they are a car motor better suited for high rpms. if your going to get a v8 get the one that at least has some grunt and not alot more in the MPG's (ie 351w).

 

I agree 100% with you. Especially in the rust belt where I am. The chances of finding an f250 are about half as much as finding a 150, but the f250s have a lot more metal left on them and the frames will very rarely have a hole in them. The f250s of this era really are the jack of all trades.

 

Well the reason I'm looking for a 150 is because I don't really need a 3/4 ton. My last truck was an '02 GMC 2500HD diesel but never used it to its full capacity.

Basically the truck will be driven on the weekends only and every once in a while I will haul some stuff but not really that heavy and I don't tow anything.

 

i was just addin my 2cents to not exclude a f250 b/c you might find one in your price range. my f250 4.9 4x4 is a weekend truck too...

 

Yeah my F250 was cheaper than any of the f150s I was looking at, and it has less miles, With all the motor variations you can find something good on fuel and cheap to boot.

 

not to mention the sterling axles are a huge set up from 1/2 ton 8.8s and the M50D isn't any where near compairable to the ZF if you want a 5spd tranny... I do have to say the only thing i really don't like is the breaking abiliy of a 87-97 F-series. I wish ford would have put 4 wheel disk breaks on all pickups and not just some of the E-vans... I am hopefully going to be doing a full D60 disk swap in the next year or two... I am going to get with Ruff Stuff and see if they will cut D60 flanges with their cnc for us...

sorry... off topic... and stole the thread to rant...

 

It might be off topic, but it's a good point. The rear drum brakes need quite a bit of improvement to be desirable.
But on the topic of the step up from half tons, you are definitely correct that the Mazda 5 speed isn't anywhere near what the ZF is. And the half tons don't ride that much better than the 3/4 tons, from my experience anyway.