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4 Wheel Drive/SUVs/1983 ford truck body switch to a 1983 bronco frame will it work

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Expert: - 1/16/2009


Question
i have a 1983 ford150 short box witch the frame has a big twist in it so i bought a 1983 ford bronco that was rolled so i was wondering if my body off the truck would bolt on the bronco frame

Answer
David,

With the right fabrication tools, you can make most any body fit on another frame.

You need to get out the tape measure and see what the dimensions are on each body to see if the body mounts will line up.
Anytime you modify something like this, it will take some fabrication skills and some imagination to make everything line up.  You may have to weld some body mounts that will match up with the frame, and you need to make sure that the gear shifts and linkages will fit.  You may have to cut out the floor boards to get all the levers to line up.

This type of job is never real easy, just depends on how much work you're willing to put into this project.

Carl

4 Wheel Drive/SUVs

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Carl Brandt

Expertise

Will discuss suspensions, lifts, lockers along with tire suggestions. Trail ratings and possible requirements needed for specific type of trails. Safety equipment and what you should carry with you. Certified off-road instructor. I am not a mechanic, and 4-Wheeling is a hobby, so if I can't answer a technical question it is due to my mechanical knowledge being related to vehicles that I have owned, or have worked on. I do not have manuals on all vehicles.

Experience

40 plus years of 4 wheeling in a variety of vehicles. At the present time, my major off-road rig is a 94 Jeep Wrangler with a spring over and a 1 1/2" suspension lift. This gives me a total lift of 7" or so. I have lockers front and rear. I have removed the track bars, and sway bar for maximum articulation. I am running a stock 2.5 ltr 4 cylinder with a Jacobs ignition along with a cold air high flow filter. It has 4.56:1 gears with a Dodge NV4500 transmission along with a 3.8:1 Atlas II transfer case. This gives me a final ratio of 105:1 in low gear/low range. Other vehicles I own, are a 96 Ford F-250 with a 6" lift, posi rear end, 36" Hummer tires, 5 speed with a fuel injected 460 ci engine, an 87 Samurai with an 8" lift, Ford 9" rear end with a spool, Chevy Dana 44 front end with an electric locker, 5.88 gears, 16% reduction in high range and a 6.5:1 low range with 35" Baja Claws, and a stock 2003 Grand Cherokee Overland. Trails I have run are the Rubicon (10 times), Dusey Ershim, Fordyce Creek trail, McGrew trail, several trails in Moab, Utah along with local monthly runs.

Organizations
Lost Coast 4x4's Cal 4-Wheel Corva UFWDA Blue Ribbon Coalition

Education/Credentials
Certified off-road instructor - Certificates in engineering/electronics

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