I got a 96 F250 4x4 for free, Now what?

[itsnotanova]

I talked some people moving away into giving me their 96 F250 HD for nothing. Granted it has over 300,000 miles, every body part is dented, the interior is trashed and it smells like a pack of dogs lived in it. But it has a 460 and it drives decent. I don't know much about Ford's and I know less about 4x4's. I've been surfing the web and haven't found a forum that is equivalent to GBodyforum. I wish it was a chevy but beggers can't be choosy, right! Any closet ford truck fans here? I got suspension and axle questions for you......Thanks

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well... if I owned it, I would start out by stripping the carpet out and sending it to a toxic waste facility...lol. Actually, though, if it has carpet or a mat, rip it out and buy a can of bedliner stuff, then roll it on the metal as your new floor covering. I would also add a drain plug hole or two in the low spots so it is easier to hose out. Replace the seat with a vinyl bench from a base model and you have a great hoseable interior for your 4x4 truck. As far as the rest of it goes, Ford makes an excellent full size truck. In a lot of ways, they were better built than Chevy models during the 90's. The weak point will probably be in the shift on the fly 4x4 system if it is so equipped. Most of them used a vacuum system to engage it which tends to be the weak spot. The fix will depend on what kind of front axle it has. If it is the typical 1/2 ton Ford split axle, it is not an easy thing to play with, but if it is a live axle, swapping in a replacement old tech axle would be a good move. Sorry I can't be of any real help, but my truck ownership experience is limited to the Nissan Frontier I have owned for the last 11 years (And will probably still own in another 11 years). For forums, try some generic 4x4 truck forums as they should have sections dedicated to specific models. I would also post some specific questions you may have on this forum. As popular as the F series is, there are bound to be many members that have experience with them.

Also, there is no need to apologize for owning any type of vehicle here. Remember, many of us have vehicles of different makes and origins on this site, so flaming is not usually tolerated over such a benign thing.

 

[Munkey B]

if you lived close, my buddy w/take it off your hands yesterday.

 

[redneckracer305]

96 f250 hd with a 460 should have a dana 60 solid front and not the ttb, it shuld also have lock out hubs, and a real transfers case. this is one of the last real pickup trucks made. personally im as much of a ford truck fan as i am g body fan, i just cant have both, but you my friend seem to have fairly sought after truck by ford truck enthuisiests. even that kinda milage on it, if it aint rotted out, it will run for ever, fords rot never die though. i say if the frame aint rotted rebuild all the major driveline components and slap some 35s on there should fit no lift. and have fun with or build that sucker jack it up, clean it up. i actually envy you greatly. does it have the zf or the e4od?

 

[midwestls]

Nothing wrong with Fords. Especially w/a 460. Let go muddin! I'll bring the beer :wink:

 

[Munkey B]

96 f250 hd with a 460 should have a dana 60 solid front and not the ttb, ?

i've never seen one.
every single one had a TTB D50

always on the hunt for D60 front.

 

[redneckracer305]

i may be mistakin, you may be right. i know the f350 could be had with one. i thought hd 250 could be had with one to. if its a ttb, its still leaf sprung and easy to convert to a solid 60, and check out sky manufacturing for the front shackle reversal kit and hanger flip kit to match the hieght. makin me want a truck again haha. i had an 89 f250 but the frame rotted out and snapped. seems like every car/truck im into is prone to frame rot. any thes trucks are great, and even with the ttb (inbred ifs) you can still lift it, and you still wheel it no matter what anyone says just dont whoop on it to bad, definatly stronger than chevy ifs in my opinion though.

 

[Munkey B]

always been a dodge guy, but i had a couple ford mishaps back to back in 2002-2004.
had a 94 F150 supercab 4x4 and sold it for a 94 F350 crewcab diesel 4x4 to tow my Ramcharger.
got an awesome deal on both so i really couldn't pass either.

 

[itsnotanova]

From the little surfing I've done. I haven't found any gold mind for info specifically for my F250. Either my ford is to old or it's to young or this or that 4x4 site doesn't really have a lot of what I'm trying to find out. It seems you guys are thinking just like me about what to do with this thing. Put some big tires on it and have some fun, and that's pretty much what I want to do with it. My goal is to make it the best rock crawler/mud truck for as little $$$ as possible using as many junk yard parts as possible.
From my own general vehicle knowledge and the little i've gotten from web sites. I've come up with a wish list of things.
1) It does have the ttb front end, which I plan on switching to a Dana 60 if I can find one.
2) I don't know what rear I have. I think there's two kinds for that year and model. I would like rear disc-brakes, because they work better in the mud
3) I don't know what kind of T-case it has but it's mechanical. To get in 4Lo you put the transmission in neutral. I plan on leaving the engine, transmission and transfer case alone for reliability. Unless that's a bad idea for what ever reason.
4)I think you can put rear spring on the front for a cheap front lift

My biggest question is what years do axles interchange. I'm very friendly with this one junkyard that has a 200? F250 with a solid front axle and a rear with disc-brakes. Could those axles work on my 96?

 

[redneckracer305]

i know that a dana 60 outta of an f350 from the same year range of your body style, 87-96 will bolt in. if you find one out of a 97 f350 that will work also, cause the one ton body/chassis didnt change like the 3/4 and 1/2 tons. the dana 60 out of a later model super duty like you describe probably wont bolt in, from what i under stand there different in some ways, i mean anything can work with inginuity especially in the offroad world, its like home grown fabricator heaven. the swapping use of rear springs in the front is somthing ive never heard of before, but if it work well that is cheap lift. the transfer case should be a borg warner unit, unsure of the model. your factory rear should be a sterling 10.25 semi float or full float, full float being stronger. if you want a stronger rear get your self a full float 14 bolt chevy. i know of a few forums, there not specific to off road but i just have to find em and ill post links. alot of the off road forums are very biased to jeeps and toyotas, and you will get harassed up and down for having a full sized ford, ill post those links for you as soon as i figure out what they were, its been a alittle while.