Hey there, I was wondering if anyone has done or knows of a 1979 f-150 2wd conversion to a 4x4 with 4" suspension lift. Where do I start, and what do I look for. The truck was given to me by my brother. It is a 400, auto with power steering, brakes and air conditioning. Any help is appreciated.

 

Easiest 2wd to 4wd conversion is to find a 1979 Ford F-150 4x4 that's running and in good shape. Park it next to your 2wd. Then open the hood of your truck and open the hood of the 4x4. Now comes the tricky part.... Take the radiator cap off of YOUR 2wd. THEN, take the radiator cap off of YOUR 4wd. Discard 2wd or save for spare parts. REPLACE the 4WD radiator cap with the 2WD radiator cap. You have now successfully changed over to 4WD!

In all honesty...It's been done by a few members here. It's not easy, it's not quick, and it's not cheap. You would need all the parts your truck is missing to make it a 4x4 such as a 4x4 transmission, transfer case, or a divorced transfer case, front axle, steering box, steering linkages, radius arms, driveshaft, shift linkages, cross member and radius arm mounts, and mounts for everything else, and dozens of other things that you'll probably need. It would be best to get these all from a similar model like a 77.5, 78 or 79 Ford F-150 4x4 donor. If you had access to a wrecked/junk 4x4 that had all the parts you needed in good shape, that would be your best bet - buy the whole thing. Put the trucks side by side and swap parts over. BUT your best bet is to just find a 4x4 model instead of converting your truck over.

If your dead set to convert your truck, good luck. It can be done. Be prepared for a lot of work. Use the search function on this forum and you can find some good info.

 

I also agree with reynard101, its a pain in the you know what. The 4x4 frame is also different as well. If you seriously want a 4x4, just sell your 4x2 to someone who doesn't need a 4x4 and buy a good 4x4, as after you spend all the money for the 4x4 parts and go through all the time it is gonna take to convert it, you would have been better off buying a 4x4 to begin with.

 

well my take is that a frame swap is a pain in the butt to get everything the same way as it was. I've done 2 2wd swaps to 4wd using the 2wd chassis and in all honesty it isn't to bad to do if you can keep a level head and take your time... As far as cost goes it probably would be cheaper to use the 4wd trans axle steering box and stuff. I would just use the 4wd parts on the 2wd chassis. i just got done with one about three weeks ago. I converted a 77 F350 dually Stakebed to a 4wd. If i can i'l post some pics of the truck. i bought it just to practice on to get a system down to be able to swap to 4wd easily. Well as easy as it can be. You still have to remove all the 2wd bracketry. But all in all it's not too bad. The worst is getting the bracketry off. Sorry if i'm rambling i've been really tired.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the input on the conversion question. I really wasnt expecting an easy swap. I would ideally like like to build my own frame using 5x3x1/8 tubing. I am looking for 4x4 donor at this moment, but am looking for a place to start. I am a journeyman welder with 18 years experience and am giving myself 2 years for this project. The plan is for an eventual daily driver as have had it with outrageous prices for parts and labour on newer trucks. Just wanted to give a little more insight to my plans and thanks again for the input.