Hello all. First post here.
I am in the process of converting my 85 F350 6.9/t19/d70 DRW to 4wd. The donor truck was an 86 f250 4wd 6.9/t19/1345/d44hd and sterling.
this is a super duper budget project...

In being on the fence about holding out for d60 or using the 44 for now(project fund reasons) I started wondering about the front end height depending on what spring/front end setup i go with..
I know under the 6.9 the current 3/4 springs are sagging with little travel.

Most of what I have been searching is in regards to people swapping d60's into 3/4 trucks , where the front end ends up being higher than the rear and they end up using bigger blocks to match the front

Not sure how this will play out originally being a 1 ton 2wd setup.
The current set up in my 2wd F350 is d70(3.5" tubes ), 5 leafs , a 1" spacer , then the one helper leaf..

as it stands I planned on using the the 3/4 springs and d44hd

so height options in front are

1.stock 3/4 setup
2.stock 1 ton setup
3.3/4 springs/d60 axle(just curious)

I know the d60 is the stronger and easier choice, I just dont have one at this point , rather I am just trying to estimate how the truck will sit with these different combos ..
so just hoping to get some insight on how this truck may sit with the various 4wd setups
Thanks and hope to chat soon

 

Found alot of height and spring info in suspension...should have posted this there I guess...Missed that section at first.
Thanks

 

Are you going to leave it dual rear wheel? If so, will the dual wheel adapters fit on the dana44hd frontend? Or you are not going to worry about it and run regular wheels on the front?

And about the height, the factory varied the height of their blocks in the rear to make it all work out. I suggest you do the same. Get it all put together, and if it's 2 inches low in the rear, add blocks that are 2 inches higher. Like I said, that's exactly what the factory did.

 

Hi Dave.
The plan is to leave it DRW..The bed had been replaced and was in great shape..So that helped me decide to the keep the dually truck in the first place.
If I have done my homework correctly the adapters are intergrated with the hubs , so my 2wd front drw hubs are kind of a one piece job in respect to the spindles and bearings..
If I had a d50 i could then use a set of d60 drw hubs on it, that is the only interchange I know of..
I do have however, a set of aftermarket spacers . I am not sure if its a great idea, they are an older set desighned for the pre 84/85 lug-cenrtric wheels. So I would still technically have to carry a seperate spare..
So easiest thing to do for now is use a regular wheel or skip right to the d60..lol
Thanks for the info on the spring blocks..

 

Can you sell/trade some parts off the donor and round up enough money to get a dana 50 ttb? You would then be setup for the adapters when you found them. And the dana 50 would better suit your truck which has a higher rated GVWR. The factory used the dana 50 on the extended cab pickups just for that reason.

We know the dana 60 is what you really need, but they are like gold were I live. The dana 50 would probably be easier/cheaper to find.

 

Well, if I wait I can do it..Being outside (the winter has been kind so far), I have been in a semi rush to get it rolling with the parts I have.
Believe it or not , I havnt seen a peek in the last few months of any d50's, mostly all d60's and older straight 44's...so kinda strange.
Sorry , i Should set up a signature or something, my truck is a reg cab.
Ya I know,..d60 is the way to go...I'm just foolish enough to consider doing it twice..lol

 

I reported my stack up wrong..the 1" spacer on my 2wd F350 is for the helper spring...There is NO spacer in between my springs and axle..
The donor f 250 has a 2" spacer/stop between the sterling and leafs..
both 3.5" tubes..
I see what you mean, just stick what the factory had in there and I should have the same stance as the 4wd 250