Hey all,

I’m working on what I thought was an 85 D250 as kinda my first project truck and to learn more about cars. I’ve noticed a few things that didn’t quite add up but mostly assumed they were just random parts and someone had frankensteined the truck some. However, I’ve gotten to the point where I(mostly the older guy who’s been giving me advice) have suspicions that the frame may be from another older truck. The front axle doesn’t match up with everything else and I’m not sure if someone put a different axle on the truck or if the whole frame is wrong. I was going to just buy another pair of axles but the guy who’s been giving me advice said I should try and figure out what frame I have first to make sure the new axles would fit. I can’t find a VIN on the frame and to be honest I’m not exactly sure where to look. Everywhere I read says to look somewhere different and I can’t find it any where. Part of the problem is there’s a thick paint that someone put on the frame so it would be hard to see. If anybody could help me identify exactly what I got I’d appreciate it. Below are some pics and I can post more if needed.

thanks in advance!



Front

Rear

 

looks like a 70's frame because the rag joint is on the steering box and front drum brakes. i don't know if front drums were an option at all in the 80's. does it have ball joints or king pins on the font axle. that will be the difference between a dana 44 and dana 60 front axle. also it is a w250 since it is 4x4

 

Thanks for the help. Yeah I'm pretty sure drums in the front wasn't an option in the 80s. Its got ball joints. The one thing I'm pretty confident is that the front axle at least is not an 80s axle. Is there any way to ID the frame itself? Or if the frame is a 70s frame would an 80s axle fit?

 

since it has ball joints it is a HD dana 44. newer stuff should swap in. just have to make sure you get matching gear ratio's. you should be able to put a dana 60 under the front but sometimes with the cost it is just cheaper to go with the hd dana 44. they come with disk brakes so i think you could convert the front end if needed but you would likely have to buy a parts axle to get all the parts needed.

 

Where is the truck from? Up north it might have a different frame. However, I'd like to see the VIN on it. It's hard to tell with the color but the body looks like it might be a 70's truck with a newer grill. Can you post a photo of the front from the side? I think the hook changed slightly around 1979-80. Older hoods were slimmer and later ones had more of an edge to the front of the hood. Does the VIN in the windshield match the sticker in the drivers door?

 

The 70's body was used from 72 till 81 when it changed(body lines are different). Looks like an 80's truck for sure. The grills get changed all the time so don't go by that. You didn't list the GVWR. Depending on what that is could explain some of the differences. I'm not as versed in the 80's trucks. I'm not sure they even put the vin on the frames. Did you look for the data plate? The vin will be on that and should match what's on the dash. Look at the rears and list the BOM(bill of materials) # on them. This will tell what they are for.

 

I'm pretty sure its been in VA for at least a long time but I'm not where it's from originally. So the VIN is loose in the cab and based just a whole pile of things I'm pretty confident its not the original VIN. The sticker is long gone. Ill post a pic in a bit.

 

Yeah I looked all over the frame and couldn't find anything. I looked in all the usual places. I wax hoping somebody might be able to tell me exactly where it should. The front doesn't have any info on it thats where a lot of this started.

 

Here’s a pic of the side.

 

I did also just remember that the body is less in question than the frame. There’s a sticker under that hood that’s pretty clear the body is an 83. To be honest the reason I put 85 in the title is cause I’m just so used to it I forget it’s not that lol. The VINs an 85, the body’s an 83, the frames a ?. Yeah I know I kinda got screwed but at this point I just kinda want to figure it out