Body swap to a 4x4

Questions about 4WDs and related topics

Moderators: FORDification, Doug Comer

Post Reply
User avatar
1971ford
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 5565
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:05 pm
Location: Placerville CA

Body swap to a 4x4

Post by 1971ford »

What do i need besides the chassis to swap a 2wd bump body onto a 4x4 bump or dent chassis? Besides the chassis and drivetrain.... what about steering? I probably need the steering column out of the 4x4 right? or just the shaft? What else??
-Ryan
fordman
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 22329
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 8:17 pm
Location: Kansas, Ottawa
Contact:

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by fordman »

supposedly the f250 and f100 4wd frames are slightly different. the rear dfference is in how the rear cab bolt go in. on the f250 they are outside the frame rail. the f00 4wd is like the 2wd so no difference other than up front. crossmember and so forth. the only thing i can think of is hooking up the steerign. the shaft on the 2wd columns has a flange that will come off with heat and the right pressure to make it come off. and it is splined under the falnge like the 4wd column. there are several different ways to get steerign on the 4wd trucks. alot of it depends on the front axle it has under it. you also have the manual steering vs the power steering and then thier is power assist. so that has to be figured out after you get the frame really.
User avatar
1971ford
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 5565
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:05 pm
Location: Placerville CA

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by 1971ford »

well my body is a f100 2wd and the chassis im looking at getting this weekend is a f250 4x4. So apparently the cab mounts are on the outside of the frame on the highboy and mine are on the inside. What the heck do i do about this!!?? Is there no way i can put my 2wd body onto the highboy then?? Is the back of the cba itself totally different? How would i get my 2wd cab to bolt up to this f250 outside-frame body mount :?
I'll be getting the whole highboy so i wil just keep all the steering stuff and not mess with it for now. Later on i will get power steering or something. there arn't any differences in the firewall are there? So i can just swap steering through my new body right?
Thanks fordman.
-Ryan
mljjones67
Blue Oval Guru
Blue Oval Guru
Posts: 1341
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:41 pm
Location: Utah, Springville
Contact:

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by mljjones67 »

All you have to do is drill the hole in the dimple where the f-250 frame mounts to the cab.
User avatar
1971ford
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 5565
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:05 pm
Location: Placerville CA

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by 1971ford »

I found this in another thread. SO my 2wd cab is ready to be on a f250 4x4 then? i just need to drill holes?
FORDification wrote:Yep, but the cab is still the same...it's two rear mounting holes are just in a different location. It's easy enough to drill two extra holes to mount a 4WD cab onto a 2WD frame (or vice versa).
-Ryan
mljjones67
Blue Oval Guru
Blue Oval Guru
Posts: 1341
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:41 pm
Location: Utah, Springville
Contact:

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by mljjones67 »

yep just drill the hole.
70shortwide

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by 70shortwide »

ive got a 2wd body on a 4wd chassis, I didnt do the work but it can be done.
the inner fenders do not fit right, I cant really describe it but the 2wd inner fenders are kinda mangled to make them fit. would be easy to trim them out some and they would fit and look nice. I did not know that there was an issue with cab mounts, ill have to look at what was done to mine when I see it next.

if theres any pics you may need let me know and ill try to get them as quick as I can. fwiw, mine is a 1/2 ton 4x4 with a 3/4 ton 2wd body
User avatar
1971ford
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 5565
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:05 pm
Location: Placerville CA

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by 1971ford »

Thanks guys! sounds great... I hope my '69 is a highboy this weekend. We will see.

I'll keep that in mind Jeff, thanks for the pics offer.
-Ryan
fordman
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 22329
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 8:17 pm
Location: Kansas, Ottawa
Contact:

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by fordman »

i heard you could drill out the rear cab to mount it on a highboy.
but what is wierd. is that i put 2wd inner fenders on my 4wd and i only had a problem around the steering box that had been added later. everything else cleared and bolted right up with no problems. i asked before i even tried to mount them and none said much of anything.
70shortwide

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by 70shortwide »

fordman wrote:i heard you could drill out the rear cab to mount it on a highboy.
but what is wierd. is that i put 2wd inner fenders on my 4wd and i only had a problem around the steering box that had been added later. everything else cleared and bolted right up with no problems. i asked before i even tried to mount them and none said much of anything.
I think thats where mine has been worked on. I dont know that my steering box was added later... It has power steering if that makes a difference. I guess the reason I pointed it out is that the way they did mine makes it look like the were having a hard time. lol. If I were to do it, Id just cut a small peice out of it near the box :2cents:
User avatar
averagef250
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 4387
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:58 am
Location: Oregon, Beavercreek

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by averagef250 »

Here's the deal-

The F100 4x4's used thier own proprietary driver side inner fender, different from all the others. The F-250 4x4's and 2wd trucks all used the same inner fenders. The F-100 4x4's are the only ones with the steering box outside the frame rail.

In addition to the 4x4 frame and obvious 4x4 parts you will need- Steering column, plate that mounts 4x4 column to firewall, core support to be correct, rear sump oil pan for whatever engine you have, front bumper brackets (if F-250 4x4), tall tranny tunnel cover with 4x4 cutouts.
1970 F-250 4x4 original Willock swivel frame chassis '93 5.9 Cummins/Getrag/NP205/HP60/D70
User avatar
1971ford
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 5565
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:05 pm
Location: Placerville CA

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by 1971ford »

Thanks dustin that helps. I'll try and grab everything i think i might need just in case. What's the deal with the core support??? How's it different on the highboy than it is on my f100 2wd? Mine has been stripped and POR-15'd and it's all pretty, so I'd rather not swap if i don't HAVE to... I don't need to be 100% correct. If I did then i would buy a full highboy and not put a 2wd body on it. The highboy that I'm looking at getting this week/weekend has a rusted body so the core support is probably done anyways.
-Ryan
fordman
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 22329
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 8:17 pm
Location: Kansas, Ottawa
Contact:

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by fordman »

the F100 coresupport that was in my truck had the mid mount fins for the radiator. so it was liek a F350 radaitor. when i put the 2wd enigne in my 4wd i couldn't find my straps from my old 4wd radiator. so i took the fins off. and moutned the 2wd radiator i had. i then put a shroud on the radiator. since i uesd a 2wd engine the fan spacer was for a 2wd also. so with the spacer shround and not f350 mounting my radiator fit and worked fine. but i fear that the shroud has already got a gash in it from going over rough terrain. because it didn't have one in there when i put it on. i read once 4wd wasn't suppose to have a fan shroud. because of the frame and body flexing it could put the fan into the shroud.
User avatar
1971ford
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 5565
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:05 pm
Location: Placerville CA

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by 1971ford »

Thanks, sounds complicated. Is it different with a f250 4x4 than it is with your f100 4x4? So I don't NEED the highboy's core support?


What about setting up the manual in my '69's body. what exactly do i need to do make the clutch pedal work with my '69's body? And two holes just need to be cut in the tranny hump right, any pictures of thsee cuts so i cna get an idea of how they look? Should i cut them an exact size to fit the right boots on or what? Atleast i can leave the tranny cover off for now and cut the holes anytime next week.
-Ryan
fordman
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 22329
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 8:17 pm
Location: Kansas, Ottawa
Contact:

Re: Body swap to a 4x4

Post by fordman »

it wasn't hard at all. here is some info on core supports and radiators kieth posted on another thread. it has to do with what were talking about.
FORDification wrote:Your truck originally would have come with a basic 2-core radiator. Trucks with the Super Cooling option (larger radiator) and/or 4x4's did have a different radiator, as well as a different core support with a different mounting style to support the larger radiator.

Here's a few comparison pics. Here's how your original radiator bolted right to the core support:

Image

Here's another pic showing a different mounting style. The upper core support in this picture is a stock support from a '70 F100 with a 302. Notice how the mounting surface is basically flat...the radiator bolts right to the core. The lower support in this picture is from a dentside-era 4x4. See how there are standoffs on each side of the radiator opening that extend outward? The radiator mounting flanges would be on the opposite side and would bolt to these stand-offs.

Image

As mentioned, the lower support in the pic is from a dentside 4x4 (a '75 F150 IIRC), but the bumpside core supports with Super Cooling and/or 4x4 have these same stand-offs to which the radiator is mounted. Here's a close-up:

Image

To mount your new radiator to your existing core support, you'll have to find a 4x4 truck, or a 2WD with Super Cooling, and drill out the spotwelds holding the stand-offs to the core support to remove them, and then mount these to your existing core support.
Post Reply