1971 F 250 4X4 is Back Home

[mkitchen]

Update on Rueben

Well I went out and took some pics today. I am usually working on it but Mo had some grounds work for me instead. I would really prefer working on Reuben. We did the Old Iron Run but the weather was not very favorable. Had a good time regardless and met some nice folks with some nicely built up vehicles.

Ok, on to Reuben. I did get the dual battery system in and it is working fine. I have the wires run to the shell and hooked up to two 12v aux plugs so Mo and I can run our C paps.

The right side has the battery for the engine.

On the left side is the deep cycle battery for auxillary use. It is wired through a relay so that it will not allow the main battery to be pulled down from accessory use.

Still a very simple setup in the back. I put in a shelf across the back that is four feet wide and six feet from side to side. On this shelf, I mounted the spare and a 60" HiLift jack. I also mounted the two 12v plugs in the shelf. I can plug in both C paps or I can plug in my 12v trouble light, though the shell has two lights mounted in it already. Currently, we sleep on the floor with Thermarests but eventually I will build a drawer system to go across the front four feet of the bed and the top will open up making a seven foot long bed, the width of the truck bed. I also plan on building boxes on the sides, the width of the wheel wells. In these will be stored my recovery gear and the spare.

I had hopes that I would have the interior done by now, but so far, I have only re-done the headliner, turn signal switch and upgraded the steering wheel. The headliner had quite a few cracks in it and a new one was a bit pricey so my son-in-law and I fiberglassed the old one and then covered it with headliner material. A bit more work but it came out well.

As you can see, there is still a lot to do but at least now we can use it for camping. Next, it will be insulating and carpeting the cab and get the seat re-covered.
Mikey

 

[DGarman]

Good looking truck. . . . Nice job!

Dennis

 

[Larry]

Great looking ole rig! A truck from the time when trucks were real trucks.

 

[Rot Box]

Looks great! Loved your pics from the old iron run :bike_rider:

 

[mkitchen]

Thanks for the compliments

I have been really enjoying the work and my son has been coming over a lot to help and the time with him has been great. We seem to spend equal time working on Rueben and his 80 series Land Cruiser. I can't wait to get the interior done to cut down on the noise and get the shell done so we can be a bit more comfortable on trips. Mo thinks I am crazy and keeps pointing out that I have a very nice 06 Tacoma and AT Horizon trailer that makes for a comfy camp outfit. At least she humors me.
Andrew, did you sell your Alaskan yet? I would love to have it but I would have to completely re-do it so I could sleep on a longer bed. Me thinks I should just re-skin my shell and do some work inside. It would be fun to get up to Utah though for a week of exploring. I was hoping to do the Relic Run but I am not going to be able to get time off at the time it is running this year.
Larry, I am very impressed with you Chevy. You have built a vehicle to be proud of. There really is something about making somethng just the way you want it. Making it yours.
Hope to see you folks out there. I will be at the Expo so maybe we can meet up there. Again, work is getting in the way and there will not be time for a pre-run or post run for me so I will probably be bringing my Honda Pilot and teardrop trailer and some bicycles. But hey, at least I get to be there.
Mikey

 

[Rot Box]

Andrew, did you sell your Alaskan yet? I would love to have it but I would have to completely re-do it so I could sleep on a longer bed.

I still have it I held it for a couple weeks for someone just to have them back out of the deal lol. The bed measures 78" (long) x ~4' (wide).

 

[mkitchen]

Rueben and an Alaskan

Yeah, your Alaskan would be neat on Rueben but believe it or not, 78" is too short for me. I am taller than that and I like to stretch out over my height. I so wanted to buy one of Mario's AT teardrops and went out and tried it out and I couldn't fit in the bed and it really is a good sized bed, but not for me. Then I looked at the Horizon and it could be ordered with a RTT which a bed that was 6' x 8' and that was great. After looking at how well built the whole trailer is made, I ordered one and have been very happy.

I did find a teardrop a year later and it has a bed that is 5' x 8.5' and we got it. It is not for off road use but it is fun to go out in and again, I can stretch out with room for Mo and our three Corgi's. All this, just to say that I am going to have a bed that is 7' long in Rueben. I am thinking that I will build the main box with drawers and hinge a 3' piece top to make 7' and 12" between the end of the bed and the tailgate. I can see it in my head but I'm not sure when you will see it in the truck.

We have done a loop around Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and back home to AZ in a set up similar to what I have in there now and we were pretty comfortable. we even had two bikes in there with us. I recall us sitting in lawn chairs in the truck bed, in front of the shelf, while it was raining and really enjoying the view. We were parked by a small lake in the Jemez mountains in New Mexico. Coudn't even tell how we got there or how to get back but it was nice.
Mikey

 

[1leglance]

I am not a "Ford" guy but I gotta say you are rolling in a nice chunk of old iron there my friend.
That is an interesting shell and I like the side window/doors. I bet with some insulation work and once the cab is done you will be pretty happy.

Looking forward to meeting at the Overland Expo if not before.

 

[mkitchen]

Back to work on Rueben

Well I finally got back to work on Reuben. Seems like a fellow works till the wallet gets too thin and then it's time to recoup for a bit. I finally got the cab done and it really makes a very very big difference. I have been driving without mats, rug or anything to keep the engine and road sounds out and it was NOISY. Sounds pretty nice now.

Pulled the seat out and sent it in for a re-cover. While it was out, I started to clean up the floor. Really, for a 41 year old truck, it is in very good shape. All I have to do is clean it up a bit (even I can do that without screwing up too bad).

Had a little bit of surface rust but a cup brush and grinder and some primer and I'm good to go.

An application of FatMat on just about everything I could stick it to and I was ready for the carpet.

After the carpet and before the the seat went in, I ran the wire for the remote CB mount and the CB speaker. Also had to run to the wrecking yard and find some running board pieces. They came out pretty good with some wire brushing.

Also replaced the door rubber. Doors shut nice and snug now.

I am guessing some of you think that Reuben is a bit too fancy for an overland truck. I should have gone with a rubber mat. I might have been better off with a mat but automotive carpeting can take a lot of abuse and it really does keep down some of the sounds that I prefer not to have to listen to. The carpeting in my Tacoma is six years old now and it is still in good shape and I have had to scrub out mud, leaves, dog hair, and overlook some coffee stains but I'm not wishing that I had rubber mats in it.

Still need to get the stereo installed, heck for that matter, I still need to buy a stereo. It has a CD player for now and that will work and I will update the speakers.

Next task will be building the back of the truck. I want to make a box on each side that will hold the spare, tools and recovery gear. After that I plan to build a drawer system between the side boxes in the front four feet of the bed. My plan is to have the top of the center box open out another three feet, thereby making a seven foot bed at the height of the top of the truck bed. I am going to have to bone up on my wood butcher skills here pretty soon.
Till then
Mikey
PS It's about time to start thinking of another Old Iron Run (hint, hint).

 

[1leglance]

Great looking rig there and I actually like the carpet look...even if I will go with rubber flooring

If you find you want more heat blocking you can add the alum. bubble wrap stuff from Home Depot and it will make a difference.

The seats look great and I can't wait to see what the storage setup looks like.

Oh and I am waiting for the killer Phoenix heat to go away then I will be back to working on my Burb...thanks for the inspiration and hint on the Old Iron Run

 

[redthies]

It looks great with the new carpet and seat! I have to do the same thing to my '97. Hope it is in as good shape as your '71!

 

[Rot Box]

Looks great! :elkgrin:

 

[Crypticracer]

Love this man, Great job

 

[DoMiNiC1]

Awesome hunk of american automotive history, and glad to see you are treating "him" right. The personification of your trucks is a bit confusing but understandable. Keep up the great work.

 

[mkitchen]

Naming our vehicles?

I know what you mean about naming a vehicle but my wife and her family have always named their vehicles and I kind of fell into it. Since then (and that has been a long "then") we have been naming our bikes, cars and trucks. A lot of that might have been that we have, up until recently, always owned older, more worn out trucks and having a name for them gave us a way of exercising our faith and hope in that truck getting us where we were going. Something along the line of "come on Tramp (our old 67 Scout) you can make it up this hill" etc.

I must admit that newer, more dependable trucks don't lend themselves to names as much as the older ones do. Both our Tacoma and Honda Pilot have names but I seldom use them. A bond is created, at least in my case, between a vehicle that I invest time and energy on and having a name for that vehicle makes it more enjoyable when working on it or driving it.
Mikey