Gas 4x4 VS Diesel 4x4

[idiabuse]

I would like to by a crew cab 4x4 that is for sale that is gas 351 1987
I have a 2wd Diesel 1987 daily driver I want to swap my motor and trans into the gas 4x4
I have a transfer case from an older bronco that was behind a 460 C-6, my truck is also C-6
I have the parts to transfer to short shaft. what I want to know
are the 4x4 front axles in a gas the same as diesel 4x4?

 

[ZWilson07]

I would like to by a crew cab 4x4 that is for sale that is gas 351 1987
I have a 2wd Diesel 1987 daily driver I want to swap my motor and trans into the gas 4x4
I have a transfer case from an older bronco that was behind a 460 C-6, my truck is also C-6
I have the parts to transfer to short shaft. what I want to know
are the 4x4 front axles in a gas the same as diesel 4x4?

If the gas has the heavy duty package it "should" have the same D50 or 60 if its a 1 ton.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

The only crew cab in '87 was the F350, which by default means Dana 60 front axle.. A diesel 4x4 will also have D60 front if it's a 1-ton truck. There is no stronger factory driven front axle than the D60, so the new crew-cab comes with as best as you can get. One thing to consider tho is the weight of the diesel vs. that of the 351, I put big-block springs under my diesel and she sits like an F250 in height, 351 springs will likely have the same effect when subjected to the diesel weight. You can deal with that later as needed, adding a pair of leafs should fix the sag if it becomes a problem.

You don't have to use the Bronco t-case unless you really want to, the factory one already in the new crew-cab will work just fine regardless of what transmission is in front of it. So use your 2wd diesel radiator support, motor mounts, engine, and transmission (after swapping output shaft), and install them in front of the gasser transfer case. Assuming the gasser is also C6 there should be no changes in driveshaft length needed.

 

[idiabuse]

Cool the truck was a air reserve base truck so the info is probably correct. lets see what this guy wants for it. Thanks for the replies!

 

[ZWilson07]

Cool the truck was a air reserve base truck so the info is probably correct. lets see what this guy wants for it. Thanks for the replies!

You're welcome

But lets be honest I know it was mostly LCAM's post, though in all fairness his knowledge on these trucks is hard to beat

 

[lindstromjd]

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/cto/4256209166.html

You talking about this truck? I was looking into that same one for my little brother, but he wants either a diesel or a big block.

As far as the axles, a Ford Dana 60 is a Ford Dana 60 regardless of what engine the truck came with. And if you have the fortune of finding that the '87 has a C6, then it's fairly simple and straight-forward swapping out the internals of the two transmissions to make your diesel C6 into a 4x4. You have to tear the gas one ALL the way down to get to the output shaft from it, since the 4x4 one is about 1/8" shorter than the 2wd one. So the gas output shaft stays. Everything else from your diesel trans goes into the 4x4 case. Button it back up, and replace the front seal while you're at it.

 

[riotwarrior]

One caveat

If the 351 truck has a ZF it won't be same length as diesel ZF transmission case FYI.

I know this from personal experience!

More info would be helpful to assist you however the front axle is identical in the F350 series...no changes unless you got a posi some how???

Now as LCAM said springs can become an issue.

Drive shafts will be an issue too but without more 411 on what the 351 has, we can't speak to what to do.

 

[lindstromjd]

One caveat

If the 351 truck has a ZF it won't be same length as diesel ZF transmission case FYI.

I know this from personal experience!

More info would be helpful to assist you however the front axle is identical in the F350 series...no changes unless you got a posi some how???

Now as LCAM said springs can become an issue.

Drive shafts will be an issue too but without more 411 on what the 351 has, we can't speak to what to do.

An old U.S. Air Force truck like that one won't have a stickshift... it would have been way too costly to upkeep a manual transmission due to all the burnt out clutches from people who had no idea how to drive a stick (anyone with a government driver's license could have driven it, no other pre-requisites). And all those old trucks are just bare bones XL versions because people beat the crap out of them and didn't care about them. (notice I didn't say troops, because that would imply they have some sort of respect for the equipment they're working with).

 

[idiabuse]

I build the C-6 in my sleep, have the short shaft unit to rob from, no biggie for me. When time permits I can swao over to diesel from my truck. except this guy has not returned any messages

 

[lindstromjd]

Seems odd that he wouldn't... that truck has been on craigslist for the better part of two months now.

 

[franklin2]

To make one point a little simplier, the type engine a truck has installed has no bearing on what axle is under it. It's the GVWR of the truck. That's the only deciding factor. Yes, there are plenty of diesels out there with the dana 44 HD axle under them, the lightest 250 front axle they made.

Like was alluded to in a previous post, your crewcab came with the heavier axle by default. Even with the 351w. Why? Because of the very high GVWR of a crewcab pickup.

 

[idiabuse]

Seems odd that he wouldn't... that truck has been on craigslist for the better part of two months now.

still no reply! must be on vacation or probation...

 

[fordsrawesome]

I like how no one knows the difference between the different 351's ford offered haha all the time!!

 

[The Warden]

I like how no one knows the difference between the different 351's ford offered haha all the time!!

All depends on how you approach it...at this point, I'm pretty loyal to the '80-'97 Ford chassis (mostly because I'm more familiar with it and know its quirks and mostly know how it comes apart and goes together, compared to other trucks), but I'm a diesel-head who happens to own a Ford, not a Ford guy who happens to own a diesel. I actually grew up coveting a '94-'02 Dodge Cummins, and basically fell into Fords by accident (and an inheritance, but that's another story). IIRC any 351 after '81 or '82 or so would be a Windsor, but I wouldn't swear to that in court...I freely admit that I know next to nothing about Ford's g@$ engines; I've never had a reason to know, and don't particularly have a reason to know now...

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Warden, he was referring to the truck's seller, as the guy says in the ad that he doesn't know if the engine is a Cleveland or a Windsor.