Is there any way to swap the axles from an early 80s 4x4 F150 to work under a 1970 F100 4x4 ?

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 13-Oct-02 AT 08:55 PM (EST)]The early 80's setup on these half tons are an independent front suspension (IFS) deal. I guess anything could be done that you really wanted to do. It would take a lot of fabricating in this situation, though. There's a huge cross member on the 80's models that is under the motor. All of the IFS workings bolt onto it. YOu would have to fab one of these into the 70 f100 4x4 which has no such crossmember. My opinion is that it wouldn't be worth it. The coil sprung front axle on your 70 f100 gives a decent ride for a truck with a solid axle. The solid Dana 44 is a much nicer setup. The IFS of the 80's is famous for it's alignment problems anytime you give it a good beating off road. Get a newer axle off of a 78,79 f150 or bronco. You'll have disc brakes and a better knuckle design on the outers.

The rear axle swap would just consist of relocating the spring pads a little closer together.

Good luck.

 

Having removed a front IFS/TTB 4x4 axle from my 1985 fullsized Bronco I can tell you that it is a bear to remove and you have to have a torch to burn off some of those rivets. Making it fit a 1971 would take a lot of work and be a step down from a solid front axle imo. I do not know about exact weight, but, I bet it weighs a lot more than a solid front axle too!