2wd conversion?

jcmorris · 12-01-2007, 10:07 AM

I have a 96 F-250 diesel crew cab SWB and was looking at converting it to a 4wd. I have a donner truck which is a 94 F-350 4x4 also a crew cab but it is a LWB. Will a lot of theses parts bolt up to my frame.

I'm not scared of a little fab work etc. Or do I need a different vehicle. I would like any advice on where to go from here, even if the advice is something like sell the 2wd truck and buy a 4x4 due to it not being worth it. And has anyone else done this. Thanks ahead of time for the advice.

Oh I also have another long bed by itself. If the components underneath do not match up; can I take the body off the donner truck and swap the cab and bed of the other truck. If this is easier.

75K30 · 12-01-2007, 01:48 PM

What is the condition of the doner truck that prevents you from using the whole thing?
Is your ultimate goal a 4x4 with a short bed?
Why not just use the desireable stuff from the 96 to make the 94 4x4 a driver?
You mentioned cab swap, is the 94 totalled?

jcmorris · 12-01-2007, 03:03 PM

the 94 body is really bad there is no engine in the vehicle but the tranny and differential is still there; as well as everything else. The 96 vehicle has a straight body but still has a monthly note.

75K30 · 12-01-2007, 03:50 PM

Alright, here is the deal. Your convesion is really going to require some work. First of all, you are going to have to modify the frame to accept leaf springs and the solid front axle. This can be achieved by modifying a "Shackle reversal kit" from sky manufacturing
SKY-Manufacturing
and then you wil have to modify the steering to steer the new front axle. The 2wd and 4wd steer very differently.
Assuming that you can overcome this, you migh consider that this is the easy part. Next you have to get a transfer case to bolt up behind the transmission. Well, they do not. The output shafts are different, and in order to remove the shaft, the entire case has to come apart. Now since you already have a trans and case, you may be able to use this, but depending on its condition, you might be re-building it anyway. Alright, bow that you have all of the drivetrain switched over, and you are wanting to do this conversion correctly (could not see doing it any other way) you are going to need to take the elecrical associated with the 4wd, and the corresponding indicators in the dash from the old truck, and install it into the new one.
You are lucky that you have the donor vehicle, and you can simply take the trans tunnel cover and re-install it on the new vehicle. This will already have the hole for the shifter to enter.
Now provided that you can get all of this installed, there is a little issue of the crossmembers to deal with. See the 2wd and 4wd crossmembers are a little different. Since you have a donor vehicle, you should take some measurements with regards to location you will see what I mean. The 4wd front x-member is further back. So this means cuttingout the old and installing the new. You could also just lift the vehicle a long way so the crossmember simply clears the differential. That is always a solution. After all of that is taken into consideration, and you have addressed all of the issues, and you still have hair, you will have a 4wd converted truck.
Lots of work to execute this. I asked about the condition of the earlier truck, because of the similarity of the two, and felt that even if the truck was in bad shape, it would be worth fixing by using parts from the 2wd.
Tackling that suspension is a big task. I have converted a few over the years, and I can tell you, they were all a big job, I mean a real big job.

jcmorris · 12-01-2007, 06:22 PM

So it would probally be easier to maybe swap the body off the 2wd onto the 4x4 donner and then the egine swap as well. Taking into consideration that the gearing in the donner truck for the front D60 already matches and would probally have to swap the gearing in the 2wd if I did it the other way. If I swapped the body over would it be simplified. This way I can go ahead and clean paint and prep the donner frame and also a little easier to get to the tranny and differential for a possible tear down and rebuild.

Another question what has to be done for the tranny in the 2wd for it to work with the differential of the 4wd. Is it better to just rebuild the donner tranny since it was already made for the differential.

Why is there not more threads about this SFA swap. I have looked for about 2 days in other forums and have had little help, with more people just saying to buy a 4x4 than to do this. I mean Chevy guys do this all the time to get rid of there IFS up front and usually use the Ford D60 for it. Is there any other website of forum that has a in depth install write up for this or body swapped write for this; with pictures and such?

And by the way thanks for your time

75K30 · 12-01-2007, 09:26 PM

Alright, could be that you are using some of the terms incorrectly.
That thing with the two driveshafts hanging off of the back of the transmission, is called a transfer case. Yours is a Borg Warner 1356, and it is all aluminum. Pretty strong case, and worth hanging onto.
As for you quest for information regarding the axle install, you should look up "SAS". This is a "Solid Axle Swap", and it is called a swap, because it is designed for trucks that are already 4 wheel drive. The desired front axle is a solid front axle instead of the IFS, or TTB that are common with Ford and GM models.
In your case, you have a 2wd, and are trying to do a 4wd conversion. Much more involved with this.
I usually charge around 10K to 15K for a SAS on a chevy truck. Just did a ****** H2 SAS, and the bill was through the moon. Looks good though. Lots of work, but is still not as much work as you intend to do.
Now, to convert a 2wd T-case to 4wd, you will have to completely disassemble it and remove the output shaft, and tailshaft housing. Again lots of work, and since you have a 4x4 case already, it would make sense to just freshen up the donor trans. It is already attached to the case and would not be reasonable to not use it.
Your are correct about the gearing deal, and it would require a change of gearing to make right, although instead of re-gearing, it would make more sense to install the donor axle if that was the route you chose to take.

Depending on how bad the donor vehicle was, it may be a decent idea to just do a cab swap. Probably a bunch easier to do so.

Still in the air about your actuall intentions. Do you need a big 4x4 truck, or does the 2wd serve its purpose well, and you are just looking to combine the best of both truck to make one the way you want it?
I ask this because you have a decent start on a real decent project. That 350 4x4 has a bunch of parts that are very desireable, and if you couldlive with your 96 staying 2wd, youc ould use the donor parts to make a real cool toy.
If you found some older truck that had a decent body, you could very well use the drivetrain out of the 94 to make on bad rig. Imagine for a minute that you found an early bronco, or even a full size. Then imagine it with a big gas engine and the 1 ton drivetrain out of the 350.
You could buy a decent older truck for cheap, and upgrade the axles and such, and you would have a very trail worthy rig that you could tow with the 96. Now you have the best of both worlds and if you get aggressive out on the trail and roll it, or break it, you still have the 96 to get you home and to work.
You could hone your skills on fabrication on something that you do not really have to depend on, and that means you could take your time.
You did mention that the 96 is still owned by the bank, so I was thinking that hacking it up might not be the best thing to do right now.
Build something real killer with the parts you already have. Heak I recently bought a running aand registered 86 bronco for $600.00. Those axles would be sweet in that ride, and it would be almost bullet proof.
Sounds like a much better time and money investment to me.

12-01-2007, 10:07 AM	#1
jcmorris Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4	2wd conversion? I have a 96 F-250 diesel crew cab SWB and was looking at converting it to a 4wd. I have a donner truck which is a 94 F-350 4x4 also a crew cab but it is a LWB. Will a lot of theses parts bolt up to my frame. I'm not scared of a little fab work etc. Or do I need a different vehicle. I would like any advice on where to go from here, even if the advice is something like sell the 2wd truck and buy a 4x4 due to it not being worth it. And has anyone else done this. Thanks ahead of time for the advice. Oh I also have another long bed by itself. If the components underneath do not match up; can I take the body off the donner truck and swap the cab and bed of the other truck. If this is easier.

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12-01-2007, 01:48 PM	#2
75K30 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,992	What is the condition of the doner truck that prevents you from using the whole thing? Is your ultimate goal a 4x4 with a short bed? Why not just use the desireable stuff from the 96 to make the 94 4x4 a driver? You mentioned cab swap, is the 94 totalled?

12-01-2007, 03:03 PM	#3
jcmorris Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4	the 94 body is really bad there is no engine in the vehicle but the tranny and differential is still there; as well as everything else. The 96 vehicle has a straight body but still has a monthly note.

12-01-2007, 03:50 PM	#4
75K30 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,992	Alright, here is the deal. Your convesion is really going to require some work. First of all, you are going to have to modify the frame to accept leaf springs and the solid front axle. This can be achieved by modifying a "Shackle reversal kit" from sky manufacturing SKY-Manufacturing and then you wil have to modify the steering to steer the new front axle. The 2wd and 4wd steer very differently. Assuming that you can overcome this, you migh consider that this is the easy part. Next you have to get a transfer case to bolt up behind the transmission. Well, they do not. The output shafts are different, and in order to remove the shaft, the entire case has to come apart. Now since you already have a trans and case, you may be able to use this, but depending on its condition, you might be re-building it anyway. Alright, bow that you have all of the drivetrain switched over, and you are wanting to do this conversion correctly (could not see doing it any other way) you are going to need to take the elecrical associated with the 4wd, and the corresponding indicators in the dash from the old truck, and install it into the new one. You are lucky that you have the donor vehicle, and you can simply take the trans tunnel cover and re-install it on the new vehicle. This will already have the hole for the shifter to enter. Now provided that you can get all of this installed, there is a little issue of the crossmembers to deal with. See the 2wd and 4wd crossmembers are a little different. Since you have a donor vehicle, you should take some measurements with regards to location you will see what I mean. The 4wd front x-member is further back. So this means cuttingout the old and installing the new. You could also just lift the vehicle a long way so the crossmember simply clears the differential. That is always a solution. After all of that is taken into consideration, and you have addressed all of the issues, and you still have hair, you will have a 4wd converted truck. Lots of work to execute this. I asked about the condition of the earlier truck, because of the similarity of the two, and felt that even if the truck was in bad shape, it would be worth fixing by using parts from the 2wd. Tackling that suspension is a big task. I have converted a few over the years, and I can tell you, they were all a big job, I mean a real big job.

12-01-2007, 06:22 PM	#5
jcmorris Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4	So it would probally be easier to maybe swap the body off the 2wd onto the 4x4 donner and then the egine swap as well. Taking into consideration that the gearing in the donner truck for the front D60 already matches and would probally have to swap the gearing in the 2wd if I did it the other way. If I swapped the body over would it be simplified. This way I can go ahead and clean paint and prep the donner frame and also a little easier to get to the tranny and differential for a possible tear down and rebuild. Another question what has to be done for the tranny in the 2wd for it to work with the differential of the 4wd. Is it better to just rebuild the donner tranny since it was already made for the differential. Why is there not more threads about this SFA swap. I have looked for about 2 days in other forums and have had little help, with more people just saying to buy a 4x4 than to do this. I mean Chevy guys do this all the time to get rid of there IFS up front and usually use the Ford D60 for it. Is there any other website of forum that has a in depth install write up for this or body swapped write for this; with pictures and such? And by the way thanks for your time

12-01-2007, 09:26 PM	#6
75K30 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,992	Alright, could be that you are using some of the terms incorrectly. That thing with the two driveshafts hanging off of the back of the transmission, is called a transfer case. Yours is a Borg Warner 1356, and it is all aluminum. Pretty strong case, and worth hanging onto. As for you quest for information regarding the axle install, you should look up "SAS". This is a "Solid Axle Swap", and it is called a swap, because it is designed for trucks that are already 4 wheel drive. The desired front axle is a solid front axle instead of the IFS, or TTB that are common with Ford and GM models. In your case, you have a 2wd, and are trying to do a 4wd conversion. Much more involved with this. I usually charge around 10K to 15K for a SAS on a chevy truck. Just did a ****** H2 SAS, and the bill was through the moon. Looks good though. Lots of work, but is still not as much work as you intend to do. Now, to convert a 2wd T-case to 4wd, you will have to completely disassemble it and remove the output shaft, and tailshaft housing. Again lots of work, and since you have a 4x4 case already, it would make sense to just freshen up the donor trans. It is already attached to the case and would not be reasonable to not use it. Your are correct about the gearing deal, and it would require a change of gearing to make right, although instead of re-gearing, it would make more sense to install the donor axle if that was the route you chose to take. Depending on how bad the donor vehicle was, it may be a decent idea to just do a cab swap. Probably a bunch easier to do so. Still in the air about your actuall intentions. Do you need a big 4x4 truck, or does the 2wd serve its purpose well, and you are just looking to combine the best of both truck to make one the way you want it? I ask this because you have a decent start on a real decent project. That 350 4x4 has a bunch of parts that are very desireable, and if you couldlive with your 96 staying 2wd, youc ould use the donor parts to make a real cool toy. If you found some older truck that had a decent body, you could very well use the drivetrain out of the 94 to make on bad rig. Imagine for a minute that you found an early bronco, or even a full size. Then imagine it with a big gas engine and the 1 ton drivetrain out of the 350. You could buy a decent older truck for cheap, and upgrade the axles and such, and you would have a very trail worthy rig that you could tow with the 96. Now you have the best of both worlds and if you get aggressive out on the trail and roll it, or break it, you still have the 96 to get you home and to work. You could hone your skills on fabrication on something that you do not really have to depend on, and that means you could take your time. You did mention that the 96 is still owned by the bank, so I was thinking that hacking it up might not be the best thing to do right now. Build something real killer with the parts you already have. Heak I recently bought a running aand registered 86 bronco for $600.00. Those axles would be sweet in that ride, and it would be almost bullet proof. Sounds like a much better time and money investment to me.