Competition 2 wd converted to 4 wd

[F8LDOSE]

I posted in two other forums with no luck. Just wondering if anybody else has converted a two wheel drive over to four wheel drive. I can't be the first person to ever do it.

 

[LSMITH]

I have done a couple mid-late 70's chevies. It ended up costing more than what was gained, but some guys just cannot accept getting another truck and starting fresh with factory 4wd is more coste effective. If you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT take the thought of selling your truck and buying a 4wd model go for it. It is not all that hard, not even very time consuming, just has really high hardware costs.

 

[tarussell]

I have assisted in a few solid axle GM swaps and several Toyota IFS to solid axle and 2wd to 4wd swaps. If you got a donor truck all is well and just good old fashion work/sweat and spit . I think the most important part is knowing what to get and why you need it.

A lot of people swap drivetrains and don't end up with the parts to make the work worth it .

How did yours turn out -- pictures ??????



Thomas

 

[tgbol]

I did 2 '58 Chevies to 4x4. I sure wouldn't tackle a Second Gen. Dodge unless I was going to run leaf springs in front.

 

[F8LDOSE]

The main reason I did the conversion because what I ended up with is better than anything you could by from the factory. I used a reverse rotation D60 from a 79 F-350, with leaf springs. When everything is said and done I'll still have less in it, than a 95 4WD would of cost. And everything is brand new. If anybody has any questions please ask I'll get into the details, but it was quite easy and I would'nt hesitate to do it again. It was really nice to have the truck on my buddys spare lift at his shop,and have access to all his tools and machines, a plasma cutter is a must.

 

[tarussell]

hufnpuf - What made you choose a 79 F-350 Dana 60 front axle ?

Was it needed for the narrower spring pad perch's than the 85 on up ones ? Did you use the skinny axles in the 79 axle or did you put the fat axles in and the big stubs in it ? Did you use a NP 241 or a NP 205 and what transmission is in your truck ? What about lift ? What front leaf springs did you use ? Did you use a track bar like some of the Ford's do w/ a leaf spring Dana 60 ? How is the track width compared to the rear axle ? Was there a clearance problem in the transmission tunnel of the truck when you added the T/C . And finally when are Ya' gonna post some pictures ???

Thomas

 

[F8LDOSE]

Mr Thomas, the main reason I used a 79 axle is because thats what was available. They are hard as heck to get ahold of, in fact a buddy waited over a year to get one to upgrade his D44 in his ford. The spring pads worked out perfectly as to where I wanted to mount my hangers. My axles are the bigger nontapered,when they break I go with a set of Moser's. I drilled my hubs and put in 9/16 studs. I'm still doing research on transfer cases. I'm debuting between using my 2wd transmission(nv4500) and using a divorced transfer case, I looking into Profab brand, but still have some questions to be answered. My other option is to buy a whole truck at a salvage sale and use the manual trans and t. c out of it. But it's not every week that they come up... . I used a set of springs out of a 1ton chevy military truck and had an extra leaf added. The front sets about 1. 5 in higher than a stock 4wd. I used the stock steering from the ford, including pittman arm and track bar. Sorry about pics, maybe Santa will bring me a digital camera...

 

[tarussell]

Sounds good . Those Ford 60's are hard to find, glad to hear it has the big axle shafts. I did not know that the 79 Dana 60 had smaller wheel studs; what are they 1/2" ? Do the big calipers seem to help in the braking department over the Dodge stuff ?



I feel your pain about the digital camera; it's on my wish list too .



Thomas