christianoffroad
Cheap Adventurer!
So after years of lurking, planning, and some building, thought I would finally start a build thread....
Let me introduce Ozzy, my 1987 Ford F-350. The squared off front end has been called a 'bricknose' due to its aerodynamic comparission! It has a carbed 460, C-6 trans, BW1356 t-case, high pinion Dana60 front axle, Sterling 10.25 rear, both with 3.73 gears. All of this is original stock. My dad special ordered and bought the truck new, one of the first of the new body style in Kansas. My uncle was the sales manager of a local Ford dealership, so he was able to get it exactly what he wanted. Ozzy is all about function. No power windows, no power locks, rubber mat instead of carpet, base stereo, heavy duty suspension. Only extras are cruise control and two-tone paint. Dad drove it this way for years until he hydrolocked the engine due to a design characteristic of these trucks-if the seal at the rear of the hood gets torn, water runs down the ridge on the hood and drips on the air cleaner. Original air cleaners were concave, which funneled water down the carb stud, into the intake, then straight to #8 cylinder. Big blocks will start, regardless if a cylinder is half full of water! So I pulled the engine and rebuilt it with only 60K miles for him. At the time also added a mild cam and Edelbrock carb, as well as an aftermarket air cleaner and new hood seal! Other than that the truck remained stock until I got it.
I lost my dad to cancer in October of '11. He was a man who loved the outdoors, and passed this on to me, as well as the truck. We had talked about how cool it would be to build it into an expedition type rig and go exploring. The last few years of his life we planned a couple dream trips to take after he beat the cancer. Unfortunately he couldn't beat it. After he passed, I decided that the best thing I could do to honor my dad was to build Ozzy and take my own son exploring in it.
After a long search I managed to find a Wildernest locally for a fullsize longbed. It is pretty solid and in good shape other than the fabric, which had mildew and a large hole in one corner. Ozzy had a commercial topper on it that I had picked up and was planning on building it into a camper, so I had to use my 15yo son's truck to pick it up.
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My wife wasn't as impressed as I was!
It was what I wanted, just needed to get it painted and ready to go on the F-350
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Let me introduce Ozzy, my 1987 Ford F-350. The squared off front end has been called a 'bricknose' due to its aerodynamic comparission! It has a carbed 460, C-6 trans, BW1356 t-case, high pinion Dana60 front axle, Sterling 10.25 rear, both with 3.73 gears. All of this is original stock. My dad special ordered and bought the truck new, one of the first of the new body style in Kansas. My uncle was the sales manager of a local Ford dealership, so he was able to get it exactly what he wanted. Ozzy is all about function. No power windows, no power locks, rubber mat instead of carpet, base stereo, heavy duty suspension. Only extras are cruise control and two-tone paint. Dad drove it this way for years until he hydrolocked the engine due to a design characteristic of these trucks-if the seal at the rear of the hood gets torn, water runs down the ridge on the hood and drips on the air cleaner. Original air cleaners were concave, which funneled water down the carb stud, into the intake, then straight to #8 cylinder. Big blocks will start, regardless if a cylinder is half full of water! So I pulled the engine and rebuilt it with only 60K miles for him. At the time also added a mild cam and Edelbrock carb, as well as an aftermarket air cleaner and new hood seal! Other than that the truck remained stock until I got it.
I lost my dad to cancer in October of '11. He was a man who loved the outdoors, and passed this on to me, as well as the truck. We had talked about how cool it would be to build it into an expedition type rig and go exploring. The last few years of his life we planned a couple dream trips to take after he beat the cancer. Unfortunately he couldn't beat it. After he passed, I decided that the best thing I could do to honor my dad was to build Ozzy and take my own son exploring in it.
After a long search I managed to find a Wildernest locally for a fullsize longbed. It is pretty solid and in good shape other than the fabric, which had mildew and a large hole in one corner. Ozzy had a commercial topper on it that I had picked up and was planning on building it into a camper, so I had to use my 15yo son's truck to pick it up.
My wife wasn't as impressed as I was!
It was what I wanted, just needed to get it painted and ready to go on the F-350
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I still remember that trip vividly.
