1972 Chevy 4wd Longhorn Project: Never Ending Changes
 

I finally got the truck in the shop yesterday. This morning before work I got all the old front suspension off the Longhorn. Tomorrow I will start removing the hangers from my parts donor and maybe begin the swap over tomorrow pending weather. LOL This truck will end up getting a few upgrades. It is going to get the 432 BBC sitting next to it. It is getting a 4x4 SM465 and a NP208 tcase. I am putting a Dana 44HD in the front and a Dana 70 with a posi in the rear. It is going to get 2 1/2" aluminized exhaust with flowmaster mufflers. It will have a 6" lift and 36" tires. I am going to have to replace the wood in the bed and for now that might end up being marine grade plywood. Later on I will have to put the correct floor in it but I will worry about that when I get around to doing the body work. For now I want to put my snow blade on it and use the truck for a while. It has been a while since I have driven one of these and I can't wait!

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/IMG_9950.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/IMG_9951.jpg

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

I love mine... wish I could drive it.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

wow nice work , realy like the space you have too .
my workspace is so chuckfull of stuff i first need to move things around to be able to work on mine.
keep us updated

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

This will be nice.Way to go.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Man good thing you can't see behind the trucks or along the sides of them. LOL I only rent two spots and they are over flowing. I need to get the truck next to it done too. LOL

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

come on, let's see the 53s on that beast :)

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Nah, having one to put them on is bad enough. LOL

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

How I would love to do that to my big block Longhorn...since it is getting ALL the upgrades and will be my primary camping rig. I need a bigger shop with a jumbotron so I don't miss any football...LOL! I will be following this closely...take good notes and lots of pictures.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Today I started removing parts from the donor. Although I didn't get far due to rain and I am not up for laying in the mud today. So I started messing with the D60 I just put in the other truck in the pics and I found out it has been in a fire and is basically junk. Sucks for me. So now to get that truck out of the shop because I am moving in a few weeks, I am going to have to use the D44HD for the Longhorn. but atleast it won't be a permanent thing. LOL

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

The big block Longhorns came with a Dana 3.54 rear as standard equipment. I thought that was a Dana 60. Is that correct? I am guessing you would, ideally, match it up with a Dana 60 front in the same ratio. I seem to recall that those are very expensive...$1000+ in the used market, if you can find them. Time to start looking.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Yeah this truck has a Dana 60 rear axle. I am not sure of the gears. I decided to use the Dana 70 because I have it and I know it is good plus it has new rear brakes and a nice tight posi. I would love to have a D60 front for it but like you said. They are around $1k, and that won't be happening soon.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

My local salvage yard has front d60 for 400-500.East coast Md

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

This will be a good project to watch - how long do you expect the project to take?

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Great price...shipping would kill that deal! Oh well...parts are always where you don't need them.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

That is going to be a cool project. I am subscribing to this thread!:smoke:

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Well, IDK. So far I haven't touched it for 2 days due to other projects. But hopefully I can have the front axle under it by end of next week. And with any luck I can get the BBC dropped in with the 4 speed and tcase mounted. But we'll see. It seems every time I make any plans, the plans always get screwed up. LOL One road block was the Ford D60 front i just but under my 76 K30 project in the pics, is junk. It went through a fire and the housing got so hot it is sagging down. The RH hub is seized up, and the king pins are froze up. I am trying to get my money back but we will see. So now I had to reinstall the D44 back in the 76 so I can get it out of the shop and back home to sit. Once it is at home I will remove it for the Longhorn again. Man these axle swaps keep getting faster and faster. LOL Oh well, if it wasn't so much fun busting knuckles we would be watching TV. Oh maybe not. LOL

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Just an update, I removed the rear wheels and put the rear on jack stands. I got the D70 out of my other truck, and yesterday I baught a D60 front for my other chevy project. Maybe some real progress will happen this week. LOL

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

We're waiting...LOL!

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

LOL I swept under it today and sat the 36's under the wheel wells to take a picture when I noticed I had no camera. LOL I have a 24v dodge to finish up and then I will get on this thing. I have to, it has to roll out next week. LOL

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

No big progress here. The truck is sitting on stands outside at home now in the snow. :( I did pick up a very nice A/C cab for it and a pretty good LH door. I also found a really nice OE 72 grill shell I am going to get next week. Until I get a place to work on it again, I am gathering parts for it. And now I am having second thoughts about converting it to a Cummins truck. Oh no...... :lol:

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

the cab on the Longhorn was pretty decent except for the rockers/cab corners, wasn't it....

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Above the windshield is worse than I thought and it was a non A/C truck.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Well I'm sorry to say, I haven't done anything with the truck since I moved out of that shop last fall. I have a lead on a D70 front for it though, and I think I will have an extra cummins to put in it after all. Hopefully this winter I can get to it again.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

I am still waiting for more progress. I picked up a '71 3/4 t. 4x4 donor chassis with everything I need to convert my Longhorn except the short shaft 4x4 tranny...all thanks to BREEH! My Longhorn is still in the paint shop but when it comes out it might be time for a conversion...or NOT! I need some guidance from you!

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

I just actually thought about putting this body on a 89 F-350 chassis. It already has a 5.9 cummins with a ZF 5 speed, a lift with 36's, but IDK yet. The ford frame might be tooo wide to try to get the chevy body on it without it being ugly looking on the body mounts.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

you might be able to adapt the engine and trannymount on the chevy chassis though

dunno if you will do a bodylift on the truck but if you do you could make new crossmembers above the ford chassis and mount the cab on that
it would look a little better

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

This truck more than likely won't have any gas engine. LOL I plan on installing a 5.9 cummins in it.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Dieselwrencher, I was just checking my 4x4 frame against my Longhorn frame the front is exactly the same width. It looks like an easy swap on front spring hangers and frontend. The transfer case mount looks to the be the same sort of easy switch. If the rearend remains the same you would only have to lengthen the driveline by about 8". What did I miss?

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

I was thinking of putting the longhorn body on a 89 F-350 frame, but that idea has went into the trash.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Well this morning I moved the old truck out of the weeds and got it back on some stands. I dug out my donor frame and started cutting hucks or rivets to get my 4wd brackets off. I got the RH side off and tomorrow I plan on getting the LH done and try to get the shackle hangers installed. Here are a few pictures of tear down.

http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...10-09_1218.jpg
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...10-09_1219.jpg
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...10-09_1220.jpg

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

I'll post some pictires of the front frame section from the donor and of the cleaned up bracketry later. I just realized today that since I am installing the steering box brace in the longhorn frame, I have to cut the rivets out of the front cross member on the Longhorn frame and remove the front cross member to get the brace in there.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

http://chuckschevytruckpages.com/ this one hold a lot of tips and dimentions on the frame you might get some use out of it during the conversion

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

This morning I got the front bumper off, the front clip is off, the radiator support mounts are off, and I started removing the manual transmission cross member. I put a brace in the middle of the frame to help keep it together so I can remove the front cross member to install the steering box brace later.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...11-09_1238.jpg
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...11-09_1239.jpg
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...11-09_1240.jpg

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Subscription done. Looks good I will be doing the same thing shortly. Just a quick questions, did the 3/4 ton trucks have or use more than one axle. Did they use d44 or d60 or both? just curios so i can start looking at what i need to find here at the junk yard.

Dave

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

seriously MITCHELLville iowa...
i would give you money to buy me mitchell ville memorabilia and send it to me..

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

They only used D44's until 75 or 76 then they had D60's in the K30's. And I think 78 or 79 is when the switch started for the corporate 10 bolt front. Just try to find a big hub D44. I have a closed knuckle D44 from my 69 K10 I would sell cheap if you want.

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Yep, Mitchellville, Iowa. The town has less people in it than the prison has inmates. LOL What kind of memorabilia are you looking for?

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Here are the fromt spring mounts cleaned up a little bit and painted.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...11-09_2159.jpg
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...11-09_2200.jpg
Here is a shackle mount in case you don't have one. And the 73 ups aren't the same as the 67-72 ones just an FYI.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...11-09_2201.jpg

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Well I got the shackle bushings replaced with energy suspension polyurethanes, also installed the rear bushings in my 6" lift springs, got the front cross member reinstalled, got the steering brace installed and found out the 4x4 frames and 2x4 frames aren't exactly the same in the steering box location. I also cut the e-brake mount out of the frame and installed a flat piece of steel there, and removed the original manual trans cross member. Next week I will install the shackle mount and then move to the RH side.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...l/DSC00050.jpg
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...l/DSC00051.jpg
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...l/DSC00053.jpg
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...l/DSC00054.jpg

Re: Finally starting my Longhorn 4x4 conversion
 

Check out the steering box holes. They don't exactly line up. I guess that just means more work for me.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...l/DSC00052.jpg