CC SB F350 or FSB?

[dukegnarley]

Hey guys.

I currently have a jeep which is setup for more hardcore offroad, which I hardly ever do anymore, and it would take a lot of work and money to get it into expo shape. It would need to be lowered a couple of inches with new wheels, new tires, a sway bar, a couple of shocks, and a new engine. It would probably also require a roof top tent as it's too small to sleep in.

I also recently purchased an '05 short bed crew cab SRW powerstroke F350, which is in immaculate condition.

I really have three options which I'm trying to decide between.

1. dump another 5k or so into the jeep to make it an expedition rig. After all of that it will still be a little small but would most likely be very trail worthy. This will also take a lot of work which i don't really have time for anymore. With the engine, tires, wheels, RTT, and suspension the jeep will probably cost another 4-5k.

2. Sell the jeep and pimp out the F350 with a lift, 35" tires, and a pop up camper. The down side being that the F350 is in great shape and I don't want to destroy it offroad. It would however be the most dependable of all of the options. probably 6-7k minus what I can get for the jeep.

3. Sell the Jeep and buy a cheap already lifted full size bronco. Add a RTT if needed and then use it as is. Eventually upgrade to a solid front axle. benefits of being cheap and not having to care about the body. probably medium reliability. Better offroad than the f350, but not as good as the jeep. I imagine for starters and stock axles/TTB the bronco would come in around 5-6k minus what I can get for the jeep.

I guess I'm looking for opinnions from the full size crowd. Is the F350 too big to take offroad without damaging it? I'm mostly going to be on forest service roads, but sometimes those roads have a few sections which are more difficult.

 

[bftank]

i vote keep the jeep.

if you sell it and get a bronco you will be doing the same mods over again to it, except this time the package it is in will be wider and harder to fit down some roads.

if you sell it and fixup the f250 same thing just more expensive and even harder to fit down some roads.


some things you could clear up for me.

-why do you need to sleep in the vehicle or on its roof?
-what is wrong with your current suspension and tire set up?
-is your engine dying, or are your gears to tall?

in my opinion you have an excellant setup in the jeep, and i don't see a reason posted as of yet to be rid of it. To me it sounds like you are just getting bored with it. try packing lighter, and finesse what you don't like. i think you would regret selling the jeep.

 

[dukegnarley]

the engine in the jeep is dying. Once it's warmed up it has 0 oil pressure at idle. I'm mostly just sick of working on it all of the time. The tires are in bad shape, and the double bead lock wheels weigh a ton. If I had confidence in the jeeps reliability and had a sway bar installed I would be much happier. As far as sleeping in or on, I'm just sick of sleeping on the ground and the time it takes to setup and take down the tent. Also a lot of areas around Washington can be a bit rocky so finding a good place to put the tent can occasionally be a challenge. The jeep has also never been good on the road. It is in serious need of a sway bar, and the steering will still be loose. I've been in a few offroad situations where I had wished the jeep was a little lower to reduce my risk of tipping over. It has about 7" of lift.

 

[bftank]

ok i see where you are coming from there. just too many projects to get it where you want when something closer to stock would do you just fine right?

if thats the case i can see selling the jeep to start over. the crew will get messed up eventually, if you don't care and think it adds character then go ahead and build it. if not....

check out metcalf, istzephyr, rotbox and others i cant think of right now. each of these guys has a build thread on doing a lot with near stock for cheap.

 

[fnjeep314]

I am going to vote for the FSB, but I might just be a bit bias!! Here is a pic of Elmo's beautiful FSB to give you an idea.
(Elmo I hope you dont mine me posting your rig on here, but I love it!!)

And here is a shot of him pulling his camping trailer.

 

[dukegnarley]

Bftank,

Exactly. I don't do hard wheeling anymore and a general camping rig that will get me off the beaten path would serve me better than the Jeep. My friend just picked up an '88 diesel 'burban with the same purpose in mind. I'm sure the bronco would be small enough to go wherever it does. The crew cab could also make it, but i think I would be upset if it got too scratched up.

It's looking more and more like an FSB is the best plan. I've seen a few nice ones on craigslist for around 3 grand. If i sell the jeep I would still have some cash left over for some easy bolt on mods.

 

[redthies]

If you are in wa, I have been fsb shopping from Bellingham to Salem. There are a few nice ones for $4000 or so. There is a nice white one on CL for Oregon Coast. It has a winch etc. I would say build your F350, and get a camper, but I too might be biased!

 

[Clutch]

I would sell the Jeep and wheel the F350, toss on a topper, use a cot for sleeping, and call it good. (with the suspension mods you
were talking about though).

Roll-a-Cot makes a cot without the center legs, so it easily goes over the wheel-wells.
They pack really small too.

http://www.camptime.net/roll-a-cot.htm