4 wheel drive conversion

[mudgutsandglory]

i have a 1970 C10 longbed that i want to convert to 4x4, i have the front end and all the springs, what else will i need? i was planning on swapping in a 4 speed in place of the 3 speed that i currently have and using a divorced transfer out of a dodge or international, and converting to leaf spring in the back and retaining the stock 12 bolt rear end. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

[akdarin2]

4 wheel drive frame would be usefull

[trukman1]

Keep in mind the frame width in the rear of the coil spring trucks are narrower. Also, the frame width at the front of the spring mounting positions are different than at the back of the spring (where you would mount the leaf springs). Been down this road before...crossmember differences, frame differences, found it is too cheap to get a 4x4 frame and just do it unless you have a rear leaf spring truck! My .02 cents worth! Bye!

[FrankHoy]

Afraid truckman is right. It is not impossible but it would take a lot of conversion or "riggin" to convert 2wd frame to 4x4. Unless you really are a glutten for punishment, it would save you great headaches to get a 4x4 frame. I actually have one for sale, but seeing you are in WV and I'm in Iowa, don't think it would be an economical buy.

[griesel72]

i third the new frame issue. I am getting ready to convert my truck to a 4X4, and it is a whole lot easier to just find another frame and go from there.

Good luck
David

[J.Lance]

Peterson's did a conversion article a couple of years ago on a 66. Even had coil rear. Pretty straight foward actually. They did a coil over in the rear (relocated the trailing arms to the top of the diff tube) which gave it an additional 4" and then had custom springs to match up front. Just need to fab up some spring hangers or adapt some originals from a donor. More work that a frame swap but looked like fun. I will do it on a SWB 2wd one of these days! Good luck.

[mudgutsandglory]

ok, i got a new frame, but now comes the next question, the frame is from a 78, will this work, can i use my 2wd motor mounts, can i retain my clutch linkage? i know you are all probably tired of hearing my questions, but really wanna get this thing done, Memorial Day weekend is not very far off, and i wanna atleast be able to trailer to the races and put the stock motor (307) through the paces and see if the bottom end will survive. running a set of 68cc 1.94's from an 87 blazer, un-swirl ported and polished, SSI solid lifter cam, torker intake, and open headers. gonna be interesting to see if the 1970 bottom end will survive.:p
thanks for all the help guys,

[crazy longhorn]

You could use the 78 frame, but will be doing a good amount of fab work. The 78 has a longer wheelbase than your 70, & you will have cab mount issues . Best bet would be talk with Mudder, he has a shortbase 4x4 that was done on a later chassis. Good luck,crazyL

[trukman1]

Been there, did that with the later frame also! Keep in mind the later years used saddle mounted fuel tanks. This meant not only was the truck frame longer (4 5/8"if I remember correctly) but it also had a drop in the frame where the tanks mounted. So, you need to eliminate some length and you need to do as much of it as possible at the "drop" in the frame. Even then there's a ton of work, that's just for openers. It can be done but from my experience, starting with the RIGHT frame is the most logical way to go. Everything bolts up properly, parts can be purchased that will fit without custom fabbing everything...Life is just a whole lot simpler using the right stuff to start with, My opinion but it came from years of experience putting trucks together and tearing trucks apart. Good luck! Bye!