i have a friend that has a 85 f250 that he had built up for a mud truck after he did everything to it it didnt get but maybe 500 miles on it. so my question to you guys is what will and what wont fit on my truck? mine is a 97 f250 hd with the 7.3 and what we were thinking of doing it swapping the axles, leaf springs, and everything. his truck has the independent front suspension as does mine and a dana 60 in the rear. it has 6in lift leaf springs, pitman arm drop, ect. basically everything for a 6in suspension lift with lockers and posi in the axles and should be everything to make my truck a mean lifted mud slinging machine. but does anybody see a problem with this that maybe we havent? if there is something i left out that you guys need to know just say something. thanks in advance

 

oh and dual shocks setup as well

 

The rear axle will NOT work. Also, chances are the 85 truck front axle is a D44HD while you have a D50

 

why wont the rear axle work? arent they both d60's? and im no expert but there is a yellow sticker on my front axle that says d44. the fronts looked pretty similar to me but does a d50 look similar to a d44?

 

You have a ford diff not Dana...6" lift on a ttb...not what I would want...I'm not sure those lift springs will last much under the heavy psd either.sounds like a great way to ruin your truck personally.

 

well if it dont work then it dont work but i was thinking about the weight too. i think the gvwr on his truck is 8600 and mine is 8800. well sad to hear but its not looking as good as is was at first

 

The gvw isn't the issue. It's what the springs are rated for. When you look at lift kits you will notice they ask which engine is in the truck because of the weight of the motor. The diesels are heavier than the gasers which will cause the springs to sag prematurely as they are not rated for the extra weight. You have a sterling 10.25 rear end. If this is a play toy and you just want to throw mud then you could probably swap the springs so you could lift it and throw caution to the wind but if this is a DD I would probably stay away from it.
If he has some awesome bumpers maybe rob those and any other cool cosmetic goodies

 

yea he has a 12,000 pound hydrolic winch that i for sure want that is on a custom bumper but i might make a new one to mount that on. idk yet. thanks for the help

 

<p>the things i see going wrong rite off the bat:</p><p>D60 does not have a VSS, so you will have to use a manual trans because the automatic will not work.</p><p>you will have a heck of a time getting the powerstroke to work in the 85, you will have to swap in your complete electrical system, including computer and dash .</p><p>the diesel engine will not give you the rpm's required to make it a decent mud truck. it will go into the mud and sink like a rock.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

 

I think he is wanting to use the 85 as a parts truck for the 97, not the other way around, but some good points nonetheless

 

yea the 97 would be the one getting the parts but from the looks of it i dont think it will work seeing how different they are