The Bigger Red Pig
- Thread starter lstzephyr
- Start date
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
My advise for ya....
-Try and find a soft shell camper. Perhaps something that can be convertible and/or easy to take up and down. This makes the truck more useful as a truck without having to find a place to store a hard shell, or finding someone to help you take the hard shell off/on.
-Don't do a fixed sleeping platform in the back. I would make two cots that roll up against the side of the bed. This way, in combination with the soft shell, the truck can be used for about anything without having to store items. The truck could go from camper to hauler with some bikes in the back in a few minutes. I would add a 4x8" sheet of plywood on the floor wrapped in marine grade plywood also, this would be nice for walking and sitting on without having to have a raised platform.
-Find a way to get a Ramcharger fuel tank installed behind the rear axle. If your going with bigger tires you can't store the spare there anymore anyways. The Ramcharger tanks are about 30-35 gallons also. It takes a little work on the rear frame to change out a crossmember or two but I think the extra ( under the bed ) 30 gallons would be really nice. With 60 gallons on board you could go a LONG ways without refilling! It would be nice to be able to stock on on fuel when you have the coin, find cheap fuel, or when you make some of your own fuel.
-Once you get the truck 'done' drive over to Alcan spring and have them make you a set of nice custom springs front and back. This way they are built for the weight of the FINISHED truck and will perform much better. I was amazed the difference the big tires made in ride quality, but I can't wait to get my custom springs! And as mentioned, invest in good shocks. I would say 5125 bilstiens minimum, and some 2.5" RR FOA shocks if you have the extra money...rebuildable race style shocks would last as long as the truck with a few rebuilds.
These trucks are just a blank sheet of paper...SOOOO many things you can do!!!!
-Try and find a soft shell camper. Perhaps something that can be convertible and/or easy to take up and down. This makes the truck more useful as a truck without having to find a place to store a hard shell, or finding someone to help you take the hard shell off/on.
-Don't do a fixed sleeping platform in the back. I would make two cots that roll up against the side of the bed. This way, in combination with the soft shell, the truck can be used for about anything without having to store items. The truck could go from camper to hauler with some bikes in the back in a few minutes. I would add a 4x8" sheet of plywood on the floor wrapped in marine grade plywood also, this would be nice for walking and sitting on without having to have a raised platform.
-Find a way to get a Ramcharger fuel tank installed behind the rear axle. If your going with bigger tires you can't store the spare there anymore anyways. The Ramcharger tanks are about 30-35 gallons also. It takes a little work on the rear frame to change out a crossmember or two but I think the extra ( under the bed ) 30 gallons would be really nice. With 60 gallons on board you could go a LONG ways without refilling! It would be nice to be able to stock on on fuel when you have the coin, find cheap fuel, or when you make some of your own fuel.
-Once you get the truck 'done' drive over to Alcan spring and have them make you a set of nice custom springs front and back. This way they are built for the weight of the FINISHED truck and will perform much better. I was amazed the difference the big tires made in ride quality, but I can't wait to get my custom springs! And as mentioned, invest in good shocks. I would say 5125 bilstiens minimum, and some 2.5" RR FOA shocks if you have the extra money...rebuildable race style shocks would last as long as the truck with a few rebuilds.
These trucks are just a blank sheet of paper...SOOOO many things you can do!!!!
lstzephyr
wanderer
Thanks for the tips. The soft topper/canback is something I've been thinking about. I've also thought about welding up some bars and doing an almost "military" style cap. Then I could make it tall enough to fit the bike even if I needed to lean it abit.
I was planning on a normal camping cot or something along those lines. There are some old 1950 cots kicking it in the attic. I might cut one of those and hinge it off the wall. Would make for a very simple quick setup. Plus I could make it removable with 2 bolts.
Ramcharger tank is definetly something I would like to do. I've been thinking about making a rear swing out bumper that could still be used with the tailgate open. It would allow me to hack off 3 feet of that hitch carrier too which would improve the departure angle with it in the hitch.
Springs/shocks/tires will have to wait until after graduation unfortunately. But the idea when I bought this truck is that it would last me as long as I wanted it to last. Whether thats a year or a decade.
So about this pic.(as always its worse than it looks, imagine the whole area under the truck looking exactly like what the left front tire is on)
I really did not expect the truck to be able to climb that. It was seriously rutted and pretty steep. It had 4 foot holes and large rocks with a very difficult choice for a line that wouldn't tap my transfer case. But I was very surprised how well the truck took it. In fact it was easier to drive the truck up in 4low and 1st than it was for me to walk up it. I was very impressed and pretty much think the truck will do just fine for any offroad I would want to take a 6k lb truck for now.
Other thoughts on the trip. That sort of travel rocks, and I definetly need to set up something so I can lay out fully in the back. The bench isn't cutting it. I also think a winch, or some sort of recovery equipment like snow chains is a very good idea. I got into one area with a pretty steep dirt hillclimb in a snowstorm and I was somewhat concerned about getting back out(I gave up on finding the connecting route on the map). The muddy river crossing(after the storm, it was a dry wash originally) worked just fine though. It was comforting to have the bike as a backup, given any situation if the truck broke/stuck then I could ride the bike out. Probably wouldn't be fun in a snowstorm but I would survive.
Hiking in Arches national park was a big highlight.
I was planning on a normal camping cot or something along those lines. There are some old 1950 cots kicking it in the attic. I might cut one of those and hinge it off the wall. Would make for a very simple quick setup. Plus I could make it removable with 2 bolts.
Ramcharger tank is definetly something I would like to do. I've been thinking about making a rear swing out bumper that could still be used with the tailgate open. It would allow me to hack off 3 feet of that hitch carrier too which would improve the departure angle with it in the hitch.
Springs/shocks/tires will have to wait until after graduation unfortunately. But the idea when I bought this truck is that it would last me as long as I wanted it to last. Whether thats a year or a decade.
So about this pic.(as always its worse than it looks, imagine the whole area under the truck looking exactly like what the left front tire is on)
I really did not expect the truck to be able to climb that. It was seriously rutted and pretty steep. It had 4 foot holes and large rocks with a very difficult choice for a line that wouldn't tap my transfer case. But I was very surprised how well the truck took it. In fact it was easier to drive the truck up in 4low and 1st than it was for me to walk up it. I was very impressed and pretty much think the truck will do just fine for any offroad I would want to take a 6k lb truck for now.
Other thoughts on the trip. That sort of travel rocks, and I definetly need to set up something so I can lay out fully in the back. The bench isn't cutting it. I also think a winch, or some sort of recovery equipment like snow chains is a very good idea. I got into one area with a pretty steep dirt hillclimb in a snowstorm and I was somewhat concerned about getting back out(I gave up on finding the connecting route on the map). The muddy river crossing(after the storm, it was a dry wash originally) worked just fine though. It was comforting to have the bike as a backup, given any situation if the truck broke/stuck then I could ride the bike out. Probably wouldn't be fun in a snowstorm but I would survive.
Hiking in Arches national park was a big highlight.
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Metcalf
Expedition Leader
More advise....
-On your recovery woes. A winch is definitely the golden egg. Some of the new low cost winches work well. The $399 10K Smittybilt is getting decent marks for the money. That will most likely be what I will be installing on my truck soon. I don't want a silly long front winch mount bumper, so I have a to do some more fab work that normal. I think I am going to trim the first cross member behind the bumper so I can push the winch back farther. Its a funny unside down U-shape now. By trimming off the front part of that cross member I hope that I can tuck the winch back almost flush to the front spring hangers. Once you get the front bumper off and trim the lower leading edge of the front fenders it really starts to have a good approach angle.
The lower edge of the grill shell has a large radius that I would like to match with a piece of 2x6" box tubing that was tapered at the ends. Just something simple I think will be best.
I would also invest in some kind of on-board air system. Airing down is like magic for off-road performance.
Tire chains can be nice, but generally, I am not a fan. They tend to be my absolute last resort. I generally dump the tires down in the single digits and go that route for snow.
My starter recovery kit would be.....
-60" hi-lift jack
-25' of chain with bolts to make loops, not hooks ( cheaper too )
-50' section of 3/8" synthetic winch line ( buy your own and splice it )
-2- short tree straps
-2- Shackles
-Full length shovel
-Pulaski ( shovel/hoe combo )
-metal file ( to sharpen the above to )
That would get you out of about anything with a little ingenuity.
Good luck!
-On your recovery woes. A winch is definitely the golden egg. Some of the new low cost winches work well. The $399 10K Smittybilt is getting decent marks for the money. That will most likely be what I will be installing on my truck soon. I don't want a silly long front winch mount bumper, so I have a to do some more fab work that normal. I think I am going to trim the first cross member behind the bumper so I can push the winch back farther. Its a funny unside down U-shape now. By trimming off the front part of that cross member I hope that I can tuck the winch back almost flush to the front spring hangers. Once you get the front bumper off and trim the lower leading edge of the front fenders it really starts to have a good approach angle.
The lower edge of the grill shell has a large radius that I would like to match with a piece of 2x6" box tubing that was tapered at the ends. Just something simple I think will be best.
I would also invest in some kind of on-board air system. Airing down is like magic for off-road performance.
Tire chains can be nice, but generally, I am not a fan. They tend to be my absolute last resort. I generally dump the tires down in the single digits and go that route for snow.
My starter recovery kit would be.....
-60" hi-lift jack
-25' of chain with bolts to make loops, not hooks ( cheaper too )
-50' section of 3/8" synthetic winch line ( buy your own and splice it )
-2- short tree straps
-2- Shackles
-Full length shovel
-Pulaski ( shovel/hoe combo )
-metal file ( to sharpen the above to )
That would get you out of about anything with a little ingenuity.
Good luck!
lstzephyr
wanderer
Yeah I've read the Uhualer thread, and while it is an awesome idea this truck still needs to be able to fit in a garage over the summer(when it rarely moves other than once a month to get the oil moving).
Its actually been quite awhile since I have gotten a truck stuck. I tend to seriously shy away from anything difficult with that much steel with me.(when the bike gets stuck I can quite literally pick it up and move it over, so its my normal hardcore ride) A winch/some chain/and a highlift are definetly on the list. I currently carry:
1. Enough tools to rebuild most of the truck and the whole bike
2 tons of shackles
3 lots of straps
4 shovels
5 extra fuel for both vehicles normally
I did air down for that rocky climb in the pick(I made a u turn after that 1/2 mile hill when it headed down the other side, I can always back out of an uphill situation but its harder to get back up and out sometimes so I wimped out)
The tire chains would probably be free so I might as well throw them in there next time I'm home.
I like your idea of hacking off the bottom corner of the fender to improve the approach angle. I'm not sure whether I'm going to go with a winch mounted to a hitch or a permanent winch. I'll probably build some bumpers(and a front reciever hitch) and mount one hitch on a bar. I'm planning on adding two extra recievers on the end of the hitch carrier to steady it so I'm confident the winch mount would be strong if not light. For as rare as I think I would need it I think that would be fine.
By buying and splicing my own winch line do you mean climbing rope? or is there some special rope I should be looking for? Thats definetly something I will be looking into after finding/figuring out a top and a winch.
edit:Score! I think I just found a cap for free. Its like 4 hours away but the guy says its still there so I guess tomorrow will be another mini roadtrip.
Its actually been quite awhile since I have gotten a truck stuck. I tend to seriously shy away from anything difficult with that much steel with me.(when the bike gets stuck I can quite literally pick it up and move it over, so its my normal hardcore ride) A winch/some chain/and a highlift are definetly on the list. I currently carry:
1. Enough tools to rebuild most of the truck and the whole bike
2 tons of shackles
3 lots of straps
4 shovels
5 extra fuel for both vehicles normally
I did air down for that rocky climb in the pick(I made a u turn after that 1/2 mile hill when it headed down the other side, I can always back out of an uphill situation but its harder to get back up and out sometimes so I wimped out)
The tire chains would probably be free so I might as well throw them in there next time I'm home.
I like your idea of hacking off the bottom corner of the fender to improve the approach angle. I'm not sure whether I'm going to go with a winch mounted to a hitch or a permanent winch. I'll probably build some bumpers(and a front reciever hitch) and mount one hitch on a bar. I'm planning on adding two extra recievers on the end of the hitch carrier to steady it so I'm confident the winch mount would be strong if not light. For as rare as I think I would need it I think that would be fine.
By buying and splicing my own winch line do you mean climbing rope? or is there some special rope I should be looking for? Thats definetly something I will be looking into after finding/figuring out a top and a winch.
edit:Score! I think I just found a cap for free. Its like 4 hours away but the guy says its still there so I guess tomorrow will be another mini roadtrip.
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lstzephyr
wanderer
"Score! I think I just found a cap for free. Its like 4 hours away but the guy says its still there so I guess tomorrow will be another mini roadtrip."
And so it was a minor roadtrip today through a few snowstorms. It was slightly interesting getting the thing on the truck and its slightly ugly but it was free so its all good.:wings:
I would have preferred a soft topper with sides I could roll up but you can't argue with free. Hopefully sometime in the next week I will get started on the "interior" of the bed. Sometime I'll have to paint it(and the rest of the truck) but that can wait.
And so it was a minor roadtrip today through a few snowstorms. It was slightly interesting getting the thing on the truck and its slightly ugly but it was free so its all good.:wings:
I would have preferred a soft topper with sides I could roll up but you can't argue with free. Hopefully sometime in the next week I will get started on the "interior" of the bed. Sometime I'll have to paint it(and the rest of the truck) but that can wait.
lstzephyr
wanderer
yeah its definetly got that old school ranch/work truck "nothing-to-see-here" look going for it.:elkgrin:
Some paint and tint/curtains and it will be pimpin. Err..."better" looking.:coffeedrink:
I may have a line on a free warn winch or two off of the 3/4 ton chev work trucks. But then they may be buried under an xgames feature that became a mudslide.
Some paint and tint/curtains and it will be pimpin. Err..."better" looking.:coffeedrink:
I may have a line on a free warn winch or two off of the 3/4 ton chev work trucks. But then they may be buried under an xgames feature that became a mudslide.
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ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
My local Albertson's is selling three fleece lap blankets for $10. They just happen to be the same length as the side & back windows in my shell and the width is twice the window's height. Some Velcro (self-adhesive on the shell side) and a little sewing later and I have insulating 'curtains' for my shell.
:sombrero:
:sombrero:
lstzephyr
wanderer
Well work on the truck came to a screeching halt as x-games started up(I work rediculous hours during that event) and then this happened.
That was the result of spinning out on a canyon road at 60 or so and slamming into a wall. the bumper took most of the hit, it only folded into the fender and its actually in very good shape. I beat it into submission and got the lights and bumper straight again with a pickup truck, a couple chains, a large rock, and a forklift.:elkgrin:
Unfortunately the starter crapped out on me in the process and my job ended so I had to head back to arizona without a working starter. I rebuilt it and can get it to start sometimes if I beat on it with a hammer but its not ideal. I just left it running or parked on hills for the 18hour trip home.
But the good news is that the dirt bike is now setup much better for the desert and I have plenty of time to tear into the truck. I've got some carpet and paint waiting for the truck and I'm hoping to get a bedliner kit soon. I also found some 38s for cheap so we will see if I start copying metcalf's truck. I certainly have nothing to lose by hacking the fenders up now.
That was the result of spinning out on a canyon road at 60 or so and slamming into a wall. the bumper took most of the hit, it only folded into the fender and its actually in very good shape. I beat it into submission and got the lights and bumper straight again with a pickup truck, a couple chains, a large rock, and a forklift.:elkgrin:
Unfortunately the starter crapped out on me in the process and my job ended so I had to head back to arizona without a working starter. I rebuilt it and can get it to start sometimes if I beat on it with a hammer but its not ideal. I just left it running or parked on hills for the 18hour trip home.
But the good news is that the dirt bike is now setup much better for the desert and I have plenty of time to tear into the truck. I've got some carpet and paint waiting for the truck and I'm hoping to get a bedliner kit soon. I also found some 38s for cheap so we will see if I start copying metcalf's truck. I certainly have nothing to lose by hacking the fenders up now.
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