68 Napco conversion
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Junior User
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From: Bishop, CA
68 Napco conversion
Saw an ad for a 68 F350 4x4 for sale and when I called was told it's a Napco conversion built for a utility company. It's a flat bed dually. going to see it this weekend.
Did Napco use Dana 60 front axles in their 3/4 ton and up trucks?
What transfer case did they use?
What is the ballpark value of it with no engine and a fairly straight cab, if it really is a Napco?
Thanks,
Greg
Did Napco use Dana 60 front axles in their 3/4 ton and up trucks?
What transfer case did they use?
What is the ballpark value of it with no engine and a fairly straight cab, if it really is a Napco?
Thanks,
Greg
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Originally Posted by Broncodawg
Saw an ad for a 68 F350 4x4 for sale and when I called was told it's a Napco conversion built for a utility company. It's a flat bed dually. going to see it this weekend.
Did Napco use Dana 60 front axles in their 3/4 ton and up trucks?
What transfer case did they use?
What is the ballpark value of it with no engine and a fairly straight cab, if it really is a Napco?
Thanks,
Greg
Did Napco use Dana 60 front axles in their 3/4 ton and up trucks?
What transfer case did they use?
What is the ballpark value of it with no engine and a fairly straight cab, if it really is a Napco?
Thanks,
Greg
A truck with no engine is worth $200-600.00 IMHO
John
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,574
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From: Golden, CO
Try posting in the Offroad and 4x4 forum.
Even if they can't tell you what components NAPCO used, they can help ID them once you have a look.
Pics would be awesome, but that's just because I'm a gearhead. LOL
Even if they can't tell you what components NAPCO used, they can help ID them once you have a look.
Pics would be awesome, but that's just because I'm a gearhead. LOL
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
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From: The Big, Oregon
I think it was a right-hand side differential, and a Dana T-case. I'm not a big fan of conversion 4x4s, but some people are. If it's decent, and you can drop a factory correct engine in it, then you could probably sell it for some serious money. That late of a conversion would be rare.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 964
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From: Roseburg, OR
There's a '69 Napco F-350 in the Gallery right now. That is a stout looking SOB. Just because it's a 1-ton with 4x4 running gear, I would jump all over that. Unless it's rusted beyond salvage, or it's a project you couldn't undertake, it would be great to just have the chassis. 
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Junior User
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From: Bishop, CA
Truck is a Napco, tags on the fenders, but it is rough and homemade flat bed is trash. Every body part is dented up.
Front axle is passenger side like ford six posted, but it isn't a D 60.
Diff cover is round. I passed on it as I'm just looking for a D 60 for a project, but next guy grabbed it for the chassis.
Greg
Front axle is passenger side like ford six posted, but it isn't a D 60.
Diff cover is round. I passed on it as I'm just looking for a D 60 for a project, but next guy grabbed it for the chassis.
Greg
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Anyone have the time to splain what a Napco is. Seems some of you have seen one while others of us are less fortunate.
John
John
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: Roseburg, OR
I don't know that much, but they did 4wd conversions on Ford and Chevy trucks. NAPCO stands for North West Auto Parts Company and they were based out of Minnesota. Here's a good link I just dug up:
http://www.napco4x4.org/
http://www.napco4x4.org/
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From: Bishop, CA
Marmon-Herrington and Napco are/were companies that did 4x4 and 6x6 conversions of trucks prior to Detroit building their own.
Ford built its first F100 4x4 in '59, but didn't build its first 3/4 ton 4x4 for a few more years. Napco and M-H filled the gap doing 3/4 ton trucks and larger. Alot of the big utility company trucks were built by them for years.
That's the extent of my knowledge on the subject, so going to check out the web site posted earlier.
Greg
Ford built its first F100 4x4 in '59, but didn't build its first 3/4 ton 4x4 for a few more years. Napco and M-H filled the gap doing 3/4 ton trucks and larger. Alot of the big utility company trucks were built by them for years.
That's the extent of my knowledge on the subject, so going to check out the web site posted earlier.
Greg
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Spending all of my life in NC splains why I haven't heard of it before. I have seen some M-H trucks.
I suspect they may have been part of the military supply line from back in the WW2 era. The military wants hard to break parts.
John
I suspect they may have been part of the military supply line from back in the WW2 era. The military wants hard to break parts.
John
Post Fiend
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From: Grants Pass, Oregon
Marmon-Herrington was best known for its Ford conversions,while Napco had a similar relationship with GMC/Chevy....From what ive read,however,MH would convert a GM,and Napco obviously did some Fords. Among the big name brands,Dodge and Jeep had there "in -house" 4 wds first,starting in the 40's,IH around 1956 or so, MH and Napco built 4wds for Ford and GM until they caught up,and started producing there own,59 for Ford,58 for GM....Im not counting some of the strictly military 4x4's,and im not 100 percent positive on years,but im in the ball park. As far as the F350 4x4 front axle goes,it very likely is the big Eaton axle that Chevy used on the rear of some 3/4-1 ton trucks in the 60's-early 70's,modified by Napco into a steering axle. If you look at Chevies from this time frame and compare them with GMC's,most GMC 3/4 tons use a dana 60 rear,while a lot of Chevies use the eaton. The eaton has a rep. for being virtually indestructible,poss. stronger than the D60,but parts are more diff. to obtain.
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