'78 F-100. good idea?

[dougs3.0L98]

Hey guys. My uncle just said i could use any part i want off his 1978 F-100. The truck has sat in the same place for about 10 years and has no windows and a really busted up body. The other day i tried to get the hood open but failed! and bent the front end up in the process.

Does this thing have the Dana 44 front end? The front end uses coil springs but i can't tell much about it, it's sitting on it's brake rotors cause i jacked the wheels off it a couple years ago!

Also what kind of transfer case would this have?
I know it's a V8 but i don't know what size.

With the front axle and all the steering parts still on the truck what would i have to buy to start a SAS on my 1998 ranger? i know i'll have to buy stuff like new brake parts and bearings etc...

Yeah i know i could just do a search on all this but i just prefer you guys! thanks a lot!

 

[metalmacguyver]

yup it is a D44 front end. if you want to get serious about a sas, then there is alot of research that you need to do to make the right decisions and to build it right. the motor could be anything from a 351 or bigger.

 

[dougs3.0L98]

yeah. i'm not in a hurry cause the f-100 isn't moving anytime soon. i helped my neighbor do a SAS on a s-10 blazer and he used leaf springs. i'd like to get an up close look at a truck that put an axle with coil springs in so i could get some ideas.

 

[Mutant Pony]

Pics would help. That old truck could have anything in it.

 

[86ford]

90% it has a np435 if its a 4 speed manual, auto trans is most likely a c-6, 205 t-case, d44 with a slight, very slight chance it has a d60 front. rearend could be a d60, 9inch, ?.

86

 

[ZMan]

90% it has a np435 if its a 4 speed manual, auto trans is most likely a c-6, 205 t-case, d44 with a slight, very slight chance it has a d60 front. rearend could be a d60, 9inch, ?.

86

D60 isn't gonna be under an F-100, and I could be wrong but I don't think D60s came under coil sprung trucks either (fords anyway)

 

[pillen140]

in an f100 most likely the rear is a 9", with a 351 motor.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

No its probley a 302. Very rarely did you see a 351M\400 in a F100.

Ive *heard* some snowplow package trucks got a D60 front.....cant say for sure though...its just what ive heard.

later,
Dustin

 

[2manyfords]

The f100's were light duty compared to an f150.

 

[metalmacguyver]

get some pictures and we can tell you for sure. look at the diameter of the hub at the wheel mounting surface. if it is a full 4" then i believe that it is a D60.

Zman, D60s did come under some rare fords with the "snowfighter" snowplow package.

most front ends are High Pinion D44s on 1977.5-1979 model year ford fullsize trucks.

 

[JoshT]

I'd have to agree on the 9" Rear end, and I believe that they did come with D44 under the front. FWIW our F-100 has a 390 FE stock, and IIRC it's a 5 speed transmission (though it could be 4) with granny first. As for getting the hood open soak it with PB Blaster for a bit, maybe go out and tug on the release and the hood every now and then, that's what we do and it usually free's right on up.

 

[JoshT]

The f100's were light duty compared to an f150.

Wrong!! that depends on the year model. When the F-150 was introduced (can't remember the year) the F-100 was slightly downsized, it was somewhere between the size of the Ranger and the 150. It was the equivlaent of the F-150 prior to it's introduction. I know there are folks here that will disagree with me on that but our 69 F-100 would walk all over any comparable F-150.

 

[predator]

no d60, no fe,

it wont have a 390, 77 was the last year for any fe motor in a truck,my bet is that it will have the 302, it will have the d44 reverse cut high pinion front axle, the only truck that a dana 60 came in were the 78-79 f250's with the snofighter package and the 79 f350, there were no 4x4 f350's made in 78. the d60 also came with front leaf springs only, the rear axle is a 9 inch. it was said before but the tranny is either a c6 or a np435 with a np205 tcase, unless someone has swapped the tranny out somewhere in its 30 year old life...

 

[2manyfords]

Wrong!! that depends on the year model. When the F-150 was introduced (can't remember the year) the F-100 was slightly downsized, it was somewhere between the size of the Ranger and the 150. It was the equivlaent of the F-150 prior to it's introduction. I know there are folks here that will disagree with me on that but our 69 F-100 would walk all over any comparable F-150.

Well in 1978 the F100 and F150 are the same body just a considerably lighter suspension.

I was never aware of a body size difference between an f100 and f150. What production years was this?

 

[ZMan]

Ive *heard* some snowplow package trucks got a D60 front.....cant say for sure though...its just what ive heard.

later,
Dustin

Zman, D60s did come under some rare fords with the "snowfighter" snowplow package.

Those are F-250s, not F-100s. My friend and I are tearing one down this weekend and I'm taking the 60s from it. It is a Snofighter, since its got all the controls inside for the plow, and its an F-250. Its also leafsprung.