Dual Conversion... the right way!
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,138
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From: Yuba City, Ca
Dual Conversion... the right way!
alright everybody, since i rolled my 78 F-250 4x4 back in december i've been thinking of how i wanna rebuild my truck.
I currently have a Skyjacker 6" lift on it now and wanna keep it. but want some 35 inch tires but they need to be like 10.50 wide or 11 or 11.50 any suggestions on where i can find something this size in an all-terrain???
Any input would be greatly appriciated!
-Aaron
- I'm gonna swap in a Cummins in place or the 400 for mileage reasons and durability and longevity.
- I wanna make it a flatbed, my buddy owns a welding shop and is gonna build me a custom one.
- Is that i wanna make it a dually.
I currently have a Skyjacker 6" lift on it now and wanna keep it. but want some 35 inch tires but they need to be like 10.50 wide or 11 or 11.50 any suggestions on where i can find something this size in an all-terrain???
Any input would be greatly appriciated!
-Aaron
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
Likes: 3
From: gravel road ONTARIO
If you want to use your bed thats on the truck now. You will need a dually rear out of a dually pickup 1980 to 1997, not cab/chassis one ton, (must be 3" wide rear springs!) and it will be a bolt in, Either a dana 70 or a 10.25 will work. A friend of mine has done this conversion. He used a 1984 dually rear and dana 60 dual front hubs. Chassis lots OEM. He made custom dually fenders welded on and put an IDI 7.3/C6 in it. If you email me I can send you a photo. Truck sure turns heads. I think he actually has the 6"skyjacker springs in it too. I think it would look better with no lift but Beauty is in the................ It's a white truck too!
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
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From: gravel road ONTARIO
Dana 70 was 1980 up to mid 85 when the Sterling/Ford 10.25 came out. But the Dana 70 is a betterchoice. What is a spicer rear in that vintage? I've never seen one in a F350 application. Only in the new F550 superduty.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
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From: gravel road ONTARIO
4starcstms: Ford made duallies back in the 20's and 30's cab/chassis too but they were not a wide frame with 3" rear leafs. Therefore they will not fit in f250rangerexplorer's truck. Ford did not use a dual wheel rear in a Pickup until 1980. An earlier dual wheel rear will be narrow frame and springs, and if you try to make it fit, the inner dual will not go on.
If you want you possibly make a cube van rear work they are wider, but I'm not sure about their width. As for dana 60 dually, that would be someone adding adapter to space out the wheels. This puts ALL of the load on the outer bearing, which actually is worse than using a semifloat rear, usually when somebody does this they destroy the axle housing unless never loaded(for looks only).
If you want you possibly make a cube van rear work they are wider, but I'm not sure about their width. As for dana 60 dually, that would be someone adding adapter to space out the wheels. This puts ALL of the load on the outer bearing, which actually is worse than using a semifloat rear, usually when somebody does this they destroy the axle housing unless never loaded(for looks only).
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2005
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I'd go with the later rear, but for the sake of arguments, i've SEEN older Ford trucks with Dual rears then 1980.
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Senior User
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spacers
I've got an 86 f-350 that was a single wheel that we made into dump truck and bought spacers for because we looked for a rear end for 3 months and never found one. Its been like this for two years and the truck is loaded with wood 90% of the time a few times its been loaded with 3 yards of rock and dirt and never had a problem with wheel bearings. When I say loaded with wood I mean a full cord of wood.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
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From: gravel road ONTARIO
Its always good to keep an extra horseshoe handy just in case.
Wherever the centre of those dual wheel are sitting on the axle, that is where the centre of the load is applied. I have a set of dually adapters myself, stashed away but have never used them.
Just for interest sake have you ever pulled the axles and hubs to inspect them. Most people don't realize there is a problem until one side drops. You won't even see a wheel seal leak because the inner bearing isn't carrying much load. Just jack it up and lift up/down or push in/out on the top of the wheel and if you can feel movement in there you better check it out.
If you look at a OEM dual wheel set up hthe load is evenly distibuted between the inner and outer bearing, thats why they are taperd and not a straight roller bearing.
Wherever the centre of those dual wheel are sitting on the axle, that is where the centre of the load is applied. I have a set of dually adapters myself, stashed away but have never used them.
Just for interest sake have you ever pulled the axles and hubs to inspect them. Most people don't realize there is a problem until one side drops. You won't even see a wheel seal leak because the inner bearing isn't carrying much load. Just jack it up and lift up/down or push in/out on the top of the wheel and if you can feel movement in there you better check it out.
If you look at a OEM dual wheel set up hthe load is evenly distibuted between the inner and outer bearing, thats why they are taperd and not a straight roller bearing.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
Likes: 3
From: gravel road ONTARIO
If anyone knows of or possibly has one/photo of a dana 60 dual wheel rear end I would love to see it. I have owned many and cut up many hundred 73-79 Ford trucks and have never seen a dana 60 dual wheel rear. I wonder what axle shafts/hubs/bearings they used. Maybe 35spline axles and side gears(dana70stuff)? That would be a cool uprade to a dana 60 rear with single wheels.
New User
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,222
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From: East Central Florida
Dennis,
That's because Dana is Spicer. It's now the Dana-Spicer Corporation.
And that comment way above about "no duallies in the 70's is way wrong". Ford Has been making duallies on 34" frames since Hector was a pup. I think 68Merc250Ranger hit that mark dead on.
Also the pick up frames are too wide for the cab & chassis or stake body 34" axles. The inner Bud style wheel interferes with rails.
FBp
That's because Dana is Spicer. It's now the Dana-Spicer Corporation.
And that comment way above about "no duallies in the 70's is way wrong". Ford Has been making duallies on 34" frames since Hector was a pup. I think 68Merc250Ranger hit that mark dead on.
Also the pick up frames are too wide for the cab & chassis or stake body 34" axles. The inner Bud style wheel interferes with rails.
FBp
Postmaster
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,594
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From: Southern Oregon USA
I had a 69 F350 DRW cab and chassis truck that had a D60 in the rear. Wrong vintage, but they were built like that. I don't have any pictures of it though. I bought it for the engine and then sold it a month later for double what I paid.
Jason
Jason