I've been lurking for a bit, and from what i gathered the cab is the same throughout the models. So i've been plotting what i would need to swap the front end to look a bit more menacing.

Before i start this Frankenstein process, i was wondering if anyone else has tried to swap the fenders/hood/grill/headlights out? i'm planning on ordering all the parts directly from ford (which from the looks of the catalog comes with literaly EVERYTHING needed) and hopefully being a simple swap with little modding or fabricating on my end.


EDIT: I'm sorry i got the title backwards, i meant my 2001 with an 08 or later front end. ><

 

The cab may be close to being the same, butI'm almost 100% certain that the front part of the frame was redesigned for the 08 body style. Something about lower frame rails up front to help the truck not climb over cars in a head on collision seems right, I remember seeing some pre-production models where the parts of the frame there were changed were painted red so you could see the difference, but I can't find those pics anymore. So that means the bumper probably won't line up anywhere close to where it would on an 08, throwing off the grille, then the hood, etc etc. It could probably be done, but it's not going to be a bolt-on type deal.

 

hmm, i was planning on replacing the bumper with a ranch hand or topgun replacement anyway. so far this is heading int he right direction

 

You're not getting what I'm saying. If frame rails are 5" lower, the bumper mounts 5" lower, but the hood latch hasn't moved, meaning the grille is 5" taller, to fill in the gap between the hood and bumper. That means the grille and the headlights won't fit in the opening, because there is not enough vertical room between the hood and bumper. That's why the front end looks bigger on the 08+ trucks, because there is a larger distance between the top of the hood and the frame rails/bumper, due to the lower frame rails. Even if you put an aftermarket replacement on, it will still mount directly to the frame rails, meaning your truck will have a smaller distance between the hood latch and bumper, meaning the 08 grille will not bolt directly in. Big peg, small hole.

This is similar to like the pre-05 to 05 swaps, where you can either 1. chop the grille down to fit it into the hole, or 2. replace the entire front clip with entirely new parts. The problem you're facing is there is now a frame difference, so option 2 involves cutting parts down to fit into the smaller space.

 

Aah i see, guess ill just have to settle with the 05 style. dang..
Thanks for the info though!

 

The guy that does all my work on my truck has a salvage shop for Super Duties, and he chops and pieces together trucks all the time. I asked about changing my '03 front end to the '05-'07 body style. He said that in '05 all they changed (as far as the outside body goes...not talking about interior or suspension and stuff like that) was the front bumper, the grille, and the headlights. The bumper is completely interchangeable but to have the new grille you have to have the new bumper (because it dips down lower in the center). This means that to change the body of my truck from an '03 to an '05-'07, all I need is the new bumper and grille, an the headlights are optional. However, from '99-'10 the frame of the truck was COMPLETELY unaltered. That does not mean you can interchange all body parts from these years though. When they started the '08s they left everything the same from the front doors back, but changed all kinds of stuff like the grille, the front bumper, the hood, the mirrors, the headlights. Which means....if you're planning on converting between '08-'10 models and '99-'07 models, you're gonna have to do some fabricating because the mounting bolts for the bumper, the mounting for the grille, how the hood runs, how the headlights fit and some other stuff is very different. Hope this helps.

Oh, and the '08s did start doing that "Super Duty" thing on the bottom of the tailgate, and the driver side pivot for the tailgate is different, but I wouldn't technically consider this a body change.

 

I'm sorry that you received some wrong information from your mechanic, but you statement is factually inaccurate.

4X4REVIEW.COM: 2008 Ford F-Series Super Duty

Not only is the frame different, but the entire upper structure that the front body panels mount to has changed to account for the frame rails being lower.