So let's just cut to the chase, i have a 1995 302 small block in my 95 f150 4wd. There is nothing wrong with it but I soon realized that I wanted more torque if anything for pulling about 5,000 to 6,000 pounds without a problem along with running 33s. I have a limited budget but haven't completely figured that budget out, I'm not wanting large amounts of torque. My ideal torque increase would be 50-75 ft-lbs more but i would be alright with getting as much torque as I can for a low price that won't result in my engine giving up on me. The engine is NOT a maf/obd II engine. Also any recommendations for parts would be great. Thanks!

 

Your best bet is to lower your gear ratio. I bet you have 3.55s, you should go to 4.10s. This will give you a lot more bang for your buck and also compensate for the 33s.

 

Do you thing i have to remove the whole rear end or can i just swap the gears? I was going to re gear but either way wanted some performance upgrades to make it a fun truck. Will i need to regear the front too?

 

Front and rear. Changing the entire axle is one way, new gears (and bearings while you're at it) is the usual way. DIY is pretty hard, as they are very particular about setup. Figure $500 plus per axle.

As to the 302 the cheapest way to the additional torque numbers you mention is to swap in a 351w.

 

I will just keep the gears, it'll do a burnout in 3rd so i think I'm okay on gears. Should i just get a set of heads, an intake, and a cam?

 

A cam will help, but gearing is king. You will find far more towing capacity with 4.10s vs a cam swap because of the limitations of the stock computer

 

So it turns out I do have a 3.73 gear setup already.

 

A burnout in 3rd gear with 33s and a 302? I call BS on that.

 

I didn't want to be the one to say it

 

Im getting 33s and it rained a few hours before it has no problem with spinning the tires in 3rd though. The 33s are for offroading at a friends house along with holding up a lot better than bald tires

 

In the rain? That is no measure of engine power.. an '82 K car could do. With 33" tires coming you need 4.56 gears simple as that, nothing else will have the impact you want. Longtubes and 1.7 roller rockers are about the only torque adding engine mods worth spending money on but even those won't make a hill of beans difference if you don't have the right axle gear ratio.

 

Yeah. I have personal experience with 302s and big tires. And aluminum heads, a new cam, ported intake nothing helped more than jumping to 4.56 gears. NOTHING.

 

I vote for a 351w swap. Very easy to do, cheaper than a regear considering you have a 4x4 and the only thing that will satisfy your goals on a limited budget.

 

Okay then, how much will it approximately cost for the swap? Will i need new motor mounts, a new tranny, new computer, new fuel pump, etc? Do remember i don't have a maf setup. I will consider the swap but I just don't want to spend too much, also the burnout was on mostly dry pavement, i have really thin tires, you should know that tires have a prime point for more traction on the street by doing a burnout to heat the tires, if you go past this prime point, the tires get too hot and you further more get less traction. I was in 2nd doing the burnout but shifted to 3rd as i left off the brakes, since the tires were still hot it continued to spin and i smoked the tires for another 20 feet or so then let off the gas not wanting to completely ruin the tires because it will be offroad for a good part of its life until it gets an inspection (i live in one of the few states still requiring them and it sucks) because it is currently not a daily I have room to work with it until it is one. Also do be aware, this truck had been previously owned by a high end university in my state as one of their fleet side trucks used for offroading(fishing and wildlife truck) they constantly changed all the fluids frequently, replaced plugs, replaced lockout hubs, etc. I am left with a lower mileage truck compared to the common 200k mile ones so if the 351w swap won't work I am okay with that and will get a new truck in the future if it comes down to that (probably a ford 460 or a diesel pickup)

 

IMHO, if you really want to pull 5k-6k pounds with 33 inch tires without any problems then you should upgrade to at least an F250 and a more recent model that can better handle that load. An F150 with a 302 of this generation was just never intended to do that. And if you are like a lot of us on here that just love the body style, then look for a good used F250 from 1996 with the 7.3 diesel. You will pay a premium compared to used truck prices but a fraction of what a newer diesel costs.