I posted about the frame dimentions for the 89 ford shortbox. I somehow magically stumbled upon a seventies shortbox frame via posing on craigslist for 300 bucks comes with both axles and 6 inch lift to boot! any special things i should know before attempting the body swap and anything to make it bullet proof? also what should i do for tranny i have a c-6 four wheel and a 4 speed np205 on both 351w mild build

 

I didn't think the frame widths were the same?

But give it a few hours and i'm sure lots of people will jump in giving you more information then you can handle lol.

Whats the reason for the body swap?

 

well i have an 89 and the body that is good. The engine is good. I have an ok tranny and t-case combo, but the frame is literally screwed. Initially the frame was just banged up, but upon beating on it i cracked it. I damn near broke it all the way right above the rear axle. then i moved up and noticed near the tranny crossmember the frame looked like a cooked noodle that dried up. Suprising enough that paired with the ifs d44 it went strait down the road. I formerly had a 78 long box and got rid of it the bodys are so hard to find with substance around here. nothing solid to weld patch pannels in to, but i love how stout the frames are. I would love more than anything to just fab up my own frame out of 2x4 10 ga. tubing but my frame is way too wicked twisted and broke to take any measurements. Im trying to get anyones opinion on here because alot of stuff i have found useful, and has worked very well. You are correct on the frame width difference the seventies frames are more narrow in the front than the eighties frames. I hope to keep the fuel injection part also hence the 89 body. I had issues with carbs on steep yet short inclines meaning around a 60* incline but only 10-20 feet long. I am always open to suggestions. Btw i will be using a strait axle hp 44 front unless i find a 60 for cheap

 

i could also sell it to this kid who wants it in the worst way. he would jerry rig the frame back together. I could sell it for 800 and buy a 79 shortbox minus the box, reman 300-6, 4 speed, nine inch, and dana 44 doesnt appear to be in bad shape

 

the guy who owns the 79 said that he been workin on it for the past 3 years

 

start using periods and such.

 

Yeah. Punctuation makes things easier to read.

Or at very least press enter after each time you finish a sentence.

Makes it easier to tell when one sentence starts and another ends...

 

alright. sorry guys just a little hyper about the project. i usually build sleds and decided to move up to a truck. well at least a truck worth something. This guy can help shoot holes between sentences bahaha lol.

 

Ok, buy the frame on Craigslist.......but only for the axles and suspension. Then sell the bare frame to someone with a 79 who wants to turn their long bed into a short bed.

There is no reason to use a 79 frame when the TTB frames so cheap and plentiful. You don't even have to find one from a 4x4.....the 2wd's use the same frame. You could probably find one for free if you tried hard enough. They are only worth their weight in scrap metal.

 

an old boss of mine did the reverse of your plan. he put a 77 cab on an 80 bronco frame. it shouldn't be too hard if you have the space to park both side by side and take some measurements prior to taking the bodies off. his turned out pretty sweet even for a ttb truck, but only because it had my old axles with some goodies in them

 

a frame is a frame. look for posts from hav24wheel(dave) his truck started as a 78-79 reg cab long bed and now sports a late model(80-96) 4-door cab. he can tell you what is up with frame and cab swapping, and his truck is pretty fuggin sweet

 

i like the 70's frame because its rust free and rhino lined. the truck that was on it was rolled. or the truck rather tipped over on an incline and killed the body. as I said before I am thinking of selling this truck to the kid who wants it bad. he offered me 800 knowing the frame is bad. would only sell if i could be sure that 79 shortbox is worthy of working on. im not entirely sure if i would keep the 300-6 in it i have a built 347 under the work bench that would liven up that old shortbox. I worked for a local engine shop before it closed up so in down time i did a little engine work for myself.

 

Maybe the "little engine work for yourself" is why the local engine shop closed up. Hahahah.

 

Hi, I just want to say, back half of the fame is same width on Ford F150s from 73-96. Front half got wider in 80. Without radiator support work, to fit the 80s up body on pre80 Frame, 3 inch body lift for the cab, and custom support mounts needed. Also, easier to use the 80s up front cab mounts on the pre 80s frame. That's the short list. I didn't read the mumbo jumbo above that included no punctuation.

 

yes i should fix the mumbo jumbo! lol so from what i understand the rear frame width is the same? but the front of the frame rail gets narrower on the 70's frame? so I have to use the rivited on core support mounts from the 80's frame on the 70's frame? All this with a sharp drill bit some grade 8 bolts and time the body should mount up ok? thanks a bunch! now to fix the mumbo jumbo......