Need help. Got a new part truck.

[ErwinRommel]

Spent $400 for this baby. No motor or tranny though. Body looks in very good shape. It's a 2wd though. I got this truck to use body parts for my 4x4 Ford F150.

My 4x4 has no truck bed and the cab is very very rusty and floorboard is falling apart.

I was thinking about using this 2wd cab and put it on the 4wd frame and just cut a hole out where the 4wd shifter goes.

My questions are
Is this possible?
How hard will it be?
How could I lift the cab and truck bed?

We only got an ATV winch that can hold up to 2,500 pounds though.

Any ideas what I should do?


Thanks

[ErwinRommel]

I'm just taking the cab off and not the engine compartment.

[Lonesome7.3]

Dude, slow the **** down. You are creating more work. If the cab, bed, and frame are in that good of condition just drop your engine, tranny, and Tcase in it and install the front end under it. Yes, converting it to a four wheel drive will require some thought. But trust me, it is not that hard. You will end up ruining what looks like a good truck for no reason if you do it the way you just described.

[ErwinRommel]

Originally Posted by Lonesome7.3

Dude, slow the **** down. You are creating more work. If the cab, bed, and frame are in that good of condition just drop your engine, tranny, and Tcase in it and install the front end under it. Yes, converting it to a four wheel drive will require some thought. But trust me, it is not that hard. You will end up ruining what looks like a good truck for no reason if you do it the way you just described.

I don't have an engine hoist.
I don't know how I can do this. It's a 2wd truck.

So it ain't a good idea to remove the cab off this 2wd truck and put it on my 4wd frame and then put the truck bed on it?

[Lonesome7.3]

Yeah and? Already you see limitations. As I siad, the conversion requires thought. Just look at what you have to work with and make notes of how it all goes together. I am converting a two wheel drive one ton to a four wheel drive one ton right now. And, I am using stock brackets off a donor truck. You have everything you need to do this.

Let me tell you what I see happening. You are going to get both trucks tore down and never completed if you do it the way you suggested earlier. I know becuase I whave been there before.

[BernieB]

Erwin, planning is the key to a job like this. You have to try and walk through both options, step-by-step, in your mind and work out solutions ahead of time. For example... wiring. Which wiring harness were you thinking about using, and how? Are both harnesses compatible with that motor and tranny? If you have to use a piece of both of them, will they connect up with each other?

If you can't hoist out the engine and tranny, how were you planning to hoist off the cab? I know you said you have a winch on an ATV, and you could probably build a frame to lift the cab using that winch, but ask yourself first... which weighs more, the cab or the ATV? You might find yourself with the cab firmly on the frame and the ATV suspended from the hoist because the cab weighs more. And, if you can build a rig to get the cab and bed off, you can use the same rig to pull the motor and tranny.

As for an engine hoist, you can rent one cheap enough, probably for under $30. Heck, you can buy one at Harbor Freight for $130

[Lonesome7.3]

Good points BernieB. I was thinking the same thing as far as the hoist. I figured he had a tree limb or something. There is a difference between a back yard biuld and using the back yard to build.

[ErwinRommel]

We got huge pecan trees. I can use the limbs. I don't know about the ATV deal, might have to take the winch off but use the battery from it or something.


But Lonesome, it would be aggervating to have to get all of the 4wd stuff (leaf springs, front end, transfer case, tranny, engine, radiator, shocks, etc and then put it on the 2wd frame.

All I have to do it take out my steering components out of the ole 4x4 cab, unloosen the wiring harness and brake pedal, and gas pedal, and couple of other things and that would be it. Just unscrew everything, lift up the ole 4x4 cab and do the same to the 2wd cab.

[BernieB]

Think about what you just said for a second...

Okay, you've got the cab from the donor truck up in the air, ready to put on the 4x4. How do you get the cab off the 4x4 if you're using the winch to hold up the other cab? If you set it down, so you can use it to lift the other cab, well isn't the donor cab now sitting in the way?

[Lonesome7.3]

Yeah, it sounds more simple. From experiance, I can see where your project is going. You asked for help yet you are countering the help you are getting. With you skill level with this sort of project are you sure you can clearly see simplicity of either direction? You have to see the big picture just as Bernie pointed out with your idea of hoisting the cab. plus, what leaf springs will you be removing? The fornt end of a 79 Ford F150 4x4 is coil sprung.