85 F350 DRW is getting a 4wd conversion

[we287gn]

I have decided to do it...I have been reading and reading and still searching the web .
My truck is a 6.9/t19/ drw d60
I have at my fingertips drivetrain/suspension parts from an 86 f250 6.9/t19/BW1345 /sterling full float

So I know its a crazy idea,lots of bracket removal and reinstall.. For now the D44 will have to stay and most likely i will find out the hard way if the hubs arent strong enough..but it will get me by for now..
it will be getting a set of drw spacers and the load of an old fisher plow on it..
Already modding the push plates to clear the extra deep 6.9 radiator support..
Read up on the fisher site my plow setup will not clear the d60 steering...so, for now I stay ttb

Not sure if any can confirm , i was reading there was no such thing as a "factory" gen 7-9 4wd dually , that they were dual conversions done by 3rd party companies.. hmmm?
would make this truck even more interesting

Well my first hangup was the rear driveshaft... the sterling pinion length seems to be a bit longer than the d60..
rough measure brings me to say the d60 is roughfly 1/2"-1" shorter ..
If the two rears used the same size u joints , and i think they do, i was told i should be ok stretching the shaft that little bit, that guys who lift up to 4" use the factory rear shafts stretching them apx 1.5" over stock position.
hoping that part works out...thats where I am starting..trans/transfer case swap...keep it mobile.. then i will work on the spring hangers at the frame horns...

anywho, its a start

 

[primetime]

Hubs won`t be your problem. Axle joints will be your achilles heel. I broke two plowing with my 87 6.9 auto. There is a lot of weight on the front of these trucks and the Dana 44 is a little over matched.

I must not be making the connection on how the plow mount won`t clear Dana 60 steering linkage but will clear TTB linkage. They are in the same place after all. How about a pic of your Fisher set up. I can put up a pic of my Western to give you some food for thought.

As for gen 7-9 4x4 duallys, you could buy them from Ford, but only in a chassis cab. I`ve seen and worked on plenty of 86-97 F-350 chassis cab 4x4s.

I personaly think you will be a lot better off with a Dana 60 and modding the plow mount to work, but that`s just me. Good luck and lets see some pics.

 

[we287gn]

well here are a few pics of the bed off(cleaning up frame and cab sheetmetal work), and radiator supprt mount job...figured while the front end is apart , good time to get at those bracket rivets

The only interference i can think of with the steering linkage are the "push bars" . they mount to the push plates and extend back to the frame somewhere next to the shocks. load distribution i guess...funny part is i didnt get those with my used set up..
I agree and have been told , d60 .. for now I have these parts and will possibly work towards the d60
plenty of other bugs to work out for now...
Need to reconfirm the id tag on my rear dana "3.54"...all i have been reading is 4.10 hard with out the original door jamb stickers..have to pull the cover to confirm
Most of the used axles i find are with out springs,panhard bar and bracket, pitman arm.. so I will hold out for the moment, unless something complete becomes available
pooring out now , best i can do is link the fisher pdf for the setup i have

http://library.fisherplows.com/fisherplows/pdf/6240_071890.pdf

this setup for ifs only , if i search the 350 monobeam setup, it doesnt have these bars, but extends on the side of the frame and mounts where the shockmount goes. hmm, just gave me an idea..lol

 

[we287gn]

well pulled the donor t19/1345 t case this past weekend..all went well except the two units wanted to stay together, so they came down as one..
so I will be pulling the axles on the 44 , both u joints are toast.
looking at clutches and parts now, figuring its a good time to freshen this part up...
next hurdle, the speedo cable setups are a bit diferent between the 85 2wd and 86 4wd...there is a break and an adapter at the brake booster area for a speedo signal on the 2wd...on the 4wd there is an adapter right at the t case for the speedo signal(cruise I am assuming)... thinking if the ends are the same I can just use the existing cable and run the 4wd harness ..but if i dig in that far i may swap the cable if the dash is apart...
thats it for now, still more donor parts to pull

 

[we287gn]

Well things are moving, not as fast as I'd like, but its moving.
Have so far pulled the tranny , and drivesr side front suspension and shock tower..on to the other side and get the frame cleaned and painted up with some POR-15.
Donor truck is ready for a motor pull then I can attack the donor front end...
Found a d60 from a 97 locally. project money is tight, but hoping I can grab it. srw with springs ,panhard and steering...$400...we shall see...that will be a heck of a lot easier than trying to mount this ttb dana..
also you can see where the 4wd frame is boxed in as opposed to the 2wd , going to snag that part as well.

 

[DNFXDLI]

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[Beach66Bum]

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[Lost]

there were 4x4 dually in 86 86 I had one new in 86 . And its was a all Ford window slip . But they didnt offer them with a stock type bed . If you mounted A factory bed it had big gap between cab and bed

For the work Id have got a rolling 88 -92 4x4 dually frame swapped cab and frame horns and been done in a weekend in the past

 

[we287gn]

Hi Lost , ya that may have been easier in some ways and definately alot easier as far as brackets/rivets go.
In my case I chose to put in the insane work simply because the parts are being given to me from a friend...And where the donor truck is a 6.9/t19 it makes other aspects alot easier.. Its a real low budget situation and if that parts truck wasnt around I probably would never have started...

Well I have pulled all the 2wd brackets off and degreased the frame/crossmember as best as I could with the motor in..As for the reasons stated above I am really like to be leaning towards a straight axle..I think transfering the D44HD pivot brackets to the 2wd crossmember will be the worst of the job..Some of the other brackets you get lucky and some holes already line up...
I will have to come up with some type of template and hope to acurately transfer the bracket holes... The rear most one(drivers side right axle pivot bracket) does not seem as bad as the front (pass side/left axle pivot bracket).
This is where most doing this conversion would jump straight to the straight axle and be done with the pivot brackets..Never mind the other obvious reasons.. but its here and its what I have to work with .
so YES a 4wd frame is way better to start with , more specificly f250..
If I am correct the height and width spacing of the f150/bronco coil d44 pivot brackets are the same as the 2wd twin I beam...
Witch brings me to a thought...Why dont most that have 2wd just swap in a coil d44 if they are not looking for heavy duty... that would almost be bolt-in if my hunch is correct...the big exception is the 5 lug hub.
but it seams most are looking for the strength and durability of the straight axle...

 

[we287gn]

Hey all. The project is still moving...slower than I like , but no major bumps yet..
Working outside makes available time hard..I finally slapped some por-15 on the rails..and actually started drilling for the 4wd brackets.
The more I try and layout a situation for mounting the 44HD pivot brackets the more I cringe and ask my self why dont I just wait for a D60.. Still on the fence...If some decent weather can hold out till after the holidays maybe I can go straight axle hunting.
Here is a quick pic of starting to mount the front spring hanger bracket. Still have to cut the notch out for the hanger..

 

[we287gn]

just a mini update...still awaiting a front end..I have the 44hd all apart , cleaned and started getting a parts list together...I have yet to buy the parts and low and behold a dually d60 pops up in an affordable price range...problem being the rest of the pieces.., but we shall see ..this guy seems to have stripped a couple trucks so maybe the extras are kicking around..