F350 Overland Upgrades

[xtremexj]

Well, I guess I should start a build thread for some of the mods I've already done to the truck and for what is still to come.

Up until now, my truck has been mainly used as the camper toter and tow rig for my big Jeep. At the moment, I am in the process of stripping the drive train out of my XJ in order to swap it into the new CJ based buggy I'm building. This means NO wheeling this year so we decided to focus more on using the truck to get to some more remote locations. This thread will document those changes over the next several weeks, while I build and install some parts to help make my F350 as capable offroad as it is on the road.

We'll start with the winch bumper I built and installed previous to my journey from Edmonton, Alberta all the way down to Overland Expo 2012 (4200 miles round trip in 2 weeks). Some of my design objectives were to have something that didn't stick out or hang down too much, easy to mount with one person, used the factory tow hooks, had some sort of prerunner look and had auxillary lighting for those back country drives at night.

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[xtremexj]

I have more time in this than I hoped (about 3 weekends worth) but I'm very particular about what I want on my truck. I tried to keep this as close to the grille as possible (this is only 3.5" further than stock) and I also wanted the flat top for standing on if I needed to be under the hood for anything. Also, I made it a bit taller at the tips than some others on the market, but I was thinking about wind resistance and fuel mileage ahead of a real hardcore crawler style bumper.

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[xtremexj]

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of the hoop as I built it due to being in a huge hurry. I ended up taking the day before we were supposed to leave off so I could get this thing finished up and mounted. I spent a couple evenings during that week bending the hoop, fully welding the bumper, and doing all the grinding. The final day was spent painting and picking up my new color matched grille.

Installing the winch tray and winch. The winch is the new Smittybilt X20 15K that I thought I'd try, seeing as I work for a Smittybilt dealer and the price was right.

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[xtremexj]

Finally, the finished (for the moment) project, including the Hella 700 and 500 lights with upgraded PIAA bulbs, as well as the color matched grille. Stay tuned for more as money and time permits.

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[herm]

that bumper looks great! I like the factory tow points that you kept. do you see any difference in engine temp?

[xtremexj]

that bumper looks great! I like the factory tow points that you kept. do you see any difference in engine temp?

Thanks!! Engine temps were fine, even in the 102* heat we hit around Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam. EGTs were a bit higher, but it was hard to tell if it was from the bumper because it was so damn hot and the altitude much higher than what we have at home. It might have gone up about 50* higher than normal on the pyro but I'll pay more attention on our next local camping weekend.

[redthies]

Looks great! I have a piece of steel in the back of my truck right now that is destined to become a winch bumper. I haven't decided on a fixed or multi mount winch set up yet. What do you guys sell the 10,000 or 12,000 Smittybuilts for?

[xtremexj]

Looks great! I have a piece of steel in the back of my truck right now that is destined to become a winch bumper. I haven't decided on a fixed or multi mount winch set up yet. What do you guys sell the 10,000 or 12,000 Smittybuilts for?

You have a PM.

[Carlyle]

Nice work! Wish I could weld more than a muffler hanger.

[brussum]

As a fellow F350 owner, I'm looking forward to seeing what else you have in store for your truck. Keep us posted and thanks!