I want a single cab truck that will be lifted and used as a play truck,I want to run at least 37s but I will eventually be running 40s.
Anyways,I want an F-350 but finding an F-350 single cab is quite a project,they're all either dually and chassis cab I believe it's called or they're way over priced,then you have the perfect trucks on Ebay that are half way across the damn country.

Anyways,I was thinking I could get an F-250,lift it and run 37s or 38s until and when I have the money buy an F-350 that's in rough shape and change over the parts from it to the F-250. I know the axles are different,what else? You're probably wondering why I want to take the time and effort to do this...I've been told that for an F-150 don't run bigger than 35s,for an F-250 don't run bigger than 38s and for an F-350 don't run bigger than 42s without a lot of work,so since finding a single cab F-250 would be much easier I could just deal with the smaller tires until I could swap over the needed parts to run the bigger ones.

 

There's very little difference between an F-250HD and an F-350. The front axle, a cross member and yolk on the T-case are the main differences but can swap easily if you have a donor truck.

I ended up down a similar path as you except I wanted a Super Cab and they were non-existent as an F-350.

 

Also I forgot to put it in there,it will be a 92-97,preferably a 94 and up turbo diesel.

 

Shouldn't be an issue. I found the F-350's to be work trucks and the F-250's to be more personal trucks for towing campers, boats, etc and they were much better outfitted and not abused as much.

 

So F100 if I did go this route and get the F-250 with an F-350 parts truck should I be able to get this done with a couple buddies and a case of beer or would this be something to let a pro take care of? I'm pretty new to this kind of stuff but I know people that have more knowledge on the subject than myself.

 

Unless I missed something in my research it's basically a bolt on. A donor truck is best because there are little brackets and what not that are a little different but need to be different, so it's nice to be able to take what you need but you can also just find the parts from people that have them.

The main part is the front axle which will bolt onto the leafs you have on an F-250 but the F350 springs will actually ride better. You'll need the track bar and frame bracket which bolts on also. The yolk from what I understand is different but I've also seen were people make the F250 stuff work. Also there is the transfer case cross member that's different but again I've seen people make the F250 stuff work. The steering is all F350 parts and I was planning on getting all new replacement stuff for that.

Oh and I'm pretty sure you need the F350 blocks from the rear to level it out, the front drive shaft from the F350 (can shorten yours) and that's about it.

http://www.4x4preservation.com/forum...read.php?t=421

 

F100 has got all the information correct, but if you're going to go with 40" tires, some of the things you'll need to make it work, are going to need to change whether it's a 250 or 350.

The differences you'll be most concerned with will be the need for the 350's Dana 60 rather than the 250's TTB Dana 50.

The transfer case yoke might be a problem, but you'll probably need a lengthened driveshaft with the lift you'll be running, so you could probably make the 250 transfer case work. The steering needs to be changed out, but you might want to look at a 1 ton Chevy TRE flip since it raises them out of harms way a bit and the Chevy TREs are bigger anyway, so it'll be custom no matter what you do. I wouldn't worry too much if you don't get an axle with the track bar and bracket or the 350 pitman arm since you'll want a drop track bar bracket, adjustable track bar, and drop pitman arm to keep steering geometry in check.

With a lift to support the 40" tires, you'll need new springs, so you should look at a reverse shackle kit (a.k.a RSK; I'm going with the Precision Metal Fab RSK to use Super Duty springs), and you could upgrade to symmetrical length Super Duty front springs (our front springs don't center the axle in the spring pack with contributes the rough ride), and the rear Super Duty springs are a direct bolt in on our trucks; a bonus is any of the Super Duty lift springs will work after the PMF RSK. You can probably pick up a "mild" lift kit on a Super Duty forum for guys going to bigger lifts.

If you're finding 250s in better shape and better price, I wouldn't worry about it over directly finding a 350; just remember to factor in the price of a Dana 60.

As far as experience required, I'm digging into my own Dana 60 swap right now, and it's looking to be a fairly straight forward swap once I get the parts and time together. Before this I've done some basic stuff such as water pump, thermostats, etc, but this is the biggest project I've taken on. A pro would definitely be faster, but I understand how things go together now. With a few buddies and a case or two (and maybe an internet connection to check the forum ), I would think you could accomplish the project with no problem.

Edited: Grammar, organization, and a couple extra thoughts.

 

I wasn't going to lift mine as I only want to run 35's. But you're correct with the options and upgrades.

Also, I was looking around after posting to this and it looks like the 85-86 F350's didn't have a track bar. Gotta look at the parts catalog to see but I thought they all had them.

 

Any F350 that had a solid axle had a track bar.

And yes, to make a F250 into a F350, it is all BOLT ON

 

The only difference an F250HD and an F350 have is the front axle on 4x4's.


That's it.


Both have all the same cab options, reg cab, super and crew cab. All same engines, and same trannys and same gearing. Same frame for that matter.

 

F250s had 4 leaf springs standard in the rear and optional 5 leaf
5 leaf was standard in the F350
F350 had 4" blocks, f250 has 2.5"

4wd F250s were available in reg cab, supercab long bed, supercab short bed(95-97) and crew cab(96/97)

4wd F350 only came in reg cab and crew cab, both long beds

 

I thought the f-350 had a heavier frame rail and more cross members. I know the cab and chassis has a narrower frame behind the cab at least on the regular cab.

 

Funny you couldn't get a 4x4 super cab F350, when you can get a crew cab 4x4.

 

NOPE.

All C-n-C had the narrower fraim rails to have a standardized frame for the body industry


I know. STUPID. Like ONLY being able to get a super cab F350 in a 2wd dually, no other way. Or not offering a 4wd dually PICKUP in ANY cab configuration

 

and you could have any color you wanted as long as it was black........oh wait.am i going back too far?