i have an 81 f150 4x4 ford that currently has a 400 with a 3spd auto and a np208 transfercase with 9inch rear and a dana 44fis front
my dd is the one in my sig a 96 ram 3500 with nv4500 and dana 80 rear
i want to put all of the dodge stuff in the ford and find a non vacum controled front axle maybe dana 70 or something close (8lug) git rid of the fords np208 for a np205 that i have
first question is will it be ok to put all this stuff in a halfton frame?
second i seem to be having trouble finding an adapter plate from nv4500 to np205 any links would be helpfull
third my buddy has a nv4500 4x4 trans that dont wanna come out of gears can i just swap his tail housing onto my 2wd trans to make my good trans a 4x4 trans
and lastly what spline is the out on the nv4500 and what splines are typically the input on a np205 will i need to change my trans out shaft or my transfercases input sleeve? i have a million other questions as far as motormounts and wiring but im trying to find the answers in the forum i just havent had much luck in finding the answers to my first four questions any suggestions would be great everyone down here is kinda tellin me it wont work or its a dumb idea i plan on starting this if yall say it will work sometime after tax returns just trying to get every question answered and a handle on what parts i need and a new daily driver for my wife so i can have my 99cummins back lol thanks guys for any help

 

i would have to say that the half ton frame might be a little weak without boxing it in....maybe think about finding a ford 1ton 4x4 chassis to bolt your body on....it would already have a heavy duty front axle...you would just be in the boat that i'm in now trying to find the right gear ratio for your swap....i'm definitly not going to tell your dumb for wanting to build a truck that you like with a motor that you like! more power to you buddy....i just tore apart my perfectly good dodge to put my motor in a chevy!....i can't help you much with the other stuff but you might want to get the nv4500 off of your buddy and take it to a tranny shop it might not cost much to fix it....stick around here and somebody will answer all your questions eventually....good luck man!

 

thanks man i have been on here a little while and all the questions i have had b4 were always answered this is a wonderful site i really would like to see it in a 80s model chevy stepside 4x4 but finding one reasonably priced down here is kinda hard and both the 81ford and the 96cummins are completely paid for so no big deal right the only problems i ever had with the 96 was the stuff dodge had control over tailgate hinge door hinge hood hinge they dont use very good bushings and idk what went wrong with the bed all the seams around the tailgate came apart and i got tired of welding them up and i finally broke a fender so i bought a new bed besides whatever good is in the ford and the dodge i can sell to cover some of the cost anyway just trying to find out what parts i need (mounts, trans to transfer adapter, etc) which kit is better the one from destroked or the one from fordcummins.com? as far as gear ratio thats y i wanted my dana 80 along with the springs and hangers put into the ford im runnin 3.55s now so finding a matching dana 70 front shouldnt be to hard i hope if the front turns out to be 3.56s would that still work properly thats not really much of a diff is it?

 

tell me about it the price of 73-87 chevy's have sky rocketed the last couple of years!....no i would say you would be alright with just that tiny little difference.....i have a buddy that runs 4.11 front end with a 4.10 rear and you can't notice it at all...and its in a mud truck so he's in 4wd constantly

 

yeah my buddy built a 460 bronco and we stuck some 8lug axle in the rear and left the front axle alone except puttin on 8lug hubs so all the rims match, and there is a slight diff in his front and rear ratios, but thats all the bronco was ment for mud drags. im hoping to use my ford as my daily driver

 

Advance Adapters builds the adapter you need to mate your NV4500 to the NP205. http://www.advanceadapters.com/

I found my adapter on the web at one of the 4X4 shops for less than AA will sell them to an individule for.

I don't know about the 1/2 ton frame, but you will want to get rid of your front axle. You may be able to use a D60 out of a 90's F350, check your frame width. A 90's D60 can be had fairly reasonably. They are not as desireable as the 78 and 79 axle, but they will work just fine if you don't plan on getting real western with your driving.

 

thanks yeah i dint count on the front ifs axle to hold much and i wanted a straight one anyway hopefully without the vacume actuator i dont mind gettin out to lock hubs lol

i have a fox body layin around here and was wondering if it was possible to use the rack pinion steering or would it be better to just stay with whats in the truck? i dont really wanna be breaking pitman arms and such but idk if rack and pinion will handle 35-38 inch tires

 

well started the tear down of the ford today got the core support and most of the front stuff out the way got the enging unhooked and almost ready to pull out got under the truck to undo the trans bolts and the tc bolts and found the frame is cracked in several places as well as having some really ugly frame repairs on previous crack so i guess i will end up just parting out this truck and just put the money up untill i can find a old square nosed chevy stepside 4x4 the only thing is will my np205 driver drop work with a chevy arnt chevy pass drop or can i just bolt in the tc to drop on the proper side i need i figure this is cool since its a circular bolt pattern anyway or is this not possible/good?

 

chevy's are passanger side drop up to 1988 then they went to driver side drop and IFS....(exact year chevy's started to go downhill....IMO) I really doubt that you could flip a transfer upside down and make it work...it would put your breather hole on the bottom and not to mention your drain hole would be on the top....just find a 205 that is passanger side drop....

 

ok i hadnt thought about/vent drain holes maybe i will get lucky and someone has a chevy 205 and needs a ford 205 lol i agree about the ifs trucks not really something i would like we had a 964x4 chevy once not that great

 

At this point of the game, I'd look for a first gen Dodge as a donor for what you want to do. It will have the right axles, transfer case and in a lot of cases a swapped in NV4500 transmission. If it still has the 'rag transmission, for what it sounds like you want to build, it will last forever. With a short bed step side, you won't be towing 20,000 lb loads in 5th gear very often

 

first gens came with a 205? how does the 'rag compare to my 4500 i dont really know much about 1st gens so im sorry for the dumb question but is the 'rag a 5spd? or is that y they swap em to 4500s for the fith gear? thanks for the suggestion i had not considered a first gen donor what side does there axles drop by the way?
thanks

 

First gens have a NP205 passanger side drop, with a D60 or 61 front and a D70 rear.

The Getrag is a 5 speed. IMO it is a good transmission that is fine for the loads the truck was designed to haul, but don't hold up well to the loads people haul because the Cummins can do it. In my experiance the NV4500 is a bit smoother shifting, and I *think* a little stronger. BTW, the 4500 has it's own problems, like 5th gear nut and $120 dollar oil changes.

 

yeah i got lucky my buddy had already fixed 5th gear in mine b4 he sold it to me along with the new radiator and the whole front end was reworked new bushings and stuff and alignment and a whole list of things he fixed the year b4 he said "if u like it so much just buy it" 7000.00 later i was the proud owner of a 96 dually 12 valve