OBS F250 slow adventure build

[pappawheely]

All you need to know about shackle reversal lifts is Sky Offroad Manufacturings phone number. He builds a great product, and you can't beat the price. He is also just down the road from you in Oregon. I did his 3" kit in my 97 7.3, and my friend did his 5" kit. I ran 35" Toyos and he has 37s. The difference in drive-ability is amazing. If I were you I would consider 35s... Mine is on the left (black and silver, and his is the white one).

I second that! Sky's kit is a major upgrade in strength and ride quality. Nice Trucks!

 

[amgvr4]

Redthies, I have always admired your old f350. Honestly one of the biggest reasons I am going with 37" tires is cost. I was quoted $800 shipped for five wangler MTRs (the new style) with 90% tread. That is less than the price I paid for four of the same tires in 245/75/16 a few years ago. I also like the idea of maximum under axle clearance with minimal suspension lift for an all around rig.

I will most likely make my own shackle reversal for the simple fact that the $350 I would spend on Sky's kit will be put to good use to make a new in front of the axle track bar and u bolt flip kit. I also have to come up with an extra $600 to rebuild and re-gear the axle now since it is the wrong ratio. I was planing on just getting it put and and rebuilding it as needed but is seams like such a waste to not do new bearings and seals when I already have everything apart.

 

[redthies]

Fair enough. I know I can't engineer or fab as nice a kit as Sky's for the same money, so it made sense for me to buy one. I do a lot of fab work, but my time is limited these days. I'm sure you'll build something nice!

 

[amgvr4]

Exploring Mt. Pilchuck this weekend

Not too much to report lately, I've made a new shift knob and that's about it. I am still waiting for a set of tires to pop up when i have the cash set aside, but something else always seems to pop up that we need more. We did however take a nice trip up to the top of Mt. Pilchuck on Saturday in the afternoon. We headed out from Arlington at around 4:30pm and were back home by 9:00pm. Man I love these long summer days! My plan was to drive up to the quarry and pop off a few rounds and then head to the top, but when we got to the quarry it was full with a group that was a little to rowdy for my liking so we headed to the top first figuring they would be gone by the time we got back down. At the top the view was amazing and the kids had a blast playing on the rocks and hiking in the meadow adjacent to the parking lot. After an hour the shooting seemed to have stopped so we went to try our luck at the quarry again. Turns out the aforementioned group brought lots of ammo so we went looking for another spot further up the trail. After a couple of miles we found a good spot and I got a chance to shoot my 1911 and AR-15 for a little bit. I haven't shot either of those in a while and the wife had never shot the AR so it was fun. The trail was not particularly difficult but there were a few deep water diversion cuts that allowed me to flex the truck out a little bit, and one spot a had to put it in 4x4 to make it up. It always amazes me how capable this thing is compared to my other rigs in the past. With its long wheelbase, good ground clearance and low gearing it is just about unstoppable even in 2wd. My fj-60 was good but it had terrible ground clearance and such tall gears that I always had to put it into 4 low just to not slip the clutch or spin the tires. Our pathfinder was also geared too tall and it had terrible front suspension flex, and even though the rear was great it couldn't make up for the struts in the front. I am really itching to get the D60 and the shackle reversal in with some 37" mtrs so I can go a little further into the woods. Anyhow here are some pictures from the trip.

At the top




The spot that needed 4x4. The rear limited slip is worn out or I would have been just fine.... time for an ARB



The shift knob I made. I use aluminum and inset the leather to help it not be so hot to the touch in summer. I also inset a .45 shell that I found in the truck when I was cleaning it out a bit ago. At some point a previous owner was doing some in car shooting and the shell ejected out and lodged itself in the defrost vent on the dash.

 

[FullTankHank]

Sounds like you had a good time despite the rowdy group. Nice truck btw, very functional, including the fab work you did.

 

[bftank]

i love how the bumper turned out, but is it just me or does the bumper not run parallel to the body lines on the side?

 

[amgvr4]

i love how the bumper turned out, but is it just me or does the bumper not run parallel to the body lines on the side?

Thanks man, the body line and the paint line are not parallel to the road. They both angle up at the back which made it tricky getting the cut straight and level. I am pretty happy with how it turned out, but I would do some things different if I made another one.

 

[TooTall'sTruck]

What are you going to do with your Alcoa's? I am searching and searching in vain for a good (or bad) set of factory Alcoa's!!! PM me please!!

Nice rear bumper also, I have a bit o body damage from the previous owner pushing the factory bumper into my rear most quarter panels of my bed and have thought about sectioning mine like you did yours, but I really want to do a smooth steel rollpan like the Lightning trucks did. Want to build another rear bumper???

 

[amgvr4]

What are you going to do with your Alcoa's? I am searching and searching in vain for a good (or bad) set of factory Alcoa's!!! PM me please!!

Nice rear bumper also, I have a bit o body damage from the previous owner pushing the factory bumper into my rear most quarter panels of my bed and have thought about sectioning mine like you did yours, but I really want to do a smooth steel rollpan like the Lightning trucks did. Want to build another rear bumper???

I wouldn't mind making another bumper, but it is a costly adventure! I have about 40 hours and $400 in steel into mine. I know I could cut both of those figures down some on a second go round, but I would have to charge over $1000 to make it worth my time and effort. I haven't decided on what I want to do with the alcoas, I might sell them but I am a little reluctant to part with them just in case I want to go back to 16"s.

 

[flylow4500]

Great looking bumper.

Did you know it's a good practice to grind the mill scale off before welding? It will lead to less porosity and stronger weld. I think you will greatly benefit by grinding before you weld. After looking closely it looks like you wire feed speed is high or you're a little cold. If that's all you're welder has preheat with some type of torch, (propane works fine) it makes a huge difference.

 

[amgvr4]

Great looking bumper.

Did you know it's a good practice to grind the mill scale off before welding? It will lead to less porosity and stronger weld. I think you will greatly benefit by grinding before you weld. After looking closely it looks like you wire feed speed is high or you're a little cold. If that's all you're welder has preheat with some type of torch, (propane works fine) it makes a huge difference.

Thanks for the tips. I am no professional welder for sure, but the lack of pre grinding was more laziness than anything else. The welder I was using was an old Hobart with a very narrow range of temperature adjustment and it was hard to find the best combo to get consistant results. I also think the liner was kinked cause it would feed super jurky it the whip was not nice and straight.

 

[amgvr4]

Updates

Nothing major to report, however I scored on a second Dana 60 at the local pick-n-pull that has the correct 4.10 ratio. Now that I don't have to worry about swapping gear ratios I can get the axle in much sooner. In the next two weeks I will order tires and get the wheels powder coated. Once I have those together I can start on the d60 and shackle reversal so that I get the correct amount of lift for the tires. I also picked up a set of Monroe gas shocks from the yard for $12 to get me by until I do the swap.

That brings me to the reason I was at the pick-n-pull in the first place. Over the last few weeks the interior door release lever on the drivers door as been getting harder and harder to operate. The plastic handle finally gave up the ghost and I was left rolling down the window to open the door from the exterior latch then rolling it up again. In my quest to find a new handle I found that this is a common problem as almost every drivers door handle was either already taken or broken. I did come across a '70s bronco with metal handles that looked the same and so I nabbed both of those. It was on the way out of the yard that I saw the f350 with its front axle still intact. I checked on the price and at $500 for everything I couldn't pass it up.

Fast forward to yesterday and I got a chance to fix the door handles and finally address the passenger side window switch not working. The drivers side door where the handle bolts in had ripped out from the force of operating the handle over 18 years. To remedy this I made a quick fix out of some 1/8" flat stock and a new bolt and nut. Seeing as this is a common problem with OBS fords I figured I would share it with everyone.

The inside of the door with the door card removed


Cut the plastic dust shield open to access the door


Here is where the door handle mounts. This is the passenger side that is still intact. The drivers side threaded mount had completely pulled out and was unusable.


Here is the backing plate to strengthen the door skin


I used some m10x1.5 bolts to replace the factory ones so I had to drill out the handle assembly


Replacement bolt installed


Remove the factory spring clip nut


Reinstall the cable


The backing plate and nut


Bolt the assembly from the inside of the door skin and then bolt on your leaver and you are good to go!

 

[amgvr4]

Progress! I just ordered almost everything to get the 37" tires and the D60 on. I have five 37x12.5 r16.5 Goodyear wrangler MTRs on the way, all the parts to do a chevy 1ton tre steering conversion with 1.5"x .250 wall dom, a proper length front mount track bar, and u-bolt flip kit. I still need shocks, a rear traction bar, brake lines and some odds and ends for the d60. I should be able to take care of those soon as I have someone picking up the extra d60 I have tomorrow morning. Hopefully all the parts get here withing the next week and I can start to get this thing put together.

 

[DocWhiskey]

Love the truck man, looks like it's coming together nicely. Stoked to see it with that D60 in. Am I correct in guessing you used the Comp4x4 tire carrier hinge and pullpin? Or is that another manufacturer? How do you like it/how is it holding up?

 

[amgvr4]

Love the truck man, looks like it's coming together nicely. Stoked to see it with that D60 in. Am I correct in guessing you used the Comp4x4 tire carrier hinge and pullpin? Or is that another manufacturer? How do you like it/how is it holding up?

Thanks man, the pivot kit was from A to Z fabrications and the pull pin was from McMaster Carr. I will have my u-bolt flip kit tomorrow so I can get started on cutting all the factory brackets off the axle and get it cleaned and ready for test fit and mock up.