Hi, I’m new here but have been kicking an idea around in my head and was wondering if there might be anyone here that might be able to throw their two cents in. All opinions and thoughts are welcome. I have a 1989 F 250 460 EFI 4x4, that I bought used in 1990 with 22,000 miles on her. I’ve had her nearing the twenty year mark and she has approx 120,000 on her and is still going strong. Plus the body is in excellent shape and she’s still a fairly good looking gal.

I’d like very much to have a diesel, and have toyed with a Cummings/Ford swap. While I was researching that idea, my mind wandered over to the thought of buying a donor truck for the swap but instead of shoe-horning the Cummings into my Ford…I had this thought…what if I could strip the body off the Dodge and bolt my Ford F 250 cab and bed onto the Dodge frame, motor, trans and running gear?

All Ford/Dodge/Chevy bias aside would it be possible? I’m as ignorant as they come regarding the issues involved but it doesn’t sound that impossible to do. If I could find a wrecked ( body/sheet metal) “03” Dodge 2500 4x4 ( under $ 10,000) or so and replace the body with my Ford F 250? I was thinking It might work and the costs and allot of the engine, trans, and wiring issue wouldn’t be quite as challenging for a no nothing such as myself.

Please take it easy on me as I’m an elderly and frail gentleman and may not be able to be resuscitated if your too harsh with me for my ideas. Does anybody know if someone has done this? Any and all thoughts, comments, and razz-berries welcome!

 

The cummins engine swap is popular, and would prob be easier then swaping over ur cab and bed, how come you just dont keep the Ford the way it is, and get a diesel as well? Might be cheaper in the long run.

Anything is possible if you put ur mind to it, but the dodge frame is a bit diff then a ford frame, wider, maybe narrower, longer, shorter, all things to take into thaught.

 

The engine swap is common. I guess I would keep the cab and front clip. As far as box yes I might involve welding up some mounts to make the box fit. Would it be something I would do? I think I would go with a flatbed with a couple of tool boxes under the bed for storage.

 

I would just swap in a powerstroke if you want a diesel.

If it was mine I would keep it a 460.

 

if it's running great than there's not a whole lot that you can't do with it, the 460 has plenty of power to spare. If you indeed need more power than a 460 can provide because you are pulling a massive trailer or are pulling down houses, you would probably want a newer, non ghetto-rigged truck.

And I'm not sure I would deliberately use a frame that you know was involved in an accident, probably won't be true.

 

Thanks fellas for your thoughts. I love my old Ford and there was a time in the past when my 460 EFI gasser, could do the job. The fact that it averages approx 8 mpg, when working has lost it’s appeal over the years. Also the days of pulling a four ton load of hay up a 6% grade in third gear ( 5 spd) at 3000 RPM and 45 mph is no longer any fun.

Especially as I watch any of the newer diesel pickups pulling much larger loads up the same grade blow around me like a rabbit past a snail. And to top it off their doing it with style and class all the while getting at least twice the miles per gallon and sometimes even more. My 460 has to scream while working at such high RPM and the diesel is only loafing along.

It has nothing to do with the performance and economy of the 460 being bad it’s just the technology has elevated so dramatically in the last twenty years. Now comparing a large gas engine to a modern diesel there’s just no comparison. My truck isn’t a daily commuter it’s a work horse. We use it to haul our camper and two horse slant and do allot of trail riding and horse camping. Plus it hauls my hay trailer, hauls our winter wood, gravel, and whatever else. In the winter it’s 4x4 capability is almost a necessity in our part of the country. Our state is so mountainous there isn’t much flat terrain.

My options as I see it are #1. to purchase a new or good used diesel truck. # 2. Replace my gas engine with a diesel. Or # 3. explore the possibility of switching my truck body onto the frame and running gear of a donor diesel truck. Since my F 250 frame and running gear are in good shape I thought I might be able to offset some of the cost by parting it out.

As for the concern of using the frame and running gear from a wrecked newer truck the technology has evolved to spot any tweaking of a frame from a wreck that has to all outward appearances involved all or mostly sheet metal. I wouldn’t even mind if the frame had some slight tweaking as the machinery has come so far as to be able to rectify allot of minor frame damage.

I have seen the occasional WEIRD concoction of something like a Lincoln Continental body on a 4WD frame. So thought it shouldn’t be too far fetched to think I could place my dear old Ford F250 4x4 onto a newer diesel truck frame and running gear. With one un-thought of advantage (and there would be many others) of increasing my GVW way up from the current 8,800 LBS. Besides the obvious upgrade in torque, horsepower, and longevity.

I’m just hoping somebody will come along and maybe point me to a link or thread or some other resource so that I could review it and have more information so as to better come to some decision. I’m sure somebody has had to have already done this. Please excuse the long post.

 

Something to look at: fordcummins.com - Increase Horsepower with Ford Cummins Diesel conversion kits

The fire department I was on years ago had an 89 Dodge 1 ton as a brush truck. It had a 360 engine that was a dog. Anyway just from normal use the frame was tweaked and didn't really drive straight down the highway.

To me the engine conversion would be preferred. You know about the body and chassis of your current 89. It looks like this kit makes it an easier method to update engines and would be simplest method.

 

in my opinion i would do one of 3 things

#1 i like the 460 A lOT, so i would try to resurect it, upgrade the valvetrain and heads and exhaust :-/

#2 drop in a powerstroke or cummins:-/, that way you still have your 250 body but more power. you also have to think if your gonna up your GVW.... your axles would be a good upgrade.

#3 buy a 94-97 powerstroke and be done with it, ive seen them with 150000 miles for about 4-5 grand. and a powerstroke can run prolly 500000 if taken care of.

 

Sounds like you just need a new (or newish used) diesel truck.

And yeah, strange things happen to trucks. I saw a ranger body on an f250 frame once, and I saw a dually Suburban on the freeway today...

 

The dually suburban is an easy swap. Get a C30 or C3500 dually grab the rear end and the flares. It's almost a bolt on mod.

 

I personally would just drop in a 12 or 24 in your case valve cummins or a PSD. Then shop around at junkyards for a couple D60's. Sell yours like you said to even out the cost... How ever if you do a older Cummins make sure to upgrade your tranny...

You can make your 460 a monster and be able to keep up with the diesels. A power up kit from banks or a K&N FIPK will help. Ponder your options such as in the long run what will I end up better off with...

Just remember If you with what you wont have to make $1000 a month payments on a new truck...

 

1979 Ford thanks for the link to FordCummins.com. I actually had scoped that one out. Well of my three options it’s almost unanimous from my peers for swapping out the 460 for a diesel as opposed to dropping my body on another later model diesel frame and running gear. I guess the fact that nobody has done is …is… there’s a good reason nobody is doing it. I wished somebody that’s tried it would come on or tell me it’s not practical for this reason ________ fill in the blank?

I once heard it said the perfect diesel pickup would have a Ford body, Cummings diesel, and an Allison transmission. Oh well. I’d like to upgrade my pickup sometime this year but need to hold off awhile for projects of higher priority (paint house finish home DIY etc.) plus need to watch the economy as I would probably not be financing the project. Wouldn’t want to blow some “rainy day “ money on perfectly running truck and then have the economy do some more stupid stuff. I'm just doing some "recon" on the subject of making my Ford a diesel.

I’m going to open the door here on myself…Justin. Is a D60 stand for a Dana axel and the “60” the size? Confirming that would increase my GVW up from the 1989 stock 8,800 GVW? Is this something I could find at a wrecking yard for a steal? Also at FordCummings.com they make an adapter for my stock tranny. Are you suggesting that the 460 EFI 5 SPD.. Manuel may not be able to handle the horsepower and torque from a diesel? I guess it’s probably not realistic to think I could convert this all over to diesel, adequate transmission, and upgraded GVW, in the ten grand ball park?

I really appreciate everyone’s input. It’s interesting seeing others point of view. Doesn’t matter if your sixteen or sixty…we love our Ford trucks!

 

With enough welding and cutting and sweat and measuring a body swap could be done. Hot rodders tend do that. Take an older vehicle and mount it to a more modern drive train. It takes lots of time and skill level tends to be higher up on skill level.

Also you could trade. That is a viable option but it sounds like you would like to hold onto the pickup and I don't blame you on that.

Talking ideal setup for a diesel pickup my mind tends to wander towards the F-650 F-750 or the International. With the International it would be a DT-466 with a 9 speed manual transmission and a flatbed or landscape body on it... So I tend to move out of the pickup. But Ford had it right with the F-250 and powerstroke diesel before the 6.0. I also tend to steer clear of automatics.

 

I'm not sure if it will come through or not but if it does ..here is a picture of my truck, camper, and horse trailer on a recent summer time horsecamping and trail riding outing.

It's all original, paint and everthing. Also all stock (just remembered I did put a K&N oil wash air filter does that count?) so not very exciting but she has been a good ole' truck if you know what I mean. This February I'll have had her nineteen years.

[img=http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/4516/1000091smallff8.th.jpg]

Darn it didn't come through again. But I guess the link works somehow.

 

Actually if you wanna make your GVW higher grab some 1 ton duallys.

I am not sure if the tranny will hold up but I'd be awfully careful.