So the guy finally tells me that the previous owner converted it from 2wd auto to 4x4 stick. He butchered the hump. Without the driveshaft, I cant even be sure that it all works, or if the guy just gave up on it and sold it. The rear gears may or may not match the front?

 

You can pull the cover and count ring gear teeth and divide by pinion teeth to get a ratio. But a much simpler method/trick is to engage the hubs on the front, tie a string onto the yokes and move the truck exactly one tire rotation and count how many times the string wrapped around to see if they match. Gears are "usually" in half rotation increments so it's precise enough. And nothing can be "assumed" stock at this point.

So if the string wraps 4.5 times around the pinion then you have 4.56 gears. If it wraps 4 times it's 4.09, 3.5 times is 3.54. 4.88's were also common in this series so you would have a touch over 4 3/4 turns. 5.13's were also in the mix. Pretty certain Ford didn't have a 3.73 until the 1980's. Just note which angle the pinion starts/rests in for a more precise determination.

I'd bet it never had a shaft. I use a local "drive shaft specific" shop to lengthen / shorten / custom make all my shafts. Pricy but worth the money. A front doesn't necessarily need balancing for you rarely do high speeds in 4wd but it makes for good insurance for the pinion bearings just in case if this is going to be an on-road vehicle. Only strictly "off-road" vehicles can get a cheap front shaft. And in that case I prefer 2" and 2 1/4" 0.25 wall square stock to make mine.

 

Well, this kind of changed now that I see this hack job. He says that he has a guy from San Diego coming to look at it today. If the guy buys it, great, I will keep building the nest egg. If he doesnt buy it, this truck's price just drops to about $800, as he told me that I am the only other person interested.

 

I wouldn't be totally discouraged? It's common to see unfinished 4wd conversions on these trucks for they can sometimes be a challenge. Ask me how I know. :-) Got one still sitting waiting on me to find time to finish. Been pecking away. Bought the metal I needed and cut it out last weekend but got a long way to go.

I advise to also measure the width at the top of the front leaf springs at the frame and also at the connection on the axle for the axle I chose to convert with was not the same width. Now that I discovered that, I've seen a couple trucks where they pushed or pulled on the springs to "make it fit" and the springs are at a slight angle. This will pre-maturely wear the bushings. The only true way to fit a later axle under one of these is to grind off the axle perches and re-weld with springs relaxed / axle centered. In my case I chose to offset the axle for the drivers side perch was cast into the axle.

Oh, and that transmission is a NP435 most likely from a 2wd and someone tried to fabricate / mimic the factory boss for the selector handle like the highboys. Has a zerk fitting on it which is cool for the bushings wear out and aren't too easy to find. There's a "like" bushing that works but it's from a different application. I can't remember what it was from but I bought up a few to have as spares.

Another way to look this is by giving the price of the front axle and the transfer case equals your difference. Depending on what axle is in the front, could be even more.

 

I just got rid of a 72 f100 "project", so am a bit sketchy to jump head first into another one, lol.
If it is running and driving, fine, but I dont need any bubblegum fixes.

 

PASS! It's a Frankenstein Monster with parts swapped from gawd only knows what.

 

The red flag I see off the bat is the fabbed boss for the selector handle on the transmission. They were cast from the factory and literally indestructible. I'd bet this one is welded. Put your weight behind 2 feet of leverage and see how long that rascal will last. :-).

I've decided to fab mine straight to the frame. NOT to the cast transmission housing. You have to be extremely skilled to weld to cast. Extremely skilled I am not!

 

Glad that I took a few days and asked here first before "buying then asking how to fix it".

 

If the VIN on the title comes back as a 2WD then it is either a factory 2WD or they've got an issue. There can be problems if the VIN on the title does not match the VIN on the frame. The VIN on the door is not considered the number of record, but the frame VIN is, as you know.

I don't know if by 1963 Ford was sending any trucks out for 4x4 conversion. Might have been some special order that needed something other than the factory offered 4WD setup. But, I doubt it was very common.

Does the VIN on the Warranty plate not match the title? If so I'd be looking at the frame VIN to determine what it is.

I try hard to never buy another mans junk or nightmares.

.

 

If the price is right, I have always been a fan of Frankenstein monsters if I have a lot of time to completely go through it. They usually provide quite a few good laughs.

 

I never looked at it, so never checked the vin on title to the door, or looked for the vin on the frame for that matter. He did say that it was a 4x4 conversion by the previous owner. He also said that he DID drive it offroad in 4x4 and it drove fine until HE bent the front driveshaft. Whether that is true or not, I don't know. He has the 4x4 stick removed, why? If it was running in 4x4, there would be no reason to remove the stick.
Having to draw all of the answers out of him, sets me a bit sideways. What else is slanted that I havent asked him about?

It has a 4bbl intake and carb, headers, and the engine looks in decent shape. Even if it runs and drives in 2wd, seems like a fair price, but the shady answers are a red flag.

If the 2wd and 4wd had the same frame and a conversion was easily possible, it may be worth snapping it. I can get a np435 married to an np205 for $700. But if it can't convert easily, and it hasnt been completed, I could be looking at several grand and a headache.

I dont need the truck, SoCal has a "once in a lifetime deal" every day.