I have a stock 89 f150 2wd with a inline 6 4.9. It has a 4 speed tranny with a granny 1st gear. I've read the 5 speed from 88 to 94 are a bolt in for my truck. Is the bellhousings the same? Slave cylinder? I can pick up a 5 speed from a 88 here in town. If it's a bolt in I'm going to swap them. If they are the the same it would be a easy job. Just pull the old tranny out and switch them without taking the bellhousing off.

 

If everything is still on the '88 donor truck, that would be great. I assume the '88 is also a 2 wheel drive. On the 5 speed transmission the bell housing is all an integral part of the transmission, so you'll have to remove your bellhousing. The 5 speed transmission has an internal slave cylinder whereas the 4 speed has an external slave cylinder. So you'll have to switch the hydraulic line that runs from the master to slave cylinder. I'm not sure if the master cylinder is the same. I'm sure you'll run into a few other obstacles, but it shouldn't be bad as both transmissions were factory available in your truck.

 

Thanks, I went the junkyard today just to look and see if they had a 5 speed. Not that I would buy one there. But I seen the slave cylinder was internal. And that the bellhousing was part of the tranny. A guy here is selling what he says is a 5 speed out of a 88 F150. But it looks nothing like the one I saw today. His looks like my tranny. I think he is mistaken on what he has. I'll look for another one. I figured I should be able to sell my 4 speed to help offset buying the 5 speed.
Another question since the transmissions are different. Can I use the clutch/flywheel etc that's on my truck or will I have to use a different one?
Thanks for the help. Rob

 

I believe the flywheel would be the same, but it would be a good idea to check with a Ford garage. You may want to replace the clutch disc and pressure plate anyway, not sure if they are the same. Make sure you put in a new slave cylinder-throwout bearing(all one piece) rather than using the one from the donor truck and I would get it from Ford. Also check to see if the starter is the same. It would be a great idea to replace the pilot bearing in the back of your crankshaft, if you don't make sure the tip of the transmission shaft is the same size. All I can think of now.

 

The Mazdog 5 speed is not a highly regarded tranny. It is a much weaker unit than the tranny that you now have. You will have less towing and hauling capacity and will introduce some potential maintenance issues. You may want to look for a ZF from an F250HD/F350; it is a much better unit. It will still give you a granny 1st, although it is synchronized and has a slightly bigger OD than the Mazdog. It still uses the execrable annular slave cylinder/TO bearing ***'y. though.