Newbie here.
I've been looking for a 1990-1997 F250 4wd sc lb auto. I was told that there are some of these out there with a solid front axle, but I can't find one anywhere. I did drive 300 miles yesterday to look at two different trucks. Both dealers assured me that they both had solids axles. Neither did. Yeah, that sucked. Had a ford tech tell me that all 250's have solids (not just the newer ones). A guy at work says that his brother had a '90 with a solid. But I've also had people tell me that you have to go to a 350 in the older trucks to get a solid front. So, I'm considering an independant, just for the fact of it being easier to find what I need. Don't really need a solid- it would just be nice to know it's there. So question #1: Do any 1990-1997 F250's have a solid front axle?
I found a 1997 HD that I like. It is an independant front (obviously), and has a 351. We have a few F250's at work (a 1989, a 1992 and a 1995) with that motor and all of them have over a 250,000 miles. But they seem like pigs. I've looked around a bit for chat about pepping up that motor, but haven't found much. Nor have I seen much for aftermarket parts. Am I not looking in the right places, or do people stray away from this motor for some reason? So question #2: What do you guys think about a 97 F250 HDSC 4wd auto with a 5.8? I don't need a power house, just a good solid truck. But it would be nice to know what potential power I could get from the motor, and how much work it would take.
And question #3: What in the hell is the difference in a regular 1997 F250 and a HD? KBB and NADA show very little difference in value. Thanks in advance for the help guys.

 

If I remember correctly, in that year, 250 was a heavy 150, with 7 stud wheels. and the 250HD was a true 3/4 ton, with 8 stud wheels. I could be wrong (and often am), but someone intelligent will come by shortly. In the meantime, welcome to the forum!

 

You are right about 90-97 HD F-250's having the IFS front end. The F-350 4WD came with the solid axle.

Putting an F-350 solid axle into your F-250 is pretty much a bolt-in project. I think that you need the F-350 front driveshaft and an F-350 front yoke for the transfer case to complete the swap.

The 5.8 engine is strong and reliable. If you need more get-up-and-go, swap front and rear gears to 4.11's or lower. This will work better than most engine mods. The F-250 is a heavy beast and was never meant to be a hot rod.

There is a major difference between the '97 F-250 LD and HD. The LD is basically a heavy duty F-150 with the F-150's sheet metal. There were two versions of the F-250 in '97.

Lou Braun

 

Ah. That makes sense. So what would the 1990-1996 F250's compare to in 1997? The HD? What I mean is, is there a difference in a 1994 or 1996 F250 compared to a 1997 HD?

 

You won't find an F350 SC 4X4 either, they didn't make it. F350 came regular cab and crew cab only. If you find the truck that you are looking for send me a PM EDITTED by moderator krewat - use PMs for parts talk Keep in mind also that 88-91 had a shorter length spring, so if you find a 92-97 you will need the springs. On a side note, it would be a great time to put in a lift kit.

Good luck

Toyman

 

Toyman, do you know of any reason you couldn't use the F250 springs? Other than potential ride height, I would think that it would bolt up.

I also think that you can't get an F250 CC LB, probably because of the GVW. I don't even know if you can get one on a superduty 250?

And to add, a 1997 F250 LD is the (then) new style F-150, while the F250 HD was an OBS (old body style) truck. Before that, there were light and heavy versions of the F250 as well, based on GVW. There are various differences over the years, the most notable being the Full or Semi floating rear axle. Both were 10.25. I think some years may have used a Dana 44 IFS on the lighter GVW 250s. I think consistently the "heavy" F250 was always 8800lb gvw.

There were F-250 LD trucks through '99. The closest thing after that was the heavy payload package on an F-150, called an F-150 7700 (for 7700lb GVWR). While you could get 4.6 liter v8 in the 250LD in addition to other downgraded options and GVWs, the 7700 pkg required the 5.4, heavy alternator, and other odds and ends. See my gallery for a pic of my old 2000.

 

The F250 spring have a negative arch to them, the F350 spring have a positive arch. There would not be enough room for the panhard bar, along with the fact that it would be out of proper position. The F350 springs would get everything to line up, and give proper clearance for the solid axle.

 

I have two friends that swapped the twin I beam front from thier f250s to solid. They found a donor and swapped out the entire front end. I was actually quite easy, so they said. Did both in one day. It helps that one guy is a Ford tech. I think you could find any 88 thru 97 f350 as a donor, for sure 92 to 97.

 

All 1980-1997 F250's used the D44TTB or the D50TTB. 1980-1986 F350's also used the D50TTB.

If you find a '80-'97 F250 with a solid axle, then it has either been swapped in, or someone put F250 badges on a F350 truck.

 

So far I agree with everything that has been said here about the F250 having the IFS front end, and the HD versus LD. I did read one comment though that I will have to shoot down- "The 5.8 engine is strong and reliable." Reliable yes, strong NO. I had a 92 F250 4x4 single cab, 351, 5 speed, no A/C and it would do fine empty, but pulling anything it was a complete dog. Now I have a 95 F250HD 4x4 supercab, 460, E4OD auto, with A/C and this truck will pull anything I throw at it, and it gets the SAME fuel mileage, loaded or empty, as my old truck. If you will be pulling anything at all, go with a 460 or PSD (Powerstroke Diesel) and forget the 351. PS my 95 is for sale, if you are near OR come take a look

 

do you plan on lifting the 97 F250 if you get it? I had one.....the IFS isn't a good thing to lift. I snapped mine on an Elk hunt.......it is lifted by a spacer between the axle and frame. NOT a strong setup! In stock mode.......it's just harder to keep aligned then a solid axle truck would be. Also.....the truck I had rode like you were on steel wheels!

 

What years is this specific to? I have and '89 7.3L Supercab Dually F350 4x4 (6x6 dependign how u count) with a broke down motor in my front yard

 

Well said, I often question the fuel economy difference between my old 460 and my current 5.4 in my SD. long story short, when that little motor that could takes a digger we'll see if I can fit a 460 into a SD... I prefer it over the PSD as it is MUCH easier to work on! You do not need to disassemble your front suspension to change a starter!

 

That is not how it came from the factory. Ford didnt offer a f350 s/c dually 4x4 until 99.

 

Why did they offer the half tons in this config but not the HD's? Does this mean I have a half ton front end up there?