Hello Ford truck Enthusiasts Forum...

I'm new here, I have a couple questions about 1985...

To my surprise, I was given a 1985 Ford, 8 lug truck today.... The gentleman said it doesn't run but its not Blown up. Its got a fuel injected 302, the frame is rusted pretty bad, & its got a posi in the rear. I haven't seen the truck in 5 years & its also been a farm use truck for 10 years....I remember riding in the truck when it was brand new 22 years ago.... I am hoping to get to see it tomorrow & if I do I'll post some pics ...

My biggest questions are:
1. What are the possible axle & gear options for a 1985 8 lug Ford???
2. Did ford run fuel injection trucks in 1985?
3. Did Ford produce a factory posi in 1985?
4. When I asked the farmer if it was a 3/4 ton truck, he replied its a lite 3/4 ton. Does that make sence to you all. I know ford made the F-150, F-250, & F-350. So I thought it might mean F-250, But I thought I would ask anyway?

Thanks for your time, & all info is helpful...

 

Welcome to FTE,

I dont know about the axle ratios but, I do know that ford put 302 EFIs in some of the F150s in 85 but they put some carbs on some of the 302s also. I would say they put the EFIs in the F250s also. As far as if its a 3/4 ton or not I would say it is with it having eight lug axles.
Hope this helps
Blake

 

I maybe wrong but I don't remember a 302 EFI 1985 in a light 3/4 ton truck. The truck doesn't have a full floating rear axle that is why it is refered to as a light 3/4 ton. The rear axle is basically like a 1/2 ton with 8 lugs. I know they put a 351W, 300 I-6 both to my knowledge were carbed. As stated they used EFI in F150s. But with Ford anything is possible.

 

I know I'm picking nits here, but "posi" is a Chevy term for Positraction. What you have there is a "Limited Slip". Technically, they're very similar in operation and design, but some hardcore Ford enthusiasts will get all bent out of shape if you use the term posi when talking about your Ford.

The F-250's of that era *did* in fact come with a 302 as an option. I've seen at least two that came factory-equipped that way. Pretty much any engine that was available to the Ford truck lineup was available to the F-150 and the F-250. The F-350 and above, however, were limited to mostly the 300-I6 and the larger of the V-8 engines, as well as the diesel options. Even then, you could special order a truck with whatever you wanted in it at that time.



So, to answer your questions in order,
1. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what all was available as options. A little research would rend good results on this one.
2. Yes, EFI was available on all 302 (5.0L) engines in the trucks of this year. It was the first year the trucks came standard with EFI on that engine.
3. Ford did have a "Limited Slip" option on these trucks in 1985, but it's not very common.
4. 8-lug came in both the F-250 and the F-350 of the time. The main difference between the two was the suspension. If you have what he calls a "light 3/4 ton", you probably have a standard F-250. Some of the models came equipped with Heavy Duty suspension packages or a "Camper Package" which effectively increased the gross vehicle weight of the truck. Yours could possibly not include that. Also, the rear axles in the Heavy Duty F-250's were full-floater axles (pretty much the same axle that dually trucks came with). The Light Duty F-250 came with the semi-floater axle like the ones found in the F-150's, only having 8 lugs instead of 5.

 

Thanks for the info so far guys....Sorry about the "posi" remark. I didn't know it was a Chevy thing...

I guess the thing I am really hoping, is that this truck is going to have Dana 60's front and rear. Thats the biggest thing. Second is if the motor trans & t-case are any good....Third is going to be identifying all this stuff and seeing how hard its going to be too swap into a couple Jeeps...

 

No worries on the Posi thing, pal. I couldn't resist bringing it up.

Dana 60's front and rear, I doubt it, but I suppose anything is possible. The easiest way to find out is look where the driver's door meets the cab at the rear of the door, on the cab part of the jamb, and there should be a "code sheet" that gives your axle codes. If you happen to still have the owner's manual in the glovebox, it's the fastest way to decode it to discover which axles you have.

As far as the T-case, unless it's been horribly abused, it *should* be ok. For the engine, make ABSOLUTELY sure your various parts don't have a lot of rust on them. Even doing something simple like a tuneup can turn into a real pain if stuff is rusted together (bolts, spark plugs, etc.). I learned this the hard way, as stuff likes to break off in the engine.

 

Nah, if it's a light 3/4 it probably has a D44HD front and a D60 rear. 250's quit getting 60's in 79 and didn't get front 60's again until the superduty era.

even if it was a F-350 it would only have a D60 front if it was an 85.5 or newer. They were TTB D50's from 80-85.5

And FWIW my 85 F-150 had almost the same GVWR as a 1986 F-250LD that a guy i worked for owned. My 85 was 6250lbs and the 86 was 6400.


Justin

 

wow i like this....I don't have to wait 2 days for a reply....


Here are the options I am Looking at:
1. I have a 1987 Jeep Grand Wagoneer with 30 spline Dana 44's & 36" iroks. Its a solid trail toy, but its alittle big for the trails we run. & I slaughtered another front axle in the mud last week so she is down again. 1980 + Jeeps run the drivers side pinion drop so Heavy duty Ford axles are a very popular swap...

2. I'm also in the process of purchasing a $500 1986 MJ Comanche, 4 banger, long bed. Before today I was planing to build the MJ using Wagon parts. V-8 swap, drivetrain, axles springs, etc, etc... but after 1 of the top 8 shocks of my life. "Free 85 Ford". My mind is starting to run in overdrive, trying to decide what to do....

If this 85 ford was worth anything more than salvage i don't believe it would have been given to me for nothing. So I'm sure the body & frame is pretty rough. Plus I've got Jeep parts coming out my ears....

So what do you guys think???

 

Ford used Dana rearends in f250's all the way up to 85 and possibly 86. The also had the Ford/sterling rearend.

The main thing you want to look at is the hub in the center of the rear wheel. If it has a round pipe looking thing sticking way out with lots of little bolts around it, then you have a regular f250 with a full floating axle. If you have the 8 lugs, but the hub in the center of the rear wheel is flat with nothing sticking out, then you have the light duty f250 with the semi-floating axle.

 

I just talked to the farmer and & this is the rearend the truck has in it. He said the lower haft of the motor has been rebuilt. Its got a 4 speed tranny. The bed & frame back are pretty well rusted though, but he is giving me another frame.

With the info so far I am still looking to idenify the front and rear axles. Would they be Dana 60, dana 44, etc, etc....?

 

front is almost certainly a TTB D44HD. All it is is an IFS D44 with 8 lug outers. Rear axle could be a semi float sterling 10.25 or D60. probably a 10.25.

Justin

 

Wild Karrde, my 1985 F150 cam stock with a CARBURETED 302 engine. 1985 was when Ford introduced electronic fuel injection on the 302s, but some models still came with carburetors. I think only about 30 percent of the '85 models with the 302 engine had the carburetors though, and the rest were fuel injected.

 

I got some pics, today, here they are...




here is the rear...




Thanks to everyone thats helped me, except WebsterRedneck from Pirates4x4. I don't know how you learn something new, But I have to ask Questions & read when I want to....Just some food for thought...

 

After looking at the front for my self today, I would put my money on the IFS 44, front. & Semi floating Dana 60 rear.

I wonder how that 44 would hold up with a set of 36" mudders?

 

Sorry, I think I wrote that part of my post wrong. The 1985 year was the first year EFI was a "standard" option on the 302's in all the trucks, but carbs were still found in some of them in the earlier half of the production year. I didn't mean to say they *all* had EFI, just that it was the normal setup on the trucks of that year.

I apologize for the confusion.