'71 F250 12 valve conversion

[Fordpickupman]

This could be a long story.



I got this pickup for free in 2006. I was in college at the time. One day I was chatting with the department head before class, and she mentioned that she had a pickup load of trash that needed to go to the dump and if somebody would take it she would give them the truck.



It ended up being a decently straight bump side Ford. I love bumpsides.

 

[Fordpickupman]

It has served as my daily driver off and on since then.

I've been slowly fixing it as I could afford to. Last winter I rebuilt and installed a HP HD D44.

This coming winter I was planning on rebuilding the 390 and C6. Long story short, the 390 gave up in July.

After pricing the machine work, I found a '94 2500 2x Cummins auto for the same price. The body was roached and it had over 400,000 miles on it. It runs like a top and the transmission doesn't have very many miles on it.

So the Dodge got parted and scrapped. The 12 valve is sitting in the Ford. Now the fitting fun begins.

More pics and details will follow... as well as many questions... .

What do most of you guys do to make the Dodge trans shift lever work with the Ford column, as they shift in opposite directions? I think I am going to build a bell crank type setup. I have searched to see what others have done, but have not found anything mentioned in any of the posts. Are they all just running with the shifter in a reverse pattern? (Park is really low type of thing?)

 

[Wayne M.]

That's going to be a one of a kind. Awesome shot! What transfer case?

 

[Fordpickupman]

The factory ram assist was shot, so it was time to do the Saginaw conversion, especially since the sheetmetal was off. I ported the fresh box to power the factory ram. The box is a Chevy 4x box that I put a Dodge sector shaft into so that it would have the threaded retainer on the bottom so that I could run a Ford style pitman arm. I kept the quick Chevy turn ratio. I boxed/sleeved the frame where the box mounts for strength. Also visible here is how I had to modify the crossmember to clear the oil pan. I plated it at the front to add some strength and reshaped the contour to tie it back in to the frame so that it would look cleaner. The boxing plate is welded the crossmember also. I sectioned about 3" out of the crossmember, the top of it is just below the bottom of the frame rail now.

 

[Fordpickupman]

This is the pocket I fabricated to clear the low mounted AC Compressor. Thats right, I plan on installing AC in the ol' Ford.

The gal that gave me the pickup name is Rebecca (even a red head), so my bride and I decided that we should name the pickup "Becky". It has stuck, even my 3 year old daughter calls it Becky-pickup.

 

[Fordpickupman]

 

[Fordpickupman]

I got the motor mounts from ChaseTruck754. I found him on Ford Truck Enthusiast. He designed them in CAD and has a buddy laser cut them out. It was pretty sweet to have them cut out cleanly and just weld them together.

As far as the transfer case, I am running a twin sticked divorced NP205. The pickup is actually a '71 body on a '74 chassis, so it has the later the transfer case. The wheelbase was also incorrect for the body when I got it, that is what first tipped me off that the chassis was not correct. When I installed the '07 2500 Chevy leaves in the rear with a shackle flip, I fixed the wheel base to be correct. I also installed '99-'00 F350 leaves in the front to smooth out the ride some, it rides pretty nice for a Highboy Ford. I also converted to normal U-bolts in the front, the upside down square ubolts (anchors) had to go.

I love the old Bumpsides. I still have the '69 shortbox that I drove to highschool, dated my bride, drove to college, raced my wife to the hospitol and drove our baby home in. I am going to restore it and give it to my daughter.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Very nice. If you plan to add power later, you can find lots of advice here. Let me suggest however that if you do so, porting the head, mostly in the valve pockets, will prevent it from cracking near the valve seats from the extra heat. Your 160 HP head is probably fine; the 215 HP heads (same head actually) often got cracks.

 

[Fordpickupman]

I had not heard of the cracking around the valve seats before, but thank you for the heads up.

I'd like to put some mild twins on it eventually. I think 1,000 ft lbs would be plenty fun in the old Ford.

I will probably be asking for lots of guidance on tuning it up. Actually that is why I joined here. My dad subscribed to TDR back in the early '90s.

 

[Wayne M.]

Very nice work. You lucky to have such facilities. Welcome aboard. I never knew them as "bump sides" but I like them too. In high school, a friend's Dad had a 2wd same truck called "BIG BERTHA".
Regarding the transmission quadrant question, IIRC all Dodges since '94 are cable shifted. I'm sure you could modify the ford linkage and work the other side of the shaft, but then again, I don't know the ford setup either. Since you're running twin stick X fer case, why not a lokar street rod shifter with a stick to match?

 

[Fordpickupman]

I am truly blessed to be able to use that shop as if it was my own. We are kind of care takers over a ranch and the owner only visits a couple times a year. He is very gracious and said to use it as if it was mine.

The '94 transmission has linkage still. I think I am just going to fab a bell crank to change the pull to push.

I'm hoping to remove the bed this weekend and install the cab & chassis fuel tank. Then I'll prep that portion of the frame for paint also. Might as well while it is apart.

 

[JR]

Nice fab work, everythings looking nice and clean so far

Thats one aspect I really miss, we did alot of 4x builds, many with top loader axles, custom 4 link set ups, and had a BLAST going out and trying to break em on the weekends

Then the kids came along, and the rest was history :-laf

Keep us updated with the progress, you got a neat project and it's coming along nicely.

 

[Fordpickupman]

Since I have to replumb the fuel system, I decided to swap in the tank I have been hording for a couple years now.

I will have to attach a pic tomorrow from a computer. For some reason the iPhone doesn't jive w the forum.

The tank is out of a mid '80s Ford diesel cab n chassis. It's plastic and uses a skid plate to hang it. Perfect. It's is about the same capacity as the factory tank behind the seat. It'll be nice not having to listen to that sloshing anymore. The mounting holes in the rear of the skid pan are the same pattern as the holes in the bottom of the rear crossmember. Interesting. It fits behind the axle with room to spare.

The 5" exhaust pipe is supposed to be here this week so I can mock it up in the frame with the bed off. No overhead work, that'll be nice. I'm going to use the hanger brackets off the donor truck. The new style hangers are so much better than the stuff from the '70s - '80s

 

[MarkEkberg]

All through college I had a 69 ext cab that I threw a modded 429 into. That thing would pass anything but a gas station, but was it fun. Really liked it, but fuel costs made it go.

 

[Fordpickupman]

I've made a little progress.
I decided I better build the 5" exhaust before I built the transmission mount so that it would all work together.
I wanted the exhaust to be up inside the frame rail as much as possible to protect it and so that it eould have a cleaner profile. To accomplish this I had to slightly trim the crossmember that the NP205 hangs from. I also want to move the 205 rearward 1". So I pulled the tcase.
So the muffler hangs below the bottom of the frame less than the factory 2" system did. I'd post pics but the iPhone is still not getting along w the forum.

 

[Fordpickupman]

The muffler is hanging by the factory Dodge hangers.



I also got the throttle pedal modified and installed with the cable hooked up. Next step is to build a bell-crank to operate the shifter correctly.

 

[Fordpickupman]

I got the Ford cab n chassis tank installed this morning. Now I need to run the fuel lines. I'm wanting to run an inline filter on the frame. I'm thinking a hard mounted spin on filter. I'll go shopping I. The boneyard at work and see what I can scare up. We have lots of dead dump trucks and mixers.

I am also thinking about not using the ECM for the heater grid. I think a momentary switch would be simpler and I don't want a computer on this ol pickup. Which also brings up the 47RH, I think I may control OD and lock-up with switches. I just gotta figure out how to make lock-up turn off when I come to a stop. Anybody out ther done this?

 

[MarkEkberg]

The momentary switch will have to carry lots of amps unless you put it to a relay which will have to carry lots of amps.

If you put the lock up to a relay and had it unlock when you pressed the brake that would solve your concern, but not if you want it to unlock for shifting or climbing hill.

 

[Fordpickupman]

I should have been clearer I guess. I'll use the factory relay setup. I just don't like computers.

 

[JR]

http://www.tstproducts.com/installationinstructions. aspx



Here's a link for the lock up switch click on "Torque Converter lock up switch for 94-02 Ram"

I provided the link to the home page rather than the specific page for the lock up switch because there may be some other links you find interesting.