I have an 08 F250 2wd. I have access to a donor 06 F250 that has 4wd and I have been given permission to take all the parts off of it that I want for free.


I'm more than capable of doing the swap, but I have a few questions.


1. I know its a Dana 60, but I am unsure of the differences between the 2006 D60 and the 2008 D60. The only mounting differences I can tell are the sway bar linkages. Can I hook the 2008 sway bar linkages to the 2006 D60?


2. I know I need to get a 4wd pitman arm since I would rather get a new one. Do I get an 2008 4wd pitman arm or a 2006 4wd pitman arm?


3. I will be retaining the Sterling 10.5 rear that I am currently using, but if I purchase a lift kit will the rear suspension pieces from an 2006 lift kit work with my 2008 model?


4. When doing a lift kit, what is the major differences between the front components of a 2006 and 2008 setup minus the sway bar?


5. Should I just wait until I can find an 08, 09, 10 donor truck?



Thanks for any and all information you can provide, I greatly appreciate it.

 

1. Car-part dot com is showing 05-07 and 08-10 as separate interchanges, BUT their interchange is based on direct replacement, so something simple could be the reason. Not sure myself.

2. Aftermarket pitman arms are showing the same part for 05-13, so my best guess is either should work.

3. Car-parts dot com is showing 05 through 07 rear ends as interchangeable, with 08 being alone in it's interchange. Not sure what the difference is, but I'm betting it's in the brakes or a sensor or something, rather than in the mounting. At any rate, if you're not lifting it to the moon, a lot of lift kits lift the rear by blocks anyway. You could go that route and then just buy the rear springs separate if you're wanting to go "all spring." I'd keep the 08 axle too if it were me.

4. I'm better versed in the 99-04's, but I'm betting there isn't much difference between 06 and 08 other than the sway bar. Someone will chime in if I'm wrong.

5. This is subjective. If it were me, I'd try to get all the fitment issues answered first, since the 06 stuff has that awesome "free" price tag. The answer to this one is a balancing act between "free" and "easy."

QUESTION- what is your plan for the transfer case? You're in for a nightmare if you want the electric shift, but a manual lever shouldn't be that much of a pain in the rear.

 

Thanks for the help Psyclopse


I am looking to install a manual shift transfer case with manual hubs. I am not interested in the electric at all.


I guess I'm wondering if the sway bar mounts are different, if their locations on the frame and axle are different, or if its just the linkages that connect the frame and axle that are different while the mounting locations are the same. If its a case of the later instead of the former, then everything should bolt right up as long as I use 2008 sway bar linkages.


Thanks again for the reply, I appreciate it.

 

Any chance of getting an 06 and 08 close by- friends, a dealership, etc.? A tape measure should go a long ways in deciding if they are interchangable or close to it.

 

For the rear end they switched to a 3 pinion carrier at some point,I think 08

 

I don't have a 2008 4wd to compare to a 2006 4wd. However, the sway bar links as well as the mounts to the axle and frame appear to be different according to service manual diagrams.


Thanks for the quick replies so far guys!

 

A quick way to tell for sure is look up the links for both a 2006 and a 2008 on the Autozone website (or whichever parts place you prefer) and compare their part numbers. I think I use Autozone and car-parts dot com more for interchange information than I do actually shopping for parts.

I figured you were going to go manual transfer in your swap. Both by Super Duty and my Excursion are electronic and I'd rather have the lever. I don't know what I'd have to do electronically to put a manual transfer case in either of them.