I had a little mishap Tuesday night with my F-150. The end result was this:










my truck is an '83 F-150. I can get my hands on an '85 F-250 complete truck to use for parts to fix mine. I really like my truck and would like to fix it, but I have one frustrating problem. The frame flexes like wet noodles. Climb over any decent sized hills in rough treacherous terrain or go underwater and fall into some deep ruts and the clutch won't release. Pedal goes to floor and clutch doesn't release. To combat this I adjsuted the clutch so it's all the way at the top of the pedal, so when it flexes real bad now the clutch at least partially releases when rpessed to the floor. Driving without the clutch is no problem on the road, but when wheelin' you just need the clutch sometimes. Thankfully in 4lo granny gear I can get the truck moving without the clutch, which has saved me a few times. Try shifting clutchless when climbing a rough 70* incline and trying to keep the revs up enough so the truck doesn't stall!

Anyhow, I'm thinking that maybe instead of putting the F-250 cab on my frame (the cabs do interchange, right?) I ought to make use of the F-250 frame, if it is beefier than the F-150 frame under my truck. What are the differences between an '83 F-150 and '85 F-250. Also, does the 250 have a solid front axle? I would love to get rid of the TTB system. Everyone says it's very weak but I've beat the snot out of it. Countless ***** to the wall jumps through midair and hard landings. Tons of WOT mud runs too. It's proven beefy but I do prefer a solid axle for off roading.

Well thanks in advance for any information you guys can offer.

 

F-250 frames are stronger than an F-150's frame so it won't flex as much as your old frame. The cabs do interchange, (the only thing that makes an F-150 different from an F-250 is the frame and running gear, not the cabs).
Unfortunately, F-250's have either a Dana 44HD or a Dana 50 TTB front end. If the donor truck is a regular duty F-250, it'll have the Dana 44HD. If it's a heavy duty model, it'll have a Dana 50. If you want a straight axle for your truck, look at a 86-96 F-350. I've heard it's an easy swap to do.

 

Thanks for the information. Got some more info on the F-250. It's complete, minus the bed. Has a 351 but does not run. Not sure waht type of tranny. I think I may just put my engine in the 250, and my trans too if it's an automatic in the 250 now. Throw my tires on it and any other parts it needs and just drive it. Hopefully my stepside bed will fit on the 250 frame, but I ahve a feeling it won't. If it doesn't it's not too big a deal, I'll just get a bed from a yard. Guy is giving me the 250 for the same price he paid for it as he feels bad for me and also lost his storage for the truck.

 

The 250 is most likely a 8' bed, so your box won't be right on it, you'll end up with a gap between the cab and the box... The only way to make it work is hack the frame. From how you describe your use and abuse of your truck, this doesn't sound like too good of an idea.

 

Yeah, in that case I think I'll end up getting a bed at a junkyard. If the truck doesn't already have dual tanks I'll get that whole setup too. I like having a crapload of gas with me, you never know when you'll need it. This little F-150 only has a 16 gallon tank. A little unnerving on those full-day wheelin' trips.

 

You can probably sell your bed for enough to buy the other with... every so often someone is looking for one like that. Sucks to lose a truck that way, but kind of sounds like it's day was coming...