97 F-350 CCLB build:

[surlydiesel]

Correct me if I'm wrong but your truck still has a mechanical lift pump on it. From my ownership of these trucks many years back, some of the best ways to get strong and even fuel pressure was an electric lift pump, different fuel rails and different turbo upgrades. I used to chip, change intakes, redo exhausts and all sorts of stuff. Now I just get rid of restrictive air related items, fix any factory shortcomings and drive it with stock HP. It's a little bit slower but I find I worry less. Like with stock HP it is very hard to push the EGTs to super high levels. Even with a 75 tune, I could push my EGTs too high on my 96. So then you need an intercooler or a water setup...the mod bug hits ha ha ha.

My vote is enjoy the truck basically stock or enjoy the modding. You can do a lot of tasteful mods that increase the performance and do not take away from the reliability of this motor.

My wife and I have decided on a bumper pull, dogs in the back seat, bikes and other gear in the truck bed under a cap. Good luck with the search.

-jorge

 

[Seabass]

Pull behind to keep the topper is the route I would go. Your rig looks great with the topper. Most squares do.

Thanks Bojak! I'm pretty fond of the topper- and I'm set up to camp/sleep back there. It's no slide in- but I kinda get the best of both worlds with a bumper pull. It has been brought to my attention that a fifth wheel will be difficult for me to use because my truck is pretty tall. It has all new springs out back with one more spring than factory- plus another add-a-leaf for height. It clears my 315's nicely- and the front has been lifted too- but it still has some rake for hauling bigger loads and not pointing at the moon. Anyway- I'm likely to have bed to trailer clearance issues and/or a trailer that rides mostly on its rear axel because the neck is so jacked up. A bumper pull will have none of these problems. The only issue with a bumper pull is that I'm looking for a 20'-25' footer and they can be pulled with 1/2 ton trucks- so the market of buyers is bigger-so they are more expensive for what you get. I'm thinking it will be worth it in the long run.

 

[Seabass]

Jorge- I appreciate the feedback. I'm not in for big horse power. The truck had an intercooler and 4" exhaust and bigger down pipe as well as boost and pyrometer on it when I bought it. It was one owner and he was in his late 40's when he bought it new. It had a superchip and that's it. It was a well maintained truck to say the least. So for me, since some good parts were already there a better tuner made sense. But I've had a major turned up cummins in the past. It was fun- but there was always a problem because of the horsepower. This truck is done! Thanks for the heads up on the fuel pump. I'll look into that. I'm not afraid to add an electric pump if needed- or replace the mechanical one if it's tired. I want dependability out of this truck. It's certainly no hot rod now- and it doesn't run hot(egt's or coolant). I enjoy modding- but I'm at my limit. I'm really leaning towards a bumper pull.... I think I'm going to look at one this weekend. Wish me luck.

 

[super04duty]

You have seen my build thread, and where I am going with my truck. I do plan on adding one of those tents that are free standing, but also attach to the back of the truck (or SUV or car), so we have a "set up camp site" even when we take the truck out exploring, as well as to have stand up room for getting dressed and such.

My ultimate goal is to get a utility bed that is no higher on the sides than the stock pickup box, and getting a 4WC pop up. So I can still store all my tools/recovery/emergency gear as well as camping supplies in the truck, but not have all that stuff taking up the very limited space in the camper itself. But thats a very expensive route, so for now my topper/ladder rack, and soon, tent will have to due.

I do have the luxury, that my F350 is now dedicated to only fun; be it a long road trip, any kind of off roading, and camping. As I have my '07 F150 XL for daily driving (with a leveling kit and thule Xsporter racks, and 4wd, naturally, even tho i don't really need 4wd to commute in LA, lol). It wouldn't be difficult for me to leave a pop up camper in the back of the 350 24/7.

 

[Seabass]

Where to begin? It's been a long winter and so much has gone on. When I last updated the thread the wife and I were in a debate over what kind of camper to have. Bumper pull or slide in. It was a hard decision because we liked the mobility of the slide in, but the comforts of the bumper pull. It also doesn't help that I use my truck as a daily driver of sorts and don't want or need the camper in it all the time. So we decided on a bumper pull. The slide in was to be sold in the spring or summer and that was that. Well, luck was with us this winter! We found an 18' Springdale not two miles from our home! It had a leak at one point that has left a small soft spot in the floor, but other than that it is in excellent condition. A good friend of mine had it for about three years, and has already stopped the leak. He priced it to me CHEAP! It is exactly what we were looking for.
So as time has passed since we bought our little gem, I have managed to convince my wife that we will be sorry if we sell the slide in. She agreed! So I got to keep it. Best part is I don't have as much money in both of my campers as it would cost to have one nice one. Both of them are banged up and rotten in a place or two- but hey, so am I! So today I went to work on the slide in. I had a soft spot in the floor that needed repaired..... so I set about removing the rotten wood. The great news is that it was completely dry. Considering we've had enough rain to float the ark in the last week or so I thought that was good. I had sealed the camper last fall and apparently stopped the offending leak. So I set to using some scrap plywood and treated 2x stuff and ended up with this... I thought that went so smooth it'd be a shame to stop -so I cut a hole in the side of it! I couldn't reach the turnbuckle on the passenger front corner-major problem. I use eye bolts and turnbuckles through the floor of the truck bed since I don't have any hippi-jacks or other fancy anchoring system. It works. My goal was to simplify the install/removal process. This thing has to come in and out as smoothly as possible. I cut the opening... And cut out a door. I still need to get a latch, but it's done otherwise. I also installed a pair of sliding drawer tool boxes next to the tailgate..... The big chest and fuel tank will come out for the summer and any big wrenches will go behind the back seat. I can put the chest and tank in and out quickly if I need to- I use two big half inch bolts to bolt them down together at the same time. I can leave the two drawer boxes in even with the camper in the bed. The idea is that most of my wrenches never leave the truck. I can come in fast and slide the camper out and immediately go to the field and never miss a beat. Other than the fuel tank I'm going to have a great compromise. Next up is mounting the house battery inside the camper somewhere and installing a 100watt plus panel on the roof. I also need to replace the fridge. I also need to add some simple extensions to the jack legs so I don't need a bunch of blocks. It's all about making it easy to use at this point. I'm sure I've left some stuff out, but I'll be updating as work continues. I still have to re-cover the floor with something...tile? Hardwood? Lots of updates. I also did some work to the ole' powerstroke over the winter too...but that's not nearly as exciting as getting to keep the camper. So I'll get the motor stuff in another post. Carry on campers!

 

[yarden]

Looking good! Glad you get to keep the slide-in. We are trying to decide if we are going to do the bumper pull or just do some old fashioned tent camping. Maybe a mix of both! I want to keep my topper on even though I have a hitch already (currently removed). How many does that 18' sleep? We need to sleep five but I want to keep the trailer as small as possible. I know the SD would easily be at home pulling much bigger... but the simplicity is what I am looking for.

PS--- Great looking heeler. I had three when I was a kid... they were my buddies on the ranch.

 

[pappawheely]

Nice to see your patience rewarded! A camper for every occasion.

 

[Seabass]

Looking good! Glad you get to keep the slide-in. We are trying to decide if we are going to do the bumper pull or just do some old fashioned tent camping. Maybe a mix of both! I want to keep my topper on even though I have a hitch already (currently removed). How many does that 18' sleep? We need to sleep five but I want to keep the trailer as small as possible. I know the SD would easily be at home pulling much bigger... but the simplicity is what I am looking for.

PS--- Great looking heeler. I had three when I was a kid... they were my buddies on the ranch.

I'm not sure how many people the 18' will sleep. It's just me and my wife as we have yet to have any kids. I know it sleeps 4 adults comfortable. It has a front bedroom and the dinette converts to a large bed. There's a fair amount of floor space. I'd say a cot could fit too. The guy I bought it from has it in storage for me. I really haven't got study it that well. Since he's a good friend he offered to keep it till I needed it. Great guy! I actually called him this morning and told him is take it anytime now- I don't want to take advantage of a friendly favor. The heelers- awesome breed! I have 4 right now. They are so loyal and I love them like they were people. They live a good life no doubt!
And your rig won't even know that camper was there. My dad has the exact same truck as yours- color lift and all. Well- he lacks the bumper/winch and topper. It's a pig! He did a dpf delete and installed a tune- it's a sweet ride.

 

[Seabass]

Nice to see your patience rewarded! A camper for every occasion.

I'm a blessed man for sure!!!! I learned a few years ago that if I was willing to turn a wrench or two and own things that were older-but good- that I could have a few more things. It's worked well for me. Pay cash-screw a bunch of payments- enjoy life!

 

[R3D2]

Great build you have going on here Seabass. Your rig is awesome. Just read through it again. I'm working on my camper also. I need to post some pics of that soon. Btw I really like that custom step rail and those bw flares.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Seabass]

Thanks R3. I'm mighty proud of my old truck. The steps were on it when I bought it. They are super handy. The flares- well, I think even a lawn mower is cooler when it has flares! I'm lookin forward to your updates. You gotta keep us posted. I catch myself checking the portal about a hundred times a day. I have been since the day I joined. Such great people and a great forum!

 

[Seabass]

So back in January I got sick of the truck running so sluggish. After a lot of study and several phone calls it got a TS six position tuner and a brand new 1.1 AR turbo. WOW! What a difference! It smokes a lot more now but it runs out so much better. The other day I crammed out just shy 25psi of boost. Since I'm inter cooled it still doesn't run hot at the pyrometer. However, as good as it is- it's still a far cry from the cummins I sold to buy it. But, I'm still not sorry. I love my OBS ford. It's got all the power I need and I love the style and build of the truck. Overall it fits my needs very well. Today I went and picked up some poly tanks to use on the farm and snapped a quick pic of the truck and its big fluffy load! And as always campers, Carry on!

 

[pappawheely]

I could stay off the grid for a long time with one of those.

 

[amgvr4]

I really need to rebuild my turbo and put a 1.0ar on it. When I tow I can really feel all the leaks in my up pipes and the boost bleeding off. As always, the truck look good!

 

[Seabass]

Well, we've been very busy out at the farm lately. Early hay cutting and spring calving have both been underway. Not much free time. Today, however, I found some. I got some peel and stick tiles and put them in the slide in. What a difference!!! The wife ripped out a bunch of the 90's sheik decor and I was surprised how much bigger the camper seems. Anyway, here's some pics. Everyone likes pics- even when they aren't all that exciting. here's a couple befores from when I bought it. and a couple from today. Not a great difference by looking at the pictures- if you could just sit inside of it..... Oh well. Hoping to get it back in the truck this week. Then I can modify my anchor points and maybe - just maybe - go camping this weekend.