hello,

I am in the middle of doing a semi swap on my 89 dodge w150 and id like to use the 545rfe and t case from the 06 donor truck. (I'm hung up on the idea of having the turn **** 4x4 switch) I have no issues doing fab work however the less work the better. obviously the 89 came with passenger side drop front axle and the 06 used driver side drop. I know i read in a forum a while back that some ford front axles fit but i can't find the thread. What are my options to do a driver side drop conversion without having to shorten the axle tubes or get to crazy with wheel back spacing?

thanks in advance.

 

Front axle from a 2nd gen??

 

89 is leaf spring front and the second gens are coil spring. Going to have to cut and weld to make it work. Not sure how much work you want to put in to this but maybe a frame swap. Don't know the configurations of either truck but some mods of the frame will need to be done. Basically put the 89 body onto the 06 frame.

 

I would have done that but the frame was damaged beyond use in the 06. i have no problem welding on spring perches but i think ill run into an issue with the spring hitting the diff. as it is now with the pass drop dana 44 the right spring has a cast mount in the gear case instead of a welded spring perch for clearance for the drive shaft. I was hoping someone may have done this conversion before me and have an better plan of action. does any one know the with of the second gen axle from wheel hub face to hub face?

 

What about using the existing t case and adapt the RFE to it?

 

The goto easy diff would be a 77.5-79 F150 Supercab. These are 5-lug, high pinion, and leaf sprung. You can modify the hangers a little to shift the springs the 1/2" closer together for the Ford spacing. Other F150/Broncos use coils and radius arms. Its a nice suspension.... but a bunch more work to swap over.

If you want to go 8-lug, you have more options as F250 4x4s were all leaf. IIRC, 76-79 are the ones with disc brakes, and 77.5-79 are the high-pinion.

EDIT: the 2ndgen front diff is ~71" wide. It does give you a 'normal' track width when using the 2ndgen wheels. Will need to use spacers on the rear to match, or use the 2ndgen diff there too.