okay fellas, got a few questions, and a 79 F-250...first what are some fairly cheap mods for a 460? im a bit more familiar with the cheaper (really cheap) "M" series, but im not a fan of them. im not looking to do anything MAJOR to this just yet, i just want to make it a bit more responsive, maybe wake it up a bit.

now the rest: what kind of steering box (or mods to the stock one) would i need to go with cross over steering? maybe hydraulic assist...how about putting a dana 70 (84 E-350) under a 79 F-250; and i would LOVE to convert it (D70) over to disc brakes...what do i need or what will fit? this is a mud truck, but i would like to eventually get a bit of a ride out of it...maybe some flex as well, which leads me to my next inquiry...

What about putting airbags on the axles? i know i need a compressor and tank, but what size bags, and how the hell do they mount up? this is for later....but not too much later. i will be running 40-44" tires...also, i need to find a few odds and ends:

PTO winch - i have the actual PTO, but no winch
Roll bar - where the hell can u get one of these things!?!?! i want a light bar on it, and id like to find a solid one rather than one of those flimsy little bolt together things.
Hydroboost brake booster - i'd like to be able to stop pretty good
Suggestions - anything anyone?


-Thanks in advance for the help and understanding as i am sure i forgot to mention some things...

 

define cheap mod, lol. first thing that comes to mind is stuff like carb, intake, exhaust, air filter, etc

you can do crossover steering with any box, thats not the concern. the concern is the style of knuckle on your axle. if its a flat top knuckle (usually knigpin) you just need to get a hi steer arm for the pass side knuckle. if its ball joint, well you gotta get creative, prolly start a running tab with the local machine shop, buy'em some beers or something, lol

hydro assist is a great way to go... if you need help tapping the box i have some pics and directions on how to go about it. its way easier than anyone thinks. talk about some easy steering

i'm glad to hear you mention D70 ... havent done it myself but have heard of good results from ppl modifying the D60 kits to fit the D70's

bags would be sweet, i would go ahead and start up your on board air system now so you can get your leaks and kinks worked out (trust me, they will be there). cant help ya on the bags themselves but i do know that ones off of semis are prolly way too big for your purposes. i have heard great things about the firestones bags

if you can find any busted up wrecker most use a PTO driven winch on the front of the bed. prolly find one on ebay

doubt you'll find many useful roll bars, if i were you i'd go to summit or jegs and buy one of their 4 pt roll bars and put it in the bed! get the frame tie in kit and it will serve double duty

hydroboost can be found on all the superduty trucks, later model mustangs, late 70's models cadillac style cars, various old skool chevy vans trucks, etc. really just gotta go yardin!

-cutts-

 

That box that you have will not work for the crossover system, as the direction of the pitman arm is incorrect, and the sector shaft is notched,and will not allow you to mount your pitman arm so it moves left to right instead of front to rear. many later model 4x's have the right box, just not the ones from 73-79 F250's, and F-350's. Think of the same year Bronco, and how the steering works, and you are in. Next is a simple arm that bolts to the top of the pass. side knuckle. purchase a matching driver side arm, and viola, hi-steer, and crossover. There are several available for rod end application or the use of a G.M. tie rod end. I know, I know G.M right? These are used for their size and ability to flex further than some of the Ford and Dodge units.
Next is the engine thing. Get as much air in, and as much out as you can. A decent set of heads, and a good cam, with a not so radical intake will really wake up a 460. Stock ones always seem to want more air, and they run very well once you give it to em.
I have not seen an air bag system that I liked too much. Just my opinion though, I think they are limited in big flex situations, and are kinda bulky. Instead I prefer coilovers and multi-link systems. I have been messin around with the FOX 2.5 air shock myself, but have not had the greatest success with the set-up. If you didn;t know, link systems are very difficult to set up properly.
That rear axle idea is a great one, no problems there. Discs are very easy to do, and you will have no problems with it. Plenty of links on this site to help you along the way,
As far as the cage / roll bar goes, do stay away from any system that was designed to hold lights, and not the weight of the truck when it decides to go belly up. Safety first. If you think you are gonna wheel hard enough to require a cage, then you are not afraid of a little bent sheet metal. That being said, make sure that you limit the damage to just sheet metal, and not yourself or your passenger(s).
Sound like a fun project. Good luck with it.

 

that box works fine for crossover steering....the sector shaft has notches so the pitman arm can be rotated every 90 degrees....

for my crossover(with my 79 box and frame) i just put a crossover arm on the 60....clocked my pitman armso it was facing rearward(drop pitman) and fabbed up a dom draglink with the large chevy TRE's.

Works beautifully with my approx 6" of lift

 

Guess I stand corrected. Ko do you know why mine wouldn't work? The splines on the sector shaft would not allow me to rotate the pitman arm. My 75' was one thing (a different box altogether), but my 79' would not go at all.

 

I know this off topic but could i get some pics, and directions. Im thinking on attempting a hydro assist on my 1979 f150, 4wd.

Thanks

 

you have what is called clocking splines, they are lager than the surrounding ones so that if you were to ever remove the arm you could put it exactly back in that spot! however with that said you should be able to clock it every 90* however with THAT said you could do what i did and have a machine shop cut the clocking splines out, i can clock the arm one spline at a time for perfection! lol

here is the link to rebuild and then the link for hydro assist. however the rebuild link is in the hydro assist page

http://www.full sizebronco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10413
http://4x4.for ensick.net/88bronco/images/sbr/index.htm

(you have to copy/paste the link to the address bar and then remove the space in the link b/c good ole FTE wont let you directly link to other sites even if its to help out!

-cutts-

 

75...im not sure what the deal is with your box....does it mount on the inside of teh framerail???? if it does it should be the right box....all i did was use a skyjacker drop pitman arm and turned it 90 degrees so it was facing the back of the truck...

something isnt right with your setup because mine is not the only one ive ever had the pitman off of....

it doesnt have a strange box on it doe sit?

 

KO:
it no longer has that box anyway, (but yes it was in the stock ocation) but it would not accept the pitman arm in any position other than the "intended use" position. I have that thing laying around the shop somewhere. (probably holding a door open or something really usefull) If I find it I will send a pic of the sector so you can see. It really is no biggie, I had just assumed (after I tried to install the new pitman) it was similar to the bow - tie group that required a 2x4 box to accomplish the crossover. Anyway, much thanx for straightening me out on this.
Guess we can give this thread back.

 

hey guys THANKS for the feedback. it is real helpful! as far as the engine goes, i think im going to just get an intake (+carb), and maybe a better exhaust system (flame throwers would be cool lol) and a mild cam...which is exactly what i know nothing at all about. and how big of a carb is too big? what comes stock on a 460?

i am goin to be working for a intl. truck dealership here shortly so getting the bags isnt a big deal, i just dont know how big or what style to get. as far as mounting up the bags onto the axles, im still in the dark. now, i have heard of ppl using semi compressors, but they are expensive and i imagine they rob some serious horsepower...so what about converting an a/c compressor? how do-able is it...or how well would it hold up? and as odd as it sounds...would "lowrider" switches be of any use? my cousin likes those and said if i wanted he'd hook me up with some. as far as "serious flex" goes...i wont be rock crawling with this thing, but i dont want the tires and frame to give more than the suspension does (15 leaves on each corner is STIFF). i am shying away from multi-link b/c of the pains of setting one up, i think im just going to use giant heim jointed radius arms.

what parts will i need to swap a D70 over to disc? would D60 rotors and calipers be ok? and what about the width of the axles? my D70 came from an E-350. will the perches match or will they need relocated? i originally got this axle for my 94 250 and the perches were out an inch too far.

i also have a ltd. slip diff out of a D60 rear, will it fit the front? i know a 60 should be a 60...but come on, u know as well as i do that it just wouldnt be a ford if it was that easy! :P btw, what gears would be good for 40's? im runnin 4.11's right now and it kinda nullifies having a 4th gear, even out on the road.

im also interested in a doubler kit, where do u get those? i tried AA and couldnt find them, and i found some knock off kit a while back for like $700-800. one last thing...any advice on divorcing my t-case? good/bad idea?

thanks again for all the advice and info, pictures and links are always welcome and very helpful!

 

your front 60 has 35 spline inner shafts....and 99% of all 60 rears have 30 spline or 16 spline shafts...so no it wont work

i used northwest fab for my doubler...there are a few others, do some googling

 

Thanks for the info on the hydro assist.

nick

 

i have heard of ppl using semi compressors for their air, but they are expensive and i imagine they rob some serious horsepower...so what about converting an a/c compressor? how do-able is it and what would i need...or how well would it hold up?

what gears would be good for 40's? or what is the lowest gear that will fit a stock D70 carrier with 3.55's?

what about divorcing my t-case? good/bad idea? i like it b/c of the low pinion angles but i also know that short-shaft is the weak link in that set up. maybe i'll just run two t-cases instead of the doubler...

 

I tried searching the forum on some info about a drop pitman arm. Couldn't navigate to find anything on this topic for my year of truck. I found a pitman arm for my 08 ford f250 for a 3"-6" lift. I have about a 4 inch lift. I just ordered an adjustable track bar and dual steering stabilizers. My axle was not centered thats why I ordered the track bar. Do I need a dropped pitman arm. Please any info will help. I'm also running 35" km3 tires

 

you want your drag link in line, (same plane) with trac bar