I was thinking of upgrading my 1980 F-100, 302, two wheel drive truck to a four wheel drive. I'm going to be pulling my engine to do a cam/roller rocker upgrade and thought it would be a good time to look at upgrading to four wheel drive. My buddy thinks it would be fairly easy to buy an 80-86 F-250 4X4 in bad shape and strip it for the running gear and frame, and then toss my nicer engine and body in there. Does this sound like a tonne of work, i was figuring that it would be about 4 days work for the two of us. Are there any other easier options? besides buying a 4x4 in decent shape, cause that would just be too easy.

 

I thought there was a post a while back that said something about the 2 wd frames were two flexible or something....

 

A body swap is fairly simple, but, going to an F250 chassis is goint go get you nothing but a stiff ride, and a front end with no suspension travel. By swapping the bodies, you gon't gain any GVWR even though you have the heavier chassis, and, it'd be alot simpler to just bolt a F150 4x4 front axle into your F100.

 

It will be an easy swap as long as you are doing gas engine to gas engine and your trannies are the same (auto for auto, standard for standard). You will be able to haul more because you WILL have the F250 springs and running gear. Try to get the title for the donor truck, the VIN tag off of the dash and the sticker off of the door pillar. Then you can title your truck as the F250 that it will be and all of your VIN numbers will match (frame, body etc.). I am not sure how you could swap the door pillar stickers without ruining them. Anybody done this?

 

In pa, you can't do that, unless you get a reconstructed or modified title. a big pain in the @%$

I'd find one with a decent cab and swap your junk into it.

 

If you're not worried about heavy hauling it would be easier to swap in an F150 front drive axle right into your 2WD frame, and change the rear suspension from the hangers down. The front axle pivots will bolt in right where your I-beams come out. The rear 4WD springs are wider than the 2WD springs, which makes it necessary to swap hangers and springs. The front 4WD coils are not the same either, but that's an easy switch. I might be biased in telling you to go this way...I have an F250 4x4 (1979) with a 302 in and the word gutless comes to mind...and if ya happen to be in the PA area I know where ya can get all that stuff ; )

 

I was talking this over with a buddy of mine and he claims that if i put the four wheel drive front axle in my two wheel drive frame that i'm going to end up messing up my frame due to the greater amount of force i'm putting it through. I'm not planning on doing any crazy intense four wheelin', atleast not all the time. So basically that was the only reason i was even thinking about using a more robust frame. Is putting in the axle actually going to destroy my frame or is my buddy out to lunch?

 

Your buddy is out to lunch, the 2wd and 4wd frame are one and the same, just have a different front end bolted to them.

 

Bremen, I am curious what scenario would take place in Pa. if your truck body was rotted out but the rest of the truck was in good shape. Say you wanted to change your rotten body out to a new or used one. What would you do? Would you have to modify your title just to replace the rotted sheet metal? That doesn`t sound right or make sense to me, of course, I`m not from Pa. and I realize, laws are different for different states. What do they do at the body shops around there when someone wrecks a car or truck body to the point that it is not fixable (bondo) but they haven`t damaged the rest of the vehicle (frame and running gear) to the point of the insurance co. totaling it out? Say some construction material gets dropped on the roof. I realize that is a little far fetched, but I`m just curious since you say it can`t be done up there. I have a 1979 K30 that the body was shot (rotted) and I am doing just that, putting a body off of a C10 in its place. I guess I need to check my state laws before I get too far huh? See ya.

 

well, the problem is that no one really knows. If you call the state, the one guy in the special vehicle dept told me to just switch the VIN plate. After thinking about that, you could get into some BIG trouble doing that, but then again, who cares if a 1984 truck thats worth $500 is stolen or looks stolen.

I looked at PAs MV-426a (Reconstructed titles etc), and it says a truck that has been totalled (aka the roof scenario you mentioned) has to be titled as reconstructed, and you have to list all the materials (and receipts) and other vehicles you took major parts from (aka cabs motors frames blah blah blah). The other scenario, swapping the cab, you have to file a modified vehicle form saying what you did.

Basically, they have you jumping thru hoops for a $1000 beater truck that you legally (I hope) obtained the parts for.

I know a lot of people just swap the swap, and just title the new cab. You can do that, but now in PA, you have to have a 'complete working' emissions system or you have to swap in a new motor (which also has to have all emissions functioning), which makes it seem a lot easier just to start welding in patch panels into your cab and keep it factory.

The truck in my avatar has an 84 f-150 cab with 85 f-250 running gear/powertrain. After all the new emission laws, I'm going to have to repair the old 85 cab and swap it back on. I know, its a lot of BS, but at least I don't have to have a CAT (heavy duty trucks in 85 do not require cats). Plus all the numbers will match, so I won't get arrested if I get pulled over for 37" tires and the cop is smart enough to realizes somethings have been swapped. Not illegal, but it is easier not to give yourself undo attention !

 

There are title companies on the internet that can get titles for cars for around 200 bucks. I am doing it right now.

 

Sounds like the states have figured out a way they can get more money out of us po folks. I hear you on the cats. I run older model vehicles by choice also. What they are really trying to do is get us to scrap our old vehicles. Not happening on my end.

 

Just curious, what's the address of the company that gives out titles? I'd like to check it out.

 

www.broadwaytitle.com. Call them and they will send you paperwork in two or three days. Fill it out, have it notorized, send it back and 7 to 10 days you will have paperwork to get a title in your state. they can not do titles if you live in Ohio,Alaska,Minnesota, Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas, Nevada, Delaware or Hawaii.

 

That is cool.. but they don't do salvage or reconstructed vehicles.. bummer