Sorry, I got it wrong again. It is the TTB. I don't have any experience with them at all... Again, thanks for the pics.

 

I will have some more pics up later today! Its like 3:30am here and I just came in from breaking down the twin I beam on the 2-wheel drive, and getting things ready for the D-50. Surprisingly enough, the 2-wheel drive suspension came out like a dream.. Talking really easy! I think I may had been working on it 2 hours, and it was all out!

I unbolted the coil spring retainer at the top of the mount followed by the nut on the shocks on the mount.

I raised the truck slightly, enough to start taking pressure off of the suspension, but not enough to let things come apart.

I worked on the bolts holding the twin I-Beams to the cross member. They actually come off pretty easy (and easier if your engine has an oil leak, LOL).

I took the nuts off of the trailing arm where it bolts to the frame of the truck.

Final bolts left, were the brake caliper bolts that hold the brake line to the caliper. One bolt per caliper.

As I raised the truck up, I got a pop from the springs coming off of the mounts. The suspension did not come out though. It was squeazed into the mounts and cross member. With a long pry bar (didnt want to play to closely), I pulled the I-Beams from the cross member.. Out it all came!

Now I did go ahead and remove the steering linkage prior to disassembly, as I didnt want to have to struggle with both sides being connected when it came down to tear down.

The donor trucks D-50 assembly should be coming out in a day or two.. But I will have some more pics real soon!

 

Sounds good! Keep us updated.

 

This is a pretty good thread. Good luck with the swap. Looking forward to more pics.

If anybody is interested I am removing my D50 TTB in a month or two and replacing it with a D60 solid axle. So I will have everything needed to convert a 2wd to a 4wd.
Just thought I would mention it in case somebody was planning this swap.

 

While I am waiting to button up the powerstroke, I got back to work on the 4-wheel conversion. A lot was accomplished today!

The entire front suspension of the 2-wheel drive has been unbolted and removed. The front suspension of the 4-wheel drive was removed today, minus the springs.

Here is the 2-wheel drive frame since its been disassembled..


I started on the 2-wheel drive spring mounts. There were a total of 6 factory pressed slugs holding it to the frame. I ground down the heads to them, popped them out, and off they came.. (BTW.. Unblot the brake lines prior to popping of the mounts.. a lot easier)!


There are two of the six slugs, on the under side of the mount..


And as said before.. Yup, both cross members are the same, and share same supports..


As of right now, the 4-wheel drive shock mounts are going onto the frame.. New bolt holes have to be drilled for them to mount on. The D-50 has been moved inside and under the truck, ready to get mounted up when the springs and mounts come along.. So far, so good! The D-50 was also kept in one piece, alot less hassle, once its moved.

 

Way to go! Great detail. This will help a lot for whoever tries this next.

 

LOL.. Thank you.. I wonder who and how many will! This is not a real difficult swap!

 

im thinking about trying to tackle this on my 250. i want a d60 though

 

There's been lots of action on the subject in the last little while. When I started mine back in December, I could only find 2 others on here.

 

Its good to know others are taking this on too then! LOL!

I have come across some PIA points on this finally! (Pics to follow tomorrow as well)!

So far the D-50 is off the donor truck, and has been slid under the recipiant truck! I got it lined up after I drained the differential, as I am going to put new gear oil in it (I dont know when it was last done). All of the 2-wheel drive mounts are off, and its a bare frame now, minus the 3-wheel drive shock mounts as they are going on.

The shock mounts for the D-50 came off nicely. In order to install them on the frame of the recipiant, new holes have to be drilled as there are none on the frame..

Now on the donor truck, the axle came off nicely and without any difficulty! The springs on the other hand.. the rear spring brackets were a different story! I took the heads off the factory slugs (again, more pressed slugs holding it in place), and had to drill them out as well. They did not want to give up the mount for anything! I even ground into the frame hoping they would release the mount a little easier, but no such luck. It wasnt until I punched through the slug itself with a drill bit, that it finally came off! The GOOD news: The holes on the 2-wheel drive frame match up perfectly with the 4-wheel drive mounts from the rear of the springs! This saves a ton of measuring, re-measuring and triple checking before install..

I did keep the D-50 together in one peice the whole time it came off. I didnt want to pull axles out of it, and chance getting any dirt or debris into the differential. The mounting U-Bolts were pretty easy, and if a person removed the center bolts holding the D-50 to the crossmember, then unbolts one side of the D-50 from the spring at a time, it drops down slowly and easily!

I have 8 crossmember bolt holes to drill out on the 2-wheel drive frame, and the front shackle moddification to do in order to button up the install. The 2-wheel drive crossmember does not have existing bolt holes for the center carrier of the D-50. Also on the front shackle mount, the inside of the frame is open on the 2-wheel drive, while the 4-wheel drive frame is closed, but only for a few inches at the front. After long investigating and decision making, the best route for durability, is to notch out the bottom of the frame where the front shackle would mount into, and weld on a plate on the open side of the frame, then drill a matching hole through it to bolt up the front shackle. I will have pics of that modd as I can see others wanting to do something like this as well.

Parts I have coming in and parts I need to get to complete this project:

- 8 heavy grade bolts to replace the slug I cut off in order to get the mounts locked onto the frame.

- Gear oil: Why not get it changed while its out!
- Wheel bearing grease: Might as well repack bearings too!

- Hubs: I have them coming from another member here! Because this is a dually, I need 4-wheel drive front dually hubs to swap out, as the donor axle is off of a SWB. D-60' hubs should work!

Now because I am also using the steering assembly and gear box off of the 4-wheel drive truck (it has tilt, mine doesnt) and putting it on mine. This gear box will have a tighter turning radius then mine as well. I noticed that the 2-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive share the same pitman arm, so if a person wanted to keep their 2-wheel drive gear box they can!

Really, thats about it.. the 2-wheel to 4-wheel swap is pretty simple and easily done with minimal tools needed! Grinder, Welder, some hand tools!

 

Ohh I couldnt agree with you more... I want one too, but availability and pricing is a challenge lately! I am using the D-50 until I come across a good deal for a D-60, then swapping again. I know that swapping to a D-60 will be even easier, as the springs will already be mounted, and I wont have to deal with more crossmember bolts.. LOL!

 

Well, finally with some day light, and getting more done..

The springs and shackles are going onto the truck. I did however after getting started on mounting the springs, find out that the factory holes were off a bit, and had to drill new ones for the measurements to add up!

I went ahead and notched the frame near the bumper mounts, like that on the 4-wheel drive. I will place a plate over the open section of the frame where the front shackle bolt runs through.. Thats about the easiest and least moddifying needed. Instead of crushing the frame to match the same thickness to the shackle length, I will use shims to space the front shackles to the same specs as a 4-wheel drive frame.


Passenger side


Drivers side (with out front shackle)


As you can see, there is a factory slot there, and when the bolt rests on the bottom in the slot, its perfect where it needs to sit. I am sure I can weld on a little there to lock the bolt from sliding, but with the assist of the nisde plate, I dont think it will move. Just another precaution.

 

Well, this has been holding up progress with the other projects going on with the truck.. But I can start to relax! Everything is bolted up and on! I have a few minor tweaks to do (install inside front shackle plate, hook up brake lines, install the Dana-60 hubs, the last shock mount, and bolt up the drive line.. Its done!


And the light brown thats all over the top, is dust.. We get a lot of it here! LOL!

This project has had some interesting turns and challenges to it. I am glad though its about over! Now I can get the engine and trans put it! Drilling all the holes for the brackets has been the biggest challenge! Everything did line up nicely, and measured out correctly! I was actually astonished with that! All the factory slugs I took off of the mounts and brackets, were replaced with Grade 8 bolts, and then welded on. I wanted to make sure this thing doesnt come loose if I am hauling and go off road!

 

Looks great! Glad it went so well.

Here's my question. Would you say that this conversion is possible to do with the engine still in the truck?

 

Thats a good question, and I would say absolutely! Knowing its always easier to do mods when you have everything tore down and out of the way will make things a lot easier to get to, in a perfect world that would be ideal, but for a person looking to do this swap on a running rig, i dont think they would have any issues.

Rarely did I come across anything where an engine in the truck would pose too much of an issue. The only things I would see hindered, would be involving the cross member.


Its not that it cant be done with an engine in the way. It most likely could be done completely from the underside. But this Twin I Beam bracket has to be removed in order to install either the D-50 or D-60. Even if installing a solid axle D-60, it will be in the way of axle movement under a good amount of flex. A person could drill it out from the underside, but would need to be careful that they dont drill through it and punch their oil pan. I would slide a piece of wood between the crossmember and the oil pan. This way when drilling, if you get wood shaving coming out the bottom end of the crossmember, you know its time to stop drilling, LOL!

The suspension mounts and shock mounts all can be done without even going under the truck! For safety purposes down the road, I would include Grade 8 bolts and nuts for the rear shackles when you install the leaf springs. Granted a person will get a feel for things as they go, and I may have gone overboard with stability, but this area here will see the most action down the road when flexing out the suspension. Due to removing the factory pressed slugs that hold the rear shackles on, I wouldnt want to see bolts get sheared off from a good bump when playing. ALSO, with installing the bolts to hold the rear shackle on, I welded the nuts onto the bolts when I was done. This prevents the nuts from spinning off and the bolts from falling out. This is thinking several years ahead most likely, but you know when its that far down the road, checking to see that the bolts are still in tact, may not be in our minds.

Everything can be done fairly easy with a completely intact truck!

The tool list I found needed for this project:

• Four (4) jackstands for safety
• A couple (2, or more) floor jacks
• Angle grinder
• Metric Wrenchs (or even sockets) including a 22mm for the trailing arms
• Drill
• Drill bits (and a few more if using the D-50, as I went through plenty of them in drilling the crossmember holes for the mounts).

One thing I have yet to finish, and to post pics up of, are the fabricated "Y" plates on the front shackle. Using a 2-wheel drive frame, which is an open design, I needed to secure the inside on the front shackles, especially after notching out the bottom of the frame for the shackle. I called it a "Y" plate, as the plate I am installing looks like an upside down "Y", as its folded at the bottom to surround the shackle bar when its clamped to the frame. A person can either weld it in place, or drill out and bolt it up. Just make sure you notch out a good sized section (4") of the frame to compensate for leaf spring travel.

Everything came together nicely, minimal issues, and as long as you pay attention to mounting locations, everything else is simple and can be done fairly quickly (I would estimate a day for the D-60, and a couple for the D-50 due to additional drilling and brackets). Build up your own front shackle braces ahead of time before starting the project. This is part will slow down progress!

Cant wait to see yoru project when you get it started!