Brown Truck Under the Knife Project -Point of No Return!-

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

I actually have one of those drills Ryan. I love the thing. But mine is so big it wouldnt fit into any of the spots I needed to drill, the body was always getting in the way. Big bummer because this is one of the main reasons I bought that drill. Oh well, I use it for enough other stuff.

I havent gone completely though the axle, but I did pull the cover and check the gears and diff. I'll be installing new spindle bearings, seals, rotors, etc when I get it in the truck. Im waiting on some parts from Calvin before I tear into all that too much.
I actually dont care for the aftermarket hubs, I find they are too difficult to lock in cold temps.

 

[reklund]

I guess I never thought about locking them in the cold...

I've got a set of the standard Warn's on my truck- they're 1/4 turn hubs with a plastic dial just like the factory hubs and are always really easy to turn. The Warn premiums are much harder to turn even in warm temps- I can see those being a ***** in the cold, especially with their 9/10 turn. If you need a replacement locking hub, you might look at the standard Warns- I think they're the OEM supplier anyway...

Good to hear you'll be checkin the spindle bearings and all- is it a kingpin or a balljoint axle? I couldn't tell from the pics in this thread...

 

[DeepRoots]

and this is why people like diesel power should pay more mind to our lil group.
no one else is crazy enough to take on an ambitious project like this, it sure shows a love for a peice of equiptment.

on a more serious note, its great to have this memory wrenching with dad.
I will say tho, you have more faith in cinder blocks than I do....

good luck, looks like you've got it under control,
Drew

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Its a D60 out of a 1994, so its ball joint.

Yea, I really appreciate the time I get to spend with my dad, and I dont take his efforts lightly. He put up with allot of pain to help me this weekend, and if that doesnt spell love I dont know what does.
His degrading physical condition is why most of my weekends are devoted to working on my parents trucks for him. Of course he's usually out there helping me do it, but these days he does the light lifting and I usually take up the larger end of the projects. I just got to the point this year though that I sat down with him and told him, I want to finish one of my own projects this year, and he agreed that it wasnt fair to me how much I've sacrificed to help him without taking any time for myself. So, this weekend was all mine.

About the cinder blocks. Yea I dont like doing it that way, but its all I have, and if done correctly they are okay. The key is setting them with the holes flowing up and down, instead of side to side, that way the weak points are not directly exposed to stress. Also, a wood block between the steel and the concrete is a MUST, or the simplest shock through the steal can cause a fracture in the block.

Thanks for all the compliments guys!

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Did you buy all new brackets from Ford, or salvage them off the vehicle that donated the axle?
Ryan

Forgot to answer this one. 99% of the brackets came from either the salvaged front portion of frame I got with the TTB 4wd setup I bought last year, or from the D60 axle. Only one pair of brackets did I have to order new from ford, and it took them forever to get them, the sway bar mount brackets.
All the other brackets have been sanded and restored by myself before installation, thats why they look new.

 

[BigRigTech]

Looks good. Dad helped me with my swap too, it was a lot of work but worth it in the end....My F250 is an animal in 4wd - Gotta love the D60 front end. I drive mine everyday and it drives great. It dog tracks a tiny bit but that's not unexpected considering how many holes we drilled.

 

[david85]

+3 wth help from my Dad. He pitched in on many parts of my projects over the years.

You are probably done with drilling, but I found that drilling in stages makes for easier drilling through that ford steel. I usually start off with a 3/16" bit, then 5/16, and then the final size. Its much faster than going to the full size on the first pass. And naturally, use cutting lube.

 

[subway]

very nice, all the pics are great to follow allong with.

 

[Agnem]

53" Drive shaft with slip needed

I seriously doubt this combo exists in the normal diesel realm, but figured I'd ask around anyway. The Night Moose had a 2WD trans that used a slip yoke. The ZF5 doesn't have a slip yoke of course, so I need to put a slip in the driveshaft. So before we take this shaft to have a slip joint put in it, does anybody have one already made up?

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

A 2wd ZF5 doesnt have a slip in yoke? Never would have figured that. I'll check what the drive shafts on this truck are. Because I'll be having a custom one built.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Progress tonight after work, dang it I hate this new time. Got home at 3 and the sun was down by 4:45.

But I am DONE with drilling!!!
I got the front spring hangers/shackles installed and drilled the frame for and installed the sway bar brackets. Takes allot longer to do this by myself though, as I didnt have dad or my brother helping me tonight. Dad was working and bro was more interested in his GF .

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[69dieselfreak]

where did you get your spring hangers and shackles

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

All of the frame brackets, minus the D60 sway bar brackets, came from a salvaged F250 frame I acquired when I purchased my ZF5-BW1356 and TTB front axle a year or two ago. I opted for the D60 instead of the TTB axle. But I still needed all the frame mounted brackets, so thats where the shock towers, shackles, hangers, etc came from. You will also need some special 4wd specific brake line brackets.
By far it would be best to pick up a wrecked 4wd truck and cut everything off of it, if you're planning on doing this conversion. Just dont buy a front end collision vehicle, because odds are the brackets will be bent.

 

[69dieselfreak]

what sucks i had a 4x4 frame (complete truck) and all that **** from an 90 f 250 and i traded it for my volvo diesel but oh well ill find some thing diesel or 460 and that would be better for me and also it had some thing worng with th front end it leaned to the right and never could figure it out but i never spent to much time with that truck to get to know it personally

 

[92F350CC]

Your poor brother sean. I could just see him sitting on the couch, getting into that moment with his girlfriend, when you kick the door in and yell "Get your @$$ out here and help me put my axle on my truck!"