Bricknose F-Superduty

Anyone know if this was a thing? I'm reading in other forums that you could get a 87-91 Fsuperduty. Cab and chassis 2wd....but came with a 4wd transmission with a driveline emergency brake instead of a transfer case.

I don't know...was this a f350? F450?

I'm trying to collect a zf5 parts truck, and if this is a viable option, I want to include them in my searches.

Yes, they were technically F450s but Ford called them F-SuperDuty. They featured a 4x4 front frame and leaf springs, with a solid beam 4x2 axle up front. I don't think they were available with anything other than a 460 and a Diesel but I may be wrong. You are correct regarding the 4x4 transmission and E-Brake drum on the end. They were also 10 lug rather than 8 like the F350 cab and chassis.

Gary and Jim always refer to one they scavenged parts from.

Thanks Shaun. I'm starting to see them now. I saw one of those f450 4wd conversations too. They must be made of gold!!

I've never searched or looked for anything bigger than a f350. So this is new to me. I was hoping to find a dana 60 front and a 4wd zf5 f350. But now I'll keep these f450 f-superdutys on the radar too.

Ray Cecil wrote

Thanks Shaun. I'm starting to see them now. I saw one of those f450 4wd conversations too. They must be made of gold!!

I've never searched or looked for anything bigger than a f350. So this is new to me. I was hoping to find a dana 60 front and a 4wd zf5 f350. But now I'll keep these f450 f-superdutys on the radar too.

I'm not really sure what it takes to make the ZF from those work with a transfer case, but I'm sure it's been done before and you should be able to find info on it.

The problem with the 4x4 conversion trucks is that they aren't always a Dana 60 up front. They often had right hand drop transfer cases and aftermarket axles with the differential on the passenger side. So make sure you inspect one of these before you buy it sight unseen.

If you end up with a whole truck, and you're not doing a 4x4 conversion, the 4x4 brackets will actually sell pretty quickly on Ebay if you're willing to remove them and price them right. I sold the 4x4 stuff from my 88 F250 parts truck and made a quick $500 just from the spring hangers, shock towers, U-bolt plates, and shock plates. Made my money back on what I paid for the truck.

The friend who I did a lot of work for until I moved to the Eastern Shore had a 1989 F-Super Duty roll back. He let it run out of fuel and then ran the batteries down trying to start it. His other big wrecker (currently sitting here to be repaired) is a 1993 GMC 3500HD, which is essentially the same thing, was out of service with a broken starter. I had to grab some chains at his shop and pull him out of the left turn lane he was blocking then take him to get 5 gals of Diesel. After that, I had to pull him to get it started. Darth did quite well, even spun the tires at one point. I had one of his big chains from my draw bar to the front axle of his wrecker.

Unfortunately there are no pictures nor a video of the evolution. When I got where he broke down, the Hampton VA police officer was waving people out of the left turn lane. I pulled up and was told they had a broken down wrecker blocking the lane, so I told him I was there to move him, about that time the wrecker owner got out and came back to where we were. HPD promptly got things so I could get in front of the wrecker and kept the lane clear.

Here is where the GMC is sitting currently:

Ray, the F450 SuperDuty ZF-5’s are identical to the other 4x4 ZF’s regarding the rear case mount for the transfer case. Any of the usual 6 bolt cases like BW1345 or BW1356 will bolt right on where the drive line brake was.

There is one notable difference for diesels. The F450 SuperDuty was the only application that received a WIDE ratio ZF-5 with the IDI bellhousing. This is something to be aware of… if a diesel ZF came from a F450 than it most likely has the 6.72 first gear, not the 4.14 first gear.

Hey, thanks everyone for the info. Sorry for slow replies. It's been a busy few days.