adding 4wheel drive need help
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New User
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Florida
adding 4wheel drive need help
I have an 86 F-250 2 wheel drive. I have done all this stuff to it such as 96 clip,bed, doors, lightning seats, int. and engine, a body lift, some Alcoa 16x10s with nice big Goodyers.....What I am getting at is I spent a lot of time building bsicly a new and pretty trick 3/4 ton. But now I must MAKE IT ABLE TO PULL ITSELF OUT OF HOLES AND SAVE ME SOME EMBARESMENT From what I saw I am going to have to use the leaf sping mounted straight axle. Is this going to just bolt right in? What else will I need? I have a brand new c6 in it and I herd I can just have a trany shop switch out the shaft and then it will acomadate the transfer case???? Are there more then one t case? Is there an easyer way to put in 4 wheel drive? What about using an IFS? And if so how could I keep the 8 lug hubs? Im trying to do this the easyest way possable. It looks like I am going to buy an old truck with a solid drive train... Any info would be great, Thanks tONY
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2003
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From: lino lakes, mn
buy a truck that came with it it is not a bolt in arrangement like adding power windows or a tape deck steering is different suspension is different both axles must have the same gear ratios tranny and transfer case mounts are different but most of all THE FRAMES ARE NOT THE SAME if your body is as nice as you claim buy a 4dx4 with a rusty body for cheap and put your good body onto the 4x4 frame
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New User
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Florida
Im not sure it would be any easyer to use a different chassis. I would also need to switch or give up the whole new braking system, possi unit, wheel bearings, shocks, HD leaf springs not to mention the bumpers and hitch are all bracketed and welded on since they are from the newer truck.
I am going to have to use this frame. I would think once the mounts for the leaf springs are welded or drilled and bolted into place and shock mounts stuck on, I would think the stearing components from the doner truck would do the job. And my rear end is a 373 as common as they get so it shouldnt be to hard to find a match. Or it wouldnt hurt to do a rear ring and pinion if I did get a 410 front or so.
I realizethis wont be easy, but it is what has to be done, I know someone has done it before, I was just hoping to avoid as many pittfalls as possable.
I am going to have to use this frame. I would think once the mounts for the leaf springs are welded or drilled and bolted into place and shock mounts stuck on, I would think the stearing components from the doner truck would do the job. And my rear end is a 373 as common as they get so it shouldnt be to hard to find a match. Or it wouldnt hurt to do a rear ring and pinion if I did get a 410 front or so.
I realizethis wont be easy, but it is what has to be done, I know someone has done it before, I was just hoping to avoid as many pittfalls as possable.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2003
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You can easliy bolt a pre-79 F150 Dana 44 under your truck and change the knuckles out to 8-lug. since they use coil springs it'll be much easier to bolt to your coil sprung 2wd front. If you want to go leaf sprung lots of fab work needed. Find a 86-97 F350 4x4 as a donner you'll get the bullet proof D60 frontend. plus m
have Tcase and matching rear gears to start with. You'll either find em geared in the 3.55 or 4.10 ratio's. If you don't plan to do any hard core offroading the pre-79 F150 Dana 44 with 8-lug swap should do ya fine.
have Tcase and matching rear gears to start with. You'll either find em geared in the 3.55 or 4.10 ratio's. If you don't plan to do any hard core offroading the pre-79 F150 Dana 44 with 8-lug swap should do ya fine.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,330
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From: Dryden, ON, Canada
Not a heck of alot of fab work needed to put a leaf spring setup from a 250 or 350 4wd in, you just need a truck to look at for refrence as to where to drill holes, etc. The framerails are the same between the 2wd and 4wd, you just need to add the spring hangars, shackle mount, swap the coil buckets for shock mounts, and bolt the rest of the mess in
It will be no harder than installing a solid 44.
As for the transmission, the tailshaft and tailhousing needs to be changed, IIRC, that means all the guts have to come out of the case...
You'll have to change the transmission crossmember for the 4wd unit too.
If you were to go with the TTB front end, you might run into an issue with the F250's shorter I-beams, but, with a solid axle, that will not be a worry.
Park your truck beside a 4wd F350, and start comparing.
To me, it's a simple swap, probably could have it done in a day in the shop other than fooling with the transmission. I'd expect maybe a weekend or two for the average DIY'er
It will be no harder than installing a solid 44.
As for the transmission, the tailshaft and tailhousing needs to be changed, IIRC, that means all the guts have to come out of the case...
You'll have to change the transmission crossmember for the 4wd unit too.
If you were to go with the TTB front end, you might run into an issue with the F250's shorter I-beams, but, with a solid axle, that will not be a worry.
Park your truck beside a 4wd F350, and start comparing.
To me, it's a simple swap, probably could have it done in a day in the shop other than fooling with the transmission. I'd expect maybe a weekend or two for the average DIY'er
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New User
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Florida
Thanks 82 you said all the right things. I just wanted to make sure there were no dead ends. And also I might now look for a doner truck with a good tranny as well. Thanks guys for the input.
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More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 508
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From: Easthampton, Ma.
The front frame rails are not the same between 2wd and 4wd!
Furthermore, they are more reinforced due to the leaf spring carries weight differently than a coil spring!
Take a good look at the way the front shackel mounts and then look at the same spot on your 2wd.
Let us know what you see.
Furthermore, they are more reinforced due to the leaf spring carries weight differently than a coil spring!
Take a good look at the way the front shackel mounts and then look at the same spot on your 2wd.
Let us know what you see.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,330
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From: Dryden, ON, Canada
The shackle hangar on the 4x4 is what does the re-enforcing. As for the dimple, anyone with half decent fabrication skills, torches, and a welder can work around that.
Heck, if you got a shackle reversal kit like www.offroadunlimited.com offers, it'll bolt right on. They even offer a complete 4x4 conversion bracket kit(looks like it incorperates the reversal)... Just need to add the D60, springs, and steering linkage...
I know this has been done by a few people over at ford-trucks.com and quite a few at pirate4x4.com(usually under the nose of Broncos)
Heck, if you got a shackle reversal kit like www.offroadunlimited.com offers, it'll bolt right on. They even offer a complete 4x4 conversion bracket kit(looks like it incorperates the reversal)... Just need to add the D60, springs, and steering linkage...
I know this has been done by a few people over at ford-trucks.com and quite a few at pirate4x4.com(usually under the nose of Broncos)
Last edited by 82F100SWB; Mar 21, 2004 at 07:27 PM.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,330
Likes: 17
From: Dryden, ON, Canada
I never said the shackle mount would bolt right in if you do a factory setup.
You have to notch the bottom of the frame for the shackle and deal with the lack of the dimple, but, it's not a major amount of fab work to accomplish, and, will be readily apparent when you start comparing the 2wd and a 4wd.
You have to notch the bottom of the frame for the shackle and deal with the lack of the dimple, but, it's not a major amount of fab work to accomplish, and, will be readily apparent when you start comparing the 2wd and a 4wd.
More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 508
Likes: 2
From: Easthampton, Ma.
I have 2 1983 F250 frames parked side by side in my lot. 1 is a 2wd, the other is a 4wd.
In compareing the differences between the 2, one will observe:
The shackle hanger on the 4x4 is not what does the reinforceing!
The reinforceing is accomplished by boxing the frame rails from the crossmember under the engine to the midway point under the radiator support bracket on both sides!
On the 2wd the boxing of the frame on the drivers side under the steering box stops approx. 4" shy of the 4wd's boxing.
On the passengers side boxing is non-existant!
This is due to the fact that a leaf spring carries the vehicles weight differently then a coil spring.
If one were to convert over to front leafs without reinforceing these frame rails, one could expect bent frame horns!
In compareing the differences between the 2, one will observe:
The shackle hanger on the 4x4 is not what does the reinforceing!
The reinforceing is accomplished by boxing the frame rails from the crossmember under the engine to the midway point under the radiator support bracket on both sides!
On the 2wd the boxing of the frame on the drivers side under the steering box stops approx. 4" shy of the 4wd's boxing.
On the passengers side boxing is non-existant!
This is due to the fact that a leaf spring carries the vehicles weight differently then a coil spring.
If one were to convert over to front leafs without reinforceing these frame rails, one could expect bent frame horns!
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,330
Likes: 17
From: Dryden, ON, Canada
Interesting... I don't recall my 86 having any such boxing...
Perhaps I should go look, that's not a part of a truck that I ever pay any attention to, the outside of the framerails look the same...
Hmm, drivers side looks no different than a F150(I don't have mine home to compare tho,) but, the pass side is boxed too...
Gee, I should go and look at my own junk before I start talking...
Looks to me like an additional crossemeber the same height as the frame could accomplish the same thing the boxing does...
Either way the swap is possible, wether you adapt the factory hardware, use a conversion kit, or use a F150 D44TTB(which should, in all rights, bolt right in) with chevy 8 lug parts...
Perhaps I should go look, that's not a part of a truck that I ever pay any attention to, the outside of the framerails look the same...
Hmm, drivers side looks no different than a F150(I don't have mine home to compare tho,) but, the pass side is boxed too...
Gee, I should go and look at my own junk before I start talking...
Looks to me like an additional crossemeber the same height as the frame could accomplish the same thing the boxing does...
Either way the swap is possible, wether you adapt the factory hardware, use a conversion kit, or use a F150 D44TTB(which should, in all rights, bolt right in) with chevy 8 lug parts...