I am toying with the idea of turning my 79 F150 into a 4WD. Understanding that it would be easier to find a wrecked truck and bolt my body to it. And I need to change my transmission (or at least the outputshaft), get a transfer case, etc........

What are the pitfalls as far as setting up the front suspension?

 

ohms : You have it right . Find a wreck 4X4 and put your body is the easy way
or put the whole suspension and drive line from one under your frame .

You also have to take the radius arm mounts off the old one this route and mount them on your frame .

 

Use the 4wd frame. It will be a lot easier. That being said, no option will be cheap. If you do use your frame, the front has to be modified to use a 4x4 steering box, crossmember modified to clear the diff, and the coil spring mounts changed. I would try and find a 4x4 tranny, too, as it will probably be cheaper than converting. Ted

 

Has anyone on the FTE site done this change, I recently purchased a 70 F 250 crewcab and would like to make it 4x4, BUT finding a 4x4 frame for this one is virtually impossible. If you guys could help that would be great!

 

I just got a T18 (short output shaft = 4WD with a non "divorced" transfer case.....yes?) that I am trying to get a two piece driveshaft for (the 3 speed I pulled had a tailshaft so my driveshaft is now too short). I noticed my front frame rails have holes already drilled from the factory that look suspeciously like good mount points for leaf springs (solid front axle).

I assume a solid front axle would be easier (ha like easy has anything to do with this) then an IFS setup.

First however, I need to get my truck running again as a 2WD. Hopefully I can figure out which drive shaft I need now that my transmission is shorter than the original (the T18 came from a shortbed 2WD so that driveshaft will not work for my long bed), and where the carrier bearing should mount.......Unless anyone knows where I can get a one piece driveshaft that's about 80" long with a slip joint in the middle. If not can anyone tell me where the carrier bearing from a 2 piece drive shaft would mount considerring my truck never had one?

In any case....the 4WD conversion is something I may toy with in the future, but please keep the comments coming.

(don't tell anyone but this is the first Ford I have ever owned)

 

68, I have done the swap, and in the end it was easier to use a 4x4 frame. However, if you are a proficient welder, or know someone who is willing to weld for hours for free, then you could do it by mimicking a 4x4 frame's mount points. I wanted as little custom stuff as possible, so I combined about 15 years of trucks of different types to get what I wanted. It works, is about 98% factory ford stuff, but took forever. I liked the coil spring ride, so I used F150 front axle and suspension parts to keep that ride. If you want to do leaves, you will probably have a little easier time of it.
Ohms, I am not totally sure of what you are asking, but I have a 2wd longbed reg cab driveshaft, but it was bolted to the back of a longshaft T18. You are saying that you don't have the crossmember mount for the carrier bearing? Please describe your truck more. Reg cab, long bed, supercab... would be helpful. Ted

 

I have a 1979 F150 2wd longbed standard cab. The original tranny was a 3.03 3 speed with a long output shaft (tail shaft housing.....its late, just got home....proper term is slipping my mind), 1 piece driveshaft with a slip joint to the transmission.

I now have a T18 with a short output shaft, with the driveshaft yoke bolted to the output shaft.

My "new" transmission is shorter overall, so I can't use the driveshaft I had (also a 1 piece with no slip joint would be terrible). I pulled the T18 from a shortbed truck, so I can't use the one that was with it. I need to either trade my T18 for one with a long output shaft and tail house or setup my truck for a 2 piece dive shaft (unless you know where I can get an 80" driveshaft with a built in slip joint). Would prefer to go with a 2 piece driveshaft.

All of the 70's Ford trucks in the local salvage yard have been stripped, so I have nothing to compare to when looking for the proper location for the carrier bearing. The 80's trucks use a mount that doesn't look like it would just bolt in anywhere on my truck. I was given the front section of a two piece for measurement purposes, but it doesn't lineup with my crossmember. So....I guess what I need to know is where should the carrier bearing mount on my truck.....if I can mount it to my truck (the holes need to already be there, I am not ready to try and work driveline angles from scratch).

There is a crossmember behind my transmission, about 6" in front of the back of the cab. It has several holes drilled in it, they look like a logical place to mount the center support / carrier bearing. Once someone can tell me exactly where it would have been mounted, if my truck had one from the factory, the rest will be easy - front shaft x inches, rear shaft x inches, whole thing to the driveline shop for ballancing.

My appologies for rambling....I work a 12hr shift, it's hard to keep a straight mind. Any thoughts or ideas are most welcome...I'll listen if you type...or vise versa.

The 4wd thing was just a thought, and it appears not a good one. Had no idea welding would be involved. I figured Ford made 1/2 ton frames short or long and bolted whatever was needed to it.

 

Ted: I don't have a choice on a 4x4 frame, I've been collecting 67-72 Fords for over 20 years and I've never seen a 4x4 crewcab or even a frame. I have seen a few on the internet. I now have had 2 F350 crewcabs and 3 F250 crewcabs, never a 4x4. I have many other Fords and would like to stick with the ride quality of the front coils. Did you use a 79 Dana 44 coil (Bronco/F150) front diff? I've seen guys put an 8bolt conversion on these but not sure what I need, I may have the parts I need already. Did you use the coil spring mounts and track bar/brachet off same, box frame rails etc. Photos?

I am a decent welder and have access to a 230amp mig welder. Not afraid of big projects if they will work in the end.

 

I used a 77 F150 dana 44. They supposedly have thicker axle tubes and they are one piece, unlike the 78-79s that had some goofy sleeve over the tube ends. I converted it to 8 lug using 79 F250 parts. People will tell you that you need the knuckles out. You only need the spindles out. The actual hubs for the 150 and 250 are the same, so if you get a good one with working lockout hubs, then you can save a few bucks. As far as my actual frame conversion, I was going to chop the front out of my 150 parts truck and adapt all the pieces after I ground them out of the framerails. In the end, I just used the entire 150 frame. According to my shop manuals, the frames are made out of the same strength steel, so I didn't really compromise anything there. I took my 250 rear leaves and rear axle, did the body and brake swap, and many dollars later, here I am with a coil sprung 250. For you, I would suggest finding an F150 to take as many measurements as possible. Then I would fab a new crossmember, chop the old one down, and box the frame as necessary. Have fun, and good luck!Ted