'95 F350 CCLB 7.3 4x4 aka Clifford

[R3D2]

Picked up this truck about a month ago out of Syracuse, NY. Named it Clifford...haha...pretty original, I know, but I always loved that book as a little boy. Anyways, it is originally from New Mexico and it shows. Tough finding a truck like this in NY without driving south or west which I have done for all my other trucks. You guys out west don't know how good you have it!! I was a Toyota guy until recently. Clifford is probably more truck than I needed but the price was right and it was rust free so I went with it.

So overall I am pretty pleased with the purchase. Truck has new rubber all around and a spare (need to figure out how to mount this, don't want it underneath maybe a tailgate mount or hitch mount), 200k, E4OD (rebuilt at 180k), Rancho RS9000 (not sure if this are any good or not), MRBP turbo back, no tune that I know of. I changed the oil and fuel filter and otherwise just been driving it. Previous owner was a DEA agent who got transferred to NYC so no more use for the truck. Apparently it has Ams oil in the front and rear. Truck seems to be fairly well dialed. My buddy is a mechanic and a Ford man and he checked it out and said I did well so I was happy to get his approval. I looked a quite a few OBS CCLB before this one.

Honestly, the only down side is the gearing...4.10. At 2000 rpms I am at 62 mph. Considering this truck will be my version of a long distance hwy hauler (for my FWC camper, gear and bikes) I was hoping to be able to keep up with traffic without killing my mileage and being able to have a conversation with my wife while driving (it's pretty loud at 70). I was getting 10mpg with my last set up on the hwy so I should be better than that as is. Maybe I'm reaching too far on this one and this is what it is. I looked into swapping to 3.55 or gear vendors but both are pretty expensive, suppose if I sold all old bike parts laying around i could pay for a lot of it. Other option is to just going slower. Anyone swapped gears or got a gear vendors? I don't have plans to tow much, maybe my brothers Kioti tractor here and there and the occasional car trailer. Really it will just be my camper on the back. Wife and I are doing our honeymoon with it this summer. Heading out west on a 3-4 week trek. We are avid mountain bikers and would be making the journey to British Columbia and then back with some sight seeing and riding along the way. Pics below. Thinking about the PMF RSk 2.25" kit and then different shocks and maybe taller tires, depends on what I do about gears, if anything at all. Thanks everyone, this forum is truly inspiring.

My boy Otto

old set up, camper will go on Clifford soon

 

[pappawheely]

Welcome to the OBS club. Nice looking truck. Bigger tires would be the easiest fix for the gear ratio. 37's will fit with a slight fender trim.

 

[amgvr4]

Glad to see more OBS crew cabs on here! I was able to drop my highway cruising rpm from 2400 to 1900 @65 mph with 37" tires. If you want to go the cheap route just get some military take off MTR or Baja TAs and call it a day. I only paid $800 shipped for five 90%+ MTRs and they have been great. I'm still only rolling 2100rpms @70 and that's with a zf5 too boot. Your truck looks super clean for an east coast find, hopefully it stays that way for you. I look forward to seeing your progress!

 

[underdrive]

I'm with these guys on re-tire vs. re-gear. You're already planning on the RSK for the ride quality, bigger tires would be pretty much mandatory after that. Dropping down to 3.55s will gain you 10 mph higher cruise speed per same engine RPMs, going with 36" tires achieves almost the same result, except now you have more ground clearance and better approach and departure angles and possibly even higher load capacity per tire.

Regearing is super-easy in the rear axle if you use factory Ford gears out of a low-mileage truck, however the D60 front will drive you nuts - whoever decided to place the shims between the carrier and the inner races of its bearings is a truly evil person! Setup bearings do help a lot, but in the end unless you have the $400+ puller set you still only have one shot at getting it right, if you blow it you gotta improvise... I'd suggest having a spare new bearing available if you decide to tackle this project, in case you need to redo the shims on one side. It's not really a horrible experience, but not very much fun either.

 

[underdrive]

I'm still only rolling 2100rpms @70 and that's with a zf5 too boot.

A bit offtopic, but do you know what your 1st gear ratio is in that ZF? There's a factory label on the driver side of the transmission case, the ratio will be shown there in the range section as "4.14-0.77" or "5.08-0.77" or "5.72-0.76" - first number is 1st gear, second is the OD.

 

[HunterMike]

Nice rig. I went the gear vendor route. With it off, 65 @ 2000, with it on 80@2000. I am running 33". I wanted to be able to turn off and keep the torque of the 4.10's in certain situations. One word of caution with the gear vendor: lugging rpm's = higher egt's. It took me a while to figure out shifting patterns, especially up the steep passes here in the Colorado high country. Hated it for the first six months. Love it now.

 

[redthies]

Nice score! (I thought Clifford was a "big red DODGE"??). I'll second or third the buy tires rather than gears idea. I used Sky Offroads 3" shackle reversal in my '92 and '97s. Great kit, great company, great results!

Let me know if you come out to BC. I've lived in Whistler for 25 years and have been mtn biking there since 1989.

Here's a couple of pics of my '97 with 3" and 35" Toyos. It's currently in Columbia headed for Patagonia.

 

[R3D2]

wow, thanks guys! tires certainly would be cheaper. i'll have to search around here and see what kind of fender trimming i'd need to do, don't want to cut her up if i don't have to, or maybe i wouldn't with a SRK? i guess i'd have to have the speedo re-calibrated also. so much to consider.... Trying to do only what i need to and not stuff that i'll never realize any value on. first thing i'm doing is fixing the front fuel tank. both tanks work but the front tank shows empty, so i am assuming it is the float or the sending unit, tried a new switch but that wasn't it. my buddy is going to help me drop the tank and figure it out. after that is fixed i'll address tires and susp or gearing and susp and then the FWC. My plans for 2016 are to pull the bed and get a UTE aluminum flat bed and have a custom flatbed camper made up by ATC. i cover 25 states with my job so i could potentially drive around my territory and expense mileage while seeing customers and mtn biking etc... i'm really pumped on this rig. plenty of room for gear, good range with dual tanks, plenty of power and decent mileage. fit all of my criteria.

pappawheely, amgvr4, underdrive, huntermike, redthies- appreciate all the advice. been following you guys and your builds for a bit on here, totally inspired the purchase. thanks again. redthies- i will definitely keep you posted on my trip. we'll be coming through your area down from Banff in late june/early july.

 

[amgvr4]

There is no fender trimming needed on our trucks for up to 37" tires. Just need to space the front bumper out with some washers. Mine was an f250 so yours would be even better since the f350s are about two inches taller from the factory. Also you can recalibrate the speedo in about five minutes in your driveway for free......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZPQYMEWNas

 

[snowaddict91]

Woo another crew cab OBS! Good looking rig ya got there. I would definitely regear or do taller tires before your trip, having the ability to go fast sure is nice driving across the middle of the country.

 

[underdrive]

You said mountain biking and then BC, and I immediately thought Whistler! Never been there, seen plenty of vids to make me wanna visit though. Gonna have to get my ******** in gear and build me that long-travel full-suspension bike finally, I'm very biased towards Marzocchi products and always wanted a Monster, but I'd settle for a Shiver as well (I know, old technology by today's standards, but they just ride soooo plush).

The one thing I dislike about the standard Gear Vendors is its inability to be used in 4x4 as it usually goes behind the transfer case. They do have a model that can go between the trans and the t-case though, IIRC the current model numbers are 3D4R101 & 3D4R102. Still pretty costly, but if you drive a lot it may pay for itself fairly quickly.

The fuel tank problem is most likely caused by the sender float, I bet it filled up with fuel and sank to the bottom. New ones are cheap from the dealer, and you don't actually have to drop the front tank to fix it, there is enough space (barely!) between the tank and the bed for the sender to come out. If it were a gasoline-powered truck the in-tank fuel pump could possibly prevent that and require dropping the tank, but with a diesel you should be alright. Also there are aftermarket tanks available for increased fuel capacity, AeroTanks is one manufacturer of such tanks but theirs are quite spendy. If you want a cheap upgrade use a Spectra F26E (or was it F26D) tank, that's a double-capacity (38 gallons) rear tank that is a direct replacement for your current 19-gallon unit. Or you can install a 34-gallon tank for a Bronco, but that's quite a bit more work.

I don't remember how much lift the OBS trucks need to clear what size tires, out FrankenFord has older sheetmetal with the larger wheel wells. I'd say don't think of cutting fenders just yet (besides on the OBS trucks it's the bumper that usually requires the trumming) - first decide how big tires you wanna run, then match the lift to them. Wouldn't go much over 4" though, as lifted trick are more top-heavy and thus become more prone to roll under the right circumstances. Recalibrating the speedometer is something you can do yourself at home, no need for special trip to a dealership or anything like that.

The alu flat bed will be a very functional upgrade, however keep in mind that in certain locales that automatically qualifies you as a commercial vehicle and thus you can be required to enter the big truck scales (California) and some areas may even be off-limits to you (some state parks and city roadways). We actually went the other way around with our big truck, it had an aluminum flat bed that we sold and replaced with a dually pickup box of the matching model years - we still have to hit the scales do to GVW being over the 14k (in some states 15k IIRC) limit, but because of the pickup bed with either a camper shell (topper) or slide-in camper we're no longer considered commercial vehicle as far as most everyone else is concerned. Just something to keep in mind...

 

[R3D2]

There is no fender trimming needed on our trucks for up to 37" tires. Just need to space the front bumper out with some washers. Mine was an f250 so yours would be even better since the f350s are about two inches taller from the factory. Also you can recalibrate the speedo in about five minutes in your driveway for free......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZPQYMEWNas

thanks amgvr4, that's huge!!! also, you mentioned that you could do 2100 @ 70mph with your 37s and the zf5. Would the e40d and 37s do better? i just want to be able to do 70 or 75 even and no go above what seems to be the sweet spot on my truck...2000rpms.

 

[R3D2]

You said mountain biking and then BC, and I immediately thought Whistler! Never been there, seen plenty of vids to make me wanna visit though. Gonna have to get my ******** in gear and build me that long-travel full-suspension bike finally, I'm very biased towards Marzocchi products and always wanted a Monster, but I'd settle for a Shiver as well (I know, old technology by today's standards, but they just ride soooo plush).

The one thing I dislike about the standard Gear Vendors is its inability to be used in 4x4 as it usually goes behind the transfer case. They do have a model that can go between the trans and the t-case though, IIRC the current model numbers are 3D4R101 & 3D4R102. Still pretty costly, but if you drive a lot it may pay for itself fairly quickly.

The fuel tank problem is most likely caused by the sender float, I bet it filled up with fuel and sank to the bottom. New ones are cheap from the dealer, and you don't actually have to drop the front tank to fix it, there is enough space (barely!) between the tank and the bed for the sender to come out. If it were a gasoline-powered truck the in-tank fuel pump could possibly prevent that and require dropping the tank, but with a diesel you should be alright. Also there are aftermarket tanks available for increased fuel capacity, AeroTanks is one manufacturer of such tanks but theirs are quite spendy. If you want a cheap upgrade use a Spectra F26E (or was it F26D) tank, that's a double-capacity (38 gallons) rear tank that is a direct replacement for your current 19-gallon unit. Or you can install a 34-gallon tank for a Bronco, but that's quite a bit more work.

I don't remember how much lift the OBS trucks need to clear what size tires, out FrankenFord has older sheetmetal with the larger wheel wells. I'd say don't think of cutting fenders just yet (besides on the OBS trucks it's the bumper that usually requires the trumming) - first decide how big tires you wanna run, then match the lift to them. Wouldn't go much over 4" though, as lifted trick are more top-heavy and thus become more prone to roll under the right circumstances. Recalibrating the speedometer is something you can do yourself at home, no need for special trip to a dealership or anything like that.

The alu flat bed will be a very functional upgrade, however keep in mind that in certain locales that automatically qualifies you as a commercial vehicle and thus you can be required to enter the big truck scales (California) and some areas may even be off-limits to you (some state parks and city roadways). We actually went the other way around with our big truck, it had an aluminum flat bed that we sold and replaced with a dually pickup box of the matching model years - we still have to hit the scales do to GVW being over the 14k (in some states 15k IIRC) limit, but because of the pickup bed with either a camper shell (topper) or slide-in camper we're no longer considered commercial vehicle as far as most everyone else is concerned. Just something to keep in mind...

Hey underdrive thanks for the info. You would be blown away at the some of the suspension products available for bikes today. Zocchi is still making some good stuff, they went through some tough times i.e. changes in ownership etc... but they are getting back to where they were with the monster and shiver days. There are a bunch of new players in the mix also so that is the main driver behind a lot of the advances in suspension and bikes in general. Pretty wild how far things have come in just a short time.

While it sure would be cool splitting gears and going 80mph turning 2000rpm I just don't know that I would drive the truck enough to warrant that kind of spend. Between the cost of the unit, getting the drive shaft shortened and throwing my buddy a few bucks to help me install it in a day or two I would be in it 4g easily. For that cost i could do 5 tires, RSK and shocks all around and have plenty of money left over for fuel on my trip. I think I just convinced myself to ditch that idea. F26E is definitely going in, thank you for the tip on that one. I saw aerotanks during my initial search but man those are expensive. 170 bucks out the door for a F26E is a no brainer.

As far as trimming goes, amgvr4 mentioned I was good other than possibly having to space my bumper, but that's no big deal. Glad you mentioned the aluminum flatbed. I am already over 5500lbs so as per New York State Law I am forced to have commercial plates. I can push for passenger plates if I have a truck registered as a full time RV but that will take some paper work. I appreciate the heads up on other states, though, I hadn't really thought about that. If I'm outside of NY I'll have the camper on the flatbed and even all geared up I would be sub 8,000lbs I'm sure. Fortunately I won't have to worry about that until I save some money and get a flatbed and a new camper...

 

[Seabass]

Been busy so I just logged in and caught your thread. NICE truck! You gotta go the tire route. I too have a CCLB 7.3 with 4.10s. I went with add-a-leaves at all corners and 315's (35's). I can cruise at 70 and get 17 mpg. I also didn't have to trim any metal. I got a thread down the page somewhere documenting everything I did. I haven't updated it for a while so it's a ways back. The only thing I'd change is I wish I'd done the front shackle reversal. It would ride better. But, the bigger tires do a good job of soaking up bumps. I love my ole truck. And I like yours too. Here's a pic of the great white whale.

 

[underdrive]

My riding skills are far from what could make a good use of today's suspension technology, I mean I still run a '04 DJ3 fork (that I played with a bit, but still there's only so much one can do with the SSV) and it suits me just fine really. Mostly wanting the Shiver or the Monster cause of how simple yet strong yet plush they both feel, not really needing either though... Tho lately the she-devil has been bugging me about grabbing a cheaper fat-tire bike and then machining new crowns and arch for a Shiver SC that will widen it enough to work with the fat tires, and it doesn't have to be exactly a Shiver but pretty much anything that has a bolt-on setup between the stanctions.

To be perfectly honest I do not like the GV setup one bit, mostly cause it can't split 1-2 on a wide-ratio transmission - it's the way they designed it, its pump needs certain input shaft speed to make enough pressure to hold the cone clutch in, and a creeper 1st gear just doesn't provide that. To me 1-2 is one of the most important gears to split, especially starting up a steep grade under a heavy load, so if the aux geabox cannot provide that then I really can't justify its asking price of 3k give or take. But there are many others who mostly pull heavy across flatlands or reasonable grades, tho them a GV is probably worth its weight in gold.

The nice thing about AeroTanks is they offer a 40-gallon front tank that does not hang ridiculously low below the frame rails, instead they stretch it forward way under the cab - that's why it's only available for extended and crew cab trucks, a regular cab (like ours) simply does not have enough space between the rear axle and the transfer case for one of those monsters. But with a crew cab you can have your cake and eat it to, well it will be an expensive cake but still you utilize factory-empty space to gain fuel capacity without losing ground clearance, for a vehicle that's intended to leave the paved roads this is quite the winner combo. By the way the F26E tank will more or less replace your spare wheel back there, i mean you could still hang it under it but it will end up quite low. Which may not be a big deal after you get the lift and the big tires, but still something to consider.

E4OD and ZF5 are pretty closely matched, if anything the E4 has the edge there as at 0.74 its OD is higher than the 0.76-0.77 for the ZF. Realistically you won't notice that much at all, your truck will end up driving just like Amgvr4's. Don't be afraid of 2100 though, with the 4-speed our diesel ran 2500 all day long and still pulled mid-teens for MPGs (on a good day). The PSD being a more fuel efficient engine to begin with, and more powerful at the same time, should have little problem keeping high-teens or even low-20s at 2100 or below. The one thing to keep in mind is that the higher the speed the way higher air resistance, so even if you were able to go 75 at say 1900 you may be "lugging" the engine and end up using more fuel than if she was revving a bit higher at 2100... I really think you will find that 2000-2100 works quite well with 4.10s and larger tires, just don't get some mud-slinging monsters as those will both wear quick and have huge rolling resistance and eat up whatever fuel savings the lower engine speed may be giving you.

Regarding commercial truck classification, IMHO the hassle to drop to car plates isn't worth the trouble, especially considering how ruined your day can be if you get popped coming home with a bed full of lumber for your new deck for instance. What New York considers your truck is irrelevant in other states, most others who still use some common sense in their legislatures realize that the percentage of pickup truck owners who use their trucks for business is very small compared to people who buy them for the sheer convenience of being able to toss random stuff in the bed and go, so even if your tags say commercial as long as you don't have DOT numbers and such you're for all intents and purposes still a passenger vehicle. Having a flatbed on though, and that point can become harder to argue with a determined HP officer... But yeah, we've had to deal with NYC stupidity in our 1-ton dually, all I gotta say is I cannot even begin to fathom why anyone would ever want to live in that cluster-mess of a city LOL

By the way that 8000 lbs number is quite optimistic IMHO. Do you know how heavy she sits right now? Ours is right at 8k with an empty bed, granted she has quite bit of fat added to her in the right places (bumpers and sliders) but yours is a 4-door so you have that much more sheetmetal and frame rail. Realistically with a camper you're probably looking at 10k, which is just fine for your truck as long as you don't have more than 6800 on the rear axle (assuming 3400lbs-rated wheels and matching tires).