i'm looking into buying a 89 F150. quick question. Is it a staight axle in the front?

thanks

Keith

 

NO its the split axle

 

split axle? i'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but i'm a jeep guy looking for a reliable truck. Ford seems to be the way to go. I'm going to want to lift thi truck a little, 4-6 inchs. Are "split axle" vehicles hard to lift?

Thanks

Keith

 

It's actually the Twin I-beam suspension and they can take a 4-6" lift with no problem. Carl

 

so 4 to 6 inchs won't be a problem? Would i need extended drive shafts or anything? How easy is the lift? I havedone lifts on wranglers but none besides a body lift on a explorer. Also, this is a 6 cyl 5spd f150, will i be happy with it? or will i feel it's underpowered? Should i look around for a V8? I'll be using this as a daily driver to and from work, about 5-10 miles away, also towing a small catamaran about 20 miles to the lake. also occasionally throwing a motorcycle in the bed. any issues with any of these?

Thanks
Keith

 

anybody?

anything would be helpful

thanks

keith

 

well I would go with no more than a 4" lift if you are going to use it for all the things you said, I love the 6cyl power lots of torque,good on gas, and last forever, but slow off the line, it would make a better daily driver with just a 4" lift in my opinion, you could go 6" lift with the stock driveshaft angle, but I think any more than 4" is hard on everything, nice choice though picking a Ford

 

i'd be towing the catamaran on a fairly rare occasion. so the 6cyl, 5spd combo is reliable? so how difficult is a 4 inch suspension lift? Also, i think i'd want to add a body lift of some sort, 2 inchs or so. how difficult is that to do. I'll be doing the majority of this myself, NO help. basic tools. no air tools. this possible??

Thanks again

Keith

Sorry for SO many questions.

 

anyone? any input would be great.

 

come on ya'll, i know someone has answers for me. i need to knwo this stuff before i purchase the truck. answers ASAP PLEASE!

thanks in advance

keith

 

well if your going 4" plus a body lift,then I would just do a 6" suspension lift, I'm not a big fan of body lifts even though I've put one on my daughters 97 Ranger, I'm not the expert on lift kits, but you'll find all the info you need if you search the suspension forum. as far as the 6 cyl goes you'll love the pulling power, I had one in a 91 4x4, like I said not speedy, but lots of torque and reliable.

 

so the engine is good and relibale, obviously if it's been maintained. What about this 5 spd tranny? and what about the t-case? tough and reliable?

Keith

 

I'll throw in my 2 cents. I have an 88 F-150 4X4 with the 4.9l engine and 5 speed tranny. As far as the power issue, If I were you I would take it for a good test drive and see if you think it will satisfy you and your needs.
This engine is very reliable if well maintained, of course unless you have some bad luck. Mine has 198K and as good as ever, also doesn't use much oil. You ask about the transfer case so it must
be a 4X4. I have had no problems with the tranny or transfer case, my neighbor has a 90 F-250 4X4 with a 5.8l and the 5 speed with over 250K, no problems with the tranny or transfer case. Now for the part that is prone to causing problems. The hydraulic throwout bearing is not one of Ford's better ideas. The hydraulic(brake fluid) part of it is built right into the throwout bearing and they like to start leaking. With luck you can get by between normal clutch replacement intervals by adding fluid from time to time if they start leaking. It's a big job to replace the throwout bearing you must remove the transfer case(4X4 only) driveshafts transmission and all associated parts. FWIW, I got about 150K before I had to replace mine. Hope this helps.

 

that's very helpful, thank you for the info. I'll be checking this truck out wed. hopefully all goes well. i talked with the owner for about 20 min last night and from what he says it's clean. Obviously gotta take his word with a grain of salt, but... hopefully it'll be close to what he says. Got my fingers crossed, i'll keep yall upto date on my ford purchase.

Thanks to everyone

Keith