What's new
By:
Filters

'69 Camper Special 4WD Conversion

LScout800

LScout800

LS Powered Tractor
Joined
Jun 10, 2020
Member Number
1937
Messages
429
Loc
CA
Figured I'd start a build thread for this truck. It is a '69 F250 Camper Special I picked up a while back for 1200 bucks.
20220917_110053.jpg
20220917_105934.jpg

Story behind it was that it was one of the maintence trucks for an apartment complex the PO's dad owned. It was a running driving truck until it was parked in 2009. Apparently he had rebuilt the transmission but had put it together wrong so it did not work, and just parked it after.

It has a 390FE, C6, and Dana 60 rear. It was a nice truck at some point even had factory air conditioning. The engine was still good, the gas tanks are full of rainwater but it fired off of starting fluid.

Plans are as follows:

Stock 390FE
NP435
NP203/205
'05 Super Duty axles, 3.73 gears
'05 Super Duty Suspension
35's or 37's

Plans are for a nice driving truck that will be used to tow my scout, and also snow wheeling duties in the winter time as it will have an enclosed cab and heater. It will get off to a slow start, as I am trying to finish gathering parts (last big things are axles) and finish up my scout so I can free up some shop space. This is also being built on a budget. I am trying to get all the parts together before the end of the semester so I can build it over the summer.
 
Picked up a 2WD NP435 out of a truck with a 360. It is in good shape and shifts through all the gears just fine. Got it home and hung it from my exucavator to clean it. These old gearboxs are heavy. I also grabbed the pedal assembely and clutch linkages. Basically every part I needed to convert mine to have a manual.
20230415_175016.jpg

I also grabbed another 2WD NP435. This one looked like it have been at the bottom of a lake for 20 years, but it had a custom chevy 203 adapter and shaft, along with the 203 range box and all the parts to adapt it to a ford 205. Only issue with it is that the output on the trannsmission and the input on the 203 had rusted together, tried to free it up with electrolisys but to no avail. I am soaking it in WD40 to try an get it freed up, but if that does not work the next step is the expensive rust remover from harbor freight.
20230415_212357.jpg

Also picked up a 205 from out in the high desert.
20230419_143333.jpg

Hopefully will get the gearboxes rebuilt and mated in the next few weeks, and get the truck up to the shop to stab them in.
 
LScout800 said:
Only issue with it is that the output on the trannsmission and the input on the 203 had rusted together, tried to free it up with electrolisys but to no avail. I am soaking it in WD40 to try an get it freed up, but if that does not work the next step is the expensive rust remover from harbor freight.
Click to expand...
I have had great success with Evaporust..
 
pennsylvaniaboy said:
I have had great success with Evaporust..
Click to expand...
Yep I picked up a few gallons of it from harbor freight. Had some transfer case parts that were rusted together, it made them like new. Hopefully it will work with this.
 
Last edited:
Where are you located? I had a pair of SD axles shipped from Montana much cheaper than I'd have thought possible
 
Projectjunkie said:
Where are you located? I had a pair of SD axles shipped from Montana much cheaper than I'd have thought possible
Click to expand...
Southern California. I will look into that. Most dismantlers around here want 6-800 for a front, and 3-400 for a rear.
 
Yeah, that seems to be the going rate these days, still a lot of value for what they are

I use car-part.com and search for 2008-2010, as they had the shittiest engine so they're plentiful:laughing:


Best deal is going to be 3.73s as they are the most common
 
LScout800 said:
Most dismantlers around here want 6-800 for a front, and 3-400 for a rear.
Click to expand...

IMHO, really try to get them with a frame chunk, or any brackets/buckets thrown in.

I'm in that spot now. Got the axles cheap enough ($500/pair) but will have to spend more than that for the other stuff to make it work.
 
Projectjunkie said:
Yeah, that seems to be the going rate these days, still a lot of value for what they are

I use car-part.com and search for 2008-2010, as they had the shittiest engine so they're plentiful:laughing:


Best deal is going to be 3.73s as they are the most common
Click to expand...
I saw some up there for less than 300 bucks. Will call monday to see what a quote is for shipping. If I can get them for 800 or better shipped that beats buying them here and having to drive a few hours.
u2slow said:
IMHO, really try to get them with a frame chunk, or any brackets/buckets thrown in.

I'm in that spot now. Got the axles cheap enough ($500/pair) but will have to spend more than that for the other stuff to make it work.
Click to expand...
Frame brackets should not be an issue, just got this guy running.
20230422_191459.jpg
 
LScout800 said:
Frame brackets should not be an issue, just got this guy running.
20230422_191459.jpg
Click to expand...

Sexy :smokin:

What I'm dealing with (dodge) the frame is too narrow to simply stick coil buckets on. Steering box on the wrong side too. I'm looking to get a Ford frame chunk and splice it instead.
 
u2slow said:
Sexy :smokin:

What I'm dealing with (dodge) the frame is too narrow to simply stick coil buckets on. Steering box on the wrong side too. I'm looking to get a Ford frame chunk and splice it instead.
Click to expand...
I found a few writeups with guys doing this with these old fords, and the link brackets are offset just a little to the outside on the frame. The steering box is behind the front axle on these to, so it is getting removed and I am mounting a super duty box in the front of the frame. As far as the coilbuckets I have found it done two ways. Either the axle is modified, and you make new coil buckets that line up with the ones on the frame, or you make new coilbuckets for the frame. I was going to make new ones that were a bit wider to go on the frame, since the originals are riveted on so I could just cut the rivets and reuse the holes to bolt up my new ones.
 
If you put the front links out board of the frame, they will likely rub 37s unless bent for clearance.

Are you moving the front axle forward at all?

Consider this given you made a CNC plasma table. Sometimes easier to build new than mod.
cWuo3xmDyt6V_no4_Pge4Ow=w1292-h969-s-no?authuser=0.jpg
 
Levigarrett76 said:
How things coming?:beer:
Click to expand...
Been busy with spring cleaning, school, and doing random side jobs for people, so nothing besides some basic work on the truck, and some other boring stuff cleaning up gearboxes and rebuilding them. I have a wheeling trip planned for the end of the month so going to be spending more time getting the scout ready for it. Went to buy a set of axles before realizing it was not in the budget for this month. My goal is to have it torn apart and to be a roller by the end of the summer, and have it for next winters snow season. We will see how that goes. Building two trucks at the same time is expensive, especially when you are 20...
 
Projectjunkie said:
Updates?
Click to expand...
Life has been happening pretty hard right now. No updates aside fron cleaning up parts, and some little things being done here and there. Starting to pull measurements off the truck to get some CAD models drawn up, but nothing too interesting. Scout needs to get out of the shop first but need time to work on that.
 
Alright bought way too much of the rust remover from harbor freight and dunked the NP435/203 in it overnight. Pulled it out and it popped apart like butter. Looks like the 203 has a chevy 27 spline input, and the 435 has a little stubby output.
20240317_124203.jpg


Kinda concerned about where it looks like someone had tried to drill into the splines on the output. Looks like a potential start to a fracture.
20240317_124223.jpg

That shaft is going to have to go into my good 435, it is a 2 wheel drive transmission with what appears to be a ford 28 spline output.

20240317_124137.jpg

This is the transmission/doubler adapter plate. Looks like a nice machined piece of stainless. Was told by the guy I got it from it was built a long time ago by another member on pirate, have no idea if it is a custom job or if it was a kit someone could help me ID.
20240317_125106.jpg
20240317_125112.jpg

Dunked the "bad" rusty transmission back into the rust remover to free up the insides and see if the output is still usable.
 
After a lot of cussing, hammering, heat, and gear pullers I managed to free the mainshaft. That transmission was destroyed.

20240404_204510.jpg

It is not in the best shape, it has pitting in places becuase of rust, but overall is not too bad.

I stuck it inside my good transmission, the syncros and bearing looked decent so I just tossed the new shaft it and bolted it up. Here is a shot of it with the adapter. Going to put the 203 together this weekend. I also might pick up a front axle.

20240404_224325.jpg
 
Nabbed an '06 Dana 60 today. Bit more than I wanted to pay but it is exactly what I wanted. Paid 700 for it, was nice just backing in, having them fork it in, and driving out. Rather than rolling around in the dirt for 2 hours at the junkyard.

20240408_180207.jpg
Gonna grab a matching rear from one of the many work trucks in the junkyards around here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Back Refresh