I haven't posted in quite awhile but, has anyone ever updated the frame/drivetrain of their F1 to front wheel drive? I lost my job in February and now I'm working a temp job so my truck has just been setting waiting on money & time. I recently picked up an old Cadillac with front wheel drive to drive to work. The body looks like the 20+ years old it is, but it seems to be in pretty good mechanical shape. So I was thinking........ya know.........when I'm back in a position to work on my truck again. Well, I figure that if I replace the front stub and I could mount the rear axle assembly to line up with the rear wheel openings. I'm sure it would be unique. Can anyone think of why it couldn't be done?

Beave

 

why would u want fwd?

 

I saw in a magazing years ago a mid thirties Dodge humback that had the Cadillac FWD drivetrain. The owner was wheelchair bound and made the panel so that he could enter from the rear and be able to roll his wheelchair up to the drivers area and be able to drive.

You could also make your truck a mid engine and mount the FWD drivetrain at the rear of your truck.
Does anybody remember the Hurst Hairy Oldsmobile?? it had 2 of the Toronado FWD drivetrains, one in the front and one in the rear to make it a four wheel drive, 2 engine drag racing legend (just imagine what it could do with todays tires???)

What year is your Caddy? If its 1982 and up I wouldn't think about it too hard, in 1982 Caddy changed to the all aluminum HT4100 engine that had poor power and was notorious for coolant problems.

It would definately be unique.
Bobby

 

I know theres a guy who is disabled who is converting a '53-56 panel truck FWD using Cadilac under pinnings but he's doing it so he can access the rear of the panel and have a clear flat floor to the front driver's area. I don't think I'd go through the hassle to do it to a pick up if I didn't have to. I have also seen a COE car carrier with a Cadilac drive train. Looked like a lot of work.

 

Someone down south of here took a '57-60 Ford F350 and converted it to a car hauler by doing just what you've described. Other than the hauler part looking pretty cootie-bobbed, the mechanics appeared to work out all right. I don't have pics of how he did it, my guess is it was a Caddy front subframe graft. I doubt it was simple. How about just using the Cad engine and buying a T-400?

 

There is a fellow down in s/e colorado that has a 54 ch**y that is tied in to one of the smaller late cadillacs ( eldorado ) at the firewall and using same car for the rear suspension to lower it. I saw the truck in passing while buying a load of green chile, and did not have a camera or I would have had a field day since I love pics. This character roared off with his load of chili before I could get his number. Vroooom. When first making frankenrides in the late 60's, my posse ad I put a 68 Toro in the back of a 63 corvair. We did finish it but it drove like a chipmunk on steroids. My dad took the motor and sold it. But, anything can be done as proved by the VW fwd and the dodge rampage. Just can't carry anything in it except groceries. But, you could have some fun and spend wads of dough. Careful of the width or you will get this but worse. This is a late dakota awd.


Jon

 

wrong wheel drive ? nononono ! heres an idea i was kicking around though before i traded my 55 off to twise . take one 55 1/2 ton project , now take one 500 c.i. caddy and transaxle and plop them in the bed of said 55 . rear engine eeezzz cool ! i know i'm crazy but ........

 

i like the idea.........(but not if your truck is a good candidate for restoration)

but, i'm guilty of being different just for sake of being different.

 

I think the biggest issue would be track width. Those early FWD setups were so wide they had to use reverse offset wheels to fit the tires under the fenders. They used 4WD truck front axle components and drove the dif off the tranny with a chain drive IIRC. I'd expect there would be much more suitable late model FWD setups than the early Caddy/Olds that are lighter, more compact and more economical (wait until you need parts for that Caddy!!!), the Taurus/500, Neon/PT Cruiser, HR4 are a few that jump to mind. FWD in a pickup makes perfect sense to me given the weight distribution.

 

Well it is probably possible but front wheel drive is dumb on a truck

 

Well I thank everyone for their input. I'm not sure what direction I want to go. I'm looking at three options:
1. The truck currently has a cheby 327 & powerglide in it, but the swap needs to be redone properly and I would still have the straight axle in front.
2. I have the front clip from a 79 camaro and I could get a th350 or th400 to replace the powerglide.
3. I've got the cadillac, its an 85 deville, the engine is mounted transverse so its all or none with that setup. I measured the track width and its within 1" of the truck so I'm sure with proper backspacing on wheels I will be fine.
Neither motor is a real big powerhouse so I'm looking more to dependability, reliability, and uniqueness.

Beave

 

The HT4100 in the Caddy wasn't the biggest powerhouse in the world, and they were prone to major coolant leaks (differential expansion between the cast iron cylinder sleaves and the aluminum block. On the plus side they get great mileage.

Bobby

 

bobbytnm is right . i owned two of the wrong wheel drive cads with that engine . nice cars but they are a headache , head gaskets , worn out thrust bearings , coolant leaks etc. so you shouldn't even think of that one . oh and yeah the transaxles on some of the later ones were junk too .

 

Dustin, you get my vote for "Tact Of The Month" Award.

Ditto on the crappy Caddy HT4100 motors. I had two of them.

I like the idea of just getting it on the road for now, Powergilde and all. Since none of the available options have much horsepower. Later, after you have some time to save and scrounge, you can drop something really fun into it. Believe me, you'll appreciate the memories of driving it when you are looking for motivation to work on it for a couple of years.

 

One thing to consider is that the Y block V8 weight is what makes the trucks drive so badly in the first place as compared with a chevy V8 or the 223 Six, or the flathead V8 or Six. My trucks are all 4WD so they are FWD in a sense......

So putting a heavy engine/differential/tranny in the front could be great for traction when it is pretty empty, but it would handle badly with all that weight on the front. Remember, FWD has been oversold as ideal. It is not ideal when climbing steep hills, when towing, when heavily loaded, or both. I have 4WD for winter snow, and for hauling a heavy trailer and for heavy lumber loads. 4WD has a lot of advantages even with open differentials, as you have drive at both ends, making it much harder to spin out, and it is also very hard to lock up the brakes. The old F-100s handle very well with 4WD in the snow or dirt. I did go for an F-250 frame and the heavier axles and bigger brakes on the latest truck. The extra 18" of wheelbase make it more stable also.

Anyway the point here is that the way most of the pretty trucks are used, is mostly unloaded and on city paved roads or highways. Keeping the engine weight light and using rear wheel drive is the best possible balance for the truck. The Chevy V-8 is the only V-8 IMHO to use because of its light weight and small size. The 283 makes more power than a Ford 302 and is a lot easier to install and a lot cheaper to build. Build it with high compression and you will get 17-18 MPG, even with a carburetor.