Converting a Ford Truck to Four-Wheel Drive: Feasible or Crazy?
It might seem crazy, but there are some viable reasons to convert your two-wheel Ford truck to four-wheel drive.
Right off the bat, we wouldn’t blame you for thinking that the idea is purely insane. Why would anyone even think about spending the time and money to convert a two-wheel drive Ford truck to four-wheel drive? But there are certainly reasons for undertaking this kind of extreme job. And, surprisingly enough, quite a few people have done it. So you can’t blame Ford Truck Enthusiasts member F150Evee for seeking out opinions on this matter in the forums recently.
“So I’m seriously planning on doing a 4×4 conversion on my F-150. I know that buying a different truck with 4×4 would be the easier route, but sentimental value is a dangerous thing. I’ve put a lot of work into the truck to make it as reliable as possible. It’s also in much better shape than any of the other same model year trucks around me. I’m mechanically inclined, so knowledge isn’t an issue. My only question would be what parts would I need to swap out, and which ones can I keep? I can sink about four grand or more if needed into this project.”
Even with a solid plan, plenty of folks chime in and try to dissuade the OP from converting his F-150. Including Da_Lariat_Chariot.
“Don’t do it. That’s a good looking truck right there that, chances are, won’t get converted right and probably won’t drive straight. That said, I’m ready for some 4×4 swap threads to tell me what a fool I am and how easy these swaps are and that any fool can do it NO PROBLEM!”
And sure enough, there are folks like jas88 that feel like this kind of conversion isn’t too difficult.
“I’ve done two 4×4 conversions, it’s not that hard. I did my 1991 F-150 about 6-7 years ago and I did my son’s 1995 F-150 this past summer. Everything bolts right up on the F-150. If you get a donor truck that is not the same wheelbase as yours, just have the driveshafts made to length. If you have an ITP (International Truck Parts) in your area, they do that.”
Briansshop agrees, and he’s got one badass example that proves his point.
“It’s not that big of swap. I agree, however, that not everyone can pull it off successfully. For what it’s worth, I converted mine with 12k miles on it and it just turned 60k this year.”
Unfortunately, a few bad eggs derailed this thread and it got way off-topic. But we’re still curious to know what you think about it. So head over here to the forums and let us know if you’d ever consider converting your two-wheel drive Ford truck to four-wheel drive!
Join the Ford Truck Enthusiasts forums now!
