4x4 conversion question ??????

[72on68frame]

I have a 68 c-10 long bed 2wd, and I gotta buddy that has a 87 k-5 blazer 4x4 that he's putting a 12 valve cummins in , I was gunna buy his tranny , transfer case, front n back axles, but I'm not sure if I can make it fit the 68 2wd frame????? Please help me out befor I just buy it all and tear my truck apart

[BlackedOut67shorty]

There are people who converted two wheel drive trucks into 4x4 and kept their trailing arms but I'm not sure if 87 would work. Is it ifs or a solid axle?

[LONGHAIR]

An '87 would be a straight axle truck, and those parts could be made to fit....but, it is a lot of work to gain something that could be bought that way in the first place.
I always recommend this kind of conversion, save it for vehicles that were never made as 4x4s.

[dbash]

Its a big undertaking to convert a 2wd but its possible, my truck was a 2wd converted to 4X4 with straight rear axle. Once I started really looking at how it was accomplished I immediately began looking for an original 4x4 frame. The build was much cleaner because of it. The 4x4 frame is thicker and the geometry at the rear axle is set up for a solid axle and leaf springs rather then trailing arms and coils.

My build is on the 4x4 tech forum.

[franken]

I was looking into using the axles from a 89 (I think) burb I parted on my 72 K10. I found that the front D44 and springs should bolt up, but the rear spring perches were set wider than mine. The frame was the same width, but the brackets on the frame were different. The rear springs were also longer.

The Suburban body style didn't change when the truck's did in 88...

I was going to torch off the rivets and use the burb brackets but figured my neighbors would start hanging around w/ torches and pitchforks if I had the thing in my driveway much longer.

Going from 2x4 to 4x4 would be more difficult.