I have a 2000 F150 5.4 that I do some towing with regularly, but I needed to pick up some cross ties so I borrowed my dad's 89 F150 with the 4.9 Inline 6, and most importantly a full size bed.

I also had to rent a very large chipper so I decided to tow it with the old truck. This things got a 4 speed manual transmission with a granny gear and I couldn't seem to find a comfortable gear for towing on hills and such. The engine is powerful enough but the gearing is screwy for pulling at decent speeds.

Needless to say, my 5.4 is much better for towing.

Does anyone know if it would be worth putting a 5 speed transmission in it and what it would take?

Thanks,
Tim