Hey everyone,
First off, I want to apologize for being away from the forum for so long. There's no telling what I've missed in the last 1.5 to 2 years. I'm afraid to start looking. When I was here last, gas was almost affordable and everybody was rodding their trucks, fuel mileage be screwed! Well, I've got a request. I'm actually thinking of de-rodding my '98 F150 4.6 5-speed. I've got the original 3.55 non-locker rear end with drum brakes. The truck has 126k on it. I've almost decided I'd like to go to a 3.08 from a '00 truck with discs, and a locker wouldnt hurt. It just seems like my truck is geared plenty low with the 5-speed anyway, and the 3.55's just seem to be overkill. I spend a lot of time on the road with my truck, and right now better fuel mileage sounds better than a snappier take-off at the line. If I remember right, the OD in my 5-speed has a ratio of 0.8:1. The autos have 0.7:1. I have done the math, even though for right now I'm swagging it, but I think with a 3.08, my truck would roughly be equivalent to a 3.55/0.7 in terms of cruising RPM. Would it really harm my towing abilities? Heck, according to Ford's specs, my 4.6 5-speed was barely made to tow anyway, even with a 3.55. I actually think that a 3.08 might make my truck a little quicker from 0 to 40/50, since 1st is done by 10 mph and we all know how quickly these manuals like to shift. My truck spends too much time coasting between the gear changes as it's accelerating and I'm wringing it out for all it's worth. Maybe hanging onto each gear a little longer would help. If anybody has any feedback on this idea, please feel free to comment.

Back to my point: Would anybody out there be willing to swap a 3.08 disc axle for my 3.55 drum axle? I know just swapping out ring and pinion gears would probably be more feasible, but I have always wished my truck had the rear discs. Maybe lower gearing is more important to somebody than the type of brakes they are running. I just thought there was no harm in asking. Thanks for any comments or offers.

Fordman3

P.S. I will be living in Madisonville, KY, zip 42431. Also, what would be involved in switching from drum to disc?

 

A cheaper solution would be taller tires. If you have the 235s going to a 33 inch tall tire will give you the equivalent of a 3.11 gear. Find a used tire place and get some cheapo tires and try them out. If you don't like the results then you will not be out as much as a complete axle swap. You could also try http://car-part.com/ for a complete axle.

JMC

 

JMC,
Thanks for the suggestion. My truck actually has 30" tires (275/60R17). To get the equivalent ratio change as going to 3.08, I'd have to put on 34.6" tires. On a 2WD, that would look a little odd, not to mention probably more expensive than the gear change. I just remembered that once upon a time guys couldn't give away their 3.08 gears. Doing an entire axle swap seemed easier than just swapping gears. Do you know what year the disc rear brakes came out? Was it '00 or '01? I'd also like to hook up with a set of those. Thanks again for the idea, though.

Fordman3

 

JMC,
I forgot to ask you about something? Since I have been out of it for a while, what's up with the short-throw shifter? I noticed you've got one. How do you like it? Thanks again.

Fordman3

 

Rear disks came out in 97 on the Lariats. The Sport got them in 99 and they were standard on the XLT in 00. The Hurst Short throw is great. It really tightened up the shifting. I no longer feel like I am rowing a boat when I shift.

JMC

 

JMC,
I thought the discs came out all at one time on all models that year. My '97 Lariat had drums, and so does my '98 Lariat. I sure was thinking it was '00 or '01 when all models got them.

Fordman3

 

My '00 xlt has disc out back.