F150 rear end gear recommendation?

This is only my opinion, but if you find a good 5 speed, I'd use a 4.10/4.11 rear end, if you have to stick with a 4 speed, I'd go with a 3.88/3.89 rear end gear.

Again, only an opinion.

Spdloader

I would say 4.10 minimum with a 4 speed and possible a 4.56 depending on tires size if you want it to be able to get out of its own way with a heavily loaded trailer behind it. Idealy, I would install a later model 5 sp OD like a NV4500 and run a 4.56 or 4.88 axle ratio and it would tow real strong.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

I'm not sure if the NV4500 will fit, but I agree with the point SnoMan is making.

It would definitely tow real strong, but I don't know if it would run on the highway with a 4.88 gear, and keep the rpms down.

Spdloader

The question unanswered is how often is he going to tow? How often is he going to be heavy loaded? If this is an occassional thing and most of the time ie 80-90% of the time its going to be empty, I would go with Spdloaders recommendations. If its going to loaded 60-70% of the time then the lower gear recommendations. Considering gasoline is well over 3 bucks a gallon and still climbing, and the 351M/400 was a gas guzzler, not as bad as the

Whitelightning

Depends on the tire size. My 91 Isuzu came from the factory with 4.56 gears and a 5 speed overdrive manual. It also came with 31" tires, and it's not too bad at 70 to 75 MPH.

I'd be more concerned with his max load of 10,000 pounds. That's a lot for any 1/2 ton truck. About now some genius is going to say he tows a 28,000 pound bulldozer with his F-150 all the time:)

For occasional towing I would stay with 4.10 gears and just downshift when I had to. Most 5 speed HD transmissions have a 5 to 1 or better 1st gear. If he sticks to a realistic trailer weight he should be fine.

Al

This is why I suggested installing a later model 5 sp manual. You could adapt in a NV4500 but if you do you want a GM version as the Dodge version had issue with 5th gear rail and retainer and tended to pop out of gear with usage under heavy loads. (not all NV4500 are created equal) With a NV4500, even with a 4.88 you would have a 5 gear curise equal to that of a 4 speed with a about a 3.55 axle ratio and still have some serious pulling power on demand. I mention the NV4500 because it is a very sturdy and proven tranny.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Good point, OD helps a lot. Strang thing today is that truck came with

I agree that is a lot of weight for a 1/2 but I would feel better about it with a older model than a newer one as the older one were more on sturdiness and less on ride and creature comforts.

SOme of the earlier 5 sp OD trannies were better than 6 to 1 in first. If you use a GM NV4500, you want a 92 to 94 version as it had a 6.34 first gear, models after that had a 5.61 first gear. BTW, this is not a GM plug, just mentioning the best tranny option if you are going to mod something. The NV4500 is a tank of a tranny and would loaf behind a 351.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

NOT SO!

Pre-90 Ford trucks don't hold a candle to the new Ford trucks of today in any arena. Engineering and manufacturing techniques have advanced so far a

Well folks, from the looks of the responses I have gathered the following.

This is a confusing issue... I'm going to check back in after giving you the additional info and see where it points.

Here's more info: Pulling at least 40% plus of the time I'm driving the truck, generally between 3 and 7 thousand pounds on the trailer. Planning on a big 4 barrel.

I'm looking to pull, but not up mount everest. Standard midwestern roads and slopes, nothing too serious. Most of the pulling would be highway.

I'm sure installing anything GM into the ole Ford would sign her death knell. It would also be a crisis in the family . I'll have to look Ford or not change the tranny.

Thanks, as always, for you valuable input!

OldIr>

You better look before you blow smoke like this. Todays trucks are all built cheaper be it Ford, GM or Dodge. When they come out with new hype, it is because it costs less to build too. There is less springs in a new trucks and with each new generation they use less on 1/2 ton model so they ride more like cars and less like trucks. Below is a few examples of this. This link in mostly GM but I have pics of Ford and Dodges too that I have not posted yet. They all follow the same pattern, to get a better ride for sales they use less springs which results in a mushier ride when loaded. Heck even the rear spring on my

I think you miss the point here, GM does not make the NV4500, they buy it and Dodge uses it too in a different flavor. Using a purely GM part would be different (like a motor or axle) but a tranny like a NV4500 is not buying a GM part. It is only a unit used by GM too. The days of Detriot making all their own trannies is long gone. BTW, NV stands for New Venture which used to be NP for New Process which used to make the NP 435 you likely have if you have a HD 4 speed. Nothing wrong at all with using a tranny that GM happens to use too especailly when it has a bullet proof reputation too and is a sought after tranny to be swapped into many brands of vehicles and you can find adaptor to fit one in pretty much any US 4x4 made in last 30 or 40 years. It is arguably one of the best trannies of its type out there. NV makes a lot of trannies for detriot.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

More of your mindless baseless speculation???

Todays trucks are all

They haven't sold me on anything. I have driven used and abused and rebuilt many 60's 70's 80's 90's and 2000+ pickup trucks, the new trucks are vastly better. The number of springs in a spring pack is not nearly as relevant as the metallurgy involved in their manufacture. Just because the rivets used on the titanic and the steel used on the hull were thicker absolutely does not mean it was superior to today's ships, we now all know this is because of the vast advances in metallurgy. Please don't be such a bone head in public. Try sticking to topics you actually know one ore two things about. Sheesh.

Dodge and Ford built them together. Hence the name "New Venture." Then GM bailed out and Chrysler sold the company. I think it was Linamar Corporation, but I'm not sure.

Chevy used a snap ring to hold fifth, Chrysler used a nut. The other difference is the Chrysler version has a synchronizer on reverse.

Al

Screwed up, should have read "Dodge and GM," not Ford.

Al

As memory serves me I think that Dodge used own New Process for many years. I have not followed the ownership over the years though. It may have changed names when its ownership changed.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

GM used 3 different versions of the NV4500 that I know of and the last version has a sycro'ed reverse. Chyslers finally stopped using the nut retainer but I am not sure which year.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Thats like saying can only use a muncie if it came out of a Ford.

Whitelightning

I agree. Most of them are 3.55, and it's too fast for towing 10k lbs. The boneyard I think is the only choice for a 5-speed. They used a heavy duty unit made by ZF and a light duty unit made by Mazda. You're going to need that Heavy Duty one. There's a windsor version, a 460 version, and a diesel version. Does the 460 bellhousing pattern also fit a 351M? Need to figure that out.