1985 body swap to 1997

[jonson341]

Hi im new to the site.. i have a 1985 Ford F250.. i would like to take the whole body off and put it on a 1997 4x4 7.3L powerstroke.. Has anyone heard of how difficult this job could be or will most things match up, as in cab mounts. and etc.. any tips would be great
Thanks Jon

 

[Fellro]

The body mounts will be the same location as far as cab, box and rad support. The trick can be the front bumper, as the front frame horn changed a bit. Wiring and speedo are a completely different deal. The speedo as of 92 is electronic, driven by the rear abs sensor.

 

[jonson341]

Thanks for the reply that really helped me out... I think im just gonna post the 1985 F250 forsale..and buy a clean body 97 powerstroke..

 

[Fellro]

Oh, to add to it, the Powerstroke has no throttle cable, so if you wanted to keep your dash, you have a lot of work to make the old dash work with the electronics of the stroke. The only real reason to do such an extensive conversion is if you really want the old body with the stroke under the hood.

 

[1970Custom]

Easiest way for the swap would be if you had the frame plus cab, all the body parts swap from 80 to 97. My truck, photo in sig, is a conglomeration of everything from an '85 to '95.

 

[Fellro]

Agreed, if you kept the 97 cab, the rest is a pretty easy swap, other than the frame horn issue. That can be dealt with though.