BARRYS83F100 Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 Ok Members I think I am going to hunt 4WD bullnose truck and pull everything out to convert my 1983 short bed F100 to 4WD first off my F100 is 5.0 AOD Auto trans with 3.55 rear any particular years I need to look for ? stay away from ? I will be removing front rear, trans case and have all that stuff gone through and rebuilt prior to install I want to run a 31x10.5 tire so may need modest lift, I know in a perfect world I need the 4WD AOD but I can convert mine if needed. I have rebuilt engine to go in my F100 this spring and my trans works great now, I was going to rebuild while engine out but since I am changing to 4WD I can rebuild mine and add conversion or if I am lucky I can find truck with correct trans, I know I could buy another truck but I really like this one and I have alot of things in first class shape and has very min amount of rust which I will have fixed & painted after install. let me hear your thoughts I am located in Hagerstown , Md if anyone has leads on a parts truck Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 I would try and stick to an 83-86 donor, as that will keep you close to your truck and allow you to order parts for your year of truck. The transmission crossmembers (and transmission mount) for 4x4 trucks changed in 85, but they'll bolt up the same way. There are also differing slide pins as the early trucks had a formed metal strip that was retained in place by a bolt and the later trucks had traditional spring style slide pins. The 80-82? trucks had a bolt-in style slip yoke, while the later trucks had a c-clip style slip yoke. Overall the axle housings are the same from 1980-1996, I had housings from a 1995 in my 1980. But there are little things that changed along the way which is why it is best to use a truck close to your year as a donor. Piecing the swap together is possible, but not something I would want to do again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 I would try and stick to an 83-86 donor, as that will keep you close to your truck and allow you to order parts for your year of truck. The transmission crossmembers (and transmission mount) for 4x4 trucks changed in 85, but they'll bolt up the same way. There are also differing slide pins as the early trucks had a formed metal strip that was retained in place by a bolt and the later trucks had traditional spring style slide pins. The 80-82? trucks had a bolt-in style slip yoke, while the later trucks had a c-clip style slip yoke. Overall the axle housings are the same from 1980-1996, I had housings from a 1995 in my 1980. But there are little things that changed along the way which is why it is best to use a truck close to your year as a donor. Piecing the swap together is possible, but not something I would want to do again. I agree with Shaun. And especially agree with getting a whole parts truck. You will save money by doing so, and can probably swap parts onto the donor and then sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 I have done this swap, and I will +1 to the suggestion of buying a whole donor truck. It will be cheaper, you will have everything you need, and you will have it to refer to along the way. You will need to decide whether to drill out the rivets and change the rear spring hangers for the 3” wide leafs the in the back, or use the narrower 2wd leaf springs. Even if you keep the narrow springs, you will need the taller 4x4 lift blocks for the rear axle. Those will require the wider U-bolts and plates. You may be interested to read the axle swap portions of my build thread: http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/1981-straight-six-manual-4x4-project-td1312.html Edit: I had a thread started on FTE before this forum existed. There are a few more details in it including how I got the pivot bolts to line up: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1486376-1981-straight-six-manual-4x4-project.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myrl883 Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 I have done this swap, and I will +1 to the suggestion of buying a whole donor truck. It will be cheaper, you will have everything you need, and you will have it to refer to along the way. You will need to decide whether to drill out the rivets and change the rear spring hangers for the 3” wide leafs the in the back, or use the narrower 2wd leaf springs. Even if you keep the narrow springs, you will need the taller 4x4 lift blocks for the rear axle. Those will require the wider U-bolts and plates. You may be interested to read the axle swap portions of my build thread: http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/1981-straight-six-manual-4x4-project-td1312.html Edit: I had a thread started on FTE before this forum existed. There are a few more details in it including how I got the pivot bolts to line up: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1486376-1981-straight-six-manual-4x4-project.html I wish you weren't on the right coast. My son and I have a couple of F150 4x4s, and both have the roof rusted out above the windshield. I'd love to unload one or both for cheap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYS83F100 Posted March 13, 2020 Author Share Posted March 13, 2020 I wish you weren't on the right coast. My son and I have a couple of F150 4x4s, and both have the roof rusted out above the windshield. I'd love to unload one or both for cheap! I guess I should not rule out Bullnose Broncos ? I found a 1982 V8 Auto 4WD for $500 local would this be a canidate ??? Thoughts Members Please share your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted March 13, 2020 Share Posted March 13, 2020 I guess I should not rule out Bullnose Broncos ? I found a 1982 V8 Auto 4WD for $500 local would this be a canidate ??? Thoughts Members Please share your input. Broncos are an option as well, but you'll still need a driveshaft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 13, 2020 Share Posted March 13, 2020 Broncos are an option as well, but you'll still need a driveshaft. Yes, and the driveshaft would be a problem. If I remember correctly, the Bronco's have a different yoke on the rear output of the transfer case since they use a double-cardan u-joint. (Basically two u-joints back to back.) That's because the vehicle is so short that it causes the angle of the driveshaft to be steep in order to get down to the differential. Pickups don't use a double-cardan joint there, so you'd either have to have a u-joint made with a double-cardan joint or change out the yoke to a regular u-joint yoke. As the yokes can be taken off and replaced w/o opening up the transfer case, that's the better and less expensive approach. I think I paid about $75 for a yoke recently, so add that plus a different driveshaft to the cost of using a Bronco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYS83F100 Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 Yes, and the driveshaft would be a problem. If I remember correctly, the Bronco's have a different yoke on the rear output of the transfer case since they use a double-cardan u-joint. (Basically two u-joints back to back.) That's because the vehicle is so short that it causes the angle of the driveshaft to be steep in order to get down to the differential. Pickups don't use a double-cardan joint there, so you'd either have to have a u-joint made with a double-cardan joint or change out the yoke to a regular u-joint yoke. As the yokes can be taken off and replaced w/o opening up the transfer case, that's the better and less expensive approach. I think I paid about $75 for a yoke recently, so add that plus a different driveshaft to the cost of using a Bronco. Members located a bullnose 4wd on my way to fathers house sitting in yard 1984 f150 XLT 302 4spd [ was auto trans ] 3.55 axle ratio truck pretty much toast owner has farm tag on it to haul wood once in great while so he says said 4WD does work and runs with out you seeing this he told me to make offer as he has another truck he can use to haul his wood any ideas ? I was thinking $400 not much good on it I really don't want to hurt his feelings let me know your thoughts I am going back to look it over good as it was pooring rain will transfer case work on AOD from Manual trans ? I know I need the shaft & extension housing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Members located a bullnose 4wd on my way to fathers house sitting in yard 1984 f150 XLT 302 4spd [ was auto trans ] 3.55 axle ratio truck pretty much toast owner has farm tag on it to haul wood once in great while so he says said 4WD does work and runs with out you seeing this he told me to make offer as he has another truck he can use to haul his wood any ideas ? I was thinking $400 not much good on it I really don't want to hurt his feelings let me know your thoughts I am going back to look it over good as it was pooring rain will transfer case work on AOD from Manual trans ? I know I need the shaft & extension housing. Barry - I had a really hard time understanding your post. But from what I do understand you are thinking about buying a 1984 f150 XLT 302 4spd and are wondering if $400 is a reasonable price. The truck apparently runs, but is in pretty bad shape? A few years ago I bought a truck that was in pretty decent shape from a rust standpoint, but the rear axle was broken. I paid $600 for it. As for the transfer case, they are interchangeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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