Early ‘99 F-350 Powerstroke work truck turned expo rig, with some work truck in there still!
- Thread starter yamaha225
- Start date
Very nice looking trucks! Always happy to see other old Fords being saved!
Also a very nice looking truck. I almost went with 285/75-18’s but the wheels I wanted only came in 17’s.
It’s about time for an update to this thread. The truck is just about wrapped up and I’ve put around 400 miles on it. I ended up going with Method wheels in the 17” size and put some 285/75-17’s (roughly 34”) on it. The tires are the Falken Wildpeak AT3W’s and so far I’m happy with them. I also just put Bilstien 5100’s on all four corners which were a very nice upgrade over the cheap Napa shocks I had on there.
The rear springs I used came with the frame which is out of an F-250, not an F-350. My plan has been to run those and add airbags if needed. I loved the capacity of the F-350 springs, but they rode like crap unloaded. These ride a little better unloaded but I am definitely going to need airbags so I’ll be doing that next. I also just put a muffler back on the truck. It has had a 4” turbo back straight pipe for about 7 years and while I’ve loved the sound, the muffler has been a nice change. It’s a glass pack style muffler so it quiets it down a little but it still sounds great.
Next up in the plans are an ARB front bumper and winch and then I’m going to start on the flatbed at some point. I think the first project though is going to be rehabbing the camper I picked up earlier this summer. I’ll make a second post about that shortly. I was going to do a separate thread but I’d like to keep it all together since they’re going to work together.
I’m also hoping to do the cab corners and rockers this fall/winter and give the cab a fresh coat of paint. I’m thinking about doing a slight color change to the Toyota Terra color which I really like.
Here are a few photos of the wheels, truck, and then me test fitting the camper last weekend for the first time.
The rear springs I used came with the frame which is out of an F-250, not an F-350. My plan has been to run those and add airbags if needed. I loved the capacity of the F-350 springs, but they rode like crap unloaded. These ride a little better unloaded but I am definitely going to need airbags so I’ll be doing that next. I also just put a muffler back on the truck. It has had a 4” turbo back straight pipe for about 7 years and while I’ve loved the sound, the muffler has been a nice change. It’s a glass pack style muffler so it quiets it down a little but it still sounds great.
Next up in the plans are an ARB front bumper and winch and then I’m going to start on the flatbed at some point. I think the first project though is going to be rehabbing the camper I picked up earlier this summer. I’ll make a second post about that shortly. I was going to do a separate thread but I’d like to keep it all together since they’re going to work together.
I’m also hoping to do the cab corners and rockers this fall/winter and give the cab a fresh coat of paint. I’m thinking about doing a slight color change to the Toyota Terra color which I really like.
Here are a few photos of the wheels, truck, and then me test fitting the camper last weekend for the first time.
it’s also time to introduce the camper that will be going on this truck. I picked up this camper earlier this summer from some family friends. The history on the camper is an older couple bought it new in 1989 and have had it since. They had numerous adventures around the country in it and hauled it on the back of a mint 1990 F-250 2wd.
It has had some leaks over the years like most old truck campers but the couple that owned it was meticulous about maintaining it. The husband has done some repairs over the years and it’s due for some more. As such, it is also going to get some upgrades and I think we’ve decided to do a bit of a full remodel and upgrade. We’ll likely replace the siding with something a bit more modern, do some new windows, and freshen up the inside, all while fixing any leaks and rot that we find. I’ll post updates as we work through it, but here are a couple initial photos of its current state.
Two first questions for the community are thoughts on siding, and window options. I’m not trying to break the bank, but I do want something of decent quality.
The roof is aluminum and seems to be in great shape so I’d like to keep that. But I don’t love the old corrugated metal on the sides so I’m thinking maybe smooth painted aluminum but I’m open to suggestions!
It has had some leaks over the years like most old truck campers but the couple that owned it was meticulous about maintaining it. The husband has done some repairs over the years and it’s due for some more. As such, it is also going to get some upgrades and I think we’ve decided to do a bit of a full remodel and upgrade. We’ll likely replace the siding with something a bit more modern, do some new windows, and freshen up the inside, all while fixing any leaks and rot that we find. I’ll post updates as we work through it, but here are a couple initial photos of its current state.
Two first questions for the community are thoughts on siding, and window options. I’m not trying to break the bank, but I do want something of decent quality.
The roof is aluminum and seems to be in great shape so I’d like to keep that. But I don’t love the old corrugated metal on the sides so I’m thinking maybe smooth painted aluminum but I’m open to suggestions!
The truck has officially passed its Maine inspection and is in full use. I just took it on a trip to western mass to move my grandmother back to Maine. It did awesome and towed my families 22’ enclosed trailer without issue.
I am however still battling a minor issue I had before the frame swap and I’m wondering if anyone here has any ideas. Essentially, the truck seems like it loses fuel prime when it sits. It always starts flawlessly after the first start of the day, but when it sits for a couple days it can be a pain. What seems to happen is the fuel pump has a hard time building prime. You can actually hear the tone of the fuel pump change when it gets prime and then the truck will start. The fuel pump and lines were replaced during the swap so those should be fine. I’m wondering if there is something in the fuel bowl or regulator that could be bleeding off and then the fuel pump requires a few key cycles to rebuild the prime/pressure. Anyone here have any thoughts?
I am however still battling a minor issue I had before the frame swap and I’m wondering if anyone here has any ideas. Essentially, the truck seems like it loses fuel prime when it sits. It always starts flawlessly after the first start of the day, but when it sits for a couple days it can be a pain. What seems to happen is the fuel pump has a hard time building prime. You can actually hear the tone of the fuel pump change when it gets prime and then the truck will start. The fuel pump and lines were replaced during the swap so those should be fine. I’m wondering if there is something in the fuel bowl or regulator that could be bleeding off and then the fuel pump requires a few key cycles to rebuild the prime/pressure. Anyone here have any thoughts?
arveetek
Adventurer
Are you positive that the siding is aluminum? From the pictures it looks to me like it might be fiberglass. They used corrugated fiberglass back then. I personally had a 1994 Alpenlite 5th wheel that had corrugated fiberglass that looked just like that. Notice the screw molding that is about half way down the side? That type of fiberglass was sold in 4' wide sections, so there's a seam right there.
If it's fiberglass, chances are that it is a bonded wall construction, meaning that the fiberglass has been vacuum-bonded to the wall structure, and essentially the entire wall (interior paneling, wall studs, foam insulation, outer layer of thin plywood, and then fiberglass) is one solid piece that's not designed to come apart. Unless the wall has gotten seriously wet allowing the glue to let go, the fiberglass won't come off without a fight.
If you want to update the look, and the siding is all tight and has not delaminated, I would suggest painting the exterior with automotive grade paint.
Casey
I’m pretty sure it’s aluminum but not positive. I’ll take another look tonight. What I can say is that it’s definitely not the laminated design you describe. I know the previous (and original) owners and they have had the exterior sides off of at least one side to fix the framing.
I’m exploring the flat aluminum that’s commonly used to skin enclosed trailers. It’s readily available and I think it will be a bit more durable than the commonly used smooth RV fiberglass siding.
I’m exploring the flat aluminum that’s commonly used to skin enclosed trailers. It’s readily available and I think it will be a bit more durable than the commonly used smooth RV fiberglass siding.
Well it seems like I finally figured out this issue. I feel a bit dumb, but I relearned a lesson I should have already known. Always check the simple stuff first!
I thought this was fuel related because right before the truck would finally start, the tone of the fuel pump would change. I thought it was the fuel pump finally building pressure. When in fact it actually was the glow plug relay finally engaging and running the glow plugs. The extra electrical draw was changing the tone of the pump. I switched the relay earlier this week and the truck is again starting like it should!