First off want to say thanks for all the help in the past, but now my Oldyota is headed off to the ol' yard in the sky......

My 83 has met its last days due to the all the rust, the frame has several holes and now the right rear section of the frame has broken in two.... The cab is eaten up with rust as well, so its time for another project....

So I think I have found my next project, but I need your guys help.... I found an 83' 2wd that is in perfect condition, body and frame wise, no rust at all and all the body panels are straight. So now I have lots of questions, first off I understand that I would have to do a SAS on the front, but I don't want too much lift.. I love the height my old truck sits now and don't want much more than 2-3" of lift in the front.. I plan on doing the 63" chevy's in the rear and hopefully using the old rear springs up front.. From what I have read here that should give me about the 3" that I'm looking for..Right???

2nd... Can I keep the old push in pull steering that I currently have or will I have to convert to Hi-steer?

3rd... Will I have to extend the brake lines or will the old ones work with that much lift...

And is there anything else that I am forgetting......

Any help is very appreciated as I want to get started quickly.....

Oh boy, you're in KY...I'm from Owensboro originally, school at UK and now live in Fort Lauderdale. Just wanted to chime in on the steering, I have an '83 4x4, I put the downey 3" springs on it and I still have the stock steering. I believe 3" is just about the limit for stock, after that the angle of the drag link gets ridiculous and I think the torque rod is too short. As for brake lines (and this could be different the factory 2wd lines) I ran the stock rubber lines for a short time before I converted to extended stainless ones. They reached OK on pavement, but it scared me to think that if my suspension flexed fully they would probably snap. I would extend. I have to ask this one final question...if you were going to all the trouble to SAS, why not start with a much newer truck? Get working A/C, better creature comforts, and heck why not start with a 4x4.

Hey thanks for replying, and to answer your question why not a newer truck?? Well I just have a thing for the old school gen I trucks... I love the way they look, and the fact that I'm not starting with a 4wd is that I can't find an old one around here that is decent shape, in fact I can't find another that is even close enough to go and pick up. Thank you for the steering faq's, that helps out alot. Another reason I want to go with this 2wd is it's only $300 and rust free with all body panels prep'd for paint. So I guess my next question is "Am I wasting my time on this idea?" I mean by doing the SAS on the 83 2wd..... My 4wd 83' has everything that I need on it and has pretty much already been gone through completely, regarding the 22R, W56, extended drivelines, and axles.

I wouldn't say you are wasting your time, just gonna be some work. $300 sounds like a pretty good deal, and you can salvage pretty much everything you need from your 4x4. I like the look of the older trucks too, so it's not a bad idea. There was also the possibility that budbuilt was making frames, but I don't know what happened with that. Sounds like a fun project.

I gotta agree. The most expensive part of this 2WD to 4WD conversion is the drivetrain/axles, etc. BUT, like you said, you have all of this already. All you really need to add is the front spring rear shackle holes in the frame, a front spring mount to weld to the front of your 2WD frame, and mounts for your crossmember. I'd say that I would go the same route you are thinking. And yes, the first gen trucks are my favorite too!

Thanks for the reassurement fellas.... So regarding my first post, am I correct about the amount of lift about 3" with the rears up front and 63" chevy's in the rear? What about the front axle movement/shift forward? What other problems/suggestions can you guys forsee during this project? I'm getting ready to start my list of materials/parts/accessories needed for this project.

And Cory my 4wd 83' had factory A/C so just another reason to rebuild the truck and swap everything over...... I can't wait to get started....

Lift from the rear springs will depend on how much you lift you build into the pack:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4R_suspension-III.shtml#Front
You will need a few packs.

Rear up front move the axle 2" forward, you'll likely need crossover steering to make that work.

Thanks Roger....... Another question then would be what can I do to not have to go to x-over steering? What springs can I use that will give about 3" of lift without moving the axle forward and that will allow me to use the push & pull steering. Any other suggestions that anyone has regarding this project are greatly appreciated.... Thanks

Thing is... you don't want to go push/pull for the steering. You really do want to go crossover.

That said, for springs that don't move the axle, look into Downey, Skyjacker or OME.