Not too long ago I asked advice on my 1965 f100 Flareside 2wd shortbox project and it was suggested to me by some of you that I convert to power disc brakes and power steering. I have read in these posts that 73 to 79 f series can be used for direct swaps. Question: Which trucks will work for parts and what parts do I need? What are the pitfalls and "watch-out-fors..."?? I am prepared to do the whole thing and have access to many mid-70s fords. Thanks in advance fellas.

 

I'm all ears too, I hope you get the usually first class reply.

 

For your F100 You need the I beams, the steering box the steering column or shorten yours. the power booster and master cylinder and the proportion valve and new lines are always a good thing as you will have more pressure on them. all this will work off of any 73 to 79 F100 or F150 and is a bolt in easy deal. You will have to figgure out the wiring on the steering column as the colors will be different. When I did mine I used every thing off a 77 F150 and I also used the wide pedal because I changed to a C6 at the same time. You will need the power steering pump and brackets and pulleys to fit whatever motor you have. Too bad you are not closer I have every part for one with a 460 or a 302.
Bob the same thing goes for yours except you will need the parts from an F250.
There are no real pit falls it works best to find a comeplete donor and swap it all in one weekend. I would check king pins and replace if neccary and use new radious arm bushings. You will love the ride and driveability it will be like driving a different truck.

 

Some 1973/79 F250 2WD's have single piston caliper front disc brakes, as it depended on the GVW. All the 6200 GVW had them, some 6900 GVW have them.

Some 6900, 7500 & 8100 GVW's have dual piston caliper front discs, which is the better setup.

 

The only way that I recommend, and I do so because there is less error.

BUY your donor! Buy one that has the engine and transmission setup that you want to use. When you have a good weekend to work pull the two trucks side by side, drop the I-beams from your truck and pull them aside. Next drop the I-beams from the donor (separated only at gear and other mounts) and drag them under your truck. There is no need to separate them and if the alignment was good under the donor it should remain so.

Add to starmilt, for FE engines you will need to swap the drivers side engine perch or the top of the gear will hit.

If you are swapping trannys, you may have to adjust the rear mount in the rails.

I advise against pulling parts here and there and hoping you got them all, or mix matching. There are some differences that don't always match up when mixed.

Lift the front wheels on your donor before you buy and check the front end for slop. You can find a donor with a tight front axle.




John

 

I have done this swap. My '66 F-100 was originally a 352/3-speed, manual steering, single pot front drum brakes.
Now it has a 460, C-6 auto, power steering and power disc brakes. And it is all Ford stock parts too, except for the Edelbrock intake and carb.

I echo John's advice - BUY AN ENTIRE DONOR TRUCK. There are so many nitnoid parts that you will need, that will hold up your entire project while you try to find them if you do not have them handy to harvest from the donor truck.
If you can, find the donor truck with the engine and transmission combination you want, and you can do all the improvements right at hand.
Don't assume that parts for the same engine will be the same. Three are at least 3 different pulley/bracket combinations for truck FEs with PS and A/C, and none of them have interchangeable parts. So, get a complete setup for whatever engine tranmission you get, and it will save you a lot of money, frustration and time.
The donor truck will also give you a number of parts for cores, as well as extra parts to sell. My cost for the parts I needed was more than offset by the money I made by selling the parts I didn't need, such as the instrument cluster, body parts, etc.

I did my upgrades a little differently. My truck has the original I-beams and radius arms as I elected to change out the king pins.
I did the power steering and automatic transmission upgrade first, using a steering setup and transmission from a '76 F-150, and a steering column from a '70 F-100.
Then I changed the engine, and had to use a different PS pump and lines, and a different C-6 because of the bellhousing, but it was otherwise not a big deal.
Then I changed over to power disc brakes and a dual master cylinder this past summer. Because I had all the parts, it was not very expensive. I spent less than $500 if I remember correctly for king pins, new rotors, wheel bearings, calipers, pads, lines, master cylinder and new steering linkage components. Which means I have a completely brand new front end, by the way.

Here is my current setup:
'86 460 bored 60 over with stock '86 heads - no porting
'78 F-250 460 engine perches and mounts
'69 straight up cam gears, Cloyes double roller with RV type cam
Edelbrock Performer (not RPM) intake and 1470 750 CFM carb on a 1" phenolic spacer
'76 Duraspark II ignition
Stock aftermarket manifolds with a 2 1/2 inch dual exhaust, Flowmasters, copper gaskets
'93 serpentine belt brackets and pulleys
'78 power steering pump, hoses with ’93 PS pulley
'76 power steering box
'76 power steering pitman arm
'76 steering linkage
'92 power steering cooler, mounted in the frame
'70 steering column
'76 radiator
'66 alternator with '93 serpentine pulley and fan
'86 water pump
'86 fan clutch with '77 7-blade fan
'83 C-6 from an '83 F-350 fifth wheeler, with '77 C-6 linkage (internal shift rod and kickdown)
2.75 rear end
'83 stock rear sump oil pan, with stock oil pump, pickup tube and dipstick (includes main bearing bolt with stud to hold pickup in place)
Includes '93 A/C compressor, but A/C is not installed. (Needed for the serpentine belts.)
'76 F-150 3-inch rear brakes
'72 rear axle shafts (for the larger rear brakes)
'76 F-150 front disk brakes with power brake booster and dual chamber master cylinder.

The only modifications I had to make were:
Fabricate an accelerator cable bracket by combining an FE one with a 385 one.
New driveshaft
Change the C-6 internal shift linkage from a ’68 – ’79 C-6
Add the '76 brake line stands for the front disc brake hoses
Relocate the pedal linkage hole in the brake pushrod
Add a bracket for the brake light switch, and connect the original brake wiring back to it

 

Starmilt- I just got a 460 for my truck. What extra parts and stuff do you got and how much do you want for them? Thanks.

 

Bill W just upgraded to discs. Beams are not necessary to the conversion.

When using the later spindles all the 65 and 66 steering components fit with minor modifications to accommodate the shorter taper 7 degree tie rod ends.

Any F100 or F150 disc brake spindle out will do the deed for brakes. You need to use the correct 65 king pin or the later 66 up to match up to the spindles.

If sourcing in a yard you need TWO trucks to get parts from. you need the brackets for the brake hoses, and surprise one is riveted on and the other bolted so TWO are needed for this part that allows all stock parts.

Also match up with an all new line set for the year of the booster and master donor for new brake lines and hoses. You should do this as is is cheap insurance to replace all the lines and hoses.

For a booster and master i recommend using a lever type with the offset bracket as it is simple to hook up and modify and places the master up and away from the valve cover for service. A 9/16 drill is needed to remount the eccentric bolt.

For power steering you need to source the correct brackets to fit the engine you have.
A steering box from 69 to 79 can be used. You existing column can be used with modifications.

And Beer and BBQ for all your AZ brothers helps with installing everything in one long day.....With a little pre planning.

Garbz

 

Today was the first day i pulled my 6x8 cargo trailer to work with the new disc brake setup, WHAT a differance it has made. it was like it wasn't even back there when stoping! I dont even need beer, just the BBQ works for me. just let me know, i'm up for helping out if you want. i'm sure Isogrifo would be as well. you wanted to do a GTG right? heres a good reason to have one.

 

Awesome thread thanks guys...hmmm how much Barbeque and Beer to get you to NM?

 

I am partial to patron silver.......... Never know what can happen after a bottle of that...

New Mexico, we can talk you through it.

It is so simple a cave man can do it... "C" Gecio.......

Garbz

 

David, I totally agree with everything that you posted. I differ recommending it here. You knowledge and skill level is probably a 9 or 10 on a skill meter.

Most readers here are novices that ask about upgrades or maybe a 2 to 3.

There are some minor differences in the front end parts as you noted, and everytime someone post problems with his up grade it's because he used your method, without your skill and experience to get done right.


Pull a complete system and bolt it up, all parts should fit. King pins don't need to be changed for every swap.

Tooo much beer and not enough bbq can bugger up an upgrade too.





John