1988 Diesel F250 Service Box Build

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Hello all and watch as I tackle yet another rough looking project. I needed a truck to use for work and hauling tools, conveniently it also fits the bill for doing all kinds of off road adventures. It's packed with a strong reliable drivetrain, after some care and TLC it should be a very stout offroader. 7.3 NA IDI diesel, 5 speed ZF5, BW1356 transfer case. I plan on swapping the doors to manual windows and locks, and a 3g alternator swap. I'm going to be very busy actually working on it so I'll post pictures when I can. Here's a couple quick things of what's been started and a before pic to give an idea of it's initial condition

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Always love when people do shoddy work on their repairs. Metal patch was tacked in but was never fully welded. And it was painted over, why bother doing that if you're not going to finish it right. Putting a before pic of the box and I'll show how it looks after some spray in bed liner

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

There's a good picture of how it looked before giving it some fresh paint and dealing with the surface rust.

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Question, anyone have a clue as to why this was left under my column in the linkage area? What in the methamphetamine could be the reason to put this down there?

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Found out why that was down there. It was a "fix" to the clutch pedal assembly being FUBAR. On the hunt for a new assembly before I tear out the nice pedals my white gasser truck has. Metal bar shown in place for how it held the clutch bar from moving too much. Doing the heim joint mod while everything is all out.

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Big updates on the truck, new pedal assembly in, shifts so smooth and nice now. While I had the column out I fixed the key ignition so no more push button start needed. Swapped in a 3g 130amp alternator with a nice hefty charging wire and 175amp fuse to protect it. Have solid 14 volts at idle instead of the measly 12.8 it used to give with the 1g alternator. Dash lights are now LED since that was apart as well. Going out in the mountains for the weekend so it's going to get some wheel time and pictures up. Really has been more of a project than planned but very rewarding with the results

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Better picture of how worn the old assembly is, and now the dash reads a much higher voltage with ac fan on max. Of course used a real multimeter for exact voltages but with the new alternator charging system I'm much more confident in placing any electrical load on the system. Now to find the proper cable for my blend door so I can put the dash all the way back together

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Sorry no pictures of the mountains this time but here's a good side shot of the truck. Gear packed in the bed and how everything ended up. Also have a shot showing just how useful the service bed is for going out camping, the truck cab doesn't end up loaded up full of stuff and things get organized easily. These shots give a good look at how adding a fresh coat of paint on the bed really breathed new life into this truck

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Here's a pic of the dash after LED treatment,I think you can guess which spot still has a regular bulb lol. Also glove box has a perfect spot for keeping spare fuses

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Finally found a ladder rack at a great price that I am modifying a bit to fit on my service bed. Got halfway done today but l will finish it tomorrow in the morning before a weekend outing with the family. Truck is doing great besides the water pump crapping out on me, truck still managed to get me home but man did they make it a pain to replace. Will post up some additional pics tomorrow. Sometime also have to weigh it to see how chunky it sits with all my stuff in it. Might have to invest in aluminum for weight shaving

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Haven't posted in a while truck is going to be getting much needed maintenance in preparation of winter season. Ended up having to do the water pump, great things about these old tricks is parts are cheap and it's relatively easy to work on.
I've been using it as my work truck of course but definitely have some leisure time with it as well. The ladder rack is going to need more mods for the boat too fit up nicer, and the boat will get some changes as well. Still trying to figure out a way to cover the top and sides for better weather protection when the boat isn't in place. Haven't thought of anything concrete but I am leaning towards canvas to use on it. I'll likely end up decking the bed as well for gear storage under the sleeping section. I'll probably have to end up swapping this onto an F350 for more payload rating, this poor F250 gets its payload eaten up with the heavy service box