I'm new to this site and it looks to be that everyone is pretty user friendly . I have a 1992 Ford that my parents gave me as a first truck. It is a 1992 Ford f150 4x4 with a 120,000 on it. I want to do stuff to did and make it look a little bad s . I really don't know what i'm doing to be completely honest and some of you might say drive it tell she dies don't mod or try doing your own stuff if you don't know what your doing but we all start somewhere, right?

So anyways, I really want to put a set of tires on it. Something big and that will give it some height and traction. I was thinking 33's? I want to give it a lift kit too? I know people that will help me with this but I want to get some other peoples point of view on it. I am more so looking for a price range and what I can do to make it nice, more hp, ect. I know I sound like a noob, I am who's to lie. All i'm asking for is advice, if your just going to say leave or you don't know what your doing leave please I'm looking for advice.

All have pic's up tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

Welcome n00b!!! Let's see pics of your ride!

There's no shame at all in wanting to put some flavor into your truck. I'm just glad you are looking to give it some lift, instead of dropping it. That said, you should beware that you are now embarking on a hobby that is not cheap...

Most 33" tires will fit with no lift, and will look good. Especially A/T type tires. Some aggressive M/t tires are actually larger than their rated size, and could rub. This option gets you the "mean" look without spending big more than $800-$900.

What engine does it have? If it's the 5.0, you will see some significant performance losses with 33's. A gear ratio change would be required to get "theat lovin feelin" back. If you are having that done, an upgrade to limited slip, or even locker(s) is worth looking into. A $1000 budget is fair for this project (professionally in stalled) depending on where you live.

If it's a 300 or 351, you should have plenty of torque to spin 33's without protest from the powerplant.

I'm not a fan of body lifts, so I have no advice for ya there.

If $$ is not an issue for you, or if you are planning on saving up, then a nice suspension lift is fun. You will be looking at $1000-$1500 for the kit, and labor varies greatly depending on where you lkive, and how skilled the mechanic is. This job can beget other repairs though, so make sure you budget extra $$ for unforseen repairs during the job. You will need it aligned right away, and then you will prolly have to bring it back for a follow up alignment once the suspension "breaks in". All total, it is reasonable to budget at least $2k for a professionally installed lift kit.

As far as performance mods go, hp gains come in small chunks for these trucks, and can be expensive. Start with maintenance. Make sure she's very happy before you start asking more of her. Here's a few places to start:
All Fluids - Oil, coolant, tranny, and differentials - flush and change
Cooliong system - I've had 2 F150's and both have needed attention here
Ignition - here's a basic do-it-yourself maintenance item that can really bring some new liofe to the engine. Pick up a nice coil (I use Accel), some high quality wires (Ford Racing), and a new set of Motorcraft plugs. If it hasn't been done in a few years, you will notice the difference in performance and fuel mileage.
Air filter - The K&N kit is not all it's cracked up to be. I'd just make sure it's clean
Exhaust - a nice pair of hi-flow cats on back. This is fun, and I'm sure it was already on your list. Flowmaster's prices are usually good here.


Have fun!

 

First off, let your gaurd down some. This board is alot more forgiving with questions like this. People here will be willing to help you.

Muddy hit alot of good points. Along with what he said, I would also change the t-case fluid, and since it only holds ~3 qts, fill it with synthetic.

I agree with him, stay away from body lifts. If you are going to do it, do it right.

What transmission do you have?

Auto hubs or manuals?

With 120,000 miles your truck could most likely benifit from your basic tune up. While you are at it, go ahead and bump the timing to 13.5*. Here's everything you need to know about this mod:

http://www.fullsizebronco.com/forum/...nition+upgrade

I would also have a good fuel system cleaning on the list. Get yourself two cans of SeaFoam and let the fun begin.

As far as the other mods here is what I would do:

Suspension: Leveling coils and new shocks all the way around. Great setup to run 33s. Ill include a pic of my truck with this setup and the end of my post.
Exhuast:Good set of headers, Bassani y-pipe, Hooker Aerochamber, and a new single 3" stock exit pipe. Duals are overrated, as are Flowmasters. Ask me how I know.
Air/Fuel Delivery:Skip the aftermarker "cold air intake". Your factory setup is pulling colder air already than any of the aftermarket systems. Just get a K&N drop in filter and keep it clean. Also, clean the throttle body. Spacers are a waste of money, so skip those too.
Brakes:If needed, do the brakes all the way around. Rotors and pads on the front, calipers and hoses if needed. Rear, shoes and drums, with new hardware. Wheel cylinders if needed. While you have the front apart enough to do the brakes, replace all the bearings, races and seals.
Electrical:Make sure you have a good battery and alternator. Replace any wiring that needs it.

There, that should be a good starting point. Give more info on the truck so we can give you better ideas on what would be good to look into.

www.fullsizebronco.com is also a good site for info on there trucks.

Here is my truck, 92 F-150 4x4 with Rancho Leveling springs and 33x12.50 Mud Terrains on 15x8 American Racing Bajas. Best combo for a DD IMO.

 

I really want to say thanks for all the anwsers. I like how you guys will deicate your time and type a hole page that really means alot. Im going to go out and take pictures of the truck and get the specs you need. I will update with the pictures in a couple hours. I will have questions to go along with the picture on what I think and how much you think it would cost for me to do such and such.





Thanks again!

 

Alright so I had the camera and was ready to take pic's and it was dead. So I got some with my phone, crappy yes. They will do for now I think. I know they don't show parts and arent very detailed but I was just going to throw some pic's out so you guys new what I had and if you thought it was worth putting money into or if it was a waste of time. It say's ford 5.0 EFI by the engine. I don't know if the EFI is right but it says 5.0.












Once again sorry for the bad pic's. Let me know what you think as far as a price range for me to get some nicer or more so bigger tires on those rims and a lift kit if needed.

btw the 4x4 caps in the front you need to twist before you shift it into 4x4 in the cab. it is a automatic tran's.

 

Nice rig man. The "caps" that you have to rotate in order to use 4wd are your hubs, and they are manual. That's a good thing. Less convenient, but much more reliable.
So it is the 5.0 engine. These are good reliable engines, but unfortunately they a produce the least torque of the 3 engines used in these trucks. In your OP, you mentioned performance, so I want to restate that you will definately notice a decrease in the truck's off the line performance with big 33" meats. Upgrading your differentials to 4:10 will be the only reasonable remedy for this, so be prepared.

-Jon

 

Thanks Jon. So you think I would rather then put 33's on it go a little smaller and give her a lift kit? I'm straight up honest when I say I just got into this "hobby". I know slim to none about auto motives. Most of you will say dude then why would you start with this or why start trying to do stuff when you don't even know what your talking, yes true but like I said before we all start somewhere. Im 16 years old coming up in a couple months and this is the truck my parents gave me. I want to make it look a little more "eye catching" ?? I know someone that is going to help me do all the work and body work. I just want advice from you guys because I know most of you guys are "pros" at this stuff. Thanks for all the advice and anything you think would help or make it look nice feel free and thanks for baring with the noob talk ha ha.

Question, there are these chips up on ebay saying they will improve hp by 40 and give you better gas mileage and they have like 1000's and 1000's of feedback and some say never had a better product, great. I don't know does anyone know anything if these are real and worth the 10-20 bucks?

 

Gt rider, How much did it cost you without your labor or shops labor for Rancho Leveling springs and 33x12.50 Mud Terrains. I know I have body work to do on my ride and so on which is fine but I like how your's is set up with that higher lift and the big tires. How much would the cost be on the leveling springs and mud terrains?

Thanks.

UPDATE: 92 Ford f150 P/U V8-302 5.0l

 

What I'm saying is that you are going to need cash to accomplish the things you are telling us you want to do. You seem to want to do 2 things:
1. Improve the appearance and ride height
2. Improve the performance

Increasing the tire size is going to decrease performance. Therefore you will need to spend much more $$ to get it to the next level of performance. I suggest you prioritize. If there is one thing that is most important, then focus your mod $$ on that first. Then move on to the next phase when you are satisfied. Create short term goals.

If I were you, once the maintenance/tuneup items have all been addressed (I know this part is boring, but it is very much worth it), I would do the tires/wheels and then the gears. These things might put a dent in your wallet, so that might keep you busy for a while.


Forget about the chip. Ther is no magic horsepower box.

 

Sounds good. Once again thanks for the advice. As far as if I want better horsepower and faster off the line. What should I start with? I know i'm young so your right I got 50 ideas and a low key amount of cash. I want you guys to know tho your not wasting your time and i'm not some teenager that has all these ideas and is just going to give up.

As of rate now I want to start with the easy stuff where i'm going to see improvement and not have to tear the truck apart and buy 600 doller parts. I want to start off with the simplest stuff like you said and then move on to getting 33's new rims and so on.

 

Alright, yes you have a 302, and yes it is fuel injected. Good, reliable engine.

You say you have an auto. I am assuming the E4OD. That being said, you need to flush and refill the transmission and change the internal filter. Then install and external filter for added protection.

You could get the leveling coils and 4 shocks for around $400 and put it all on yourself. You will just need an alignment.

Tires depend on what brand you want. Anywhere from $500-1000 a set.

First thing I would do is change all the fluids and do the tune up/timing bump. Total cost of maybe $200 and I garuntee you will see improvements.

 

has anybody tried swapping the heads, intake, cam, etc. off of a 5.0HO out of a Mustang or a 1988-1992 Lincoln Mark VII? That engine made 225hp and 300ftlbs from the factory and could be a good parts source.

 

gtrider...where'd you get your brush guard?

i'm looking for almost the same one in chrome...it's the only one that looks ok on the 90 model f150s

 

Running GT40 heads on the 302s in these trucks is a great upgrade. Running a stock mustang cam is also a good add on. Intakes however should be left stock. The stock truck intake flows just as much if not more than aftermarket intakes for these trucks. The 351 is where intake swap gains are seen.
That grill gaurd is a Warn Trans4mer. It is only available for the 92 and up trucks. Your best bet for one that would hold a winch is to find a Warn combo kit. It has been discontinued though. Try ebay.

 

Sounds good, the weather here rate now was like 5 degrees yesterday. It's soppose to get back up to 40 here by Friday-Saturday and I will bring my truck home from were im storing and get to work. I will update with progress and question's here this weekend. Thanks fot the price's and advice so far really apperiacte it guys.

Nate.

One more question so far: Went to start when I got the pictures, I was near empty lastime I was out were I was storing it. So this time I put a Quater tank of gas in. It was 4-5 degrees yesterday went to start it and nothing... Not even a turn over or clicking. I started it 4 days before that and it started with one turn over. Is it because it's cold? Or battery is dead? I was going to try and jump it but the field were it is being stored there is no way I was getting my buddys car out there to give it a jump.