Ok guys, get comfortable. I'm going to be getting a 92-94 150. Planning on doing a healthy big block conversion an a 44/9 inch. Question number one. How much power does everyone think that the 44 would hold on 38's with 4:88s? does the 351 half ton's come with the aode tranny or the e40d? And will the james duff ext. radius arms work on the full size 44 from a 150? also are they worth the money? Thanks for any info.
~Kevin

 

Alright, I'll get comfortable with a Corona and offer a few ideas for ya:

For what you intend to do to that truck, I STRONGLY suggest you get an F350 instead of the F150. The F350 of those years ('87-'97) comes with a Dana 60 straight axle with leaf springs in the front and a Ford 10.25" full floating axle in the rear. It will be much better to start out with a truck that already has a strong drivetrain to work from than trying to change a half-ton into a one ton, as that is what you will eventually end up doing as you break stuff and try to upgrade it.

The F350's come with choice of 351, 460, or diesel (6.9L, 7.3L IDI, and 7.3 Powerstroke in '94.5 and up). I recommend either the 460 or the diesel. Mine with 351 is underpowered. It is much better to get a truck that already has the engine you want than try to swap to a different type of engine later on. A 300-6,302, or 351 transmission will not work with a 460 and must be changed due to bellhousing bolt pattern difference. The diesel tranny is also different. Having to change the tranny too makes an engine swap cost twice as much.

The F150 came with engine choices: 4.9L inline-6, 302, and 351. The 6 cylinder is a good motor. The 302 works best with a low axle ratio. I have one in my '69 Bronco and am happy with it. The 351 is a good motor and is what I would choose in an F150 or full-size Bronco.

Transmission choices in the F350 are ZF 5speed manual with low 1st gear and OD 5th, E4OD 4speed auto with electronic OD, and C6 3speed auto (no OD). If buying one with an E4OD, get a '95 or later, as the E4OD had some problems in the early years but those were fixed in '95/'96. The ZF and C6 are stout transmissions and the C6 is also much cheaper to rebuild than the E4OD. The E4OD can be made to be a good transmission, but it does not have a good track record in the early years. It is quite valuable though for it's overdrive gear. AOD's were not available in F250's or 350's but were in F150's.


The Dana 60 straight axle in the F350's is as strong as you can get in a pickup truck and will handle larger tires much better than a Dana 44 TTB axle in an F150. That TTB axle will only be a headache with a big lift and big tires. The straight axle is simple, durable, and can take the abuse much better. '87-'91 Dana 60's had kingpins, '92 and later have balljoints. The kingpins are stronger, but more difficult to work on. Generally, for serious off road abuse with big tires, the kingpin axle is preferred over the balljoints.

Also, an F350 can handle up to 35" tires without a lift kit, if you trim the front bumper or shim it forward about 2". If you want bigger, a 4" lift kit for an F350 is much simpler to install than a 6+" lift kit on an F150 and may be cheaper as well, and you should be able to run your 38" tires with it. The 4.88's will work ok with 38" tires on either truck.

F350's have MUCH bigger brakes that are much more capable of stopping 38" dia tires than those on an F150. Also, F350's have 1350-series u-joints, much stronger than the 1310-series stuff found on F150's. The F350 full-floating rear axle is MUCH stronger than the 8.8" semi-floater found in the F150 (8.8" ring gear versus 10.25" ring gear, plus much stronger center section, larger dia and thicker tubes, full-floating hubs, larger dia axle shafts, 8-lug wheels, 6000 lb gross weight rating versus 3800 lbs). You get the idea... the stuff that tough trucks are made of .

The best part about it is that when you're looking for a used truck, an F350 doesn't really cost that much more than an equal year and condition/options F150. Much less than what you'd have to put into that F150 to make it come anywhere close in strength to the one-ton.

I'm not knocking the F150, it's a good truck for it's intended purpose, but for what you are intending to do to it, you're really going beyond it's limits and a one-ton will be a much better truck instead. Start with a good foundation, and build on that.

As for your questions about a Dana 44TTB with 38's: if you wheel it, you will be breaking axle u-joints if you are running a locker of any kind. It is best to limit tire size to around 33" with this axle. Cruise up to the Off Road forum to read lots of discussion on running big tires on a 44TTB.

About the F150 transmissions: F150's around '87-'89 and earlier could have the AOD. Expect the E4OD on '89 and later. The E4OD will be identified by an overdrive lockout button the end of the column shifter and a light on the shifter handle indicating overdrive on or off.

On James Duff: James Duff does make some stuff for later model full size Broncos that should also work on an F150, as they are the same suspension-wise. The Duff stuff is rather expensive, but high quality. Whether it is worth it or not is up to the person paying for it. Cheaper stuff can be had elsewhere that may be as good or may not be. Ask about lift kits in the Offroad Forum on this site for lots of opinions and discussion.

Good luck with the project!

 

The problem is that I can't get a 350 in a ext. cab, short bed. They only offer them in 250's and are VERY hard to find. Thats why I'm looking at the 150's. So what do you think about the strait axle 44's though? also do the 150's have the same frame as the 250-350s? Thanks