OT 95' 5.0 F150

[19674x4]

Does anybody have experience with the 5.0 in a 95 f150? Im looking at one and just wondering if they can even get out of their own way. Does it have enough grunt to pull a two-3 horse trailer? i was looking at the specs and its rated at 205hp and 275 lb/ft's tourque where as the 5.8 is at 210 hp and 310 lb/ft of torque. Should i just shy away and go for the 5.8? I have driven the 5.8 in a 95 Bronco as well as a F150 and am decently impressed.

[FreakysFords]

Worked the far outta one for many years. I had plenty of power for good hard farm work, but after indexing the cam, headers, TB and DIY cold air intake it was MUCH better. Too much better I guess. People actually started wanting the beat up thing and I sold it.

I definitely prefer the 5.8, but the 5.0 got it done for a long time.

OH and I don't know exactly what he did, but the new owner was telling me that it got even better power after he did some common distributor / timing mod (dun know what) and that the mileage got a lil better as well.

[ezernut9mm]

you will be disappointed if you want to work it. my friend had a 95 250 with a 302 and it was pathetic.

[19674x4]

a 250 weighs allot more than the 150........ I dont think they ever put the 302 in a 250? maybe you meant 150.

[ezernut9mm]

no, it was an f250.

[19674x4]

hmm, never knew they put em in 250's

[fordman]

i think they did but not very many of them in the F250. as far as pulling three horses down the road. i think i would rather have a f250 with a 5.8 but a F150 with a 5.0 could do a good job of it. it just might wear on it more than if it was a bigger truck with a larger engine.

[willowbilly3]

Yes they did put the 302 in the 250 and they were underpowered. If you are going 351 you might as well go 460, gas mileage is about the same. A few people claim decent mileage from 351 but most are fuel sucking pigs. I'd buy a 350 chevy before I bought another 351 (I have owned 3)
I had a 96 F150 extended cab 2wd with a 302, automatic/overdrive and 3.55 gear. It was a great little truck, I wish I still had it (except for those horrid antilock brakes) I towed a 16 foot trailer with cars a lot with that truck, mostly Texas flatlander stuff but I did one haul from Texas to Cali, to Spokane. It pulled the trailer just fine.
The F150 would average around 16.5 at freeway speeds. I got almost 20 with a good tailwind and about 13 headed into the wind.

[averagef250]

The 87-94 302 truck motors are one engine while the 95-97's are a different one. The later truck motors were MAF sequential injected and had a lot more oomph to them.

I had a 95 302 F-150 ext cab 4x4 SAS'd on 40" PJ's with E4OD. I did some mods to it including a chip, headers, no cats and single 3" pipe and it went OK. I blew the E4OD up 4 times in 20K miles and swapped in an NP435. I sold it with less than 70K on it and the engine was very tired.

I've had several 90's F-250 4x4's with 351wonders and as WB said, I will too will never drive one of those. The 351EFI motor has got to be the third most anemic truck engine right there with the non-vortec GM350 and the 302. It has no bottom end or top end. I don't know what they were thinking. I have a low compression 80's truck 4V 351W with a grunt off road cam in it in a wheeling truck and it'll whoopass on any EFI351, even the sequential roller cam ones.

If you want to tow get a 460. They don't do great for mileage around town or short trips, the 351W will beat one by a small margin there, but the EFI460 seams to do far better in the mileage department towing and long trips. I bought a 93 F-350 4x4 with 460/ZF with 320K on it from Columbia Helicopters here in Aurora for $500 awhile back, drove it for a little while and sold it to a good friend. He loves the truck, it runs great and he's had no issue with it even with all those miles. The thing doesn't even leak. The body's hammered to all hell though.

The 460 actually has nuts. The stock EFI ones aren't spectacular, but they have enough tow a decent load and will broil the hides when needed.

No matter what you go for, try to avoid trucks with the E4OD. They suck unless you sink loads into them. The 460/ZF is a really good, tough combination.

[willowbilly3]

Yeah, I guess the MAF trucks were a lot better. I got rid of the 96 at about 110,000 because the over drive automatic is on borrowed time by then and I really couldn't afford an $1800 hit right then. I think that is one of the only automatics I have owned. trucks should have 3 pedals.

[19674x4]

dont get me wrong i would love have a 250 with a efi 460, but if i went that big i would go diesel. im trying to stay on a low budget and i can stil lget "decent" mileage with a 351/302. Ive done some searching around and i guess i will jsut have to test drive a few for myself. We used a 95 F150 with a slushbox and the 351 to pull the race car to and from the track. obviously it wasnt a 460 for power but it still got on the freeway pretty good pullin the car. We also pulled hay with it. My dads 95 bronco has the same engine in it and we haul hay up his road which requires you to be in 4lo on parts pulling a trailer and its got some power to it and thats with an automatic. I think ill just stick with a 95+ 351 and do some minor mods to it: mustang throttle body, air intake, exhaust, chip. and call it good. im not looking for a power house...ive already got one for my heavy hauling.

[willowbilly3]

you can't get "decent" milage with a 351 as a rule. I have owned 3 and driven a couple others, all efi. The best I ever got was 11 and that was doing 55 with a tail wind. It does sound like you have had experience that endears you to the 351 and that is fine, maybe I just had bad luck. I just pulled a perfectly fine efi 351 to install a carbed 300.

[19674x4]

my dads bronco(which weighs a gazillion pounds and aerodynamics of a barn door) got 15 if i really babied it. the 150 got about the same and we sold it to a guy who did some intake work on it and gets clsoe to 20 with it

[taylor351]

I have a 93 4wd with a 351. As far as gas mileage goes 10 mpg no matter what I do with it. Driving empty or pulling wagons. She has all the power I need it will spin tires before it loses power. Never have I been disappointed with this truck. Are there better motors out there. I am sure there is, but this one has always stepped up when I needed it to. my

Keith

[ezernut9mm]

shoot, my 93 lightning got 16 to 18 on the highway and that's with 4:10's.