ersatzknarf
lost, but making time
bump for an update, bitte ! ! !
F150 Flatbed Overlander Build
- Thread starter escadventure
- Start date
mastersryan
Adventurer
any updates?
escadventure
Adventurer
Build Update Pics
Ok, so the truck got here a couple weeks ago, so I've had a little time to ge to know it, do a few mods and generally tinker with it. Buying a vehicle from thousands of miles away is, for me, always a bit worrisome in that it's so easy to get screwed. And I have been before. This time I'm quite happy with it. The truck seems in very good condition as befitting it's 60k odo reading. The only problem I've found with it after driving it a few hundred miles is an oil leak which I think is coming from the right rear valve cover gasket.
I had to cut down the headache rack a couple inches to accomodate the cab over of the camper. And I installed an Optima red top. And got my Warn Zeon 10S mounted on a portable winch plate for use on the front or back bumper reese mounts.
A couple pics of the interior - pretty clean.
Thats not a fuel can, it's one of those jerry can tool boxes.
A pic of the Timbren install. I've heard they adversly affect turning radius. But it still turns tighter than my FJC does.
In case any of you where wondering how the UTE bed is constructed. This is the underside.
Camper still not done yet, but getting so close...
Ok, so the truck got here a couple weeks ago, so I've had a little time to ge to know it, do a few mods and generally tinker with it. Buying a vehicle from thousands of miles away is, for me, always a bit worrisome in that it's so easy to get screwed. And I have been before. This time I'm quite happy with it. The truck seems in very good condition as befitting it's 60k odo reading. The only problem I've found with it after driving it a few hundred miles is an oil leak which I think is coming from the right rear valve cover gasket.
I had to cut down the headache rack a couple inches to accomodate the cab over of the camper. And I installed an Optima red top. And got my Warn Zeon 10S mounted on a portable winch plate for use on the front or back bumper reese mounts.
A couple pics of the interior - pretty clean.
Thats not a fuel can, it's one of those jerry can tool boxes.
A pic of the Timbren install. I've heard they adversly affect turning radius. But it still turns tighter than my FJC does.
In case any of you where wondering how the UTE bed is constructed. This is the underside.
Camper still not done yet, but getting so close...
Last edited:
1stDeuce
Explorer
Cool looking rig!! Like the bed with toolboxes... Wanting something similar, but w/o the high deck of the flatbed...
Timbrens on the front eh? Should work pretty well. They can be a little hard on the nearest bushing, but I don't see how they'd affect turning radius, unless the tire can rub on them at full lock... doesn't seem like it would. Curious what you think of the ride with them... We put a set on my dad's plow truck, and they do keep the nose from dropping when you lift the plow, but they really stiffened it up... Big bumps tend to pogo the front of the truck now, since the Timbren is really just a super stiff spring. Everything is a tradeoff, and they do help carry load without squatting. The airbags on the back of my truck are not much different unfortunately.
Someone needs to build a tall airbag for the rear of our trucks, so the rate doesn't climb so fast, and there's some articulation capability...
Curious how it is driving a "huge" truck like the F150 in Germany...
Chris
Timbrens on the front eh? Should work pretty well. They can be a little hard on the nearest bushing, but I don't see how they'd affect turning radius, unless the tire can rub on them at full lock... doesn't seem like it would. Curious what you think of the ride with them... We put a set on my dad's plow truck, and they do keep the nose from dropping when you lift the plow, but they really stiffened it up... Big bumps tend to pogo the front of the truck now, since the Timbren is really just a super stiff spring. Everything is a tradeoff, and they do help carry load without squatting. The airbags on the back of my truck are not much different unfortunately.
Someone needs to build a tall airbag for the rear of our trucks, so the rate doesn't climb so fast, and there's some articulation capability...
Curious how it is driving a "huge" truck like the F150 in Germany...
Chris
escadventure
Adventurer
CAMPER INSTALLED!
Hey Deuce, I know where not to drive that big thing! So it's not too bad. But in my little village there aren't many parkiing places it'll fit, so I often end up parking it out side of town and walking to the house. Bit of a pain...
Well, we finally got our Fernweh-Mobile camper this weekend.
The suspension seems to be sorted pretty well for it.
Hey Deuce, I know where not to drive that big thing! So it's not too bad. But in my little village there aren't many parkiing places it'll fit, so I often end up parking it out side of town and walking to the house. Bit of a pain...
Well, we finally got our Fernweh-Mobile camper this weekend.
The suspension seems to be sorted pretty well for it.
Quill
Adventurer
That is really a fine set up. Valve cover gasket shouldn't be much of an expense. Hard to imagine not having enough room for an F150. We are spoiled here with lots of space. My driveway has to hold a Bronco II, a Samurai, two Honda Accords, a CR-V, a Toyota truck and 5 motorcycles. I need to get rid of some to get my Jeeps home.
escadventure
Adventurer
First camp trip with the Overlander
We made it an easy one for a first trip out. To Normandy for a short week. We camped on the shore near Point Du Hoc.
The camper was great. Comfortable- we slept like babies in the top bunk. The German style bedding is super comfortable. We got in the habit of setting up the bottom bunk to lounge with the extra pillows to read, drink tea and relax before climbing up to bed. There was some pretty good coastal wind and a little rain and the camper handled it very well.
The truck also performed well. As for the suspension, you wouldn't even know the camper is back there. It'll go fast if you want it to, but the engine has to work at times to go at a fast pace. From previously driving our FJC loaded and w/RTT we got used to pacing 60-65MPH so we're driving the F150 like that too. Even at that speed it gets around 13.5 MPG. I'm a little disappointed with that, I thought it'd do better. Yeah, I want a V8 that drinks like a Mini Cooper...
It was nice having all that living space and storage space with a vehicle footprint as small as a F150.
I've got a few little things to get sorted out and hopefully I'll get that thing offroad soon...
We made it an easy one for a first trip out. To Normandy for a short week. We camped on the shore near Point Du Hoc.
The camper was great. Comfortable- we slept like babies in the top bunk. The German style bedding is super comfortable. We got in the habit of setting up the bottom bunk to lounge with the extra pillows to read, drink tea and relax before climbing up to bed. There was some pretty good coastal wind and a little rain and the camper handled it very well.
The truck also performed well. As for the suspension, you wouldn't even know the camper is back there. It'll go fast if you want it to, but the engine has to work at times to go at a fast pace. From previously driving our FJC loaded and w/RTT we got used to pacing 60-65MPH so we're driving the F150 like that too. Even at that speed it gets around 13.5 MPG. I'm a little disappointed with that, I thought it'd do better. Yeah, I want a V8 that drinks like a Mini Cooper...
It was nice having all that living space and storage space with a vehicle footprint as small as a F150.
I've got a few little things to get sorted out and hopefully I'll get that thing offroad soon...
Very nice.
escadventure
Adventurer
As requested - interior pics
Ok, here are some interior pics.
This is a bad pic but you can see how big the upper bunk is, and the fleece curtain that can be deployed completely around the bed which is great for those cool nights and to keep it dark in the morning.
Ok, here are some interior pics.
This is a bad pic but you can see how big the upper bunk is, and the fleece curtain that can be deployed completely around the bed which is great for those cool nights and to keep it dark in the morning.
Every Miles A Memory
Expedition Leader
Awesome build!! Do you have a link to those underbed boxes? I have a UTE Bed and have been looking for some storage boxes to put under and in front of the rear tires, and those look like they were made for the configuration!
Did the shop in Georgia build the rear bumper too? I might have to give him a call!!
Did the shop in Georgia build the rear bumper too? I might have to give him a call!!
coastal616
Adventurer
Thats cool! I love that bed and the camper.
escadventure
Adventurer
Thanks Coastal!
Every Mile - I got the underbed boxes from UTE when I bought the flatbed kit. They were stupid expensive. So much so that the US dealer I was purchasing through tried to talk me out of them. I was too ignorant to know any better... I think you can probably get something just as good from Ebay. Or from inlad.com which is where I got the big boxes. And the folks at Inlad are great to deal with.
The bumpers where made by Tactical Armor Group - AND I'd like to remind everyone reading this that they are a bunch of crooks! The front bumper is not what I paid for and the custom rock rails I ordered (and paid for) never came. They've got a horrible BBB rating. I wish I new that before I gave them the required payment in full upon placing the order.
Every Mile - I got the underbed boxes from UTE when I bought the flatbed kit. They were stupid expensive. So much so that the US dealer I was purchasing through tried to talk me out of them. I was too ignorant to know any better... I think you can probably get something just as good from Ebay. Or from inlad.com which is where I got the big boxes. And the folks at Inlad are great to deal with.
The bumpers where made by Tactical Armor Group - AND I'd like to remind everyone reading this that they are a bunch of crooks! The front bumper is not what I paid for and the custom rock rails I ordered (and paid for) never came. They've got a horrible BBB rating. I wish I new that before I gave them the required payment in full upon placing the order.
escadventure
Adventurer
Back Seat Storage Rack
I took the back seats out of my truck and built a storage rack that's now (mostly) finished. I designed and fab'd all the bits, then employed a very helpful friend to do the welding for me. This generous fellow worked for beer and did a fine job.
It's made of thin wall steel frame and covered with diamond plate aluminum. It weighs about as much as the seats I removed.
No modification to the truck was made. It's mounted into seat belt and seat mount points. It's slightly modular, meaning, the floor part can come out leaving the back installed. Or back can come out leaving the floor and ceiling net installed. Modular also in that, it can be partially installed to accomodate either part of the 60/40 rear seat. I'm pretty sure I'll never use it in any of those ways, but designed it like that just to make it more difficult... I'm not the smartest guy around and I burned many brain cells to get it to work like this.
As you can see from the pic, I've only started to install the aircraft seat rails for mounting stuff. Also plan to install, via snap mount- a bit of carpet for mounting velcro bags and a MOLLE board for my MOLLE bags.
The floor frame. I notched the steel to accept clip nuts for a reliable way to secure and remove the alu covering.
The wall and it's mounts
Ceiling net for small items i.e. jackets, potato chip bags etc...
Home made mount bracket for the mount tube of the net. (the only piece of wood used)
I took the back seats out of my truck and built a storage rack that's now (mostly) finished. I designed and fab'd all the bits, then employed a very helpful friend to do the welding for me. This generous fellow worked for beer and did a fine job.
It's made of thin wall steel frame and covered with diamond plate aluminum. It weighs about as much as the seats I removed.
No modification to the truck was made. It's mounted into seat belt and seat mount points. It's slightly modular, meaning, the floor part can come out leaving the back installed. Or back can come out leaving the floor and ceiling net installed. Modular also in that, it can be partially installed to accomodate either part of the 60/40 rear seat. I'm pretty sure I'll never use it in any of those ways, but designed it like that just to make it more difficult... I'm not the smartest guy around and I burned many brain cells to get it to work like this.
As you can see from the pic, I've only started to install the aircraft seat rails for mounting stuff. Also plan to install, via snap mount- a bit of carpet for mounting velcro bags and a MOLLE board for my MOLLE bags.
The floor frame. I notched the steel to accept clip nuts for a reliable way to secure and remove the alu covering.
The wall and it's mounts
Ceiling net for small items i.e. jackets, potato chip bags etc...
Home made mount bracket for the mount tube of the net. (the only piece of wood used)
escadventure
Adventurer
Got a few bits mounted in the back seat rack
Got a few bits mounted in the back seat rack.
Got a few bits mounted in the back seat rack.