Ford F250 2 wheel drive to 4x4 conversion PLEASE HELP!?

Question

I have a 1985 F250 2x4 diesel auto, what must i do to convert it to a four-wheel drive?......i kno change the front axle and get a transfer case....but thats rlly all i kno
Idk if this matters ne, but its a single cab lariat with 89k miles and dual tanks
Do I need to get a new transmission or just make an alteration to the one it has?
Do I need to alter the frame?
Would it just be easiest to buy a junker 4x4 and steal the parts i need off of it?
Does anyone know how to go about starting something like this?..........Im only 15 and dont really kno a whole lot about this yet

Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

Here is the way to go about this--Put a For Sale sign on the 2WD and go buy a 4WD. There is WAY to much work involved, yeah it's possible but SOOOO not worth it. As for your basic questions, YES you need a new transmission. YES you will need to do some frame modifications. NO the junker 4X4 to steal parts from isn't really a good idea unless you are swapping most of the parts from your 2WD into the 4WD. Most of the parts you will need to change the 2WD to 4WD will have to be custom fabricated and the parts from the 4WD you will find have of no use. BUT just in case you really want to do this here is the easiest way. Find yourself a 1979 or earlier truck (YES 1979 or earlier) These use a Solid D60 front axle 1980 and newer use a 2 piece front axle much like the 2WD twin I-beam (your 2WD I-beam mounts WILL NOT accomadate the 4WD TTB arms not to mention 2WD is coil sprung and 4WD is leaf sprung--like I said NOTHING is the same but the overall design) Back to swap, jacking up the 2WD frame you will need to strip everything from under it, ALL of the suspension and steering components. Now roll the front axle under the truck. Using a good tape measure you will need to properly locate the axle under the truck and determine where the leaf spring mounts will need to be. You might need to box in certain portions of the frame to add strength where the leafs mount. once you have the front suspension in place you will need to notch the engines X-member for clearance for the front differential or worse, you might have to change out the oil pump/pan and engine X-member entirely. If you put on a BIG lift you might just might be able to skip this step) Now you can fab up your new steering linkages and plumb the brakes in. That is it as far as front end. Next you will need to get yourself a 4WD transmission and transfercase and put these in place, You WILL have to relocate your transmissions X-member and possibly notch it to clear the front driveshaft, Also you will have to have a new rear driveshaft fabricated. Now you are in the home stretch of small stuff to finish it off. But after reading all of that I'm sure you'll just stick to the original idea of 2WD--FOR SALE and go buy a new 4WD. Even if you don't Sale the 2WD the costs involved in swapping it are alot higher than just going out and BUYING the 4WD to begin with

Answer 2

1979 Ford F250 4x4

Answer 3

You really don't want to convert a previously 2wd truck to 4wd. It sucks. Too much modification, seriously. A better bet would be to buy a 4x4 truck with a shot engine and install yours. That is assuming the engine and tranny will match up. Do your research.
If the 2x4 truck works, don't wreck it. Just buy a junker 4x4 and fix it. Hopefully this helps. We have all been 15 and had too many ideas floating around about cars. You don't want to mess up a perfectly good truck just because you want a 4x4. ASk yourself, do you really need 4x4 capability?

Answer 4

F250 Front End Conversion

Answer 5

Get a complete 4 x 4. Whether or not it is running or broken. Much easier starting point. Finding a diesel though will be tougher. If you have only one vehicle think about how long it will take as both vehicles will be down for quite a while.

Answer 6

Way way way cheaper to just find your same rig in 4wd or you could buy a 4wd model for cheap and swap all the necessary hardware over.But not worth the trouble for a 1985 no offense