i just wanted to know is there any one who has converted a 4x2 to a 4x4 and how hard it was. I have a 88 f250 that I would like to convert in to a 4x4.

 

This question comes up often in the 'Offroad' forum. Might want to check it out there.

 

CBR, Please use the classified section of our website.

 

Edited by FTE

 

If you don't like it, sell it and buy what you want.

 

well first off its not a matter of not liking what i have. I just wanted to know if it was something that could be done and how much. the truck i have is good and just wish I got a 4x4 but when you pay about 1/3 what the truck is worth and has a low milage crate motor and a beefed up suspension. so if I where to put a little more money in to that would be fine by me.

 

alot of work !!!! Buy a F250 4x4 with no motor and swap you crate engine into it.
I had a 89 F150 2wd ,it got stuck in the sadn at Pismo beach one time and I thought I need a 4wd . After reading may post (in the offroad fourm) I conluded it wasb=nt worth it. I bought my 92 F250 4x4 and sold my 89 to off set the cost.

 

Actually, It's not that hard. I just did this conversion last spring and had no problems. You can't tell the truck didn't come from the factory 4wd right down to the 4x4 emblem on the front. The guys are right, It would be a lot easier to just sell your truck and buy a 4wd. Check out the teck article on this subject on this forum, also there are a bunch of posts on this subject if you search.
I would recommend getting a donor truck with all of the parts you need ie. tranny, transfer case, ttb, drive shafts, and rear end (unless the donor has the same ratio you have now). There is not cutting or welding involved, everthing bolts up. I did it in my driveway with hand tools and jack stands. If you have any more questions, I would be glad to tell you what I learned.

 

Oh, one more thing, don't cut the speedometer cable from the 4wd donor like I did. The 2wd cable will be too short as I learned the hard way.

 

Has anyone done the opposite, convert a 4x4 into a 4x2. I'm considering doing that, because my truck is carrying an extra 300 pounds of weight from the transfer case, front drive shaft, and front axle, and I never use the 4 wheel drive.

 

is there some one or site that has the run down of every thing I would need to do it. If any one would like to give me their step by step on how they did it that would be great just email me. sac1000rr@comcast.net.

 

Go to the top of this page and click "tech articles" on the right side of the page. Then go to transmission/axle page. It is listed in there and it give a good rundown of the steps. As far as converting from 4wd to 2wd, that could be done relatively easy. Just get the twin I-beam, tranny, and drive shaft from a 2wd and reverse the process. You shouldn't have any problem selling your 4wd parts to cover any cost. As a matter of fact, you guys could just swap parts and both get what you want.

 

Frames are different from one to the next. 4x4's tend to have different and/or extra cross members required for more frame rigidity,and they are mounted in different places than on a 2wd. This may not hold true for all trucks, but it is the general average. I've seen this post in many different mechanical forums, and while the conversion can be done(nothing is impossible) the easiest way is to just buy a 4x4 or a 4x2, depending on what you want.

If it were me, I'd look at taking the 4x2 and turning it into a pre-runner style truck. Lift kit, bigger tires, limited slip, posi, or air locker rear end(skip the detroit locker unless you only use the truck for a toy) One thing about 2wd trucks, as Ivan Stewart has proved many times in the Baja races...they can and do perform well in the off-road sector, providing the right mods are made. Up to you in the long run, but it will be cheaper and easier to just buy another truck, even if you swap engines, and sell the 2wd to recoup the costs.

 

I agree that it would be better to just buy a 4wd. However, the frames are the same. All of the holes that you would need to bolt on the 4wd parts are already there. At least on the model involved. My 2wd was a 89' f-150 and I got an 88' f-150 4wd as a donor. The frames are exactly the same. Ford did this as a cost saving measure. The only differance is the transmission crossmember which can be obtained from the donor truck and will bolt up to the 2wd, and the rear leaf springs, which are 2 3/4" wide on the 2wd and 3" wide on the 4wd. The rear end would not need to be changed unless you were thinking of a lift kit later on. The stearing and everything else is the same. The front brake calipers are even the same. When I did mine I didn't even remove the lines to the calipers. I just hung them until they were ready to be bolted to the new ttb front end.
As RR4E said, it would be easier to buy a 4wd, but there are reasons folks may want to convert. In my case, the truck was given to me by my Brother, so I didn't want to sell it, however I needed a 4wd. Thats why I did the conversion, and like I said It has worked out well.
In order to do this conversion correctly, there are several steps involved and the first one is to determine if you really want to do it or not. Gather all information you can from this website and a Chiltons/Haynes manual and go from there.

 

My best friend is having this same dilema with his truck. Its an 89 F250, 4x2, that he's lifted 4", 33's, had it completely repainted Chrysler's Patriot blue, redid the interior with bucket seats, new carpeting, and added accessories to the exterior.This truck is gorgious, the best looking 87-91 style pickup I've ever seen. His only want now is to make it 4x4 so he can drive it with more confidence here in the new england winter. We plan on just purchasing a junkyard truck of the same year, or a salvaged truck, and just bolting on the tranny/transfer case, driveshafts, front 4x4 axles/components, rear end, etc. and it should be all bolt on. In his case, he will never sell his truck and its worth keeping and doing the swap rather than selling for a 4x4. I think it can be done cheap if you are smart about your purchase. You can always find parts trucks for a couple hundred bucks and then junk them when your done.