Critique my Overland/Tow Superduty Build

[the_new_nomad]

UPDATE w/ Pics on Page 2

Looking for your feedback on my plans. Starting with this truck: http://www.dieseltechmag.com/build-series/big-blue

7.3L Powerstroke, 411 hp, 860 ft/lb torque. I'm pretty sure it is a dana 60 up front.

Weekend use for towing 9k lb travel trailer and overland trips.

Plans:

35" BFG KO2 (Load E)
17x9 Procomp 7069 Wheels (Backspace = 4.75; Max Load =3420lbs; Offset = -6mm)
Hawk Superduty Pads
Stoptech cryo slotted rotors
Icon dual steering stabalizer mount and shocks
Yukon zip lockers F&R
Yukon 4.11 gears (currently 3.73)
Firestone airspring / daystar mounts
Dynatrack ball joints (need replacement anyways)
Dynatrack freespin hubs
Icon 4" leaf spring system (unknown current lift but suspension is shot)
Icon 2.0 Shocks (would dual's make a difference on washboard roads?)
ARB air compressor
46 gal TransferFlow Tank
Winch - Probably warn 12k, unknown model. Any suggestions?
Softtopper Shell
Custom rock rails or nfab nerf steps
Line-X rockers and flares (color match or black?)
Fusion rear bumper

Unknown:

Will spare tire fit in original location? If not possible tire mount on rear bumper.

Front bumper not winch ready and rear bumper won't be tire mount ready however they were free so maybe cost less to modify than get new?

Should I be worried about cooling when towing? Is there stock trans and oil coolers? Should I add or upgrade? Would mishimoto intercooler/radiator make a big difference when the original's have 170k miles on them?

Let me know what I'm missing, doing wrong, or wasting my money on.

Here is what she looked like when I picker her up two weeks ago.

View attachment 259062

Since then I have removed the chrome rockers and flares, grill, running boards, side molding. Will also be ditching tonneau, side bedstep, gauge pack, wheels/tires. All of this is for sale if anyone wants ;-)

Summary of remaining mods:

AFE Power Intake
AFE Power Exhaust
AFE Power Rear Diff Cover
BD Diesel Performance Boost Fooler
BD Diesel Performance Crankcase Ventilation Kit
BD Diesel Performance Turbo Boot & Clamp Kit
Pacific Performance Engineering HID Headlight
Dual Yellowtop batteries
Full Force Stage 1 Injectors
CFM Plus Intake Manifold
Bosch T500 HPOP
Beans Diesel Dominator 66 Turbo
DP Tuner F5 Chip
FASS Fuel System
Many miscellaneous accessories...Front & Rear Fusion Bumpers with Rigid lighting.

 

[elee]

Perhaps you could post the specs of the truck as there are many configurations in these trucks. And pictures, we like pictures! Also, rock rails and nerf bars are two totally different animals when it comes to setting a 8k pound truck down on them. We look forward to the build and good luck!

 

[ujoint]

Yes, more truck info needed. 2 suggestions I'll make:

Less backspacing o the wheels. 4.5" is ideal, will help with turning radius and help keep the tires from hitting the springs.

Just do a posi up front like a true trac. But, need to know the axle. D50 or D60?

 

[the_new_nomad]

Original post updated with more info. Thanks for the feedback so far. As for you wheels, the KO2's are recommended for 8.5-12" wide rims. I'd like to stay within their guidelines. I just want a simple black alloy wheel in that range which is why I picked the procomp. I found this wheel as well but only 8" wide. http://www.wheelsforless.com/AX39817870 . Any suggestions for other wheels? 8x170 17".

As for the rock rails vs nfab...it will come down to price. My local offroad shop quoted me at $1k for powdercoated purpose built rock slider fabrication. And I can't find any off the shelf product.

 

[406expo]

Looks like you have some work ahead of you. Should be a fun build! I had two sets of red top optimas and was less than impressed with life and actual cranking amps. I even used a solargizer to prevent sulphur build up. Ran them in my diesel cucv blazer and bmw disappointed in both uses considering how much they cost.

Much more satisfied with my interstate batterys and the farm commercial batterys at local part store.

So I'm curious to see how the yellow tops hold up.

On the spare it fits with factory hitch but it's very close to the exhaust. I'm going to put in a swing out tire carrier and use the underbed space for an aux diesel tank to extend my range.

 

[the_new_nomad]

Not sure how old the yellow tops are but so far the truck has so much cranking power that I wake up the whole neighborhood between the fuel pump, starter, and then finally the motor.

Does someone make the spare tire location tanks or is that a custom thing? Seems like it would balance weight out nicely for driving in the snow in the winter. Curious how you would plumb both tanks to the fuel pump and handle the switching.

 

[Advmoto18]

Backspacers are not going to sit well with the factory hub needle bearings. Further, such backspacing is going to put a LOT of stress on the ball joints.

I run 16x10 wheels on my '03 F250, 7.3, CrewCab. The wheels have -25mm of offset. I put the wheels on with less than 500 miles on the truck. Factory ball joints failed at 70,000 miles.

I've gone through 2 sets of BFG TAs 295/75x16; great tires! For some reason, I just put on a set of General Grabber AT2. The ride is not nearly as compliant as the BFGs. Plus, it took a LOT of weight to balance the tires. And the truck chatters at 47 and 65 MPH.

I never had any rubbing with the BFGs. Get a fair amount of rubbing with the Generals at full lock turn.

I will likely bite the bullet and put new BFGs on it next summer.

Next week, I am installing the 2.25" Old Man Emu lift kit with the XL spring in the rear spring pack. Front Bilstein 5100s are GTG. Replacing factory length Bilsteins in the rear with the up to 4" lifted version of the 5100.

Think real hard about the backspacers. Not really the way to go with a truck having a MGVW of 8800# AND oversized tires/wheels.

If you dead set on such a setup, you might want to consider installing DynaTrac Free Spin hubs and ball joints. Both products are super expensive!
http://www.dynatrac.com/products/freespin-ford/freespin-ford.html
http://www.dynatrac.com/products/freespin-ford/dynatrac-ball-joints.html

A good read here.
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/s...ynatracs-heavy-duty-ball-joints-installation/

Good luck!

 

[Advmoto18]

Real easy to ID the axle model. Just shimmy under the front axle and have a look see. Take a flash light!
View attachment 259067

Look for the model number where indicated.

 

[the_new_nomad]

Advmoto18, confused by your first post. I don't mention backspacers, are you saying that I will need them with those wheels?

I did mention both of those dynatrac mods in my first post thought. Was already planning on doing those.

Link for axle isn't working for me. Truck as at the shop for glow plugs, power steering, and couple oil leaks anyways.

 

[Advmoto18]

Scooby...
Sorry, bad on me...

I read you post too quickly and read "backspace=4.75"" as BACKSPACER. Sorry for the confusion!

Regardless, I think offset is going to be the critical factor with a larger wheels on F250 with leaves in front.

Ford went to the 17" wheel due to larger brake and hub assemblies when the GVW was boosted from the 8800# (on my 2003 7.3L) to 11500# as used on today's F250 with the coil front suspension.

As you likely know, offset is the difference in the wheel's hub mounting surface relative to the wheel's centerline. I had to go to a -25mm on my truck using the 16x10 wheels. The -25mm offset prevented lock turn rubbing with the larger wheel/tires.

When I put the 16x10 wheels on the truck back in 2003, the 4WD shop guys calculated I needed -25mm of offset to run BFG 295/75x16. I could have used a 16x8 wheels with -12mm offset but I would have had to drop back to 275/70x16. I opted for the larger tire and wheel with more offset. I knew using the larger tire/wheel combo was going to put a lot more stress and load on the ball joints due to the -25mm offset.

Another reason I chose the 295/75x16 was the load rating. My 2003 F-250 7.3 Crew Cab 156WB has a max rear gross axles weight limit of 6084#. The BFG 295/75x16 All Terrain TA are rated for a max load of 3415#; a 746# buffer at the rear axle. Granted not much, but, I seriously doubt I will ever get close to the max gross of 8800#. So, Load Range D tires, depending on tire size, can be a suitable alternative for older F-250s. The load range "E" tires are certainly a must on the newer F-250 with a max gross weight of 11500# or the optional 11800#.

Another thing to consider, and talking to a 4WD shop well experienced with Super Duties will help, Ford F-250 factory wheels are hub centric. The weight of the truck is carried by the hub, not the lugs. Nearly all after-market wheels are lug centric. If you plan on carrying loads approaching max gross weight or operating in rough terrain, expect broken lugs with lug centric wheels. Get in the habit of checking lug nut torque often with lug centric wheels; 165ft# of torque on my F-250 8x170 lugs.

I now have Moog ball joints. Good to read you are opting for DynaTrac. Depending on the reviews, Moog should be a bit better than factory ball joints. But, if they fail in 4 years or less AND I decide to keep my truck, I may spend the $2600 and install the DynaTrac Free Spin hubs and ball joints. $2600 is a lot less than $50,000+ a new truck would cost. A ball joint job takes me 1.5 days (I'm slow because I'm old and retired and need to go to the bathroom a lot because I drink too much coffee). It is not a fun job, rewarding yes, because you save a ton of labor coin.

 

[Advmoto18]

Photo of ID'ing a Dana axle was there last night. Don't know why the server dropped the pic.

Google ID Ford F-250 Dana axle. You'll get a lot of hits. Check out the Google images listed.

 

[wallace2000]

For the sake of saving money check out Spyntec hubs, few hundred less than Dynatrac. Ive had them for about 2 years and i have had zero issues, install was pretty easy. I have the Mishimoto intercooler on mine and i would say that daily driving i really didnt notice a difference but i regularly tow a 17,000lb 5th wheel while the truck rolls on 38s and the egt's stay under 1000. In summary, i didnt notice much difference everyday but the difference was incredible when towing. For coolers and filters check out Dieselsite. They have auxiliary transmission filters and coolers as well as cooling system filters. I would also recommend an engine brake of some sort, you shouldnt have a problem stopping 9k but the engine should definitely be primary method of slowing down. Other than than you seem to be building something similar to what i have. And for the winch i have yet to purchase one but after lots of research ive determined im going to buy the harbor freight 12k for $500 or whatever they have it on sale for the day i buy it

 

[xbox73]

35" BFG KO2 (Load E)
17x9 Procomp 7069 Wheels (Backspace = 4.75; Max Load =3420lbs; Offset = -6mm)

Less backspacing o the wheels. 4.5" is ideal, will help with turning radius and help keep the tires from hitting the springs.

^^ this. I run a 17x9, with 4.5 backspacing (-12 offset), on a 2000 Excursion with Dana 50, and still barely just get spring rub at full lock (e.g. low speed in tight parking lots, not experienced in other normal everyday driving) with Toyo MT 17x13.5x37. Ideal backspacing (BS) is 4.5" or even 4.25" if you plan to run wide tires. It's somewhat difficult to find rims with 4.25 BS these days, but 4.5 BS should be easy to find. And if you run a 12.5 wide tire, instead of a 13.5 wide tire like I do, you'd probably not rub at all with 4.5 BS. I did test fit a 17x9 with 4.75 BS & Toyo MT 17x13.5x37 before going with 4.5" BS & wasn't happy with the amount of spring rub/loss of steering articulation.

Also, BFG don't currently make the KO2 in 35" diameter for a 17" rim. I'm sure it will be one of the additional sizes they add soon (maybe even in time for your build, depending on your timeline), but it's not a size they currently offer in the new KO2.

 

[the_new_nomad]

Thanks for the input thus far. Much better information than the response that I'm getting from powerstroke.org. All they seem to want to talk about is making fun of prius owners.

I have the Mishimoto intercooler on mine and i would say that daily driving i really didnt notice a difference but i regularly tow a 17,000lb 5th wheel while the truck rolls on 38s and the egt's stay under 1000.

I assume you mean 10k, not 1k. Correct? Do you know what you were running for egt before the mishi? I haven't driven my truck much yet, but hit 12k when I cross my local mtn pass without towing anything. Sounds like cooling will be an issue for me.

I would also recommend an engine brake of some sort, you shouldnt have a problem stopping 9k but the engine should definitely be primary method of slowing down.

Not sure what it would take, but sounds like the engine brake uses the warm up valve, which was removed by my previous owner. I like the idea of it though.

I run a 17x9, with 4.5 backspacing (-12 offset)

This is good info to have. Which wheels do you run? I still have time to change my setup since the KO2 is backordered. Discount Tire said March, 4Wheel Parts said late Dec. Trail Ready sells a 17x9 at 4.5 but it is pricey and don't think I'll be airing down enough to need beadlocks. I'm open to suggestions on wheels but want black and traditional styling, and must be alloy.

 

[Sooper Camper]

no, 1000 is right. most pyro gauges i've seen read in the 4-16 x100 range...so 400-1600. 10,000 degrees is many times hotter than even a nuclear reactor...i know you've got some engine mods done, but i don't think you are pushing THAT much power

Synergy Manufacturing also makes a nice alternative for those ball joints:
http://www.synergymfg.com/Synergy-D...ont-Ball-Joint-Sets-p-26182.html#.VIieGr7EMlI

I've had very good luck selling those to some of my racer customers and guys looking for something that lasts. They eliminate the nylon/teflon race which is usually the first piece that wears out on a ball joint. I've sold literally hundreds to Jeep JK owners, and hear nothing but good things. Its pretty well known that JK's eat the factory ball joints within 15-30k miles. Either way, BJ's should always be considered a wear item; even the mighty kingpins don't last forever (in fact the plastic cone and spring assembly in the old D60's doesn't last nearly as long as a BJ).

Regarding shocks, I would say save your money on the duals up front and just run single 2.5" diameter shocks all around. Big heavy trucks need big heavy duty shocks. are you looking for complete bolt in, or is some fab work required ok?