I have a 71 F250 4x4 that I use for plowing. Unfortunately it has cancer (rust). It is so bad that the cab moves while I am plowing. I also have a 78 F150 4x4 351M that has a great body but a blown engine and tranny. They both have 8 foot boxes and standard cab. I was wondering how hard it would be to put the whole 78 body onto the 71. Are there any engine parts or brake parts that I could use off of the 78 for the 71? It sure would be nice to have a complete truck whether than a truck looking like swiss cheese. Thanks for any information.

 

carb is about the only engine part that will interchange from the 2 trucks, and the alternator.

as far as the body, i am not sure about the cab, i think it will fit. but the bed is another story. the frame on the 78 is wider than the 74 frame. the bolt holes will not line up, and i beleive the wheelbase is longer by a couple of inches.

jim

 

You can swap these parts, but will need some minor fab work as alluded to above. The '78 frame is about 4" longer, so there will be a gap between the bed and the box unless you move the rear axle forward (or cut the wheel well). Or leave it as is if you don't care what it looks like. I would also swap the front axle (and the rear if the ratios between the 2 trucks are different) because you probably have discs on the '78, plus you get the high pinion axle. Be sure to swap the MC and booster as well. The bracket for the booster is different, but I believe it will still bolt up. The steering box is the other thing I'd swap over. Some minor fab will be required.
If all this sounds like too much for a plow, what about swapping the motor and tranny from the '71? That would be much easier, IMO.

 

The 71 frame is shorter than the 78. The bed would have to be shortened by like four inches to fit correctly on the older frame. The cab forward is a direct swap so if you want a flat bed or no bed at all then you would be golden. I did a similar thing but put a 68 body on a 78 frame and then put on a flatbed. Didn't want to mess with shortening a frame.

MOSES

 

I know that I can swap engine and tranny. I just wasn't to sure about the interchange of body parts. Either way, I have my work cut out for me. I will have to think strongly about which conversion to do. Thanks for the quick responses. This is an awesome site to get quick and accurate answers.

 

i would not switch the axels or brakes from the 78 into the other truck as they are all 1/2 ton stuff and it wont handle the plowing, the 71 is a much stouter package, also i might have the heavy duty 3500 lb axel in the front which is a much better choice, id put the 78 cab on the 71 and leav it at that, i have a 67 250 ranger 4x4 that i love and it has been through tons of beatings and still holds up great, i have never broken a drive train component other than a u-joint