F450 Custom Composite Expedition Truck - ALL THE DETAILS

[Allysonoverland]

I’m back! After a whirlwind of a week - the van is sold! Woooo!

The van went to a lovely couple from Oregon. They flew in to SLC and picked it up Friday 4/11.

Side note: I set up of a Bank of America account online to simplify everything. I have always done my banking with a small Kansas credit union - so I had never experienced a fast or easy wire transfer process. This one took about 60 seconds. Transferring BoA to BoA was such a painless experience.

After the sale, I snagged a one-way rental car and started the drive back home (Oklahoma) on Friday night. Turns out my entire life actually fits into the back of a Nissan Rogue. I pitched a tent in southern Utah for the night, then kept on trekking.



I made a stop along the way in Grand Junction, CO to see my friend Lee at Labyrinth Overland. He assembles Bison Overland Campers + does super custom interior builds. One of the nicest guys I’ve met and outstanding customer service.



If you’re in the market for a project this summer, he had an empty slide in style shell sitting in the shop that he said he’d be willing to part with. I believe it was for a 6.5 ft bed.

One thing I noticed and loved - how he hand cuts a taper in the seat backs of his cushions for a more comfortable sit in the dinette / couch area. Will likely be doing this to mine now.



I slept in the front seat at a rest stop somewhere in Kansas late Saturday night and finally made it home Sunday morning!
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As luck would have it, a nearly perfect F-450 pickup was recently listed for sale not too far from my house. It finally felt like the stars were aligning…

On Monday afternoon I stopped in and had a look - a 2017 F450 Platinum with only 52,000 miles. Listed for $65,500 by a small local dealership. Slightly under market price. Nice.



I say this truck was “nearly” perfect for a few reasons…

Reason #1 - I was originally hoping for a 2020+ for the 10 speed since I'm aiming to not do MPT 41" tires. But, as the camper build continues, parts and costs continue to increase. I built in a margin of error with my budget, but we have already used it.

To recalculate, I decided to give myself more wiggle room by cutting back on what I was spending on the truck. This meant compromising for slightly older OR a low trim. Due to the change in body style in 2017, 2017 was the oldest I was willing to go.

There's a lot of aftermarket mods you can do to dress up an XL/XLT. But my main restriction - I want collision avoidance / adaptive cruise control… It has saved my life more than once.

In 2021, a guy lost control of his sports car on the highway, crossed 3 lanes and wrapped himself around a pole right in front of me. Adaptive cruise hit the brakes for me and made sure I didn’t go with him…

Everyone has their opinions on tech but for as much as I drive, adaptive cruise is a must. It makes long trips and city driving less taxing. Just my personal opinion.

Reason #2 - it has a sun roof. The added weight is a waste of payload & will be useless with a cab over camper above me most of the time. Just another place for potential leaks…But that was not a deal breaker for me.

Reason #3 - When I arrived, I crawled under the truck to inspect it. I saw exactly what I was told to expect on a 2017 super duty - evidence of an upper oil pan leak. When I commented on it, I was promptly provided a receipt showing it had already been fixed. Apparently the mechanic just didn’t clean up after.

Since this truck came with zero warranties or guarantees, and I'm no mechanic (yet ) I booked a PPI at a different shop. I gave the mechanic this check list to fill out & added some 6.7L Ford specific questions on the back. They found a small coolant leak and a need for air/engine filter changes. Not bad for an 8 year old truck.



While I didn’t need/want a platinum specifically - the price was more than fair given the absolutely mint condition & mileage of the truck. I also ended up liking the interior "Brunello" leather more than expected. So we negotiated a bit. + I didn’t have to fly anywhere to get it, which was a win….Sooo I bought it!! 😍

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Now what? The van is sold… I have the truck… and the builder in Montana has already started assembling the floor & water tanks in the camper shell. I guess this is for real now, huh???

This weekend is looking to be a bunch of truck mods. Top priority is removing some of the rear seats to build a platform for my dog + storage. Maybe even updating the front end to something a little more my style…

Will report back with details of that project very very soon thanks for following along.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Congrats!

 

[Allysonoverland]

Once I bought the truck, I wanted all the details on it that I could find. Obviously I have a Carfax and I usually check details with FordWindowSticker but depending on the state, sometimes it doesn't work.

I ended up pulling a report from iSeeCars for $9. At the end, it included specs and measurement info that I thought other F-450 crew cab pickup owners may be interested in seeing. I am sure this is free somewhere but having these measurements for my specific truck is super helpful so thought I'd share

Something fun I noticed, if my sources are correct...
My former 2021 2500 144" WB High Roof Sprinter had a turning radius of 54.8 ft curb to curb.
My new 2017 F-450 pickup, 176" WB has a turning radius of 50.4 ft curb to curb.

No wonder it feels like I can still whip around town in this thing!

 

[ITTOG]

Yeah that tapered seat back will make a huge difference on comfortability.

You will love that truck. However, one potential problem is the panoramic sunroof? If yours is a panoramic sunroof, the cabover will/may force air down between the two glass panels. My truck is a 2018 F150 so it may be different but I have to put painters tape over the area the panels meet to stop the wind noise and prevent water (if raining) from coming into the cab.

 

[Allysonoverland]

Yeah that tapered seat back will make a huge difference on comfortability.

You will love that truck. However, one potential problem is the panoramic sunroof? If yours is a panoramic sunroof, the cabover will/may force air down between the two glass panels. My truck is a 2018 F150 so it may be different but I have to put painters tape over the area the panels meet to stop the wind noise and prevent water (if raining) from coming into the cab.

Thank you for the heads up on this! It listed as the twin panel moon roof. Wish it didn't have it at all!

 

[ITTOG]

Thank you for the heads up on this! It listed as the twin panel moon roof. Wish it didn't have it at all!

You might consider having it removed if you are planning a passthrough to the camper. It would be advantageous to do both at the same time.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

 

[Skinhyfish]

Thank you for the heads up on this! It listed as the twin panel moon roof. Wish it didn't have it at all!

You from KS? Build looks good. Lee in grand junction is awesome. I almost went that route. I chose an outpost and pick up mine on April 30. Doing custom boxes on my F350. You are going big. I’ll be watching your build. I’m excited about the composite panels. Had many campers but this will the warmest and best all around.

Cheers Zach

 

[Allysonoverland]

You from KS? Build looks good. Lee in grand junction is awesome. I almost went that route. I chose an outpost and pick up mine on April 30. Doing custom boxes on my F350. You are going big. I’ll be watching your build. I’m excited about the composite panels. Had many campers but this will the warmest and best all around.

Cheers Zach

Yes I am from Kansas originally! Are you?
also .. do a thread!!

 

[Blackdogvan]

I can see why the newer 10 speed trans would have appeal however I believe the 6 spd is more reliable and will be better for you in the long term. One thing you might look into for your new to you 6.7 is a CP4 disaster prevention kit. This is a must on any engine using the CP4 fuel pump IMHO. They are cheap insurance and have the potential to save you from a massive and avoidable repair bill down the road.

 

[tmacc]

We have a '15 F350 with the 6.7, 185k miles. Haven't had an issue with the CP4. A neighbor has 287k miles. No CP4 issues. YMMV Our diesel mechanic for the past 15 years says all of the CP4 he's replaced have been due to DEG added to the fuel tank.
We use Optilube diesel additive to lube the CP4. I'm religious about adding at every fill-up. Archoil is another additive that is highly recommended.
One thing I would recommend is that you download Forscan software to perform owner initiated regens of the DPF. This a life saver when you're far from any mechanic and you get the infamous "Limited to 50 MPH in 50 miles" message. The software has free version and a pay version.

I love this thread. We are also looking for a F450. We have a truck camper, so won't be doing all of the cool stuff you are. Since we in Baja half the year, I want to do singles. Looking into Founders wheels and a 285/70-19.5" truck tire like Toyota 608 Hyper Radials. I want to avoid having to lift the truck.

 

[tmacc]

Not to highjack this thread, but it is traveling and overlanding related. It's also related to Allyson's new rig. Here is a forum thread from Ford Truck Enthusiasts about CP4s, DPKs, and DCRs. A really interesting read for those of us with 6.7 Power Strokes.

lets blame cp4 fails on bioblends - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

6.7L Power Stroke Diesel - lets blame cp4 fails on bioblends - https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1774502-2020-2022-ford-f-series-trucks-recalled-over-fuel-pump-failures.html

www.ford-trucks.com

DCR link,

S&S Diesel CP4 to DCR Pump Conversion | 2011-2024 Ford 6.7L | Thoroughbred Diesel

Transform your 2011-2024 Ford 6.7L Powerstroke with the S&S CP4 to DCR Conversion, ensuring superior fuel delivery and performance upgrades for a more powerful drive.

www.thoroughbreddiesel.com

Hopefully, the link works.
We have over a 100k miles of travels with our F350 and truck camper. From multiple trips to the tip of Baja to AK and Tuktoyuktuk. From New England to FL. There's nothing worst than the CEL coming on and derate message of some kind. We're currently working thru our third experience that started in Baja as we were working our way back to the states to take our cat to the emergency vet in Yuma. It's slightly stressful to say the least. Finding a mechanic with Ford IDS software short of a dealer is near impossible in Baja.
Our mechanic sort of poo-pooed the DPK, but he's not an overland sort of guy. The FTE thread didn't necessarily change that thinking with me, but the comments about the DCR pump definitely got me thinking that it might be the way to go.
All of our issues have been DPF/SCR related. They were/are not fun. I don't think ULSD is the major issue. Our first major CEL was in Baja in '21 when ULSD was hit or miss. Our second major CEL was in the mid West with us limping into Rawlins, WY for major transplant of all of the DEF equipment. I don't even want think about trying to do that in Mexico or South America. I will say that it's possible that it's related to the age of the truck. All of the problems we had started well after the truck had 100k on the odometer.
Hopefully, this gives you all food for thought.

 

[Project Big Money]

Don’t use alumiline. Worst customer experience ever and list $7000 to them

I am very happy with mine. Designed and built exactly as I wanted it. Sorry you didn’t have the same results.

 

[Skinhyfish]

I am very happy with mine. Designed and built exactly as I wanted it. Sorry you didn’t have the same results.

Ya Mike the salesman can eat a big one and the owner

 

[Allysonoverland]

After getting the truck home, I removed the 60 of the 60/40 rear seats and began building a platform for my dog (more on that soon!)

Progress was quickly interrupted due to the upper oil pan leak that I had found when inspecting the truck. Despite the documentation of it being fixed, I was still finding small drips in my driveway.

For those that don’t know, the leak is common in this year of truck and caused by too much crank case pressure when the CCV is clogged.

So the truck is back in the shop, thankfully under warranty from the previous work they did. Based on the service records- the shop had recently replaced the CCV using the original part number. I’ve since learned that keeping it this way would likely result in the same thing happening to me in the future.

So, while they’re in there, as a preventative and under the recommendation of a new internet friend (thanks Daniel!) I asked the shop to swap the CCV they just put in, with one for a 2023+ (PC3Z-6A785-A) in hopes of that making it permanently fixed.

Hoping to have it back next week!

 

[Allysonoverland]

In the meantime - the camper build is in full swing…

Here’s some quick dimensions of the camper shell:




As you can see, the shell is quite tall at 92” !

My goal was to keep the water and other heavy components as low and as far forward of the rear axle as possible to help with the COG. But I also wanted full flexibility with the layout inside. Thus, a false floor for the “basement” was decided.



Pictured is my 50 gallon fresh water tank, which will be accompanied by a 26G gray tank, both under 6” tall.

The raised floor is less than 8” total and is being structured around the components using aluminum extrusion. Once fully built, we will lay 29mm honeycomb panel over top and then layer it with a lightweight sheet of vinyl flooring.


The 92” tall camper, minus the 3” thick Cascadia walls/floor and roughly 8” basement - still gives me approx ~78” (6.5 ft) interior height when all said and done.

And, just a reminder. I’m 5’2” so even after all that, I may still need a step stool to access some of my upper cabinets! 😝

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Long story short - there was a slight mixup a few months ago - which resulted in the inside of my camper being gray instead of white. This was promptly and gracefully addressed but instead of sending it back and delaying the build further, we agreed on a discount to kept moving forward. But that meant I needed to find a way to hide the gray interior! Back to researching....

I’ve seen this microcement trend booming in the van space the last 2 years:



I love the look, but given the type of roads I frequent, I was unsure how well it would truly hold up from cracking.

In the few test videos I’ve seen, it’s quite impressive how well it holds up on wood and flexible surfaces, but I was still super skeptical of applying it to ALL the walls of my expensive camper. Plus it does add a bit of weight - which I’m trying to avoid!

So, I landed somewhere in the middle. Lime wash painted walls for a similiar look, and only using true microcement / plaster in the shower area because its waterproof.

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If you're unfamiliar, due to the HD fiberglass they use, the Cascadia panels do have a bit of texture to them. See here on the left:



Honestly, I don't love it but it was a small sacrifice to make for an extra durable camper. I do plan to paint or wrap the exterior in the future anyways.

However, I was delighted to find that after lightly sanding the interior to prep for paint, the texture was quite smooth!

This was the shell while still gray:



After a coat of mineral primer for adhesion:



After a coat of lime wash in the shade Chèvre from Color Atelier:



It will need another coat, but it already looks MUCH bigger inside with a lighter color!

You can really see the contrast of the grey vs the lime wash at the back wall - the only spot where we didn't sand / paint because of plans to cut another window in

Once the final coat is dry, we will go over it with 2 coats of liquid wax sealer, which gives the walls a silky feeling and makes them super easy to clean despite being matte.

Now I am sitting on my kitchen floor, checking fabric swatches and applying various samples of Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C to my flat-cut white oak samples from Oakwood Veneer.



I think my favorite is “smoke” !

For those of you not on instagram, here's short a video of the camper to give you a better idea of the space I'm working with. This was taken before the paint!

Be back soon