body swap

[70 ranger]

I did a body swap a few years ago, I put my 70 on my 95 f150 chassis. I have had a few guys asking for pictures so I thought I would put a few here. the dash picture is the 95 cluster in behind the 70 dash. The rear wheel tub is the 95 gas door welded into it.

[youngone]

70 Ranger,

Looks like a nice job, how hard was the swap? Was the frame much different than the 70?
I like the fuel door in the fender tub.

[70 ranger]

I wouldn't say it was hard but there was a lot of little things to account for. The frame was wider in the back by about 3", the tanks sat a little higher than the frame rails so I had to lift the box off of the frame a bit. I placed the cab where I wanted it then checked heights. I temporarily blocked everything above the frame to get measurements then built spacers and mounts to attach it. I cut the frame rails off of the 70 with the rad support and inner fenders still attached. I bolted that whole section to the cab and welded the70 rails to the 95 rails. I cut the rag joint off of the 70 steering column and welded a piece of the 95 column to it so that it would fir into the 95 slip joint. At this point I realized that my plan might just work!
I cut a piece of the 95 firewall out and welded it into the 70 cab so that after I ran the 95 harness through the cab it could hook up to the 95 harness by just plugging it in. At this point it could start up and steer!
My 70 had power brakes to begin with so I had a spacer for the 70 booster on the firewall. I used this and mounted the 95 booster to the cab. I didn't have to disconnect the brake system at all. This was an exciting day, I could move the truck back and forth, steer it and stop it!
I used the 95 gas tanks so that I could retain the electric pumps for the fuel injection. the problem here is that the filler necks needed to be hooked up and the internal vents wouldn't work. I took out the tanks and had a radiator shop install external vents in them. Then I used the 70 rear filler for the 95 front tank. The rear tank posed a problem. I ended up installing it in the wheel tub using the 95 door. I went this route as it kept the outside of my truck looking fairly stock (except the cab filler is missing).
I had to make a trip back to the rad shop to get my 70 rad re cored and have the spigots moved to opposite sides to work with the new motor.
The column shift mechanism had to have a bracket to accept the cable from the 95 tranny.
I used my 95 seat, installed heated elements in it and then covered it with 70 upholstery.

I am not saying the body swap is the easiest or the best way to upgrade a truck, but it worked for me and I am glad I did it. I have power steering, antilock disc brakes, fuel injected 300-6, overdrive automatic, intermittent wipers, daytime running lights (Canada), dual tanks, four wheel drive, and heated seats. This truck has been my daily driver since the day it rolled out of the shop. I sold my 2001 after it sat for a couple of years, shoulda sold it right away!
If anyone is interested in trying this p.m. me and I will try to help out as much as I can.

[jdf]

pic of my Harley I used to own traded it for my jeep that I have now .

[jdf]

cool it worked I actually posted a pic on here ..... thanks to 70 ranger . more of my bumps coming after later today

[jdf]

got them posted under 4x4 and off road section ......check them out

[Ftruck Fan]

I am thinking about doing this swap! What year frames can be used for the swap? Can I put my body on a 4x4 also?

[Ftruck Fan]

Sorry, duh moment! Just registered and saw pics. Pretty much exactly what I would like to do!

[Abrams]

Thats an awesome job. I was thinking about doing a similar swap but hadnt gotten to the part where I figure out what would fit best under my 69 long bed.
Thanks for the great ideas and picks.
Regards
A