Hey fellas,
Been a couple weeks since I've been in here. Oh well, same old stuff. Hard starts, no starts, dead E4OD's , and of course turbo dreams...
I've been really toying with ideas on my '65 and would like some input...
I'm going to put my 65 F350 body onto this 95 F150 shortbed frame I bought for $100. The original plan was to install the 352 FE and convert the 2wd over to 4x4 using the stock F150 Dana 44 TTB. It's a bolt in conversion. Build a wood flatbed for it and use it to plow some light snow and gather firewood out in the woods. No big deal, F150 type work...Something I can just cruise around in and enjoy.
Something like this, I whipped this up in Microsoft Paint...



Well, within the last couple months or so it seems like all the tough "pretty" boys with their 6 leakers that Mommy and Daddy bought them have spent more of Mom and Dad's money to buy stacks, lift kits, and big tires. I'm not into big tires and lifts, so I don't usually let those guys bother me. But now they think they're the coolest guys on earth since they've got diesels. Sneakers, hats on sideways, designer clothes...It's not like they do any work theriselves...oh God, they might get dirty! Friggin pretty boys...
And then I saw these pictures that member Turbill shared with me...
It was on Ebay. A 55 body was mounted onto an 87 F250 6.9 4x4 chassis as I recall. 37" tires according to the ad.













So now my mind has turned into scrambled eggs...
And now I'm thinking something along these lines...



Dana 60's front and rear with 3.55 gears and OX Cable Lockers. OX only makes lockers for Dana 30, 44, 60, AMC 20, and Ford 8.8. So that's the only reason for the rear 60. I prefer the cable locker because some cool "locker levers" would "fit" in with the classic interior style.
I'd like to keep the suspension as low as possible and use F150 or equivalent light duty suspension so it rides fairly nicely. Thinking coils up front and stock leaves in the rear. To handle the engine weight, maybe some 1" lift F150 front coils would squash enough to level out? I'll run air bags on the rear to handle loads when the time comes...and JC whitney has Air-Lift brand air bags that actually fit inside the coil springs.
Turbo 6.9, totally torn down and built up. Try to shoot for 16 psi of boost.
T19 4 speed/Borg Warner 1345 transfer case. All stock there, but of course cleaned up, re-sealed/re-gasket, and painted.
American Racing style AR-23 wheels, the aluminum 5 spoke wheels. I've fallen in love with the 99-04 Super Duty lariat wheels. They are SWEET. I even considered Super Duty axles, but I wouldn't be able to get an OX locker for the 10.5 rear and I can't mix up the front and rear axles because the Super Duty's use a metric wheel pattern.

Basically, I'd like to run the 4x4 truck pulls at the local fairs in the fall, plow snow, spank the pretty boys with some "old school" technology , and just have a rugged and dependable truck.


What would you guys do? Let's open this up, share ALL your ideas! Tell me what's wrogn with my ideas, such as an F150 frame might be too light duty for this! But guys run 460's in F100s/F150s all the time! Right now, I'm NOT commited to using the F150 frame. I want a short wheelbase, which is the reason for the F150 shortbed frame, but maybe an F250 frame with the rear axle moved forward and the rear frame chopped off!?!?
Let the ideas fly, let them be crazy and wild, I want to know those "crazy ideas" everybody has!

 

you said dana 60's front and rear those are 1 ton axles with locker so you should be good there. i would go with a 3/4 or 1 ton frame though chopped if need be. just because if your gonna do 4x4 pulls i think the stronger the better.... and i know some 1/2 ton frames have that goofy crushed section up front that could pose some issues with the body i dunno ive never messed with a 1/2 ton frame before. im likin the idea though would be pretty sweet

 

Nice idea, its gonna cost lots a money so if you have, that go for it. Just make sure you paint it green and black once you're done. That red and white looks....uh....well not so nice.

 

Yeah, what 1994F250 said!
I've seen quite a few 1/2 ton frames bent & buckled from plowing...

It's gonna be a cool truck!
I've always loved the '65 body...

 

X3 on the frames, its not worth it to do all that work on the truck and then have the frame as a weak point. Some or all f150's did have that stupid accordion looking section on the front to absorb a impact.

 

It's not that money isn't a concern, everything would go in phases...
Phase 1: Gas job, wood flatbed, 4x2 to get on the road...probably around $500 to get the body swapped over, engine installed, and running well. Engine is a 2 year old reman with 15k miles. No worries there.
Phase 2: Source out and rebuild the 60's. Install them. That's gonna be expensive...but sourcing them out and slowly building them can spread the cost out over time. Instead of a $5000 bill, it could be $500 here and there.
Phase 3: Turbo 6.9 Install. Again, slowly building over time. I have 2 spare engines in the garage right now. Gut them out, bring to the machine shop for work. Rebuild with new bearings, fresh milled pistons, ARP head studs, and all other modifications...then install the engine and it'll be done.
Easier said than done, of course.

If I went with an F250 frame, it would be an F250HD which is the same frame as an F350 pickup.
A standard gas job F250 frame isn't much thicker than an F150 frame, so I wouldn't bother with that.
I don't think I would bother with an F350 cab and chassis, that's getting overkill and the rear springs would be wrong, would have to weld new perches on the axle and transplant the wider F150 leaves onto the frame. Cab and chassis used 2.5" wide leaves, or maybe it's 2.25" I can't remember.
I've checked out the standard F250, F250HD, F350 pickup, and F350 cab and chassis frames. I also have the F150 frame in the backyard. The F150 frame is thinner than the others, but it sure doesn't look like it would just bend in half if I filled the bed with firewood.
If I went with an F250HD frame, the F150 leaves would swap right over because they're the same width. I want to use the F150 suspension for the "Comfy" ride and have air bags for when the going gets tough.
I didn't rule out the F150 frame because I've seen F150's do A LOT more than they're supposed to do...
My family is into camping, so we see TONS of overloaded 1/2 ton pickups in the campgrounds. It's SCARY seeing some of these guys drive in with their F150's with a 28' or longer camper behind them, bicycles and firewood overflowing in the pickup bed, kids hanging out the windows, rear tires stuck up int he wheelwells. My Grandpa used to tow a 24 or 26' tandem axle camper behind his 97 F150 with 5.4. A retired truck driver, he always went slow and drove responsibly with the correct distribution hitch and stuff. But the other guys....yikes!
Kenbo says the Bronco frames are stronger than the F150 frames because the Bronco rails are taller.
I'm tryign to figure out if it would be more cost effective to go with an F250HD frame, move the axle forward and chop the rest off or just reinforce the F150 frame... I've been thinking I could weld some 3/8" plate on the outside of the frame rails. Run one length from the front cab mount back to the front/rear leaf spring hanger...that section where the frame angles back up behind the cab. That seems like the area that would buckle according to this video.
YouTube - Land Rover Discovery Destroys Tow Truck (short)
Amazingly, the axles weren't the weak link...and they are 5 luggers!
The 92-96 F150 frames got the acordion style frame horns to absorb the impact. I have them on my 95 F150 frame. I don't see them as an issue, I posted a thread about that a couple months ago.
The red and white paint scheme is original to the truck. Worked as a tow truck it's whole life before I got to it. We fixed it up when i was 15 and it was ready for me when i got my license at 16 1/2. And after 4 years of driving the same color, I can't hide anymore...which is great since the $30 spray paint job is the cheapest form of advertisement for me. Landscaper during the day, mechanic fixing broken equipment during the night.
When it came home:



Thing is, this frame was stripped before I bought it and I got it for $100. Basically a steal considering it's a rolling chassis with a new sway bar up front, the steering box with shaft, a rear driveshaft, dual fuel tanks, non-rusted cab mounts, and a Limited slip 3.55 geared 8.8 rear end!





I wouldn't be able to buy an F250 frame for less than $500. I spoke with a junkyard last Spring and they were willing to give me a rolling standard duty '84 F250 300 I6/C6 frame with semi-float rear 10.25 and Dana 44HD front for $500...no driveshafts and that frame wasn't any thicker than the F150 frame I have now.
The $400 difference in price could buy a lot of steel to reinforce this frame. Or I could have an experienced welder do the work, rather than me.
Or I could just sell the F150 stuff and buy an F250HD frame and shorten that and never worry about the strength!
And thinking some more, I would go with a 2wd F250HD frame so the front coil buckets are already there since I want the front to be coil-sprung.

Thanks fellas, keep the ideas flowing!

 

I'm not sure when Ford started using thinner, heat-treated frames, but if the F150 frame is heat-treated, you probably don't want to do a bunch of welding on it...

 

i would say y not find a f350 parts truck and just do a body killer idea man

 

The f250s with diesels had f350 or f250hd frames. Even though red/white color is original, it still looks sicko - green/black looks much better.

 

Those would make nice toys

 

Heat-treated frames...crap, I remember reading about that in a thread a while ago. Maybe I'll bolt some plating on instead of welding. The plate will act as a stiffener. Here, I took this picture to show what I mean. This is my 85 F350 cab and chassis. The plates are on the top and bottom of the frame rail and are riveted on, but bolted where the crossmembers are. That's the idea I think I'll try...Plating on the top, side, and bottom of the frame rail. Run it from the front cab mounts back to the front spring hanger for the rear leaf springs. Basically reinforcing the area where the frame arches up under and behind the cab.



Well Snapon, you may not like my red and white and that's fine, but I love it. I've got a soft spot for red, white, chrome, and aluminum all shined up on fire trucks...and I don't like green anyways. That's why I cut the crap out of green lawns with my lawn mower!

But the more I think about how I'll actually use the truck...I think A Dana 60 front is overkill. The F150 frame will be fine with some plating, and I'm gonna go with a coil-spruing Dana 50 TTB front end for a nice comfy ride.

Truck pulls will twist and torque the frame, lifting the drivers side of the front end up off the ground. Other than that, the frame won't take much abuse. The axles will take the grunt of that work. And I'm not too worried about them. Heck there was a few guys who put their Nissan and Toyota 1/2, or maybe even 1/4, tons in the truck pulls just to have fun. They were spinning all 4 and nothing broke. And to do truck pulls at maybe 2 or 3 local fairs in the fall...really not worth having a 60 up front.

Driving around town with a load in the 4' wide x 6' long flareside bed isn't a whole lot of weight either. A job well suited for an F150. If I get a heavy load, then I'll use the F350 for that job...no big deal.

Plowing snow is where the weak links will show their face. If I contract out for 10-15 driveways than that's really not a lot. Not enough to justify a solid front axle at least.

A lot of thinking out loud here, but I think I'm just going to plate the F150 frame and run a coil-sprung Dana 50 TTB front with a Ford 10.25 out back. ARB's front and rear, or Limited slip front and rear...that'll be a wallet thickness decision when the time comes. I would stick with the Dana 44 TTB and Ford 8.8 axles under the IDI for truck pulls and hauling stuff around, but I think bigger U-joints in the Dana 50 will be better than the 44 when I'm pushign the white stuff with a plow on the front.

I came across this thread yesterday and was amazed at how nicely the TTB rode the bumps in the videos. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...tb-thread.html

Hey, another question for input...what would you guys use to paint the frame? We've used roof coating paint on our Jeeps, it's nice and thick...but it never seems to dry and you always get sticky when you touch it. On the original 65, I brushed on black rustoleum real thick and that has held up fine over the 4 years since it was done. I've read about other guys using brush-on bedliner....?

 

Not a fan of red and white, it makes it look like a uhaul to me. But if you like it, its your truck thats all that matters. Now red and grey, thats nice

 

I friend had some epoxy frame paint that's really tough. I'll try to find a name...
The main thing I'd worry about is an F150 front end with an IDI in it & a plow hanging out front...

Here's another bent tow truck.
This one belongs to a buddy. It was quite a surprise... He drove it home like this...

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Off topic, but how'd you like to work for this company?

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Oh wow, I would never drive that f150 lol.

 

WOW!! That tow truck looks like a MESS!!

I've also decided I'll stick with the TTB setup and just run a Limited slip. If I reall feel the need, I'll go ARB later. There's an AWESOME TTB thread in the 80-86 forum in the tech folder that sold me on the smooth TTB.

I'll run the 44/8.8 for a while since that will save a lot of weight. I'll upgrade the 44 with a Dana 50 center section and Dana 50 stub shaft. I'm not really worried about the 8.8 rear. I could always buy some upgrades for that to improve strength and keep the axle the same weight.
If the 44 TTB doesn't hold up, I'll go the Dana 50 TTB route. I don't really want to since I'll have to install a heavy 8 lug rear end. But maybe I could get a Dana 60 full floater and go disc brakes to shed some weight, or do the same with a 10.25.

I really love the TTB ride and want to keep weight down, so we'll see when this thing is put together...