I want to put a 58' 2wd f250 body and bed onto a 59' f250 4x4 frame. I want to keep the 59' front end. Do I have to use the 58'front end if I use the 58' fenders? I don't like the round 58' turn signals. I want to keep the 59' square turn signals, grille and hood.

What probems will I run into?????????

Is it easier to swap driveline and suspension???????

Is this a bad idea? The 58' has a great body/sheet metal. I want 4 wheel drive.

 

sounds like that will be a fairly easy swap as the body mounting should be the same so it should just be a mater of switching the body over and you should be able to use whatever front end you want there practaly the same. i put my 59 f100 2wd cab on a 61 ford frame all i had to do was move the mounts and put an extra bushing in em

 

Get youself a couple of manual camper jacks (from a slide in camper) to lift the cab and bed with. Makes it a lot easier. I sat my body parts on steel milk crates between dismount and remount. Get some PB Blaster for the bolts. Best rust loosening agent I have found. The front fenders, grille, inner fenders and the rad. core support can all be removed as one piece once you pull the bumper. Keep both frames as rolling chassis so you can move them under the parts as you install. You will want to replace the wooden pads under the bed. If you have the time, it is a good time to clean the frame and drive train also. A pressure washer is good at this point. I see no major problems at all. Works better with two people doing this. I think the grilles have the same mounting also. Good luck.

 

To answer your question, yes, you need the '58 turn signals to go with the '58 fenders. Unless you do some sheet-metal surgery.
If you can avoid separating the grille from the fenders, leave them together. There's about a billion (give or take) bolts holding those together, and many of them go into captive nuts which break free from the clips holding them before letting the bolts unscrew. Which then means using Vise-grips, and drills and cut-off wheel and hacksaw to get them apart. In my experience, anyway.
Like AzPete said, the front clip comes off fairly easily in one piece. The hardest nuts will be the ones holding the fenders to the cab, but in a pinch you can reach those nuts with a drill or something. If they don't want to come loose, don't force them; cut or drill the nuts, to avoid busting the captive bolts off the fenders. Just the heat and vibration of drilling into a nut may help break it loose, even without cutting right through it. Use penetrating oil, and the pneumatic impact wrench (gently). Try ~tightening~ the nut or bolt first with the impact wrench (hey, if it can turn CCW it should be able to turn CW at least a little, right?). This trick works surprisingly often; it's really good for those rusted philips screws holding the tranny cover plate.

If you pressure-wash the frame clean enough, put some paint on as well. If it's rusty, get a sandblasting attachment for the pressure washer. This'd be a great time to replace the brake and fuel lines, too...