F350 7.3 Powerstroke SCLB 4x4 ZF5 97' OBS Build w/ Lance Camper

Hi Everyone,

I have been lurking on the Expedition Portal for a while and am stoked to get my own build up here finally. I am on a tight budget so this build be done over about a year or so (don't hold your breath). I recently purchased a 97 F350 4x4 7.3 Powerstroke with a ZF5 transmission with 135 k on the clock. It has had a Lance camper (that came with it) on it since the day the it rolled off the lot hence the low miles. I owned a Tacoma Reg Cab 4x4 before this an used it extensively for overlanding around Baja but physically outgrew it (I am now 6'3") hence the change to the full size. My main goal with this rig is to build a reliable overland platform to boondock in Baja.

I have already had a CPS fail on me and now carry spares. What else is should I be prepared to have fail down south? I plan on bringing extra fuel filters, fan belt, CPS and am still assembling the rest.

I currently have a pretty solid fuel leak (diesel in the engine block valley and on everything underneath it). How hard is it to fix this myself? Does anyone have a detailed post on how to fix this common issue? A mechanic in Oceanside quote me $800 which seems like too much. Does anyone have a diesel mechanic they can recommend in the North County San Diego area?

I currently have 235/75r 16's on it and am looking for something a touch bigger that won't rub on full lock and flexed at all (with stock rims and suspension). Those of you running 285/75r 16's do you rub and will the tires wear properly on the stock 16x7's? Also will a full size spare fit in the stock location?

One of the locations that I like to frequent is a 500 mile+ roundtrip from the nearest PEMEX that has diesel (My current range with camper is about 450 miles). Has anyone with an OBS put a 38 gallon bronco tank where the rear tank is? How hard is it to pull this off?

I had extended diff, tranny and transfer case breathers on my tacoma. Does anyone have a post on how to do this (or any advice)? I don't plan on fording anything gnarly but with the impending El Nino don't want to get stopped by a flooded vado.

For the time being I am planning on the leaving the stock leaves on and want to save up for the RSK shackle reversal plus Atalas expo leaves on all four corners. I am thinking about throwing on Bilstien 5100's, but have never owned this large of a rig before will they control 10k in weight OK (I know it won't ride like my mid travel Tacoma haha)?

Regarding the camper I plan on adding solar panels, a 12v fridge and couple of other gizmos to make my stay more comfortable. Any words of advice to make my Lance camper more solid off road? I predominately drive graded dirt roads, with some moondust and beach driving.

Here is my new rig not sure what to name her yet:

20150408_092500.jpg
 

muskie

New member
congratulations on a nice rig. on the camper part, rv.net has a great forum on truck campers. your roof is aluminum, some of them get pin holes in them, easiest fix is snow roof rubberized paint. so just check roof seams. calk and paint it.
lol calk sealant threads are like oil threads ... congratulations on the new rig
 

BBslider001

Diesel Head
Congrats on the OBS. I am from Oceanside. Welcome to the hood!

I would highly recommend Ford Truck Enthusiast for learning about your OBS. There is a really good group of knowledgeable guys over there. Enjoy the truck!
 
Last edited:

gtbensley

Explorer
Nice truck! Regarding the fuel leak, check the water drain on the front of the bowl, these can leak. Best way to find if is let it run while you look. Mine had a pretty bad leak from the mechanical fuel pump in the vally of the engine. Came from the weep hole on the pump.
 
Muskie thanks for the advice. I have been going over the whole camper re-caulking everything. I have some wood rot on the wings and am curious if I can cut the damage off the diamond plate over it.
 
BBslider001 thanks for the advice there is alot of good information on Ford Truck Enthusiast. I still couldn't find a good thread on how to properly fix the fuel leak. I live in South O if you ever see me cruising around town feel free to wave me down!
 
pappawheely thank you! I want to set my suspension up similar to yours. How much did you Atlas Spring packs run you? Did you get custom ones made or did you just go with the expo ones? Does your ZF5 grind at all going into any gears? What transmission fluid do you use?
 

pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
pappawheely thank you! I want to set my suspension up similar to yours. How much did you Atlas Spring packs run you? Did you get custom ones made or did you just go with the expo ones? Does your ZF5 grind at all going into any gears? What transmission fluid do you use?

Mine are custom. I don't recall the price right now but I looked at airbags and helper springs and everything else before I realized springs were the best bang for the buck. Not only does it ride so much better but the springs were designed to match the weight of my truck. I used to work at King Shocks and Iribe and Lance King always told me that you have to get the spring rate correct first. Then you can tune shocks and make other adjustments. A lot of the suspension "helpers" on the market just make it stiffer. The ZF5 grinds due to operator error sometimes but like all manuals I've driven, it goes in easy sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. I use Maxima synthetic fluids in everything. I've learned in racing that you never want to scrimp on your lubricants/fluids. I drove a real nasty 383 el camino on the street for years. When you stress an engine or driveline parts you have to keep them happy. That means lubricants that can take high temps and still perform. In my experience that means synthetics.
 

gtbensley

Explorer
BBslider001 thanks for the advice there is alot of good information on Ford Truck Enthusiast. I still couldn't find a good thread on how to properly fix the fuel leak. I live in South O if you ever see me cruising around town feel free to wave me down!

Do you know what's leaking?
 
I still haven't pinpointed what is leaking. I am pretty sure that it is my full pump and potentially out of the weep hole on the fuel pump. I am still learning about the 7.3 but am hoping to get it leak free soon.
 

snowaddict91

Adventurer
^he has a PSD, not an IDI. To address a few things from your first post, I think you have the spare parts covered. Vacuum pump and water pump also can fail but I wouldn't carry a spare of either. If you start smelling coolant or get some coming out the weep hole on the water pump, get ready to do it (its an easy job with a set of fan clutch wrenches).
As far as tires, I run 285s on my ccsb and had to trim a little on the bottom corners of the bumper, but my springs are sagged bad with 270k on the truck. Tire wear seems ok, at least by TTB standards. EDIT: since you have a 1 ton you should be fine to run 285s with no trimming for sure
As far as the fuel leak, I would try and figure out if it is definitely coming from the pump before changing it. Maybe try and clean up the valley and see if you can pinpoint where it is coming from? Could be any of the common sensor o-rings on the bowl, cracked bowl, lines from pump to bowl, etc.
Oh and sweet rig! Have found myself lusting for a reg cab with a 5 speed lately!
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
Hi Everyone,

I have been lurking on the Expedition Portal for a while and am stoked to get my own build up here finally. I am on a tight budget so this build be done over about a year or so (don't hold your breath). I recently purchased a 97 F350 4x4 7.3 Powerstroke with a ZF5 transmission with 135 k on the clock. It has had a Lance camper (that came with it) on it since the day the it rolled off the lot hence the low miles. I owned a Tacoma Reg Cab 4x4 before this an used it extensively for overlanding around Baja but physically outgrew it (I am now 6'3") hence the change to the full size. My main goal with this rig is to build a reliable overland platform to boondock in Baja.

I have already had a CPS fail on me and now carry spares. What else is should I be prepared to have fail down south? I plan on bringing extra fuel filters, fan belt, CPS and am still assembling the rest.

I currently have a pretty solid fuel leak (diesel in the engine block valley and on everything underneath it). How hard is it to fix this myself? Does anyone have a detailed post on how to fix this common issue? A mechanic in Oceanside quote me $800 which seems like too much. Does anyone have a diesel mechanic they can recommend in the North County San Diego area?

I currently have 235/75r 16's on it and am looking for something a touch bigger that won't rub on full lock and flexed at all (with stock rims and suspension). Those of you running 285/75r 16's do you rub and will the tires wear properly on the stock 16x7's? Also will a full size spare fit in the stock location?

One of the locations that I like to frequent is a 500 mile+ roundtrip from the nearest PEMEX that has diesel (My current range with camper is about 450 miles). Has anyone with an OBS put a 38 gallon bronco tank where the rear tank is? How hard is it to pull this off?

I had extended diff, tranny and transfer case breathers on my tacoma. Does anyone have a post on how to do this (or any advice)? I don't plan on fording anything gnarly but with the impending El Nino don't want to get stopped by a flooded vado.

For the time being I am planning on the leaving the stock leaves on and want to save up for the RSK shackle reversal plus Atalas expo leaves on all four corners. I am thinking about throwing on Bilstien 5100's, but have never owned this large of a rig before will they control 10k in weight OK (I know it won't ride like my mid travel Tacoma haha)?

Regarding the camper I plan on adding solar panels, a 12v fridge and couple of other gizmos to make my stay more comfortable. Any words of advice to make my Lance camper more solid off road? I predominately drive graded dirt roads, with some moondust and beach driving.

Here is my new rig not sure what to name her yet:

View attachment 299533

I think Bilstein 5100's will be overwhelmed with the rig mass and offroading. A reservoir 2.0 or 2.5 would be more like it after you settle on springs. A Hellwig swaybar out back will greatly enhance the highway ride and you can quickly disconnect one side for your offroad run. Moondust is going to take a lot more flotation.
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
I still haven't pinpointed what is leaking. I am pretty sure that it is my full pump and potentially out of the weep hole on the fuel pump. I am still learning about the 7.3 but am hoping to get it leak free soon.

Here's the name of a Ford diesel specialist on Miramar Rd. The Dodge shop I use refers Powerstroke customers to them.Very positive feedback.
S&M Automotive 858-450-5000
 

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