New to me 97 f150

[crawldit]

Glad to be hanging out on the Expo again. Spent the past 2.5 years driving a Volvo C30 and it feels good to be back in a 4x4 :smiley_drive:

Here she is

1997 Extended cab with the long bed. Has the 4.6L V8 and a whopping 72k miles. Has a Brohman Shell that has a reinforced skeleton on the inside. Also has a a hydrogen fuel cell setup which I know nothing about. If anyone has any input, I'm all ears. And to round it out, it has a Pioneer Appradio. Unfortunately I'm an Android fanboy so most of the functions are useless to me. Supposedly it can be jailbroken so you can run Navigation software without having it attached to an Iphone, so I'm going to play with that.

First mod will be really simple. My fiance and I are going to fab up some curtains for the camper shell. Pretty much a necessity up here in Alaska with the looooong summer days. Swapping out the teany tiny 235's for some 285's are also on the short list, as is some sort of a sleeping platform with storage underneath.

 

[Mad_Texan]

Hey another F150 on here...285's go on mine next week
:beer:

 

[crawldit]

Bed Platform and curtains

Did some quick and dirty work to the truck this week. My fiance got the curtains sewn up and the attachments figured out. We used velcro to attach the curtains to the shell and have ties so we can roll them up. You can see them in the picture but they aren't hung up since the adhesive is still drying. I'll take some pictures of them setup this weekend.

We also built our sleeping platform. We framed it with 2x8's and then laid 3/4" plywood on top. We are leaving on a trip tonight so everything is already set up. I'll take better pictures when I pull everything back out to install the carpet, hinges and handles for the storage areas. We are going to have a hinged storage area along both sides that is about 1.5ft x 6.5ft and will also double as seating. I'm thinking about making the middle area removable with some picnic table legs on it. Could come in handy for those rainy Alaskan days when we need a seating area with table inside.

The 8ft truck bed is so convenient. Right now we have the platform setup for a cheapo $20 Walmart Queen size air mattress. When that pops we will replace it with a futon mattress and get some headroom back. Even with the Queen size bed platform, there is still enough room left for the Chuckbox and cooler between the platform and the tailgate.

 

[BCHauler]

I'm a big fan of simple and inexpensive. I like your approach. It is so easy to spend all of your time spending and building. Canopy, sleeping platform - lets go!

Can't explain it but I've lately become interested in that generation of F150. You said it has a 4.8 ' did you mean 4.6? What kind of mileage do you see?

 

[crawldit]

Its funny, I've never liked this body style of f150, but now that I have one.....I love it. I actually went to the Ford dealership for a 2012 crew cab, but I wasn't about to spend $33k on a truck with a 5.5' bed. When we looked at the 97, we immediately saw the potential of the long bed and shell.

You are correct, I meant 4.6. I've had the truck for less than a week, so I haven't come close to running a full tank of gas through it yet.

No camping pics this weekend. The alternator took a dump and I spent this afternoon replacing it. I have to say that this f150 is every bit as easy to work on as my old Jeep. Love it.

 

[BigTex]

Crawldit- Nice looking F150 with lots of potential. When I graduated from college, was married, and had just got a job, I tried to go buy a '98 model that color. It was the end of the year though, and they couldn't find me one in that blue. For the same price, they could order me a '99, but they changed the blue color. I ordered this truck off a 2"x2"color sample in the dealers office. I liked it when it was overcast, but in the sun, it had a purple tint I wasn't crazy about.

I sold it eventually, but am now back in a 4x4 F150, but a supercrew this time.....I know a 5.5' bed......but other than that I like it. I bought it used with 285s, wore them out, and put a set of 305 goodyears on it. Being an FX4, it has 3:55 gears. They didn't like the 305s at all! No power. I'm now back on some 285 treadwrights, and I love 'em.

305s

285s

Nice to have another F150 guy aboard. Enjoy it! Looks like you've already started to......

 

[crawldit]

Nice looking rig BigTex. Love the last shot with the 285 BFG's since that's the exact setup I want. I have a set of studded tires for the winter time, so hopefully the BFG's will last a loooong time, especially considering they'll really only be on the truck for 4 months a year.

We bought the rig specifically for road trips and camping. I wouldn't have any problems with a 5.5' bed if not for the fact that I'm a hair over 6'5" myself. I still almost bought the 2012 for the peace of mind that comes with a brand new vehicle, but the 1997 had everything we wanted and was 1/5 the price, so we have plenty of money to actually afford modifications and to go on road trips. We are definitely going to get alot of enjoyment out of this rig!

 

[BigTex]

Thanks. Those "BFGs" are really just BFG carcasses. I ordered the tires from Treadwright. Check them out, they are kind of controversial on some forums, but I found out about them on here and did my own research. Turns out a lot of Cummins guys run them on heavier trucks than mine, and they were really impressed with the performance and the mileage. They cost about half what a new set of BFGs cost shipped to your door, but you still have to get them mounted and balanced.

I understand about the bed. I'm 6'4", so trying to sleep in there would be tight. I like the new trucks too, all of them, Chevy, Ford, and Dodge all have pluses and minuses, but having a paid for one that does what you need it to do is best in my opinion.

 

[crawldit]

Could have fooled me. That company has been around for years (had a different name before) and had a good reputation on the Jeep boards I used to belong to. I had actually forgotten about them. The tire prices are great, but shipping to Alaska more than doubles the price. I can get a set of BFGs installed locally at Costco for what it would cost to buy a set of retreads and have them shipped here. Thanks for the idea. Unfortunately Alaska is ridiculously expensive when it comes to shipping rates, otherwise I would definitely pick up a set of those.

 

[BIGdaddy]

I'd also be interested to see some mileage numbers. My family is outgrowing my Jeep and mid-size rigs are simply too small.

A super-crew is on my short list for sure.

 

[crawldit]

I'll post up when I burn through a whole tank. I'm sitting at a half a tank right now and have gone around 250 miles. That's almost entirely city driving at less than 45 mph. I think I read that I have a 30 gallon tank.

 

[Mad_Texan]

285s

Nice to have another F150 guy aboard. Enjoy it! Looks like you've already started to......[/QUOTE]

BigTex,

Did you crank the torsion bars at all? I have a set of heritage wheels and 285/70/17's Coopers that I haven't put on yet. I am going to go up with the bars some and change the rear shackle to a shorter one to keep some rake. I have to remove my running boards, truck just looks too low...

I guess I am the short one here at 6'3"...but I still don't fit in a 5'5" bed...

 

[BigTex]

Mad Texan - I didn't crank them, but when I was under it replacing the transmission mount, i noticed that they are cranked all the way up. It's been like that since I bought it, so i didn't get a chance to notice any degradtion in ride quality. I put bilsteins on it about 6 months ago, and I think it rides good for a 4X4 pick up. I noticed when i park with the wheels turned, it has probably 3/4" clearance front and rear, fender well and lower bumper, with the 285s. It also cleared the 305s without trimming anything.

Crawldit - I didn't see you were from Alaska. I bet shipping is a huge player on any project. Didn't mean to hijack your thread.

 

[crawldit]

Crawldit - I didn't see you were from Alaska. I bet shipping is a huge player on any project. Didn't mean to hijack your thread.

No worries BigTex. If we are talking F150's it's not really a hijack anyway

 

[BIGdaddy]

I'll post up when I burn through a whole tank. I'm sitting at a half a tank right now and have gone around 250 miles. That's almost entirely city driving at less than 45 mph. I think I read that I have a 30 gallon tank.

Looked up your rig on edmunds

http://www.edmunds.com/ford/f-150/1997/features-specs.html?style=9463

Looks like it could be either the 25 or the 30 gallon. If it's the 25 gallon you're getting about 20 mpgs, if it's the 30, you're getting about 16. (assuming you've burned either 12.5 or 30 mpgs)

Easiest way to find out would be to top off at a convenient point, and divide the miles driven by the gallons used.

I've known several vehicles that consistantly get better fuel economy on the 1st or 2nd half of the fuel gauge. My 4runner would actually dip down to 3/4 tank during the first few miles, but then it would stay pegged there for like a 150 miles. haha.

Cheers!