I went out and grabbed a set of dually wheels from a 2003 F-350 that was in a boneyard - but the bolt pattern doesnt fit the axle on my truck, which is an 85 F-250 with a flatbed on it.

The bolt pattern was a little bit larger circle, and the rims didn't fit over the drum behind it either. I'm really wondering what the heck axle I have in this beast now. I'm also out $450.oo, and considering putting the newer rear axle in my old truck later on.

Is this a late nineties/Y2K change in the bolt circle? It's not easy to find trucks from the 80's around San Diego, but it can be done. If I have an odd-ball axle though I can buy all the rims I want and none will fit. I thought all the eight lug bolt patterns were identical.

 

im shocked you didnt know that grey wolf in 97 ford changed the 5 lug pattern in 98 they changred the 8 lug pattern went from 5on5.5 to 5x135 and 8x6.5 to 8x what ever it is metric b.s. yea its stupid cause now the rims dont interchange

 

okay I think it goes like this:
Chevy and Dodge won't fit Ford 8 lug (too small center hole)
but Ford 8-lug will fit any of the big three, as long as the Ford is pre-super duty. Hope this helps.

 

But he's asking about a superduty. It's 8 on 170mm by the way.

 

Okay. Knowing that now, I need to skip over to the driveline forum and find out if it's worth it to have that rear end in my truck, since I doubt anyone needs plain jane steel rims and tires for anything that new.

It did look like a beefy axle...

 

I might as well ask - is the superduty rear an upgrade, or am I better off going after different rims and tires and leaving the rear end in it that it came with.

In a month I can probably bag a super duty...

 

Just get another set of wheels and sell the metric ones.

Chalk any $$ loss up to "Education"...

 

It's a Dana 80. I don't know what comes in an 85 250 but I'm sure it's not Dana 80 size. Maybe a 60 or were the sterling rear's out by then? Either way the 80 is bigger.

 

Theo highly recomended a ten inch sterling for this truck. But I don't know if the bolt circle is 98 and up, or the other direction.

I think the truck now has a DANA 60, pretty sure of it - because I've still got the socket to get at that thin nut on the inside after the axle shafts are pulled and it's built just like that.

I had one on an E350 Chateau van many years ago. I'd swear the socket is welded together out of an oil well casing, and it's 3/4 drive.

I still wonder if the drums interchange,

DANA 80 sounds like a godzilla rear end... That fascinates me!

*Visualises shovelling up the mess after a dinosaur*

Footnote: I've been building up old trucks. Never had a new one, it isn't my way of doing things. I like to get my hands on the heart and guts of everything I drive - that way I know what kind of shape it's really in. And I can't afford new right now....

And when you get right down to it, the thing that makes me go the most is an old machine that performs way beyond what you would expect of it.

It used to be called 'Hot Rodding', I'm not sure how that applies to trucks, or in the modern era.

 

Isn't there a problem with the ABS sensor and getting the brakes to work correctly on a newer axle when installing it in an older truck? What are you intentions with the truck Greywolf? Do you intend to do a lot of heavy towing or only occasionally towing heavy loads? The D60 in the rear of your truck now should be adequate for most applications. Dana 80's are quite large, but not quite as big as a Dana 135, which I have seen in the rear of a 2001 F-550 cab/chassis. If you find a truck that was orriginally a dually, it should have a Dana 70 at least (pre-Sterling era)

 

Part of the problem with this truck is that I don't even think the owner knew what the hell it was. It was sold to me described as an F250 with an F350 suspension under the back because it was a flatbed. The guy said that very knowlegeably too - he's probably still congratulating himself!

It looks to me like somebody got their hands on a used flatbed, and slapped it on top of a used extended cab pickup. You can still see the box saddles under the bed floor. There is also a gooseneck mounting plate crossing the frame in the middle that looks like original factory work.

This thing has a twin I beam front end, and the back axle has a pair of beat up aluminum spacers incorrectly mounted on it (one of them was loose, I found that goof-up yesterday). If you mount the single wheels on the back without the spacer on it - the track is right in line with the front tires. And that looks really shakey under a much wider flatbed. DWD is not an option on this machine, it's a requirement. The more you look around the flatbed frame, the more old welds that were never ground flush can be found. They tell a story about the bed that you can read real easy if you know what you're looking at. Theo and I figure it used to be on a landscapers truck.

I'll be replacing the leaf springs with heavier ones too, eventually. Once I get home, I can see getting a parts truck just to do this ride up right. The heavier the donor truck the better.

ABS or RABS shouldn't affect the brakes if the rest of the system isn't on the truck or connected. It would just mean that I'd be doing a few smoking brake checks if I stuck my foot down to the floor. I've done that in a 65 pax bus and with 5 tons before. An ABS system is a tire saver, as well as a good thing to have on slippery going. If all the parts are available, I can build up one of those and I think it's a good thing to have.

I'd like this truck to turn out to be a suprise package. An old funky flatbed with max HP. Ungodly strong rear suspension, and a better one up front. Pull up a few planks on the bed - and it can haul a gooseneck trailer. But it will never be an off-road machine.

 

Greywolf,

If you get the 10.25 inch sterling it is the pre 98 srw rear and will bolt up the standard 8 lug wheels. The 10.5 is the newer superduty rear and and has the metric bolt pattern so watch out that you don't end up in the same mess. If you are going to use those wheels I would suggest getting that Dana 80 as it is designed (width) to have the duals on it.

If you decide on a sterling 10.xx rear look on the bottom line on the tag and the first 3 numbers (with or without the letter "L" between the first two) will be the ratio. The next 3 numbers will be either "10 5 or 10 2" which will tell you whether you are looking at the 10.5 or 10.25 inch axle respectively. The L between the first two numbers of the ratio denotes a factory limited slip.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks loads! That will be extremely helpful to know.