My first post!
Gentlemen, I am in need of a pickup to pull a boat. I recently came across a 95 F150, flareside (4wd) with only 35K and it has a inline 6cyl (the carfax confirmed the mileage). I have agreed to purchase the truck once my mechanic takes a look. I saw it and the body is mint. The under side is a bit rusty in some areas (like by the brakes). The tires are in good condition.

The thing is...i just dont know...im a bit cautious about this truck...the body and interior is in incedibly good shape and it has a toneau (sp?) cover in the rear.

Bottom line...5900.00.

Is there anything that i should be aware of with this truck. Do any of you F 150 enthusiasts have any opinions or suggestions about things i should look for before buying it. One thing that i did notice was it had a radiatior infront of the original raditor. This i noticed because it had a newish white part sticker on it and for a 10 year old car...i thought that was strange....any help or suggestions????

-R

 

That second radiator is an auxiliary transmission cooler or possibly an external oil cooler, either is a good thing, the tranny cooler is a mandatory thing if you're planning on towing.

I assume this is an automatic tranny. By 1995 the E4OD was a pretty bulletproof box, but like anything else it needs to be maintained. Make sure your mechanic takes a look at it.

Also the rear axle ratio makes a big difference in towing capability. There's an axle code on the vehicle ID sticker on the door jamb "18" means 3.08 gears which really reduce towing ability. "19" means 3.55s which are way better and really put the engine in its powerband when you're on the highway (and yes, you can tow in OD as long as the tranny doesn't hunt.) "H9" means 3.55s with a Trac-lok (i.e. limited-slip) differential, which is going to be real helpful if not necessary on wet boat ramps.

 

Oooo that sounds cherry. With the mighty torque monster 300 six, even a 3.08 won't be too bad depending on how big of a boat.

I'd hit it.

Adrianspeeder