Hey guys,
I've got a long-winded theory here with some questions for the experts.
I'm looking for information about the F250 4x4 pickup front ends. In all my FTE time, I committed my memory to F350/F-Superduty info and failed to remember much F250/F350 pickup info. I'm looking to see if anyone has experience with the F250 frame and how identical it is to the same year F150 frame.


Would 2wd F250 coil buckets bolt to a 4x4 F250 frame rail? Are the holes there? Does the Dana 44 TTB use the same brackets to mount the I-Beams as the Dana 50 TTB?




Here's my goal: I am looking to create an 87-91 F150 4x4 with a EFI 302/E4OD/BW1356.
This combination has proven to be very difficult to find in the F150's because so many of them use the AOD transmission.
I have found plenty of F250's with the correct engine/trans combo, but I really want the ride quality of the F150 (hence the front coils and D44 swap.)
The cab/body is not important to play mix+match for correct OBS components, I am building this chassis to go underneath my 66 F100. Once the cab is mounted, an 8' wood bed will be built. I'm looking to upgrade to the heavier (and newer) chassis for the power front disc brakes and power steering.
At first I was going to just bolt late 70's parts onto my 66 chassis to achieve my goal, but I figured if I'm doing a tear down then it's also time to move over to the newer chassis and pick up the advantages of fuel injection, overdrive automatic transmissions, and 4x4 since it's a bolt-on swap for these newer F150 frames.
At this point, I am ready to buy 3 trucks to build 1. I can find decent F150's in both 2wd and 4x4 for $500 as the platform chassis. I can also find plenty of Bronco's for the donor drivetrain in the area of $1,500. I would swap the Bronco front axle and correct crossmember into the F150 frame. If the Bronco came with an E4OD, then that's done. If not, I would need to buy a $1,000 F250 with a 351/E4OD in order to get the transmission and associated wiring harness/linkages. Then I would keep the 351/E4OD and sell the bronco drivetrain. At this point, I'm $3,000 into a chassis.
So I figure at that point, why not just get an F250 and swap the F150 axles over to it?? I've had 2wd F350's and those coil buckets are substancially tough, and I can order them brand new at my local spring shop.
So my thought is to remove the F250 leaf springs and front axle. Bolt the 2wd coil springs to the frame, install the D44 TTB, and then purchase a set of F250 2wd coils for a 351 application.


Am I crazy? .... or just plain stupid?

 

TTB 250's use the leaf springs to locate the hub/spindle front to rear.(there is no radius arm on a TTB D44HD/D50)
This is why you can't change to coils.

They are cheap because they are expensive to lift or align and nobody likes how they ride

Are you looking to go with 16" eight lug hubs and wheels?

 

i think you are looking in the wrong place. the 302/E4OD/1356 was the most common F-150 made. i see 10 of them for every 150 with another engine trans combo

 

I think I see where you are headed here. If you want to go coil sprung with an F250 frame, why not start with a 2WD frame? They are already coil sprung and it sounds like you are willing to go with the D44. I don't think there is anything stopping you from adding the F150 4WD axle. Using the F250's D50 would be a formidable project with coil springs. I have not measured, but I believe the geometry is significantly different.

 

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your knowledge.


My goal is to have an F150 4x4 133" wheelbase chassis. (regular cab/long bed) with an EFI 302/E4OD/BW1356 and stock D44 TTB front end/8.8 rear end.
Stock 15" F150 wheels and standard 235/75R15 tires.
Basically a bone stock F150 is what I'm looking for, but am having trouble locating. So I'm exploring other options to achieve this goal.


I do believe I am looking at the wrong time, as I know I've seen everywhere in the past. Everybody is likely using them as winter beaters, and they'll all be for sale come May. There is an abundance of F250's because they ride too rough for the average Joe to use for a winter beater. And there are a TON of 5 speed F150's available for cheap right now because they don't know how to drive a standard anymore.
My other problem is that a lot of the F150's use the AOD, and not the E4OD. So that led me into exploring the F250 options, since they only came with C6 or E4OD.


You're right on starting with a 2wd F250 chassis. I didn't think of that because I figured if I started with the 4x4 version, it would already have the 4x4 transmission and t-case installed. But you're right, if I started with a 2wd chassis I am willing to bet the D44 TTB would bolt right in. I could potentially use a F250 2wd chassis and use a bronco as the donor for the drivetrain and axles.






I'm sure the rear end would fit because 150/250/350 pickup leaf springs all swap between each other.


Does anyone know for certain if the D44 TTB would fit an F250 chassis?

 

There's almost no point for you to get a 2WD F-250. If I understand correctly you only want the F-250 for the trans. What's the point if you can't use the trans that comes with it?


Although I suppose you could completely disassemble the 2WD trans that comes in a 2WD F-250 and then rebuild it with a 4WD output shaft and tail shaft housing. But buying a vehicle that you don't need for anything other than the transmission that you can't use (without a lot of work) isn't a good path.

 

Yes, very true.


But my mechanical skills are not great like you guys. I'm good, but not great. I sure so envy you guys with your skills. I can move things around, but I don't dare take things apart. I see the cost of having a 2wd transmission rebuilt into 4wd by a transmission shop exceeding the cost of me playing "mix & match".
In my experiences, having a whole donor truck is worth every penny because there are so many of those "little" parts that add up quickly. Little linkages, small hardware, or simply using it as reference also.


I don't have a problem with moving whole parts between trucks. So my point of this thread was to gain the knowledge about the chassis.
I'd like to know if the F150 and F250 front axles are interchangeable.

 

I researched something somewhat similar a few yrs ago. I stumbled upon a 97 F250 CC short bed 460 that was in amazing condition, even with 220K on it. It was a really nice truck, WAY nicer than the 92 F250 4x4 I had and still have. 97 was 2wd. I was seriously considering 4x4 conversion using 150 TTB parts. Direct bolt in, but Chevy outers (spindles, etc.) were required to go 8 lug. I was willing to do that, but decided against the project since the E4OD was fine, and I would of needed a 4x4 one and Tfer case. Too many projects at the time. Front axle part of conversion seemed relatively simple.