I am making the conversion from being a Chevy man back to the blue oval (never should have left) I have a 1989 F-150 2wd that I just bought. The body is nice, problem is, I need a 4wd. I read on here that it was possible to change the front axle on a 2wd and bolt one on from a 4wd. Is this true? Has anyone done it that can offer some pointers?

 

Might want to try the suspension forum. The front of the 2wd is the same as the 4wd.If you have a donor vehicle, it's a lot easier.The ttb changes out. Trans and transfercase go in. Get correct driveshafts. Cut hole in floor for shifter. Rear spring perches are different and springs are smaller but all can be made to work.

 

Sorry, didn't see the suspension forums. What is a ttb?

 

that is fords, sorta wanna be independant suspension. works good though. i think it was fords first try at an independant suspension. think of it as a solid axle that one side is a solid axle type, the other side is different. in english, fords frront axle for lighter duty trucks

 

Just out of curiosity why would you have to mess with the rear axle if your going to 4WD all the works up front?What does it matter if rear springs are smaller and perches different?

 

You don't have to change anything. It will sit lower than a factory 4wd, so you'll probably have to run bigger blocks or bigger springs.

 

It stands for Twin Traction Beam.

 

We missed the bigger point to the post another convert. Welcome back to the Blue Oval flock.

Chris

 

Thanks for the welcome and the info. What do I need to do to the transmission to make a transfer case work? Also, if I find a donor vehicle, does it need to have the same transmission as mine, or are they interchangable?

 

What trans do you have?It's a whole lot easier to do with a donor vehicle.I'm not a manual trans person. If its automatic(AOD) you need to have someone tear the whole trans apart to change the output shaft.That part alone is over $100. If you find a donor e4od, there is way too much to change-not even an option.Try to find the exact same transmission that you already have,there are plenty out there.

 

I have a manual 3 speed. i think it's a borg warner t-18 but I am not sure. This is the only three speed manual that is listed in my chilton's guide. So i will need to find a truck with the same transmission to make it work? If so, did they put this same transmission behind a v-8? If the bolt patterns for the v-8 and 300 6 cyl. are the same it should make finding a donor vehicle easier to find.

 

Well here is some backround info.

The 2wd front suspension you have now, is called the I-beam suspension...the 4wd version is TTB (twin traction beam). The suspensions work exactly the same, the only functional difference is that the 4wd has a differential and axle shafts running through the middle. They both use the same bracketry on the crossmember. You can litterally swap a TTB into a 2wd just by simply bolting it in. You can visit a junk yard and get one. Try to get one complete from hub to hub with the radius arms (4wd radus arms are different). You might want to change the u-joints while it's out of the truck. Also, if you want to do a gear change or add a limited slip or locker now is the time. So you can bolt that TTB into your truck, and drive it around until you get the TC and tranny setup the way you want. If you wanted, you could do a tranny swap to something better (with OD) if you wanted, and add in the BW 13-56 tranny. You'd need to either shorten your driveshaft or get one from a 4wd w/ the same wheelbase. Another thing is that you don't even have to cut a hole in the floor. Ford just silicones in a plate to cover the shifter hole on a 4wd, so just punch out the plate. Also, the wiring is there so that you can plug in the TC and get the 4wd hi/low range lights on the dash to work like factory. I hope that starts you in the right direction

 

Welcome back to the blue oval!!

Concerning your conversion, it has been discussed on many different forum topics here & has been accomplished.
I have'nt seen anyone post the link to the tech article about it, so I guess I will.
It makes for great reading & give you some idea about where to start & what you will need.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/articles...conversion.php

 

just a thought... add up the costs and compare them to buying a decent factory 4x4 of the same vintage. two fords are better than one. i do not mean to discourage you in any way. just a thought.

 

If you know what you're doing (no labor charges for install) than most often it's cheaper..or similar price to buy a 2wd and convert it over just buying a 4wd. Do some searches on the website for "2wd to 4wd conversion" and any combo of saying those words "like 4x2 to 4x4" or "2wd to 4wd conv"...stuff like that. Theres threads like that in the other forums too.