Hello All, I am new to mechanics and to this forum. I am 25 years old.
I just picked up a 1984 ford F350 Crew Cab, 4 Speed, 460, with 4x4.


I want to make it a good camper 4x4. I know the front end in not good for offloading as it has so many pieces. I want to get a Solid Axle for the front and upgrade the back if it is worth it. I want to upgrade the Springs durning the change over to a solid axle as well. How do you tell what front end I have? It is not tagged with d50 d40 or whatever it might be. I am not a mechanic and have NO idea what I am doing. the truck has 60,000 miles and it sat for lots of its life. The previous oner bought it from a fire department and put a inline fuel pump in to feed the 460 as the in tank pumps were out. I think he just put a hooked pump up by the engine and it just sucks on the old pumps like an assist pump. I just ordered two new in tank pumps for the motor and I hope it is the right setup. The selector valve works.



The truck when getting hot does not run well or at all. The fuel coming through the inline pump turns to vapor and bogs down the motor or kills it. It sounds like it is starving for fuel. when it cools down for a hour or so or if it is not a hot day this thing can burn roast the big tires.

When she gets gas The 460 runs and sounds great but their is a very slow leak on the oil filter mount and on parts of the upper block. I also need a breather and other missing parts.

On the back of the motor there is two ports (on right and left) with tubes coming off to the top end of the motor. The previous owner taped one of the open tubes ends up with some kind of heat tape. When I peel the tape back I can hear what sounds like exhaust chugging. I think this is part of the AIR/smog system that was disconnected and just blocked off

My main questions:

-What Axle do I look out for for the front end?
-What changes do I have to make to the springs and front end parts to mount the new axle?
-Can I block off the two tubes coming off the block with a tapered plug?
-What oil breather should I buy?
-Where are good instructions for changing out the two pump setup?
-What looks wrong with the motor just from the pictures I posted?
-How do you remove the oil filter mount to replace the two seals?
-How do I fix the leaks I posted pictures of at the top of the block?
-What part should I be greasing or adding oil too under the truck?
-What would you do if this was your project?
-What maintenance hold be done on a setting truck?



Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post!

 

I'll answer your axle swap questions since I just did this exact swap on my own recently. Judging by the size of your lockout hubs I'd say you have a Dana 50 Twin Traction Beam, or TTB. Look at the outer ends of the axle shafts where the U joints are. If the joints have external clips on top of the caps, you have a Dana 50. If the clips are on the inside edge of the yoke, its a Dana 44.

-What Axle do I look out for for the front end?

You want a Dana 60. They were used in F350 4x4s from '85 1/2 through 1997. '91 and older axles will be the king pin type, '92-97 will have ball joints. The king pin axles are stronger and more desirable but harder to find and more expensive.

-What changes do I have to make to the springs and front end parts to mount the new axle?

The springs are completely different so you'll need F350 specific springs for a '85 1/2 or newer solid axle truck. You'll also need the Dana 60 specific lower U bolt bracket for the left side. These can be tough to find; they are no longer produced and I'm not aware of any aftermarket companies who make them. You'll need the track bar and mounting bracket as well. Since the D60 was never offered as an option in '84, you'll have to drill the mounting holes in the engine cross member for the track bar bracket. Don't worry, its easy. One of the holes from the old twin traction beam bracket is in the correct location...use that as a guide and drill the other two.

D60 trucks also used a double cardan front driveshaft to eliminate vibration concerns that also requires a specific yoke on the transfer case. To my knowledge this yoke was only used on the Borg Warner transfer cases so if you have a New Process 208 like I do, it won't fit. My original driveshaft did fit but I never use the four wheel drive so I can't verify any vibration concerns.

One final thing you'll need: All D60 trucks used taller spacer blocks under the rear springs to even out the ride height, so you'll need a set of those as well.

Ideally it would be easiest to find a complete donor truck so you'll have all the parts you need to swap it in, but it is doable if you are able to track down everything separately. I just finished this swap on my own '84 a few months ago and it was well worth it.

 

The TTB front setup is really pretty good. Maybe for an abused off-road application a straight axle swap is worth the time and effort, but for a Camper, the TTB is fine.

What do you think you will be doing off-road with a Camper that required a Dana 60 front end?

Electric fuel pumps are designed to push fuel, so they should be mount as close to the tanks as possible (the newer setups have the pumps in the tank). When fuel is pushed is can not "vapor lock".

I see on Rockauto, parts site that you may have a mechanical fuel pump on the engine and a "low pressure" fuel pump for the tank(s). Is this your current setup? Do you have a mechanical pump on the engine?


If this is what is happening, a good electric fuel pump mounted at the tank will solve the problem. It looks like you have a glass fuel filter. If so you can see if there is fuel in the filter when the truck is hot and running poorly. If it is hot fuel issue, you should be able to see that filter is running dry.

Remove the oil filter and the filter "adapter" and replace the o-ring for the adapter-to-block, then install a new oil filter. 1984 FORD F-350 7.5L 460cid V8 Oil Filter Adapter Gasket | RockAuto

Yes, those would be the Thermactor Air injection tubes. You can remove them and block the openings (see link below). I assume the air pump is gone or not working by now.

IMO, I would leave the front end as is. Are you planning to run bigger tires? If yes, you need to have the proper gearing too (front and rear differentials - so keep this in mind if your replacing the front diferential (gearing needs to match the rear differential).

The air injection pipes come off the back of the cylinder head. Use these plugs EDIT - I'm trying to confirm these plugs are the correct ones for your engine. So hold off on this until further notice.

The stock breather is all you need. You have the factory air cleaner, right? Try Rockauto.com
If you have an aftermarket air filter housing, then a stock breather won't work. You can get something like this https://www.summitracing.com/parts/spe-4273/overview/ (just input the engine size to be sure to get one that fits your stock valve cover.)

The Factory Service Manual is the best. Look on E-Bay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-F-150-F...dV5xY5&vxp=mtr

You need a Ford Service Manual (and maybe an Owner's Manual too). That will answer the questions on what to lubricate.
If it were my truck, and for Camper use, I would leave the suspension as is - and focus on making sure the engine/transmission is in good shape. I would add the dual battery setup (if not already there).
I'll look over your photos again and post back if I see anything noteworthy. EDIT - looking over the photos - the main thing that I would do first, is the fuel line routing. It's a real mess.

 

Correction to something I posted above.
I found out that the Thermactor (air injection) ports in the cylinder heads for the 460, use a plug (like a mini-freeze out plug) to seal them. It is part number
Napa 2188 or EPC-224-A in Pioneer.


Some 460 forum members said they just fill the opening with "High-Temp" RTV. You could also remove the pipe and cut the ends then crimp them shut, and reinstall the flange.


Good luck with your project.

 

I agree with putting the front end project on the back burner. The front end you have now will serve you well, sounds like you have more pressing problems.