hello guys
i just got my hands on a 84 f150 4x4 its in real good shape. only thing major is i was told the rear end(pumpkin was bad). its got a 9inch rear end and i plan on doing light towing and daily driving. was told by a family member i should look at putting a 8.8 rear end in it and changing the front axle as well. any tips or options will help. i will post pics of her when i can.

 

Click this, read the caption, follow the relevant links, and each time you learn something about your truck, edit it into your signature:

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If you don't have one, you should get a Haynes manual, and eventually read it cover-to-cover at least once:

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This may be the first time I've seen it, but you WERE told correctly: the 8.8" axle IS stronger than the 9" (which is why Ford stopped making the 9 when they designed the 8.8 to replace it). It's also more-common in junkyards, which makes it a cheaper swap, in addition to simply being a better axle. And since you're already swapping, you might as well consider swapping to one with factory disk brakes, as this photo album shows:

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But there's no real reason to change the front axle unless it's damaged. The Dana 44IFS TwinTractionBeam (TTB) was used up to '96 on F150s & Broncos, so it's a reliable axle (when properly maintained).

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Why swap to a different rear end? Just have the pumpkin rebuilt or purchase a drop in and go from there.

 

thank you for your help guys
swaping the rear end was what i was told when i picked it up yesterday. today i took the bed off and remove the plastic bed liner( plan on doing a roll on liner at some point) when i got it the drive shaft was out of it and the pumpkin has been taken apart.

 

i did get her to start today didnt let her run long due to a leaking line. i found out it was a trans cooler line that has been cut. so thats on the list to replace.

 

Just patch it with something like Gates 27059 and add a magnetic filter like . Use only Type F ATF in the transmission and power steering.

 

You will have to flare the end of the cooler line if you want the hose to seal and use clamps for fuel injection and not a worm type clamp.. Myself, I would clean up the end and use steel line and couple it to the existing end with a compression fitting and run it to the radiator.. The repair will outlast the truck.

 

did these trucks come with the 8.8 for the 4x4's reading the sticker on the door says its a 8.8. but its a 9 inch in it. maybe it was swapped out.

 

does anyone know what size that fitting is so i can look at what i want to get to thread in there

 

Nothing on the VC label specifically identifies the rear axle model. The 9" was used up to 1986; the 8.8" was introduced in '83. Yes, it's possible that MANY parts have been swapped on a 36-year-old pickup. Read the axle tag.

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The trans cooler line is 5/16" galvanized steel tubing. The ends are common inverted flares.Ford put common worm clamps on those lines for decades.