2wd to 4wd

[BPNinAZ]

I just bought a 3/4ton 2wd gmc camper special and wanted to know how hard it is to convert to 4wd. I got a great deal on the truck but wanted a
4wd.

[69CvyPickup4x]

It could definately be done, but I think it would be to big of a pain to do that because once you add the time and money you spend in doing it, you would be better off just buying a truck that is already 4 wheel drive. just my 2 cents.... do a search you will find threads in which this has already been talked about.

[trkklr77]

well you have to hurdels to cross

1 what is the rear suspension? leaf or coil/arm?

2 who are you going to by front leaf hanger brackets and 4x4 motor cross member from.


1 A: if you already have leafs youre in damn good shape, its a hell of a lot of work to convert the rear over to leafs in the rear.

2A: me. i am all most finished scraping a 4x4 and have all the 4x4 brackets you need.

[BPNinAZ]

Originally Posted by trkklr77

well you have to hurdels to cross

1 what is the rear suspension? leaf or coil/arm?

2 who are you going to by front leaf hanger brackets and 4x4 motor cross member from.


1 A: if you already have leafs youre in damn good shape, its a hell of a lot of work to convert the rear over to leafs in the rear.

2A: me. i am all most finished scraping a 4x4 and have all the 4x4 brackets you need.

1st the rear is a leaf suspension. 2nd I figured once I was at that point I would need to search high and low to find the parts needed. I'm hoping to get an idea of the work involved to see if the process is even worth while. It sounds like you have alot of experience. Thanks for the insight.

[BowTieMan]

And your truck is a big block so It should have the high floor hump the 4x4 and factory big block trucks needed.

[rwgregory]

It can be done, but it is a MAJOR job!! I would not even attempt it unless you
get a donor truck for all of the 4x4 parts. If you try to piece it together from
various sources you will need to be fitted for a straight jacket. I converted a
Dodge stepside to a 4x4 about 25 years ago using an Army surplus 4x4 for the
parts. It took me about 8 weeks to do it working on it every day after work &
full days on the weekends. You would be amazed at the number of parts
involved besides the obvious ones like transfer case, front end, drivelines, etc.
If you really want to do it, good luck.

[jracca]

Buy a rusted out northeast truck and put the body and engine from your in it, bought a 3/4 ton 4x4 running with a terrible body and good axles, running for $800 in pittsburg and towed it home

[woodridge]

I have seen several 4x2's converted to 4x4 by removing the front suspension and adding the 4x4 brackets and other pieces. To me it is always obvious that this has been done no matter how well it was done. My suggestion would to, A. find a 4x4 frame and move your sheet metal over to it. B. Splice the front section of a 4x4 frame on to yours.
My 2 cents.

[6T8]

Sent you a pm...........Rick

[smalltowncowboy]

theres a couple more questions to ask yourself

1. what kind of tools and knowledge do you have?

2. how much lift?

3. do you want flex or just look good lift?

im getting ready to do my own 2wd to 4wd conversion. mine is also a c-20 (not sure if leaf sprung or not since i havnt picked up the truck yet). no matter if its a leaf sprung or not im going to do a shackle flip kit on the rear and buy some spring mounts. i dont know how much lift you want but that will usually net you about 4 inches, and thats with using stock 4x4 springs. i will also be using 56 inch rears which will also net me about another 1-2 inches and alot more flex, i can also move my axle and springs around to where they fit under the wheel well again while mounting the springs. i will also rotating my pinion angle upward to line up with the rear out put on the transfer case.

the front axle im hoping to get a dana 60 with flat top knuckles on one side for the cross over steering, already have the 2wd steeringh box needed, but might need to relocate that. front spring hangers up front and a shackle in the rear of the spring, running 52 inch rear springs up front will get you about 4 inches of lift, a longer shackle can add to that, but i would also get some zero rate blocks to move your axle forward an inch on the springs. which will also give you another inch. now on mine i will probably need to run a 1 inch body lift cause i have the small tranny hump on my floor. mine is an auto so im going to stick with an auto (th400) but go with a 203/205 transfercase doubler (again depending on what you want yours to do it will be different) which you can get a new doubler crossmember which holds so much nicer and is up out of the way.or you can get the same mount for a single transfercase.

sounds like alot and it is if you dont know what your doing, but heres a couple sites that might help you out

www.coloradok5.com

http://pirate4x4.com/welcome1.php

http://www.diy4x.com/ really good site, good prices, good responses

http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/catalog.htm

if it sounds like something you can do then rock on if you need anymore info just get ahold of me ill help you if i can.

[1969 GMC]

Originally Posted by jracca

Buy a rusted out northeast truck and put the body and engine from your in it, bought a 3/4 ton 4x4 running with a terrible body and good axles, running for $800 in pittsburg and towed it home

I wouldn't recommend something from the northeast, lol. True, you can find rusted out plow trucks alot...but remember how the chevy frames like to rust behind the rear spring hangers, and how hard every single bolt will be to get off. Hope you have a torch! (I am not converting to 4x4, already am, but just working on the thing makes me nuts).

[al's71gmc]

We bought a 2wd for the cab, clip and motor and moved them to a 4wd frame. The cab came from a BB truck so everything was pretty easy. Good luck.

[special-K]

Out there in the west you can find a high-mile beat to crap 4wd,then do the body swap.Mother Nature(rust)isn`t an issue for you,but people(beat-up) are.I have a truck from south Wyoming that this was done on.It was a CustomCamper big block 2wd.It still has original paint.I`d hate to see what the 4wd donor looked like because the drivetrain was way neglected.But,it`s all just parts.