HemingwaysPen

Hello, ladies and gents,

I bought a 1989 Ford F150 XLT Lariat 4x4 5-speed manual 4.9L L6 a few years ago in high school. I'm currently working on some modifications and general restorations. I really don't know the first thing about working on vehicles, so I'm learning as I go. I want to put a 6" suspension lift kit, quad shocks, and 35" tires on it right now. Does anyone have any suggestions on brand of said kits, shocks, wheels, and tires? Also, what other considerations are there to make when putting larger tires on a manual 4x4? I've heard it can decrease torque and horsepower as well as screw with the gear ratios.

Thanks for the replies!

BLDTruth

Welcome to the forum. I would do some basic research on the Ford TTB front end that these trucks have. Once you have a good working knowledge of what is going on it will make the purchase of a lift kit a much more informed purchase.

But to answer your question directly, You will need to plan on new gears for the axles (probably 4:10) and you will need wheels that have enough offset so that the front tires do not rub the radius arms at full turn lock. For a 6" suspension kit, it is an absolute must that the kit have radius arm drop brackets (or custom radius arms and brackets), I-beam drop brackets, drop pitman arm, sway bar drop links/brackets, and extended brake lines. And of course shocks, springs, blocks, etc. Rough country seems to be a fairly popular brand.

If I were doing this type of upgrade I would also be looking at replacing all of the bushings, tie rods, ball joints, U-joints and seals. You might as well since you are already in there.

HemingwaysPen

Thank you for the reply! I'll have to compile a list. Are the OEM brakes good to keep or do I need to look into better/bigger ones to account for greater stopping power needs. I just replaced the rotors, drums, lines, hoses, calipers, pads, reservoir, bearings, seals, etc. on all four wheels.

BLDTruth

OEM should be fine unless you are going to drive it like a race car