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About to buy this, ‘89 longbed xlt lariat. 300-6, t-19 4 speed, 3.08’s. $2500. has 90,000 miles. Ive not driven it yet, I wonder how the 3.08 ratio will be with a light trailer , most Id tow would be 4,000# including the trailer.
89 speedometer rolls back to zero at 100,000 miles. So unless you know the truck and owner, it could have way more miles on it..
my 88 shows 96k and change on the speedometer. But it has rolled back to zero 4 times, so it actually has almost 500,000 miles on it.
as far as towing a 4,000 lb trailer, it wil do it but be sluggish and slow on hills.
Last edited by tjc transport; Feb 22, 2026 at 10:29 AM.
I ran a carfax on it, miles are accurate. Wasn’t driven a lot, was sold new in kansas, went to texas, then virginia , Florida & then ohio. not many miles in any one state. At one time it even sat a year in a impound after being towed for being abandoned. then a year later was sold- police auction maybe? I’ll try the 3.08 but already thinking I want 3.55 or 3.73’s
Im not trying to be a debbie-downer, but looking for a different truck may be you're best option. Unless you have your heart set on a brick nose truck, aero nose trucks have a few more modern comforts. And if you're looking at towing, at 5.8 with a E4OD and 3.55 or 4.10 would be much more capable than a 4.9 with a 4 speed manual. Trying to keep that truck at highway speed without a trailer is gunna be dog. You really should be looking for something with overdrive.
just as an example, here's a 1994 that's a few hours from me.
Last edited by Prototypemech; Feb 24, 2026 at 01:41 AM.
I pull a small landscaping trailer with equipment. Truck initially had 3.08s. That lasted long enough for me to be able to swap to 3.55. That is a decent all around gear. If you barely ever get above 60, 4.10s. That’s what I have now and thy are great on stock tires towing.
It will turn about 2300rpm at 65mph in fourth with stock sized tires...near the same as a 3.55:1 truck with an M5OD in OD. That is where it starts to get on the power. The T19 also has a badass reverse gear and that bull low...neither of which that M5OD does. I guess it depends upon what do you need and want it to do
For a moderate use truck, it would be fine. A quickie 3.55:1 axle swap would make it quite a bit more capable. Few basic mods can squeeze a hair more from that 4.9. Exhaust, timing, roller rockers.
I used to drag a jetski with my ECSB 302/AOD when it was basically stock, 3.55:1 then too. With the A/C on it was a total dog in OD. In 1:1 was sufficient and those have just a bit more power stock to stock than this 4.9
Pulled a few cars with a Umove trailer too, probably 6k combined then.
About to buy this, ‘89 longbed xlt lariat. 300-6, t-19 4 speed ...
Unless the trans has been swapped, you are looking at a T-18 transmission instead of a T-19 in that truck.
Not a huge difference but gear lower gear ratio's aren't the same. I have both ...
From the pic's you posted, looks like a decent truck and price
Unless the trans has been swapped, you are looking at a T-18 transmission instead of a T-19 in that truck.
Not a huge difference but gear lower gear ratio's aren't the same. I have both ..
That’s not what I remember hearing when I was active on JeepForum. Guys would say to get a T-19 instead of a T-18 because they were the same except that the 19 has a synchronized first gear. That is also what is shown here
from a F150online.com thread.
My 89 F150 (gas model) came with the T-18 and had different gear ratios than the T-19 that I have in it now. The T-19 came in more gear ratios than 'My4Fordtrucks' is referencing here.
Anyways, the intent of my post was so that the OP would be aware that he may not be getting a T-19 transmission in that truck he posted about ... T-19's typically did not come in F150's of that era.
I guess it is a T18, either I read something wrong when I looked it up or the information I found wasn’t correct. Brakes aren’t that great, pedal very low & I noticed leakage on the brake booster. So - master cylinder time. Which may also mean new calipers & wheel cylinders if I cant get the bleeders loose, I can picture them all breaking. Probably a good time for new flex lines on the front. Have a whole laundry list of things but brakes are first since I dont feel its safe to drive as it is. future needs are drivers side window regulator & door hinge pins/bushings, nylon tailgate bushings & the side cables. thermostat & gasket (on order already) better tires, seat, gearshift **** (have the original but wont stay on, can see someone tried glue once before) Did get it put in my name & have a plate for it. Tried putting it in my garage but its a tight fit & impossible to work on in there so will have to wrench on it outside. May pull the tires tomorrow & start soaking the bleeder screws with wd-40.
Congrats on your 'new to you' truck! Hope your repair/refurb efforts go well!
Btw, I used Gorilla glue (the kind you hafta add a dab of water to) on my shifter **** and it did the job of keeping it on very well. So well that I can't get it to come off
Used jb weld for the gearshift ****, it seems to be on good now. Started on the brakes today, master cylinder is indeed bad. Im bypassing the rear abs for a manual proportioning valve. Changed the thermostat last weekend but still not getting the heat in the cab like it should, with winter about over its not high on the priority list. Hopefully I get all the lines made & the new calipers & wheel cylinders on tomorrow, bleed the system & can start driving it soon. Brake system replacement time! not the usual 2 hour job! original master cylinder
I had one RABS valve go bad causing a spongy pedal and I replaced it with another RABS valve. It’s not a great system like something brand new but it works ok enough for me to keep it functional. I did replace the RABS valve with another adjustable proportioning valve on the ‘87 Bronco but that was only because I replaced the 8.8 rear with a 9”.
Are the heater hoses getting hot? Have you looked behind the glove box to see if the blend door is moving as you work the temp control? It might be as easy as the cable isn’t attached to the door.
I cheat and get pre-bent stainless steel brake lines. Bending and flaring lines isn’t worth my time. I put a set on the ‘89 F-150 in 2014(?) and when I did the frame swap three years ago I transferred them over to the “new” frame. They were still in great condition.
