I saw one of these on ebay, the description said it was a 4WD truck whose rear shaft was removed essentially making it a front wheel drive vehicle.
Hmmmm. Ever drive a 4WD in 4WD at 60 - 70mph? There's a lot flying around up there. I'm told there's a disparity between the front drive and the rear drive ratio so the front is "pulling" and not being pushed around by the rear axle.
Is this safe? Is this going to be as reliable running in front 4WD for the rest of its life?
Dan
Many (most?) 4x4 front driveshafts are not balanced as they are not intended for operation at highway speeds. I would be very hesitant about it myself.
Front and rear axle ratios are exactly the same unless the tires are different diameters or the transfer case would explode in no time. And yes, front driveshafts are balanced. Unless you have manually locking hubs the front axle shafts and drive shaft are spinning all the time while in motion.
That being said, I don't think the front end would live that long. The front axle and other hardware isn't as beefy because they are designed to only be in use along with the rear so they are never taking the full brunt of the load. That's why if you have a Dana 60 in the rear, it's usually a 44 in the front etc. In this case, they are doing 100% of the driving chores as well as the steering and 70% of the braking.
Would be better if they fab'ed in a fwd drivetrain from an Eldorado/Toranado.
Dana 44 is a pretty good unit, Dana 60 is a beast. Without manual hubs, everything in the front is spinning at speed all the ime anyhow, just without power applied from the t-box. I argree that the situation is not optimol though. Not to mention all that weight out back with only FWD. Handling could get spooky in the right situation. The Eldo driveline would be better. 500 cubes FTW!
Modern trucks with IFS and CV joints will be better than old trucks with straight front axles and U joints. It will wear quicker, but keep in mind that you aren't going to DD this thing, so the life in years would probably still be plenty.
But also keep in mind that anytime that thing is driven there's going to be a car on the back. So, take the weight of the truck normally (the flat bead weighs as much as the bed I bet) then add 4,000 lbs or more. That front end is going to cry.
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