450/550 4x2to 4x4 conversion

[treemover]

Having a hard time finding a truck I want, they are all 2xs or autos! Correct me if I am wrong, add 4x4 front end everything should just bolt in,change housing on tranny add transfer and change drive line lengths . Would it really be that easy?


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[JSchuricht]

It's never as easy as it seams. I can't say for a 450/550 but on the smaller trucks, 4x2 was coil sprung and 4x4 was leaf sprung, holes are likely there already. The steering linkage will probably be different. Transmission will be a bit of work, it needs to be completely torn down so the output shaft can be swapped. Your also going to have to find the correct axle for the front if you want to keep the larger brakes and lug pattern. Then there's the rear drive shaft that must be shortened, possably a different mount between the transfer case and 4x2 transmission. Add a front shaft and wire in the cluster lights if you want. I would stick with a manual shift transfer case for simplisity, you need to get the one for your transmission. The auto and manual versions had different inputs.