How hard would this be. I have been running the idea thru my head and was thinking about changing my 94 ford f-150 4x2 to a 4x4. there's a couple different ways I can go around this. I can buy all the parts new? I can buy a parts 4x4 and switch it over or rebuild the parts 4x4 truck with my 4x2 truck. Is this a stupid idea? should I just sell my truck and buy a 4x4? If anybody knows you guys on here do, when you get your truck you don't want to part with it and you just want to upgrade and improve it.

Thx for your interest hope to hear from you.
CMcDonald

 

if it was me i would just sell the thing...there's alot of stuff you'd have to change...there's alot of money that you can burn doing something like this...transfer case...driveshaft...axle and steering...i'm pretty sure you have to change the power steering box too...in my opinion i think it would be best to just jack that truck up and put a 4wd under it
matt

 

Use the search.I know I was reading that swap on here. Honest. The way it was written out it did not sound or look hard,It was an unbolt and swap in thing.

 

i don't know...i personally wouldn't mess with it...but it would be something cool to do...that would be something to talk about. heck you would also know what's going into it...you could make it straight axle...that would be something different.

 

all of the parts you would need are at a junkyard and it would not be that difficult to do,weve done it to a few trucks.it depends on your experiance and what you want to spend.you will need a dana 44 ttb,radius arms,front and rear drivelines,tunnel cover with t-case hole,trans and t-case w/shifter,crossmember,and about 20-40 hours to do it.when you get the front end make sure the gearing is the same as the rear you have now unless you plan on re-gearing for larger tires.the steering box and tie rods will work with the ttb front end.the issue still stands as to wanting to change all of these parts or get a for sale sign.if you had the money you could get everything rebuilt and as time went by you could put it on when you were ready.good luck i hope this helped.

 

Having just completed my second one of these swaps, I agree with all the above, except for the tunnel cover with T-case hole. I just measured where the shifter would come through the floor and cut the hole for mine and bought an $8 rubber boot with chrome trim from Autozone to cover it.

This swap is so straight-forward it's painfully easy. In my experience, Ford frames are interchangable between 2wd and 4wd from 80-96. Even the holes in the frame for the 4wd transmission crossmember are already drilled from the factory.

I completed my 4wd conversion on my 1988 F-150 Extended Cab 2wd in three days. I bought a rolling chasis 1981 F-150 complete with drivetrain minus the engine and body for $115. From it, I used the Dana 44 TTB front end and coil springs, the Ford 9 inch rear end (both with 3:08 gears), the C-6 transmission and shift linkage, the NP 208 transfer case with shifter, and the tranny crossmember. And although I have the rear leaf springs off the 81, I didn't use them because you don't have to. Your stock leafs work fine and I used a set of 3 inch lift blocks ($27 at Autozone) to raise the rear end up a little on mine (my 88 truck didn't have factory lift blocks in the 8.8 rear end.

As far as fabrication or other required parts go, the only things that were NOT bolt ins on mine or had to be bought are as follows:
My 2wd tranny was a 4 speed automatic (AOD) which used a cable from the EFI throttle body to activate the throttle kickdown lever. The C-6 auto that I put in uses a steel rod from a carburator to activate the throttle kickdown lever. So I used the stock c-6 shift linkage for the shifter (which is a bolt in) and modified a part of the AOD shift linkage (the part that the throttle kick down cable is held by on the AOD) and mounted it to work with the c-6 kickdown lever, which I simply unbolted and rotated 180 degrees since it needed to be pulled up by a cable instead of being pushed down by a rod.

The rear driveshaft obviously has to be shorter since your tranny and transfer case setup in a 4wd is longer than just a tranny alone in a 2wd. This is accomplised in one of two ways. The easier of the two is to find the correct length drive shaft from a junkyard for this setup (meaning if you have a long bed extended cab 2wd, you'll need the rear drive shaft from a long bed extended cab 4wd). I went the second route and shortened my driveshaft to the correct length (which is time consuming and should only be done if you know the correct way to do it). Your front driveshaft should be a bolt in.

Lastly, the speedometer cable will have to be longer (in some cases) and can be bought at most part stores. And you'll also be able to put the bulb in the dash to light up the "4X4" indicator, which is generally a simple wire-in modification.

I know this may sound like a lot, but trust me, it's not as bad as some people believe it to be. If you have the time and patience, you CAN do it. I find it hard to believe that the first thing so many people say when asked about this conversion is "sell it and buy a 4wd." I have two problems with that. First of all, this web site is here so people can learn, share ideas and share a common interest in their Fords! And secondly, I assume since you asked about the conversion, that you actually want to do it, not to be talked OUT of doing it. My opinion is don't listen to the nay-sayers and just do what YOU want to do. And if you need a hand along the way, I know I'll be here to help you if you need it!

Good luck!!

 

I already have a 99 xlt 7.3psd, 4x4 6spd reg cab,long box, witch I love very much! But I am a gear head & I love the idea of owning a 90's f-250/350. I have been looking for a diamond in the ruff (cheap driven to the ground) to fix up for fun. So I am with you! These trucks are awsome when they are lifted a little,hood scoop, 20" crome rims,clean simple paint job etc.

 

Thx guys/girls for all the imput, it was what I was looking for. I will be working this winter on getting the supplies and will wait until the summer warm weather to work on this project, a cold beer always tastes better as well. Thx joe_m, quadrazer will ttyl.

 

My $.02, it depends on if the 2wd truck is in good shape and your skills. But if it is a heap don't bother unless you have an extremely cheap donor, all the tools and a lot of time on your hands. I thought about doing this on my '91 that had been beat to crap because supercab 8' box is a hard combination to find, but it just wasn't worth it because half of it had already turned to rust and it had other major issues that were stupid to throw money away on. I found a much nicer '95 that already had 4x4. But if the '91 was nice I would have tried it.

 

storm, where are you at? if you do a search in the 4x4 forum on this site, the subject has been beat to death and back, lots of info for you

 

I'm in New Brunswick Canada, I have been reading on here for the last 2 days and there seems to be alot of info.

The truck is in awesome shape, bought it from my great uncle which never drove it and took very good care of it. I think what will happen is I will buy another vehicle and have this truck as a work project.

Thx gatesj and chrono4