Alright, folks, I have a light duty, low GVW '78 F250 2x with the 300, that I'd like to upgrade to the higher GVW and go with the larger front brakes on. The rear springs seem like a no brainer, but the front suspension is causing me some confusion.

Can I use my existing spindles for the dual piston calipers? If not, am I gonna have to go a different I-beam?

If I have to go with different beams will I have to go with different tie-rods, etc?

I'm a little confused by the front springs. One of the online parts sources says by GVW another goes by engine. So, were the front springs rated for the GVW or for the weight of the engine?

Trying to get all the parts collected up as necessary before I start into the full blown resto on the truck so once I start I can keep going start to finish.

 

Can you give more specifics on why you want to "increase your GVW"? Do you plan to tow and haul, or do you just want to make your truck more heavy duty?

Unfortunately, there is no way to legally increase GVWR regardless of what you do to your truck.

 

The plan is to use it for long distance towing. Got several cars that I'd like to make some of the national shows with and it just might be easier to tow 'em behind. I also have family in TN, FL, and MN that it would be nice to drag a tag along behind when I go visit instead of crashing on the floor or in spare bedrooms. One of the reasons I'd like to go with the bigger brakes up front.

And, in NY, yes, we can legally increase our GVW as long as we explain the mods that have been done when we fill out the registration paperwork.

 

What you're talking about is licensing it for a higher weight, which is technically not increasing the GVWR (as rated by the manufacturer). While you would be legal anywhere in NY just be careful when traveling in other states as they may or may not recognize NY's rules. For example, some states specifically mandate that you cannot exceed manufacturer's stated GVWR, and believe it or not some states do not have reciprocity on these rules.

Getting back to your original question, I tow a lot and added in the firestone air bags for the rear axle. They work awesome to level your truck when loaded. Personally, I'll never own a truck again without them. Don't know about the front end for your truck though, maybe someone more familiar with the 2WDs will be able to provide insight...

 

Towing a tag can actually reduce front end weight... but the brakes do matter. Personally, I'd make sure the rear, including springs, is adequate and bring the front brakes up to or beyond factory spec with straight fresh rotors, good semi mattalic pads and good calipers and run it.

The rear will need some gear to handle the higher weight. I would think 4.10's would be ideal. Hopefully you will hear from others who tow with the 300. If needed, stiffer leafs, overload springs and air bags can help prevent rear end sag. An even easier and better and cheaper option is a weight distributing hitch. It will put part of the added weight on the front and prevent sag without stiff hard riding springs or the expense of air bags.

 

Rear won't be a problem. Already taking that into account and making plans for the rear. Including the springs, type of rear, and brakes. Rear ratio will be 4.10's, with an NV4500 backing up the engine, feeding a Gear Vendors. Engine is well in the works as to what I'm doing with it. This truck is a complete frame off tear down. I'd like to get all my suspension components in place so I can get everything powdercoated together.

I'll be doing a weight distributing hitch. Really, I hate towing without 'em. Pulling the weight off the nose reduces braking and steering when you need it the most. Especially when you're trying to make some turns on the back roads in TN where my sister lives. Makes panic stops that much more fun if some idiot pulls out in front of you, cuts you off, etc.

Guys, this isn't my first rodeo, let me assure you. Pick ups have been in the family for years, hauling, towing, mudding, etc. Most of 'em have been Mopars. I need, now, to know more about my Ford.

As for the title of the post, forgive me. Upping GVW, for my purposes should have been stated since semantics played a part.

I'm seeking information on what I'm gonna need to, really, step up to the larger brakes that were available for the truck, if anything. Grandad bought a base truck back in '78 and that's all he wanted. No options truck, didn't even come with a spare tire, just a spare wheel. The lighter duty fit his budget.

I just want to know if the larger brakes will hang on my spindles. If they don't and I have to seek out spindles will I need to find I-beams with larger kingpins? Will the different spindles necessitate having to go to different steering components? And what are the front springs rated for since in some catalogs I see them listed for GVW and other catalogs I see them listed by engine?

 

Check out this thread:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...geability.html

Based on what they are saying I bet your front suspension is more similar to the 1/2 ton trucks and you can't just swap over brake parts. Good news is that it looks like you can bolt in the entire front suspension from a heavier 250 or 350.

Also consider the hydroboost conversion: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...sion-done.html

 

Thanks for the link. I went through the first 250-300 pages in sub-forum here and either missed it or didn't dig deep enough.

Figured I'd need a complete front end. Just wanted to make sure before I started buying parts.

I've thought of the hydro-boost. I haven't read through the whole thread yet, but it's been something I've considered, as well as rear ABS.

 

You might consider getting a different frame, one with a 9 or 10,000 lbs GVWR, might be a cheap way to get everything you want. You can usually get a frame for scrap price (or even less!) but just make sure you get the title and legal stuff worked out. Prep the frame, and drop the body onto it.

As far as the spindles goes, you can always measure your kingppins, and then measure the donor. I think there were only two sizes.

Sam

 

Its your truck and you do what you wanna, but my opinion is that you would be better off just finding a heavier truck like an F350 2wd, that came with the stuff you want in the first place. Believe it or not, but a TON of details on these trucks are different depending on the factory gvwr and layout. I've spend enough time on my back in the junkyard under such a wide variety of 70's trucks that I've started noticing things like spring mounts, frame thicknesses, frame reinforcements, crossmembers, etc, are all different.

The 300 will get the job done but not in a hurry, thats for sure. Plan on hitting every hill with a run and pulling them in second gear, first for steep hills.

 

I don't believe you stated towing load. If its a tandem open trailer I'll guess 5000-6000 lbs. For discussion, I'll guess the camp trailer is similar... 5000-6000 lbs or less. As long as the trailers have brakes, you should be fine with the OE single piston setup. If they don't have brakes you are in trouble either way. A properly equipped half ton would even work. The 300 with 4.10's will be fine also as long as you don't need/plan to try to run 75 up the hills. I'm assuming the rear is a tough D60.

If you really want the front 2 piston setup go for it. I wouldn't sweat it though.

If the trailer is much heavier... say 7-9000 lbs and/or you need to run a heavy load in the bed at the same time I would consider beefing the whole setup (front axle, engine) and/or a different truck.

 

To answer your front brake question, you won't be able to use your current spindles. The steering knuckle mounts to the spindle differently and the spindle uses a different king pin size. In short you'll need the larger spindle, knuckle, and I-beam assembly.

I was able to pick the whole setup for my conversion complete with brakes on Craigslist pretty cheap from a guy doing a 4wd conversion.

 

Thanks for the help, folks, it's appreciated.

I'm still making up my mind of finding a heavier duty truck frame and setting my cab and box on top of it or finding the necessary front end parts and bolting that on to what I have. Got some decisions to make. Chances are I'll hunt down the necessary parts and use what I've got.

I understand the suggestions about just finding a larger truck, but there's a history to this one. My grandad drove it new off the lot back in '78. From grandad to my dad now to me. Three generations in the same family and it more than likely going to my nephew when I'm gone.

Over the last couple of years my wife and I have been really talking about putting the old girl back together as a long distance hauler, with her folks living in MN and my older sister and her family living in TN, getting a tag along just made sense. My wife was really looking forward to putting the truck together and using it to make these trips.

Back in May my wife, Sarah, was diagnosed with a brain tumor about the size of an egg. After months of diagnostic work the test results came back non-diagnostic for cancer. We were in a damned if we do, damned if we don't position. If we left it, it would kill her. If we elected to have it removed, the operation might kill her.

On August 13th Sarah went in to have the tumor removed. She never woke up. On September 9th, she passed away. I wrote my original post in her hospital room, sitting next to her bed, whiling away the time, talking to her about the truck while she lay there in a coma as I was on here seeking more information.

This truck is now a memorial build for two people. Grandad and Sarah.

 

You build your truck and don't let anybody stop you.

 

Cancer is some ugly stuff, I've lost family to it also. We'll all be thinking about you!

I think that a memorial build is a great idea, how big of a trailer did you want to pull with this truck? If it's a single axle trailer that's a few thousand pounds, just beefing up the front brakes would be fine and no need to swap frames.

Where do you live? If your very close I might be able to help you find some parts.

Sam