OK, so I know this writeup has been a bit delayed, but here is the quickie synopsis of the 4wd conversion I did to my truck immediately before I had my surgery.

The broken stupid digital camera pictureless guide to 4wd conversion on 1980-1996 F-150s

So I got the bug to convert my truck to 4wd. That seems reasonable to do to a truck with 321,000 miles on it. This bodystyle is very easy and forgiving to swap parts from one chassis to another, so doing the conversion is as close to “plug and play” that turning wrenches gets. I would like to add that I know that there are other years that have better “stuff” than my donor truck (it was a 1987), and that there are those who prefer a straight axle (I do, if cost and time are no object) but when a truck with all the parts you need is available for $300.00 you don’t necessarily worry about those details too much.

So here is the rundown on my truck when it was 2wd; it had a 2.73:1 rear end and an NP-435 transmission, 300 cu.in. inline six, AC, Power Windows, Power Brakes, Power Mirrors, and a radio that interfaces with my I-Pod so I can listen to Car Talk and the Preston and Steve Show whenever I want. It was (and still is) Toreador red, 8 foot bed, dual tanks, and it has a gauge cluster with tach from a 1994 F-350.

The donor was a 1987 F-150 with 93,000 miles. It had a blown up 302, an AOD trans, a manual shift BW 1356 transfer case, manual hubs, manual everything else, and a 3.55:1 limited slip differential. It was priced to sell at $300.00. I bought it, dragged it home and gutted it for parts.

The sad fact is I did replace the NP-435 with an AOD. I also used the undesirable front hubs that nobody seems to like, but they work fine for me and how I intend to use the truck (snow, beach, light trail running that I already sort of did in 2wd). I also used the “terrible” TTB from the donor. I put new ball joints, U joints, and tie rod ends on as well as new rotors and calipers, for a total cost of $350.00. I also bought adjustable camber/caster bushings and adjustable radius arm bushings to help dial in some more caster. That was another $120.00. The donor truck also had four new Monroe Shocks on it, so I used them in the conversion. The AOD may or may not be just a place holder for a C6; the verdict is still out at this time, although it runs fine and shifts firmly… more on that later.

I rebuilt the rear brakes with new shoes, hardware, wheel cylinders, and parking brake cables, to the tune of $150.00. I also bought new U bolts and I swapped the 87’s rear axle onto my existing springs and I put new u joints on the driveshaft. I know the 4x4 springs are wider, but my 2wd springs have 6 leaves in them and are super tight; I like it when my truck sits level when it has a 1 ton pallet of pellet stove fuel in the back. I also had put 2” leveling coils on the front of my truck back in 1998 or so since I wanted it to sit up a bit more in the front (thus the reason I got the adjustable radius arm bushings; I intended to keep those springs). I put all the suspension pieces together and got it aligned. At this point it drove better than it ever did. But I wasn’t done yet.

The AOD has a mixed reputation. There are folks who swear by them, and there are folks who swear at them. I want a C6, but I didn’t have time to build one so I decided to use what I had. The P.O. drove the truck until the engine ‘sploded, and he said the trans always ran fine. I pulled the pan and there was no junk in there. The fluid, while clearly not new was not burned or cloudy/black. Also, the P.O. said the magic words I wanted to hear: “I only used overdrive cruising with no load on the highway. I used drive for around town and even light loads.” The truck also came with paperwork for the BW1356, which had recently been rebuilt. I drained ruby red fluid from it and refilled it with new fluid. I also put a 1991 AOD valvebody in the trans, and I installed a B&M shift kit (heavy duty, not high performance) so I could firm up the soft lazy shifts it is known for. The Valvebody I got from a U-Pull yard in Conshohocken PA, called Shorty’s U Pull. The VB cost me $15.00 The Shift kit cost me $45.00.

I swapped the transmissions two weeks ago, and bolted all the driveline stuff up. To further protect the AOD, I ran the factory radiator cooler to the factory auxiliary Ford cooler that the 87 came with, and then I ran to another aftermarket cooler (for 14,000 lb GVW). The tires needed replacement as well, because the 235s looked tiny and they were nearly worn out (I would have replaced them this fall anyway), so I bought 4 General Grabber AW tires in size 265-75-R15 with 99% tread remaining from a guy that was replacing them with some Super Swampers and did a 10” lift on his Bronco. I got them for $150 for the set.

The verdict: It drives great, the trans is smooth but firm, and it towed the donor truck’s remnants to the junkyard (where I got $418.00 for the 87) like it wasn’t even there. The 4wd passed the driveway test, and the 4wd and 4x4 Low lights on the dash work. The 300 does like the overdrive, and loafs along at 1500 RPM at 60 MPH. I spent in total $1,030.00 but I got $418.00 for scrap on the 1987, for an actual total of $612.00 (including tires!) to convert the old girl to 4wd. Not bad! And since it sits on lifted front and heavy duty rear springs, it almost looks like a ¾ ton, so she looks pretty tough too. Unfortunately, my stupid digital camera broke and corrupted all the files on the SD card, so I can only write about it, reformat my SD card, and enjoy using 4wd low range to crush the offensive broken camera. Now I know that seems like overkill, but hey, at least I can do it.

 

Sounds like a nice revamp of your old pickup! Great job doing that on that budget. Post up a pic of the finished rig if you get a hold of a replacement camera.

 

I had an 88 with those "undesirable" top hat style hubs, and I never had a problem with them. The electronics on the truck, yes; but not with the hubs.

I always made sure the hubs were engaged by rolling a few feet before really stepping on the stupid pedal.

Robert

 

The one thing that annoys me is with the top hat hubs is that they want to slide off with the wheel if you are taking a tire off. I solved the problem by getting some push nuts at the hardware store. The same type they use to hold drums and rotors on from the factory. You know the annoying super thin sheet-metal things that you cut off when you are pulling the brake drums for the first brake inspection. As a former PA State Inspection mechanic, I have killed a ton of those. Who would have thought I'd actually want to put them on something? They were $0.18 each, and I bought four, so adjust my price up by $0.72.