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1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Early Eighties Bullnose Ford Truck

rear diff went out.

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Old Sep 11, 2010 | 03:24 PM
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rear diff went out.

I recently bought an 86 f150 that originally had a 300 six in it but the guy swapped in a 460 big block. So the other day i decided to dump the clutch and see what this bad boy could do. Well as you would expect the rear end grinded all to hell so i got home pulled the inspection cover the side gears are grinded down and the ring gear has some battle scars. Anyways my question is what running gear should i get to beef the drive train up to support the 460? it currently is running the stock dana 44's 3.08 ratio front and back with the stock locker in the rear. any ideas would be well appreciated.
 
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Old Sep 11, 2010 | 04:49 PM
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For the best bang for the buck (no pun intended), I would go with a 9 inch. There has been a lot of debate about it, but I personally feel the nine inch is a stronger and better axle than the 8.8. You could then keep the five lug set up, a rear would be essentially bolt in, and you could theoretically upgrade to 35 or higher spline axles if you snap the factory ones.
 
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Old Sep 11, 2010 | 05:24 PM
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What year truck would be best for me to to pull that off of and what's the equivalent of the 9 inch for the front cause my truck is 4x4 also what gearing does the 9 inch come with? my plans for this truck are mainly off roading but also still be able to drive on the street to haul junk and garbage off. thanks for the info
 
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Old Sep 11, 2010 | 05:50 PM
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You can get any gearing for the 9 inch you would want. As for the front, you have a Dana 44. It should be okay so long as wou do not abuse it. You could possibly swap in a straight axle, but it would likely be another Dana 44 without a lot of fab work and stuff.
 
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Old Sep 11, 2010 | 07:08 PM
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You are going to have to quit dumping the clutch with the 460 in it. I guess you know a 460 never came in a f150, only the f250's with the larger axles.
 
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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 04:58 PM
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well i've decided to go with a 9 inch. my hole axle housing is bent like the shock mounts are bent and you can visually see that the axle tubes are bent idk if that contributed to the rear end going out or not but yeah i def need a hole new axle. then why would the 460 be an option? 1986 F150 1/2 Ton Pickup Styleside prices with options and values at NADAguides.com
 
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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 08:22 PM
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Out of curiosity, what size tires are you spinning?
 
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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 08:29 PM
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Originally Posted by 86f150mudder
Don't believe everything you read.
 
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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 08:43 PM
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I recently did the same swap. It is a direct bolt in BUT the 9 inch housing is 1" shorter than the 8.8 so my drive shaft was too short. I think I would have been ok if my truck wasnt lifted but with a 4" lift my driveshaft was too short. I went with 4.11 gears from 3.55s with 33" tires and Im very pleased with the swap. I still have to get the front switched yet though before I can use 4x4.
 
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Old Sep 13, 2010 | 12:08 PM
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Yeah mine isn't lifted yet other than a 2 or 3 inch body lift (haven't measured it yet). When i get paid though, i'm gonna buy a 6 inch lift kit but i'm gonna get custom driveshafts front and back. i'm currently running 33" 12.50's, but when i get the lift kit i want to put 38s on it am i gonna be safe running that big with a dana 44 in front or am i gonna have to put stronger gears in the front too?
 
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Old Sep 13, 2010 | 01:04 PM
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Big engine on one end. Big tires on the other end. Small drivetrain between the two. Not a good formula there. It would be ok if you didn't run it hard in the mud and no smoking the tires. Sounds like you need to get a f250 or better yet a f350, and slip that engine down in it. You could use your f150 body on the f250/350 frame if it's in good shape and the other body was rusted.

You need to make some of these decisions now before you get too much money going down the f150 road, and then find yourself in trouble. You are going to spend a lot of money in the lift kit, so you need to decide if you are going to buy one for a 1/2 ton or 3/4-1ton suspension.
 
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Old Sep 13, 2010 | 03:07 PM
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well i guess me and my buddy are gonna see if we can find a set of dana 60s at the junkyard, i went the other day and there were quite a few f250 with the axles still under them.
 
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Old Sep 13, 2010 | 05:58 PM
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just make sure you dont pull a dana 50 / dana 60 combo...better look for F350 axles, 60/60 combo...i thought f250's were d44 / 60 combo?
 
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Old Sep 13, 2010 | 06:25 PM
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Depends on the GVWR(I have got this down pat now I think)

Regular F250's had the dana 44hd TTB standard. I assume the "light duty" f250's also got the dana 44hd TTB.

F250 extended cabs had the higher GVWR rating(because they are a larger truck) and got the Dana 50 TTB. I have also heard of some special order f250's with the Dana 50 TTB.

F350's 85.5 and down got the Dana 50 TTB.

F350's 85.5 and up got the Dana 60 straight axle.
 
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Old Sep 13, 2010 | 08:57 PM
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Yeah, if you're looking to run 38's, you are going to need to upgrade axles or you're going to be breaking stuff left and right. You're also going to want to run a lower gear set. The other thing you need to think about is leaf or coil sprung D60? Take a look at this FAQ, it has a lot of great information. Big Bronco Dana 60 FAQ
 
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