Random questions

[45acpJr]

I don't want to clutter the boards with a post for every question so I figured I would ask them all in one shot.

1. Who here as shortened their frame?
2. Who is running a street legal fuel cell?
3. Is it worth the money to swap my np203 to a np205?

 

[imiceman44]

I don't want to clutter the boards with a post for every question so I figured I would ask them all in one shot.

1. Who here as shortened their frame?
2. Who is running a street legal fuel cell?
3. Is it worth the money to swap my np203 to a np205?

1. I haven't done it yet, but I am going to shorten a frame, it's not an easy job if you want to do it right, you need to have it pretty level, and you need to take a lot of measurements, and references before you cut, and then when you weld, and you need to put fish plates to reinforce over the cut.
The best way to cut is a Z cut but most do a straight cut.
I had a thread saved that was very well documented, but lost my computer since.
I am still trying to find it, the guy had shortened a 72 chevy long bed frame to make it a short bed frame.
Unless you were talking about just the rear overhang, then yes I have done this.

2. I don't care for fuel cell so can't help you there.

3. If your 203 is busted yes, if not no.
I think yours just needs adjustment:
take of the rods from the shifter, align the tabs on the Tcase and put a pin in the hole to keep them aligned, put the shifter in neutral ( you might need someone to hold it in place, then thread the rods in or out until they lign up and reattach. everything should be smooth unless there is something broken inside.

 

[Fordum]

As I am sure folks here are tired of hearing, when I bought my f250 new, I had the frame cut and shortened to SWB specs and a almost new junkyard body put on.

I was working at the time, so I could not watch, but the outside of the frame looks like it was a straight cut. They did a really good job of welding, and ground it down so its hard to tell where it was cut.

Then inside of the channel, they put another piece of channel in and welded it into place across the cut.

That was in 1989, and I have put well over 200K of darn hard miles on it since with no bending, warping or cracking.

On my Ford, everything lined right up afterward.
The holes on the SWB body lined up with the holes in the frame with no alignment problems.
The exhaust had a spacer that unclamped and the two ends went right back together with no cutting or adjustment needed.

Of course, I had to take the drive shaft to a drive shaft shop and have it cut, shortened and balanced.
Ford did not make a SWB drive shaft with the correct ends for my 3/4 ton rear end.

I think the only other mods were replacing the side gas tank with one from a SWB, the rear was fine, and putting a different set of emergency brake cables on.

 

[Wicked Wolf Auto]

3. Depends on what you're going to do with the rig, if it's just going on the street and mild trails then a 203 is fine. I like my 205 because it's easy to twin stick, mainly used on the trail but on a couple occasions I've done a front wheel burnout to mess with the ricers