Nathaniel0712
Observer
yeah im looking for some 10.5's but i would consider 12.5's if the price was right. i dont mind cutting on this rid as it would eliminate the only rusty areas of the vehicle making it officially rust free :wings:
New Rig: 1991 Ford F-150 4x4
- Thread starter Nathaniel0712
- Start date
Nathaniel0712
Observer
SAS time?
So i'm kinda of torn between projects at the moment. I have my blazer that I finally am getting title for, and i have already cut it in half and bought the truck cab to rpair the rusty areas and turn it into a trazer. Still have a lot of work ahead on that one, and then i found this 91 f150 for a steal. I have to say out of 5 vehicles i've owned in the last 3 years, this has by far been the best. It is dead reliable, doesn't burn any oil whatsoever its comfortable and i can haul most of what i need to move.
That said, i am going to keep this truck and want to eliminate the tab because it needs all new bushings, ball joints and brakes and since I want to lift the truck anyways I am going to be doing a solid axle swap. I found a complete front suspension with dana 44 high pinion front end out of a 1978 ford f150 on craigslist for $350 and am going to grab it Wednesday if he still has it, hope he does. It looks like a fairly simple swap and will pretty much eliminate the only weak link in the truck.
So i'm kinda of torn between projects at the moment. I have my blazer that I finally am getting title for, and i have already cut it in half and bought the truck cab to rpair the rusty areas and turn it into a trazer. Still have a lot of work ahead on that one, and then i found this 91 f150 for a steal. I have to say out of 5 vehicles i've owned in the last 3 years, this has by far been the best. It is dead reliable, doesn't burn any oil whatsoever its comfortable and i can haul most of what i need to move.
That said, i am going to keep this truck and want to eliminate the tab because it needs all new bushings, ball joints and brakes and since I want to lift the truck anyways I am going to be doing a solid axle swap. I found a complete front suspension with dana 44 high pinion front end out of a 1978 ford f150 on craigslist for $350 and am going to grab it Wednesday if he still has it, hope he does. It looks like a fairly simple swap and will pretty much eliminate the only weak link in the truck.
4x4junkie
Explorer
IMO, not with that axle...
There's a Dana44 already under your truck. Swapping a D44 with another D44 isn't likely to eliminate any weak links (that is, if there's even a weak link at all). Being another 13 years older, that axle is probably even more likely to need all those things you mentioned as well.
I'd suggest weighing that against keeping what you got and simply freshening it up.
Contrary to some persistent myths that still seem to be out there, that TTB D44 is as good as any other D44, and offers a better ride too. Only thing is if you're going to lift one, don't cheap out on your suspension lift like too many guys do (cheap lifts with flimsy brackets are where people end up having problems on them). Or at least weld some reinforcements onto the brackets if you do get a cheaper kit.
HotrodSmurf
Observer
I can attest to the absurd durability of the ttb. My answer to everything with my ford was "floor it" and the ol' girl held up great. I have seen some that were jacked up but they were hack job lifts.
plainjaneFJC
Deplorable
That's a good looking bronco.
My 90 Bronco when I sold it:
View attachment 144706
4" Rough Country lift with 33's. The kid I sold it to was actually willing to pay $4,500 (my asking price) but was going to have to wait a couple weeks for $500 of it. He clearly loved it as much as I did, and I knew it was going to be in good hands, so I let him take it for $4k rather than wait.
Plus I hate dealing with shoppers.Had about 5 people look at it, several making offers, but I liked the kid who bought it best. I even threw in a bunch of spare parts and stuff I could have sold separately. When I was pulling out a bunch of parts (good and or new in box) that I hadn't put on yet he was like "cool, I do want that stuff, can I come back and buy it when I get paid?" When I explained that I was just giving it to him the look on his face was priceless! lol
Nathaniel0712
Observer
Personally i like the simplicity of a solid axle and while the ttb it durable with a decent load in the truck the tires wear like ****. Unloaded they sit fine and wear ok, but with 1500 pounds in the bed you cant see it sagging making the tires wear on the inside. If i were to spend money on a nice lift, the replacement pieces i need etc i could put the 78 axle under it. It is a very simple swap and not have to do the bushings constantly will be a plus. I think it will also add value to the truck if i ever sell it.
Like i said i can get a dana 44 axle geared the same as my rear end with the entire 78 f150 front suspension for 350 bucks or less, and even if i need to rebuild the axle i feel like it will be worth it for having the solid axle up front. Its not necessarily about eliminating weak links as much as making it better. Theoretically, if i do the job right i should loose to much ride quality. I really like the truck and have such a small investment in it right now ($500 bucks) that I can justify spending the money to put a solid axle in it at some point, I want to have all the parts before i do anything. I need a long bed truck, and if i were to lift the ttb i would just sell the truck for a profit and pickup a longbed chevy k10 or k20. Plus if i spend $800+ on nice new tires i dont even want to risk wearing them unevenly.
Like i said i can get a dana 44 axle geared the same as my rear end with the entire 78 f150 front suspension for 350 bucks or less, and even if i need to rebuild the axle i feel like it will be worth it for having the solid axle up front. Its not necessarily about eliminating weak links as much as making it better. Theoretically, if i do the job right i should loose to much ride quality. I really like the truck and have such a small investment in it right now ($500 bucks) that I can justify spending the money to put a solid axle in it at some point, I want to have all the parts before i do anything. I need a long bed truck, and if i were to lift the ttb i would just sell the truck for a profit and pickup a longbed chevy k10 or k20. Plus if i spend $800+ on nice new tires i dont even want to risk wearing them unevenly.
4x4junkie
Explorer
Well I guess if you think the solid axle is that much better (and no doubt, there are many on this earth that do, and you might be right about resale value because of that), then go ahead and go for it.
I've had the TTB axle under my BII ever since I built the rig almost 9 years ago and it's given me no problems (33,000 miles out of my last set of BFG MTs and they still had 50% tread depth left on them. I only replaced them because they had bad tread damage (chunking) from rock crawling). Ball joints and bushings are all tight, and most importantly my steering linkage is positioned at a proper angle with the axle beams.
I've been with people who have solid axles that complain about even moderately bumpy or washboarded roads, or about the "arduous task" of driving their rig to or from a trail if it's any good distance away. I've experienced many a solid axle vehicle myself so I know exactly where they're coming from. If I had to put up with all that, I'd at least want to have a better stronger axle like a D60 (that would allow running bigger tires) to go with it.
Anyway, that's my 2¢. Sounds like you've made up your mind, so good luck on it.
I've had the TTB axle under my BII ever since I built the rig almost 9 years ago and it's given me no problems (33,000 miles out of my last set of BFG MTs and they still had 50% tread depth left on them. I only replaced them because they had bad tread damage (chunking) from rock crawling). Ball joints and bushings are all tight, and most importantly my steering linkage is positioned at a proper angle with the axle beams.
I've been with people who have solid axles that complain about even moderately bumpy or washboarded roads, or about the "arduous task" of driving their rig to or from a trail if it's any good distance away. I've experienced many a solid axle vehicle myself so I know exactly where they're coming from. If I had to put up with all that, I'd at least want to have a better stronger axle like a D60 (that would allow running bigger tires) to go with it.
Anyway, that's my 2¢. Sounds like you've made up your mind, so good luck on it.
Nathaniel0712
Observer
I guess i'd have to figure out how much i'd have to put into the front end of this to make it as good as yours. I definitely like the way the ttb rides, its very comfortable, but i've got about 75% left on my front tires tread wise and the inner-most 2 inches of tread is almost gone, obviously the previous owner didnt rotate them, but it is still an annoyance. I'm not to concerned about the ride from a solid axle as i drive many solid axle vehicles, both for work and myself. Even my k5 isn't too bad with the negative arched leafs.
I mainly like the simplicity of the solid axle, and if you read up on some of the ford forums you hear a lot of complaints about having to replace bushings every 5k miles, which i dont want to deal with. If that's not the case i will defintiely re-think the whole solid axle swap as it would probably be simpler to just lift the ttb and keep the great ride.
I mainly like the simplicity of the solid axle, and if you read up on some of the ford forums you hear a lot of complaints about having to replace bushings every 5k miles, which i dont want to deal with. If that's not the case i will defintiely re-think the whole solid axle swap as it would probably be simpler to just lift the ttb and keep the great ride.
4x4junkie
Explorer
I think a lot of what you'll read is because of a double-standard that exists among some people who may (or even may not) have had some issue with it.
If they find one little thing wrong with their TTB truck (say a bad ball joint or maybe they broke a u-joint), the whole thing is suddenly garbage and people should get rid of it because it's unreliable and it'll cause nothing but problems.
Yet the same identical issue on a solid axle will just be a fluke and all someone needs to do is replace the part and everything 'll be golden again.
I've seen this time and time and time again on numerous different forums.
These trucks are 17 years old now at their newest (most are much older). Most of them are bound to need a little basic maintenance and replacement parts at some point here...
Where I frequently do see legitimate issues with TTBs is in finding someone competent to perform an alignment on one, and in a design flaw that exists in most aftermarket suspension lift kits.
Way too often I see alignment techs who don't change out a TTB camber/caster eccentric for a different size when needed. They just twiddle with whatever existing ones are present until the camber looks decent, and give the vehicle back to the customer (giving no regard to caster alignment). Whether this comes from a lack-of-training (?), or just pure laziness (I would hope not), the end result is a truck that veers right or left when you let go of the wheel and/or it doesn't return to center properly.
Probably 90% (!) of lift kits on the market do not address the steering linkage angle properly (this is where you see the most virulent tire wear problems). This is due to the included dropped pitman arm being too short, which leaves the linkage jacked up at a steep angle causing extreme amounts of bumpsteer (changes in toe) as the suspension cycles (often so bad the tires literally screech going through dips and around curves). Most guys are aware the steering drag link on a solid axle needs to be in line with the trackbar if the vehicle is to track properly... What in the flying heck went wrong here!?? Combine this with the weak lift brackets I mentioned and it's not hard to see why people look down on this suspension so much.
Skyjacker's Class II kits are one of very few having good strong brackets, though they aren't completely without the pitman arm issue. At least they do have a couple arm options available, but you have to know about them.
I wrote this post some years back for a Ranger website I frequent in an attempt to break through some of the misconceptions surrounding these suspensions (couldn't stand watching others swap out their stronger TTB axles for spindly little Jeep D30s). Though it's focused more on the smaller Ranger/Explorer/Bronco II trucks, a lot of it applies to yours just the same, so maybe it could help.
As it mentions, TTB axles will not be for for everyone, however for a person armed with knowledge of it's quirks (and the above pitfall dealing with pitman arms), they will do damn near anything one could possibly ever want it to, and more.
Hopefully at the least it'll give you a chance to make a more informed decision on which way to go with it on yours since you already seem to be familiar with solid axle setups.
Last edited:
Nathaniel0712
Observer
Thanks for all the good information. That's why I like this forum so much, its more about practical upgrades that will make the vehicle perform better, which is what I'm all about as i am on a budget with most everything I do. Other forums, such as ford truck and full size bronco, while informative, seem to have a lot of unneccessary modifications, although that is not always the case.
NIce to have a couple different opinions so now I'll have to price out a quality lift for this vs swapping out for a solid axle. Like i said i found a complete front suspension for a 78 f150 and the guy will take 275 for it. Obviously it'll have to be rebuilt and there will be more fab work involved so I will take that into account as well.
The other thing I will consider is that my favorite trucks are the squarebody chevys, ecpecially the m1008's. I think i will be keeping this ford for a long time as it is a good work truck and i use it for business and consider finding a m1008 to modify over the course of a few years while keeping this ford relatively stock. I must say it is very easy to work out of as-is, and not having a lift will continue to make it easy to deliver motorcycles/scooters out of, which is a major part of my income as i buy/sell and repair them as well as making it less of a pain to do mobile auto work out of. I can easily get in/out of the bed right now and access all the tools in my bed box. For only having 450-500 bucks in it I really cant justify selling it although I have had offers of 1700 bucks which would go a long way into building up a sweet square body. I currently have an 02 trailblazer that doesnt get used a whole lot of use which i want to get rid of because it has 140k on it and even with constant maintenance still has it's issues. Selling that would get me into a nice cicv that i can fix up and turn into a dd/wheeler. I am also considering hiring a second mechanic/assistant and the ford would be good to have around if that happens.
Thanks for the information and i now have some decisions to make.
NIce to have a couple different opinions so now I'll have to price out a quality lift for this vs swapping out for a solid axle. Like i said i found a complete front suspension for a 78 f150 and the guy will take 275 for it. Obviously it'll have to be rebuilt and there will be more fab work involved so I will take that into account as well.
The other thing I will consider is that my favorite trucks are the squarebody chevys, ecpecially the m1008's. I think i will be keeping this ford for a long time as it is a good work truck and i use it for business and consider finding a m1008 to modify over the course of a few years while keeping this ford relatively stock. I must say it is very easy to work out of as-is, and not having a lift will continue to make it easy to deliver motorcycles/scooters out of, which is a major part of my income as i buy/sell and repair them as well as making it less of a pain to do mobile auto work out of. I can easily get in/out of the bed right now and access all the tools in my bed box. For only having 450-500 bucks in it I really cant justify selling it although I have had offers of 1700 bucks which would go a long way into building up a sweet square body. I currently have an 02 trailblazer that doesnt get used a whole lot of use which i want to get rid of because it has 140k on it and even with constant maintenance still has it's issues. Selling that would get me into a nice cicv that i can fix up and turn into a dd/wheeler. I am also considering hiring a second mechanic/assistant and the ford would be good to have around if that happens.
Thanks for the information and i now have some decisions to make.
4x4junkie
Explorer
No problem. Glad I could help.
FSB.com looks like a great forum for sure, the little I've been on it (not actually owning a fullsize lol), though no doubt I've seen them push the SAS bit a lot harder on some people than I think is necessary.
Anyway, good luck with yours. :beer:
FSB.com looks like a great forum for sure, the little I've been on it (not actually owning a fullsize lol), though no doubt I've seen them push the SAS bit a lot harder on some people than I think is necessary.
Anyway, good luck with yours. :beer:
Nathaniel0712
Observer
Maybe not push the SAS but a lot of people seem to ***** about ttb. I guess searching for a comparision for ttb lift to sas may not give the best information.
Cool truck. I had a '95 and my girlfriend currently has a '92, hers has 206k mile, is extremely reliable and drives great. You got that thing for a pretty good price I think, my girlfriend paid $900 for hers but its 2wd and auto. I'd pay a solid $1500 (as would many others) for yours if did decide to sell it, I loved my 5 speed f-150 but it too was 2wd and I really wanted a 4x4. Never did find one though.
Also, my vote is to keep the TTB and fix anything wrong with it. I've seen TTB fords do some pretty amazing stuff, mainly at the sand dunes, but i'm sure they would do well on the trail too. It certainly rides better on road. If it were a standard IFS setup like my '03 ranger was i'd say toss it for sure, those were garbage on the fords IMO.
Also, my vote is to keep the TTB and fix anything wrong with it. I've seen TTB fords do some pretty amazing stuff, mainly at the sand dunes, but i'm sure they would do well on the trail too. It certainly rides better on road. If it were a standard IFS setup like my '03 ranger was i'd say toss it for sure, those were garbage on the fords IMO.
HotrodSmurf
Observer
what a great thread! actual useful information, not ttb haters saying its garbage then covering their ears.