Rear-end Swap

[rfariss]

I have located 3 250's. The owner advises that one (at least) of them has a posi unit...I haven't looked at them yet. Is it possible that the hog head will be interchangeable with my current 9" in my '71 F100...

[72hiboy4x4]

uuuummmm........in a word...no.

there is no drop out on a dana 60, as used in a 3/4 ton truck.

BUT I think it is possible to swap out the whole rear end so you have a dana 60 in your 1/2 ton truck.
you would have to deal with changing the brake fittings (I think) and getting 8 lug wheels instead of 5 lug, ect. ect.

[68F250]

Sorry no, the F250's have Dana rearends which use a integral carrier, it doesn't come out. F100's have Ford rearends with a removable carrier.

[68F250]

You guys are too fast.

[rfariss]

Thanks, guys...

[Sharkdance]

A good Dana 60 is a very desirable swap. You would have to deal with a few differences like 8 lug wheels on the rear of your truck and maybe a different driveshaft yoke, but you would end up with a practicaly indestructible rear end under your truck.
If you plan on building up some some horses under the hood, strengthening the rear end now may be a good idea.
Not saying a 9" isnt strong, but IMO a Dana 60 is like a great set of t*ts. Bigger, better, and more fun to play with.

Sharkdance

[dcbullet]

Is there any way to convert the 8 lugs to 5 lug?

My F-100 has a f-250 rear (dana 60) and so I've got 5 lugs up front and 8 in the rear. That drives me nuts.

[rfariss]

would that be lug nuts?

[Sharkdance]

Is there any way to convert the 8 lugs to 5 lug?

My F-100 has a f-250 rear (dana 60) and so I've got 5 lugs up front and 8 in the rear. That drives me nuts.

To my knowledge there is no 5 lug adapter that will allow a 5 on 5&1/2 wheel to fit a Dana 60. I think the size of the hub prohibits this. So you are most likely stuck with 8 lug wheels on the rear of your truck.
Futhermore, I wouldnt think that using adapters to convert to 5 lug wheels would be a good idea anyway because you would probably be sacrificing one of the virtues that make a Dana 60 so desireable in the first place. - Strength

Maybe a better option for you if you cant stand having 5 lug wheels in the mix with your 8 lug rear end would be to convert the front to 8 lug disk brakes. Now that would be the ticket!
You would have to find an 3/4 ton 8 lug assembly and change out everything from the I beams out but IMO (If you have the time and money) its worth doing. I would like to have front disk brakes myself but that is not within my budget right now.

Sharkdance

[dcbullet]

Maybe a better option for you if you cant stand having 5 lug wheels in the mix with your 8 lug rear end would be to convert the front to 8 lug disk brakes. Now that would be the ticket!
You would have to find an 3/4 ton 8 lug assembly and change out everything from the I beams out but IMO (If you have the time and money) its worth doing. I would like to have front disk brakes myself but that is not within my budget right now.

Thanks.

Yes, I've considered this as well. There are actually more F-250's around here in the Pick - n- Pulls than F-100's, so that is a viable option for me.

I just use my truck for Home Depot type runs so the drums have been sufficient. So I'm also considering swaping back in the 1/2 ton rear end.

Thanks again.

[michaelbrainard]

A word of warning if you go to a Dana 60...get a STANDARD dana 60 - not the heavy duty version found in Camper Special trucks ( speaking from the exprience of my 1977 camper special )...when my rear end in my F250 camper special took a poo poo, I had one heck of a time finding a replacement. The housings are different lengths to accomodate larger brakes ( 2.5 x 12 vs 2 x 11 i believe )...axle shafts are the same length and i think the diff carriers are the same. I found out the hard way when I found a donor and snagged the rear end....started the swap and then realized my brand new heavy duty brakes ( backing plates, drums and everything inbetween ) wouldn't fit. So I had to completly rebuild the crap brakes on the donor axle.

To sum this up....the standard axle and parts are easier to come by. Especially in junk yards. To find an exact replacement, I would have paid big $$$ and had the parts shipped from New York or Texas....

Good thing is this: the donor axle was a 3.73 trac loc The ol' girl really hooks up now when you stand on it!