im looking to turn my 2 wheel drive 80 f100 into a 4 wheel drive anyone know of a conversion kit for it??? if so let me know cause i cant find one anywere :(
why not find a 4x4 frame
x2
Cause im broke and thought it would be cheaper
if u want go that route u will have to find front leaf springs from a donor truck that is 4x4 and measure and weld into ur truck which might be alot headache than just swapping parts onto a 4x4 frame ... your call
and i never seen a conversion kit for doing that.
Ok well if do do the conversion should I use a truck from the same era as mine or does it Not matter and whats a good all around axle just for lil mud holes and daily driveing ??
All kinds of headaches doin that, its ok if you got a donor 4x4 truck but you still gotta cut a hole in the floor for the tcase shifter and the list just goes on and on. I dont know on fords, but many chevy 2wd cabs dont have a big enough floor hump for the tcase and gotta have a body lift just to get the tcase into the truck. You would be much better off to sell your 2wd and buy a 4wd in my experienced opinion. I converted my 2wd GMC and it still aint done, lots of things end up havin to be replaced that you dont figure on in the beginning and it ends up bein way more expensive and time-consuming than what you might think. With your truck bein in MI and bein an 80, its gonna have some rust issues somewhere on it, and thats where the problems begin, rusty bolts that gotta be cut out or ground off etc. ;D
Hit this link to see some of what I did on mine
http://wegotmud.com/forum/index.php?topic=53954.0 (http://wegotmud.com/forum/index.php?topic=53954.0)
Its got a 3in body lift already and its from tenn so it aint rusty idk what im going to I think im going to try and find one to trade thanks for tge opions u guys probly saveing me some cash in the end
the cab on fords are the same. chevy is the only one that 2wd cab and 4wd cab.
So a ford 4wheel and 2 wheel are the same is what ur saying?
yes i used a 2 wd cab on a 4x4 frame no problem
I wonder if the 2wd frame is pre-drilled for spring shackles ???
That I do not know ill check when I grt home from work
the frames are not the same. 4x4 is one, 2wd is one.
But could I still drill holes for the shacle mounts and convert it cause ive been looking and vb i havent found any 4 wheel drive single cab step sides the same as mine
cutting torch, welder. get the shackles off another truck. then weld to yours. this is really the only way to do it. but not as simple as i just listed. you have to have accurate measurements. if not: first off, nothing will line up, second, you will burn through more tires than you can shake a stick at, third, poor handling.
just be smart and dont cut corners and im sure you will be fine. youtube it, somtimes its nice to see what someone else has done and learn from it and just do some research.
wish ya luck ++peace
Quote from: old school truck dude on March 09, 2012, 05:50:39 PM
I wonder if the 2wd frame is pre-drilled for spring shackles ???
no you have to cut them.
A 1980 frame is the worst frame you can use,they had weight saving circular holes down both sides.They were very weak and ford changed them in 1981.
Quote from: jbexc on March 09, 2012, 11:15:46 PM
A 1980 frame is the worst frame you can use,they had weight saving circular holes down both sides.They were very weak and ford changed them in 1981.
x2
I was watching on speed channel them boxing in the frame then cutting like 2in holes tho the metel they welded what if I did that the lengh of the frame would it make it strong enoght to handle the extra weight ??
you live in michigan!! rust is a must in michigan.
The trucks only been in mi 3 years and hassnt been on the road yet
so if i do decice to do this convertion what axle,t-case,trans should i get for all around good stuff light mud pullin cars out ditchs pretty much a work/play truck???? when it comes to that kinda stuff i know nothing.. all i know is i have to match the front gears with the rear gears
Quote from: jaycluckey1313 on March 10, 2012, 03:51:27 AM
so if i do decice to do this convertion what axle,t-case,trans should i get for all around good stuff light mud pullin cars out ditchs pretty much a work/play truck???? when it comes to that kinda stuff i know nothing.. all i know is i have to match the front gears with the rear gears
Buy a rustbucket/wreck donor truck and use whatever is in that.
go buy a 4x4 truck and there is your parts and brackets shafts . all of it.
my ranger was a 2 wheel drive when i started it.
I got all the stuff to do this swap sitting here at my house, It is all the stock parts but its all there was going to do it to my old F100 but things changed.
You need the Radius Arms, a HP44 with the either the welded on or cast in wedges, The Cross member or the side frame brackets for the radius arms, Radius arms and the 4wd drive coil springs or lift coils. Thats the big things you need to do this swap.
There is tons of info on doing this swap out there on all the different Ford Truck Forums that are out there.