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Best way to convert a 2wd to 4wd

CUCV2

CUCV2

5/4 ton fun
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Just picked up a 2wd Dually Crew Cab. I am not into a dually or 2wd but the price was right and I have been trying to find a crew cab for awhile. Plans are to convert it to 4wd and a short box. My question is, "What is the best way to convert a 2wd to 4wd." I read MrK5's thread and thought it was a good example of how to do it. My thoughts on this conversion are directed towards something other than leaf springs. I happen to have a Cage radius long arm kit for a Dana 60 and was wondering if this would be a good option. Especially when there are upper coil spring mounts already on the truck. I am definitely not against leaf springs and may end up going that way but would definitely like to hear some thoughts on using the radius arms or any other ideas for converting 2wd to 4wd. Thanks.
 
years ago one of the magazines had a white 67-72 that was converted to 4wd .

flipped the axle to under on the radius arm rear and blocked the rest for lift wanted.

front he did a ford radius arm style suspension with the stock 2ed coil buckets still used .
 
sweetk30 said:
years ago one of the magazines had a white 67-72 that was converted to 4wd .

flipped the axle to under on the radius arm rear and blocked the rest for lift wanted.

front he did a ford radius arm style suspension with the stock 2ed coil buckets still used .
Click to expand...

Sounds encouraging. I think I will probably just mock it up to see if it will work and if it doesn't, go with leaf springs. Looks like stock front front spring hangers will work. It's the front rear spring hangers that seem to be in question. Maybe go with a modified B52 kit like Mr.K5 did.
 
I'm sure Red Green could put dual rims front and rear and tie the outers together with belts. That would be 4WD. Or you could combine 2 vehicles. You just need a sawzall and couple rolls of "Handy Mans Secret Weapon":

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Surely the "easiest" is a for sale sign and an auto trader.
 
Back in the day,GM decided the Napco conversions were the easiest and best way to go...but the 2wd trucks had solid I beam axles up front,so it was easy to bolt up a 4x4 leaf sprung front axle..

I have seen a few 1/2 and 3/4 ton 2WD trucks converted using Ford Coil spring towers and radius arms along with the Ford front axle,and a divorced Ford NP-205 transfer case,to avoid having to use a "married" 4x4 transmission..leafs in the rear left stock,with lift blocks to even the ride height out..basically they just robbed those parts off a 4x4 Ford and added them to the GM frame..

One guy I know had a GMC 4x4 just like my '77 K2500,even the same color..he got the truck free when it suffered a rotted frame and it broke in half,too thin to justify patching it together--meanwhile his dad had a '78 Ford F-250 4x4 with lots of cab rust and dents,but a cherry frame,and a 460,C-6,and 4:10 axles..

He decided to plop the GMC cab,nose and bed on the Ford rolling chassis...it was not really that hard to adapt body mounts...he dropped some jaws at cruise nights when he opened the hood,when guys saw a 460 sitting there instead of a small block or big block chevy,they would go "huh"?...:D..He used to joke and say "Now I have both the "chevy guys" and "Ford guys" mad at me !..
 
Thanks for the input but WOW, you guys may talk me right out of this, lol. I do have to say that I like the ride of it as a 2wd with the front suspension the way it is. Maybe I should just clean it up and enjoy it the way it is.

I forgot to mention that this is a SM465 truck. I have seen a number of SM465/205 combos going for next to nothing these days. That would make getting a tc fairly straight forward. Also, have a set of CUCV 1 tons, the radius arm set up, some TC 6"lift rear springs, and it already has a 2wd steering box :).
 
Yes oh yes links will be an awesome way to convert a 2wd to a 4wd.

I think the cage stuff should work just fine. More than one company makes a coil mount bucket. Although they are usually used with Jeep could that have flat ends. Dodge and Ford springs are bigger in diameter. But that is easily overcome. Well some Dodge and Ford springs.
 
Truckman4life said:
I saw a solid axle swap done in one of the popular 4x4 magazines years ago using a Cage off road radius arm suspension setup.
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/transmission-drivetrain/131-0708-2002-chevy-2500-solid-axle-swap/
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. That helps. There are no directions with the set up I have. So, looking at the for reference should clarify things.

blazinzuk said:
Yes oh yes links will be an awesome way to convert a 2wd to a 4wd.

I think the cage stuff should work just fine. More than one company makes a coil mount bucket. Although they are usually used with Jeep could that have flat ends. Dodge and Ford springs are bigger in diameter. But that is easily overcome. Well some Dodge and Ford springs.
Click to expand...

I am hoping to use the stock buckets. Hoping to find some springs that are the same diameter as those.
 
also 2wd front leaf hanger for rear springs is 3" shorter than 4wd hanger . so what ever you do add 3" to rear or swap hangers . and don't forget 1ton is all its own for hangers and the 2wd to 4wd rivet holes DONT line up .

that cage kit looks just like newer superduty stuff.
 
A guy I work with has a 90s Chevy with a Ford f150 Dana 44 and radius arm setup kinda like what u are thinking. Im not sure but I think he's using the f150 coil buckets .
 
It has been getting slowly cleaned up. It wouldn't start when I got it. The drivers side window was off track and the passenger side corner window was broken. Oh yeah, and it had a loud exhaust manifold leak. Fixed all that. Moved on to the interior. Front bench was red when the rest of the interior is blue. Got lucky and found a super nice, blue, crew cab front seat. It needs a carpet and, of course, dash pad repair/replacement. Thinking the interior should wait until I replace the rockers. The body is decent (rust wise) except for the outer rockers. Not sure what happened there but everything else is useable, including floors, cab corners, and inner rockers. The plan is to keep plugging away at it and use it in its current status. But when it gets past the clean up and maintained phase, the 2wd/dually issue will be next.
 
I would do like MrK5 and use leafs and parts from DIY4X. Keep in mind that you will need to drill all the holes for these (b52 or Abomb) up front, and measure for the right location for the shackle bushing as well . The holes that the 2wd crossmember/ a-arms was in the frame will have to be welded up as well .I seen a guy on another web forum convert his 1 ton 2wd dually to a 6x6, and he used the DIY4X A-BOMB up front ..... also would use the crossmember from Offroad Design.
 
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