Originally Posted by
Gunfixr
I had a War Wagon, once.
F 250 4x4 with a 6.9L diesel, C6 trans.
I personally, with hand tools (meaning no air) took out the front and rear axles, converting the front from twin beam to solid axle. I installed axles from a Kaiser military M715 1 1/4 ton truck. The rear differential got a Detroit Locker. Since the military axle had the front differential on the passenger side, as opposed to driver side like Ford standard, I had to swap the transfer case. So, I took out the Borg Warner 1345 aluminum housed chain drive case and installed a NP 205 cast iron gear drive case. It was a divorce unit, meaning the truck now had 3 drive shafts. Since the new transfer case sat almost dead center of the axles, the front and rear drive shafts were now the same length. I made all three of them, using 1/4" wall pipe. I made all the custom brackets, and the new transmission rear sealing plate.
I them had to make custom center plates to install in my old rims to fit the new axles. At first she rode on 38"-16"-16.5R" Interco Super Swampers, but later the change was made to 44"-18"-16.5R" Monster Mudders. At some point, the tranny took a crap, and I rebuilt it, getting in all the extra clutch plates that would fit.
I made a custom steel front bumper from a single piece of 10" structural I-beam, side bars and hand rails, and a custom rear hitch, which used 2 1/2" square hole instead of 2", and two hitch pins. The front bumper contained an integral 10,000lb winch. The Ac had gone out, and being young and not caring about such things, I set up a different compressor to make compressed air, feeding a tractor trailer air tank mounted in the frame over the rear axle. It had some other custom niceties, but you get the idea.
Oh, the axles had 5.88 to 1 gears in them, factory.
I have broken numerous K5 Blazers with it, along with other vehicles. I still have a video somewhere around here of it hooked up to the back of a Peterbuilt road tractor with a 650 Caterpillar engine. They gave him that win, but I made him earn it.
Aaahhhhh, the good old days ..................................
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