10th Generation F-150 Overland build (The Craptor)

[OBS460]

How tall are those blocks??

Looks like you squeezed those in there! Are you running an extra leaf as well?
How do your leaves like the flex and travel they are doing now?
Mine are shot from being overloaded for years, and I get lots of noise and twisting from them when flexed like that

I'm running a 3" block if memory serves correctly, and the spring pack is the stock 3 leaf plus half overload. Amazingly, I am not bottoming out the shock even when twisting it up. These shocks have any of travel as the external reservoir permits more up travel.

They do make a little noise, but nothing that is concerning. I'm going to change out my top spring plate to one with an integrated bump stop pad to stop up travel at about the range its at currently.

I measured 17.3" of wheel travel, take that Raptors. ?

 

[OBS460]

Yesterday the kids and I decided to test the truck out at The Cliffs Insane Terrain in Marseille Il along with some friends in Jeeps and 4 Runners.

I'm happy to say we kept up with, and thoroughly surprised, many of the Jeep owners through some pretty tight trails! Here is a video of some of our fun.

 

[OBS460]

And a couple more.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I ran tailgunner on a couple trips with the local overland group in my 1st gen Expedition. The 4runners and Jeeps struggled in this one section of trail we were doing- I actually had to pull the Jeep in front of me backwards off whatever he was stuck on. I got through everything without issue.

And now that my primary is my Explorer (sold my 1st gen Expedition), I miss the space it afforded.

 

[OBS460]

I ran tailgunner on a couple trips with the local overland group in my 1st gen Expedition. The 4runners and Jeeps struggled in this one section of trail we were doing- I actually had to pull the Jeep in front of me backwards off whatever he was stuck on. I got through everything without issue.

And now that my primary is my Explorer (sold my 1st gen Expedition), I miss the space it afforded.

I ended up doing the same for most of our trip as well, I winched out my buddies 4 runner at one point as he slid into a rut that put him on his skid plates. Picking a good line and knowing your rig's physical limitations is as important as any off road mod in my opinion.

 

[OBS460]

Some more recent developments as im borderline ADHD and can't leave things alone.

To address the front suspension, I decided to mod a pair of Gen 2 Raptor front struts to match my rear shocks. I scored these on eBay for $250 shipped brand new (seriously, 3.0" internal bypass FOX shocks for $125 per shock). The Live Valve has been deleted, and the spring seats are removed as I will be utilizing my factory torsion bars in lieu of coil springs. I considered trying to make the coils work, but the added work did not offset the benefits in my opinion. I believe with a custom UCA I can approach 10" of travel on stock length arms and torsion bars.

The plan is to have a custom bushing made to bring the lower eyelet size down to 1/2" to match the mounting hole in the lower control arm, and then I will cut the factory upper shock mount off the frame and weld on a hoop to attach the upper portion of shock to.

 

[OBS460]

We also picked up a used Bed Rug yesterday, so this will work well for our camper base.

 

[Grassland]

Can the CVs handle the travel? You added a LOT more than stock range of motion already.
If I'm not mistaken the previous generation Ranger was modeled off the 10th Gen F150 so I'm imagining the suspension layout in my head based off my old Ranger.
I remember there was some coil over conversions done, but most involved a drop cross member lift as well, and limit straps were needed to keep CVs from too much droop.

 

[OBS460]

Can the CVs handle the travel? You added a LOT more than stock range of motion already.
If I'm not mistaken the previous generation Ranger was modeled off the 10th Gen F150 so I'm imagining the suspension layout in my head based off my old Ranger.
I remember there was some coil over conversions done, but most involved a drop cross member lift as well, and limit straps were needed to keep CVs from too much droop.

I too believe that the CV angle will be my limiting factor, im going to measure angles while cycling the suspension to see where I'm at. Ive read reports of angles up to 38* being "acceptable", but I'm going to try to limit it to 30-31* for sake of longevity (knowing full well that I'm drastically shortening their life).

Currently, the added down travel is not causing noticeable binding and I think another 1-1.5" of droop travel is possible. I'm also curious to see how much up travel I am able to achieve before running into issues. Once I figure out the hard limits, I'll bump and strap it to keep it from self destructing.

I may order a spare set of CVs to keep with me too, just in case.

 

[OBS460]

Utilizing a heavy duty 12ga orange extension cord, (as orange is universal for high voltage in the automotive world) I ran wiring from my inverter back to the truck bed.

Weather proof outlet boxes with covers seemed like a good ides, as I may power wash out the truck after camping trips.

 

[OBS460]

Moar Powaaa!

I really enjoy leaving my fridge in the truck during the summer, as having cold refreshments on tap never gets old. To combat the constant draw, I went ahead and installed my array (and doubled it) on the roof of my new-to-me ARE DCU topper (it was painted with truck bed liner as well).

I'm running 6 amorphous panels wired in a series/parallel configuration. 3 panels are hooked in series, then the two groups of 3 are brought together in parallel into a MPPT charge controller. Open circuit voltage is 75V, which greatly reduces voltage drop issues through the wiring as well as allowing the system to provide a charge longer throughout the day.

Amorphous panels do not produce near as much power per square inch as a monocrystalline panel. But the advantages of: lower profile, better charging in shade, and longer charge through the day outweighed the cons for me.

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

Dude you have a stellar build going so far.

 

[OBS460]

Dude you have a stellar build going so far.

Thank you, sir!

Im hoping to get my front Raptor shocks installed this weekend, then the next thing will be fabricating my topper lift for added head height while camping.

 

[OBS460]

The upgraded MPPT charge controller has been installed, and should allow for more efficient charging.

 

[OBS460]

I felt the black topper and black lower rockers needed tied together aesthetically, plus is it even four wheel drive without decals?

It added 10hp per sticker, to boot!