OK, I already have a D60 dually front axle so I am not completely in trouble but I have been wondering about something and I figured this is as good a place as any to ask... 1955 F600. Going to convert to 1 ton dually in 2 months (vacation from work) and I REALLY don't want to have to do a complete fabrication of steering box mounts, steering stuff, deal with clearance issues, etc. What I want to know is, is there a bolt in (or nearly) Ford 1 ton dually 2WD axle that can go under there with the push pull steering? I would like to retain the steering if possible. I am also looking at a P30 bellcrank but I think it would be ideal if I could just find a I beam axle and just bolt it to the springs and minimally get the steering working. Suggestions? Ideas? Heck,, I would even be open to someone making me a tube straight axle that can handle the stress and that I can bolt up 2WD steering components to, but then I would probably still have to fab the steering box mount anyway so I don't see how that would solve much of the work...
wondering if you are going to change the fenders because of the bigger wheel opening on the f-600 took a set of f 250 2 wheel drive spindles off and going to try to put them on 1949 ford 2 ton axle . i ask alot about this but not many answers
check the ford truck enthusist forum they have a bunch of info on larger trucks,also look up f5 and f6 trucks on the hamb those trucks are similar to yours and there are a couple of builds here
An F 350 axle up to '64 is probably as close as you will get to bolt in. Problem is, Ford used those goofy six bolt widow maker wheels on them......modern wheels in that pattern are basically non existant. All of those trucks (Chev, Dodge, IH etc) use the same basic font end/steering layout and have 8 lug wheels....maybe they would work. What are you using for the rear end? Another option might be to adapt some later 1 ton rotors to your stock spindles?
Check out a motorhome front beam axle. They have push pull steering and come in either standard 8 lug or wide 5 on eight lug patterns most with disc brakes. Most motorhomes had the steering box mounted forward of the axle so the box won't work on a typical application where the box was originally mounted behind the axle.
Why are you converting axles? You can get tubeless rims for those axles. It just takes a little searching. If you need more road speed, find an NV 4500 and adapt it in. Then you'll have overdrive. What are you building the truck to do? The RV idea for axles is solid too. Dodge motorhomes in the early 70's used rockwell axles with disc brakes on the front, and should be a direct bolt up to your ford. I cut up one 2 yrs ago, and the axles were the same exact as a F600. The only difference is that the front axle will be wider on a newer chassis, and the tires will hang out of those front fenders, and rub when you make a turn. Your better off finding rims
Thanks for all the replies, I'll try to answer all the questions in this paragraph. I hadn't thought of a motorhome, we have a truck salvage in town and I can see what they have. I have a 92 F350 2WD that is my parts truck. The ultimate plan is a 1 ton dually flatbed cutting the frame down to a 350 express bed length of the same year. Vehicle will be the house truck and will eventually tow a toy hauler to take me and the bikes to the track. My biggest concern is getting the truck to sit low enough to drive into the garage which will affect my decision to go with the D60 or graft the 2WD suspension on the front. Heart is set on dually but if a motorhome 8 bolt I beam is located for the right price, I may just sell the D60 and throw the I beam under there. I'm keeping the body stock as it is practically perfect for its age. The reasons I am making the changes I am are many. Loved these trucks and found a 170" wheelbase former grain hauler that was complete and relatively rust free. Things are getting old on it and I started looking at cost to fix the old stuff vs. upgrading the drivetrain. Widowmaker wheels. Horrible gear ratio in the Eaton rear and a Clark 5 speed that is beyond worn out. Did a ton of research and decided to keep the cab and frame and go down to a usable drivetrain that I can change a flat on the road on, depend on the road for looong road trips and still look neat. 4WD would be greatly appreciated but only because I need to get around in all types of weather, not for off roading. Gas mileage is not a concern and the 361 would still be fine in there but I have a 351W/C6/transfer case in the garage, along with a D60 dually front and 10.25 dually rear. I already amassed 95% of the parts I need and am taking 2 months off in a couple of weeks. My biggest concern is cab height, which is why I don't want to go D60 in the front unless I have to. It would solve a lot of problems but create new ones as well. From what I have gathered, I could maybe use a P30 bellcrank pitman arm and keep the current steering but I also have the steering from the 1 ton frame so it might be a cut and splice kind of thing there. When I mentioned tire changes, I am not kidding. I used a 5' breaker bar, a 6' cheater pipe and my 220 pounds of "ballast" jumping up and down on the cheater just to break the lugs loose to get the outer rear tires off. That cemented my decision to go down to a 1 ton because I can't imagine needing more capacity for what I am planning to do with it. I'm definitely NOT going to spend the money on upgrading the Eaton to highway gears, a NV4500, the HUGE expense of custom wheels for the current 5 lug pattern and THEN be stranded on the road with a flat waiting for the very expensive truck tire service vehicle to come out and change a tire when I am travelling and get a flat or a blowout. When I get started, I will have a build thread. I know there are a bunch of trucks like mine that are getting retired and sold cheap. They are really in decent shape for the price and making a "big" usable truck might be something others would be interested in, either to haul their toys or to haul ass, heh.
I was going to swap the rear axle from a Dodge motorhome into my 1940 Ford 1 1/2 ton. The frame width was exactly the same - it would have been the "simple bolt in job". It had the 5 on 8 inch bolt pattern to match the front and I had the 19.5 tubeless rims so no more split rims. You might consider the rear end as well - the one I had was a Dana 70 I believe and it had 4.56's in it. Some of the Chevy chassis from the same era had rear disc brakes as well. Just an idea.
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