OBS F250 Build

[PSD]

I bought this F250 in 2011 and have put about 100k miles on it since. My wife and I spent about 15 months (in 2012 and 2013) traveling the West in this truck. It had a beat-to-******** 1994 Lance on it, which worked great. Very grateful for the opportunity to visit a lot of places pre-Instagram, as most of the spots we really loved have been overrun and not so enjoyable anymore.

The truck has sat parked at a friend's shop for the last year, and we're finally getting around to working on it.

First things first - we dropped the front axle to make room for a D60 that came from a 2006 Superduty.








The conversion kit from leaf to coil sprung is from Sky's Off Road Design. Everything looks super bomber, and the people at Sky's were super helpful.



Spent the good part of a day last week cutting cab and chassis mounts in anticipation of removing the cab and bed. All but 3 were completely seized. As you can imagine, it was a huge pain in the ass, given the relative inaccessibility of a lot of the bolts.



More to come next week....

 

[Ole Chipper]

Next time try some PJ Blaster on those bolts. I just took 3 trucks apart the last couple months and had no problem. Rusty WI salt cover trucks.

You do know the bolts come out the top. Just pull the carpet back and zip them out with a impact. They either come out or break off. I've NEVER had to cut a mount in 30 years of body work.

 

[PSD]

Next time try some PJ Blaster on those bolts. I just took 3 trucks apart the last couple months and had no problem. Rusty WI salt cover trucks.

You do know the bolts come out the top. Just pull the carpet back and zip them out with a impact. They either come out or break off. I've NEVER had to cut a mount in 30 years of body work.

Glad I'm not dealing with that type of rust. I've watched my friends' cars in Minnesota slowly rot away - crazy.

I did try the PB.... maybe I could have been more persistent or patient. A few of them broke. The three I was able to get off were cab mounts that were under the carpet. Either way, I intended to replace all of them with new ones anyways, so all that's been lost is some of my time, which isn't worth too much these days, anyways

You've got a ************ collection of trucks, BTW. I'm glad I bought my two rigs when they were still pretty inexpensive. I can't find any in Colorado that are reasonably priced anymore.

 

[IdaSHO]

Fun project

The 06+ Dana60 is pure beef.
Are you swapping the rear as well, to have the same bolt pattern and perhaps the factory E-locker?

 

[longroad2nowhere]

Nice! I have the same color F250 with a dana 60 swap and 4" reverse shackle kit. Love this damn truck. Currently getting a new john woods transmission put in mine.

 

[Ole Chipper]

Yeah I was way ahead of the curve with purchasing my rigs. Back when you could buy those ole trucks for 2500-3500 bucks I bought the nicest ones I could find. Especially when diesel was 4 bucks a gallon. Nobody wanted anything to do with them. Should have a lifetime supply.

You sure have a nice clean rig and cool build.

I'll post the picture again for those who haven't seen them. Actually just put another one together not pictured.

 

[PSD]

Fun project

The 06+ Dana60 is pure beef.
Are you swapping the rear as well, to have the same bolt pattern and perhaps the factory E-locker?

That’s the plan - just waiting to find the right axle within a reasonable distance. I really just want to do it for the matching bolt pattern.

How is the factory locker on those?

Nice! I have the same color F250 with a dana 60 swap and 4" reverse shackle kit. Love this damn truck. Currently getting a new john woods transmission put in mine.

Looks killer with that bed setup. I’m going back and forth between repainting with the factory two-tone, or doing something totally different. I’ve become pretty attached to the gold stripe....

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

One of the best places to search salvage yards for parts.

Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

 

[PSD]

One of the best places to search salvage yards for parts.

Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

Killer - thank you! That is super helpful

 

[PSD]

More progress today: Removed the cab and bed, and started making a list of stuff the truck needs moving forward. I'd like to expand the fuel capacity of the truck, as the two small tanks never seem to be quite enough. Also looking into some new front and rear bumpers, new wheels and tires, and plenty of assorted odds and ends (new steering box and drive shaft u-joints come to mind, as well as a bunch of interior bits). I'm also considering a flat bed.... I've got a 1997 F350 with a long bed, so two trucks with standard beds might be redundant. Time will tell. Planning on pulling the motor and putting a wire wheel to frame next week.

None of this would be possible without the experience and equipment of a friend, who is letting me make a mess of his shop, and dealing with the endless barrage of my questions as the project progresses.

 

[PSD]

Ass-end shot of the 7.3 as it currently sits; I've always enjoyed the way this motor looks. Still wish it were a 6BT, though!

 

[PSD]

Some progress with the wire wheel a few days ago...



Hopefully pulling the motor next week. I'm working on figuring out fuel tanks, as the stock fuel capacity has never really been ideal.

 

[PSD]

Removed the 7.3, and the rear fuel tank. I've been working on getting all of the surface rust off of the frame. Progress is currently slow, but it's coming along.

 

[PSD]

Question: Does anyone know if there are any replacement options for the variety of plastic clips on the driver's side frame rail? Most of them are holding the fuel lines in place. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

 

[elpoffroad]

I'm am definitely following this build