Chorky
Observer
Destination Unknown – 97 F350 CCLB 7.3L
A catalogue of my overland vehicle/trailer build for a life of adventure and exploration.
Intro
Ok, so since I’m new here and this is my first post, let me first introduce myself. Name is Chad. I grew up doing nothing but outdoors stuff. By the age of 5, my dad had me on 7 mile backpack trips carrying my own gear! Naturally, outdoors and exploring new areas is my greatest joy. Its an amazing world out there, and there’s so much to do outside, why would anyone want to sit in front of a TV every weekend!? This has pretty much always been my motto. After some years of trying different things, I have finally sorted out a solid direction – long range overland/exploration. Now that’s not to say I’m talking about crossing the Siberian Desert, or driving down to Patagonia, but rather exploring the good ol’ USA and Canada. After all, one could spend an entire lifetime exploring this region and not even come close to seeing it all! Besides, international travel is a pain, and I saw enough through the military. So now that you have a background about me (well…a fraction anyway), lets dive into my build plans.
Now as everyone knows, build plans can change on a dime, or be pretty stone solid. I had a good idea of what I was going to do until I truly started diving into Expedition Portal. A wealth of knowledge here, and some ideas I have not previously considered, but now am. As you can imagine, from my intro, I am embarking on a pretty awesome build. The plan is to complete it sooner than later, with a dream of having a total completion by a year from now – although this is ambitious and probably not going to happen. That being said, my plan includes a vehicle capable of multiple uses, but primarily one key use – exploration of course!
The vehicle – 1997 F350 CCLB 7.3L
I’ve always loved these trucks! Simple, powerful, can take abuse, and look pretty awesome. Though nobody can truly say one truck is the best truck out of a huge variety of options, this one is awesome. Purchased about 6 months ago from a great couple whose kids are all grown up. They were the first owners, custom ordered from the factory (when that was still a thing), and taken to a commercial truck shop for HD springs, extending bumper, camper attachments (frame mounted), and a gooseneck hitch. The primary purpose for the truck when ordered ... camping with the kids. So how fitting is it that I pick it up to continue its legacy (though I’m single, and have no kids – hopefully some day). And to top that off, it hasn’t reached a quarter of a million miles yet, and is otherwise totally stock – so no worrying about bad tunes, or injector mismatch, etc..
Before diving into the build plan for the truck let me also say that this will be in combination with an off road trailer suitable for living in, but on a small scale. Like 20’ long 7’ wide pop-up style small. Details of this later, and likely in a different section, but that should give you an idea of where this will be going. The trailer will serve as a off-road capable base station, where journeys can be taken from.
Back to the truck
Ok, so lets also get out of the way the ‘multi-purpose’ purpose portion of the truck. This is a pretty large truck – about as big as they come (in this class anyway). The primary purpose of the truck is of course off road ability, but originally to mostly tow my current home – a 21’ travel trailer (no, not anywhere near like the one described above, this is NOT off road capable). Yes that’s right, I live in a 21’ trailer. Mostly that’s due to my current education situation, and future career needs, but it works, its cheap, and I’m mobile. Most of all, it is preparing me for long range exploration. Keeping that in mind, the ‘multi-purpose’ portion of this truck is the capability to haul decently heavy loads when needed. I’m talking upwards of 15K. This need plays into the build a pretty decent amount, as otherwise I might have gone with a different vehicle entirely (like the super simple 12V). So it should be noted that upon purchasing the truck, one of the first things I did was replace the old receiver with a 16K receiver and updated brake controller. Additionally, the frame mounted camper tie downs were removed (which was killing ground clearance).
The build
So throughout months of research, I have begun to come to the following conclusions for the build. These are by no means set in stone, and as I continue to learn more, and see other great ideas from the community, things likely will change. How much? Well that is unknown. So the current build components are as follows:
• Frame off resto – remove all rust, coat for long term protection (its not bad, but rather do it now than later)
• Body Resto – same, repaint with multiple coats of single stage for easy trail repairs
• Body Custom – remove chrome (I don’t like standing out, or being ‘shiny’)
• Cold weather air flow controller – this is hard to explain, but basically it’s a in cab operable multi stage controller that will either allow or not allow airflow through the grille onto the radiator and other components. It’s the same ideas as sticking cardboard in front of a radiator in the winter, but a more permanent solution, and is still being researched
• Bed – this is highly variable and a plan is in the works so I’ll leave this blank for now, but the idea is to remove the steel bed and replace with an aluminum flatbed with the ability to have a custom box attached to it for storage of gear and supplies, carry a quad or Rokon, and double as a temporary shelter. It can be easily removed for those times I need to tow a gooseneck or 5th trailer. With this I am researching possibilities to cut out a portion of the rear of the cab, to allow for a ‘walk-through’ into the box – a better idea than having to slither through the sliding window
• Roof racks – to support 300#s of kayak and be self loading
• Bumpers – already have been in contact with Buckstop for awesome sollutions. Rear bumper will be capable of carrying both spear tires.
• Winch – both front and rear. 16K front, 10K rear
• Air horn – not that I really need one, but if I’m towing 16K, it would be good to have some extra noise to produce (drivers in my area are pretty horrible)
• On board air – likely ARB dual compressor
• Lighting – various combinations of Rigid LED lights
• Interior – refresh, but to replace rear bench seating with two captins chairs for better comfort and to allow the walk-through into the bed mounted box
• Coms – CB, HF/UHF/VHF, Cell extender, scanner
• Cameras – front and rear mounted for hooking up to trailers
• Gauges – as it’s a diesel, naturally you would want the following: Pyro, boost, trans temp, oil temp, oil pressure, fuel pressure, engine temp, voltmeter (for each battery)
• New block heater
• Injectors – likely 160/30
• Turbo – KC38R
• Stage 1 HPOP
• E fuel – I may opt for lower injectors to keep the current fuel filter bowl due to cold weather expectations. Attaching fuel heaters to a frame mounted system might be a major pain in the @$$
• Custom 6 pos chip
• 3” DP
• Intercooler
• Either a built E4OD (currently stock) or a ZF6 conversion
• Trans cooler
• External trans filter
• 10.5 rear conversion
• Re-gear to 4.88
• Auburn Gear ECTED MAX front and rear (LSD/locker combo/hybrid)
• 35” Duratracs (maybe 37 or 40’s in the future, but 35 for now)
• RSK for the front, shackle flip for the rear, including a max of 4” of lift with FOX shocks (I am opting for the lowest possible lift to clear 37’s with tire chains to keep a good LCOG
• Springs – unsure on this one yet if I want to go the V-code route, or just do custom light weight springs for when unloaded to allow maximum travel
• Air bags – front and rear with cups to allow for lift without tearing bags
• Fuel tanks – extended range, 45 gal rear, 40 gal driver midship, and addition of a 3rd tank ‘right mid-ship’ of 40 gal after re-routing exhaust to outside of frame rail and exiting prior to rear tire. This will give me 125 gal of diesel for an estimated max range of 2000 miles (but keep in mind that custom box I mentioned, it is planned to have a diesel powered water heater/stove/heater). This will require a second fuel selector valve, but it is laid out to work perfectly where the second selector is placed between existing front tank and existing valve, so an additional switch will operate the ‘left’ or ‘right’ tank when the factory switch is in the ‘front’ position.
• Battery warmers, and additional batteries as needed for box
• Second alternator for additional batteries
• A variety of repair tools, spare parts, and recovery gear
There you have it. My build plan – no doubt it will change over time, but it is a solid foundation. And coupled with a good box and trailer build in the works, will be an excellent exploration vehicle that can take me anywhere I want to go. Let me know what you think and check back for more.
Happy Exploring!
A catalogue of my overland vehicle/trailer build for a life of adventure and exploration.
Intro
Ok, so since I’m new here and this is my first post, let me first introduce myself. Name is Chad. I grew up doing nothing but outdoors stuff. By the age of 5, my dad had me on 7 mile backpack trips carrying my own gear! Naturally, outdoors and exploring new areas is my greatest joy. Its an amazing world out there, and there’s so much to do outside, why would anyone want to sit in front of a TV every weekend!? This has pretty much always been my motto. After some years of trying different things, I have finally sorted out a solid direction – long range overland/exploration. Now that’s not to say I’m talking about crossing the Siberian Desert, or driving down to Patagonia, but rather exploring the good ol’ USA and Canada. After all, one could spend an entire lifetime exploring this region and not even come close to seeing it all! Besides, international travel is a pain, and I saw enough through the military. So now that you have a background about me (well…a fraction anyway), lets dive into my build plans.
Now as everyone knows, build plans can change on a dime, or be pretty stone solid. I had a good idea of what I was going to do until I truly started diving into Expedition Portal. A wealth of knowledge here, and some ideas I have not previously considered, but now am. As you can imagine, from my intro, I am embarking on a pretty awesome build. The plan is to complete it sooner than later, with a dream of having a total completion by a year from now – although this is ambitious and probably not going to happen. That being said, my plan includes a vehicle capable of multiple uses, but primarily one key use – exploration of course!
The vehicle – 1997 F350 CCLB 7.3L
I’ve always loved these trucks! Simple, powerful, can take abuse, and look pretty awesome. Though nobody can truly say one truck is the best truck out of a huge variety of options, this one is awesome. Purchased about 6 months ago from a great couple whose kids are all grown up. They were the first owners, custom ordered from the factory (when that was still a thing), and taken to a commercial truck shop for HD springs, extending bumper, camper attachments (frame mounted), and a gooseneck hitch. The primary purpose for the truck when ordered ... camping with the kids. So how fitting is it that I pick it up to continue its legacy (though I’m single, and have no kids – hopefully some day). And to top that off, it hasn’t reached a quarter of a million miles yet, and is otherwise totally stock – so no worrying about bad tunes, or injector mismatch, etc..
Before diving into the build plan for the truck let me also say that this will be in combination with an off road trailer suitable for living in, but on a small scale. Like 20’ long 7’ wide pop-up style small. Details of this later, and likely in a different section, but that should give you an idea of where this will be going. The trailer will serve as a off-road capable base station, where journeys can be taken from.
Back to the truck
Ok, so lets also get out of the way the ‘multi-purpose’ purpose portion of the truck. This is a pretty large truck – about as big as they come (in this class anyway). The primary purpose of the truck is of course off road ability, but originally to mostly tow my current home – a 21’ travel trailer (no, not anywhere near like the one described above, this is NOT off road capable). Yes that’s right, I live in a 21’ trailer. Mostly that’s due to my current education situation, and future career needs, but it works, its cheap, and I’m mobile. Most of all, it is preparing me for long range exploration. Keeping that in mind, the ‘multi-purpose’ portion of this truck is the capability to haul decently heavy loads when needed. I’m talking upwards of 15K. This need plays into the build a pretty decent amount, as otherwise I might have gone with a different vehicle entirely (like the super simple 12V). So it should be noted that upon purchasing the truck, one of the first things I did was replace the old receiver with a 16K receiver and updated brake controller. Additionally, the frame mounted camper tie downs were removed (which was killing ground clearance).
The build
So throughout months of research, I have begun to come to the following conclusions for the build. These are by no means set in stone, and as I continue to learn more, and see other great ideas from the community, things likely will change. How much? Well that is unknown. So the current build components are as follows:
• Frame off resto – remove all rust, coat for long term protection (its not bad, but rather do it now than later)
• Body Resto – same, repaint with multiple coats of single stage for easy trail repairs
• Body Custom – remove chrome (I don’t like standing out, or being ‘shiny’)
• Cold weather air flow controller – this is hard to explain, but basically it’s a in cab operable multi stage controller that will either allow or not allow airflow through the grille onto the radiator and other components. It’s the same ideas as sticking cardboard in front of a radiator in the winter, but a more permanent solution, and is still being researched
• Bed – this is highly variable and a plan is in the works so I’ll leave this blank for now, but the idea is to remove the steel bed and replace with an aluminum flatbed with the ability to have a custom box attached to it for storage of gear and supplies, carry a quad or Rokon, and double as a temporary shelter. It can be easily removed for those times I need to tow a gooseneck or 5th trailer. With this I am researching possibilities to cut out a portion of the rear of the cab, to allow for a ‘walk-through’ into the box – a better idea than having to slither through the sliding window
• Roof racks – to support 300#s of kayak and be self loading
• Bumpers – already have been in contact with Buckstop for awesome sollutions. Rear bumper will be capable of carrying both spear tires.
• Winch – both front and rear. 16K front, 10K rear
• Air horn – not that I really need one, but if I’m towing 16K, it would be good to have some extra noise to produce (drivers in my area are pretty horrible)
• On board air – likely ARB dual compressor
• Lighting – various combinations of Rigid LED lights
• Interior – refresh, but to replace rear bench seating with two captins chairs for better comfort and to allow the walk-through into the bed mounted box
• Coms – CB, HF/UHF/VHF, Cell extender, scanner
• Cameras – front and rear mounted for hooking up to trailers
• Gauges – as it’s a diesel, naturally you would want the following: Pyro, boost, trans temp, oil temp, oil pressure, fuel pressure, engine temp, voltmeter (for each battery)
• New block heater
• Injectors – likely 160/30
• Turbo – KC38R
• Stage 1 HPOP
• E fuel – I may opt for lower injectors to keep the current fuel filter bowl due to cold weather expectations. Attaching fuel heaters to a frame mounted system might be a major pain in the @$$
• Custom 6 pos chip
• 3” DP
• Intercooler
• Either a built E4OD (currently stock) or a ZF6 conversion
• Trans cooler
• External trans filter
• 10.5 rear conversion
• Re-gear to 4.88
• Auburn Gear ECTED MAX front and rear (LSD/locker combo/hybrid)
• 35” Duratracs (maybe 37 or 40’s in the future, but 35 for now)
• RSK for the front, shackle flip for the rear, including a max of 4” of lift with FOX shocks (I am opting for the lowest possible lift to clear 37’s with tire chains to keep a good LCOG
• Springs – unsure on this one yet if I want to go the V-code route, or just do custom light weight springs for when unloaded to allow maximum travel
• Air bags – front and rear with cups to allow for lift without tearing bags
• Fuel tanks – extended range, 45 gal rear, 40 gal driver midship, and addition of a 3rd tank ‘right mid-ship’ of 40 gal after re-routing exhaust to outside of frame rail and exiting prior to rear tire. This will give me 125 gal of diesel for an estimated max range of 2000 miles (but keep in mind that custom box I mentioned, it is planned to have a diesel powered water heater/stove/heater). This will require a second fuel selector valve, but it is laid out to work perfectly where the second selector is placed between existing front tank and existing valve, so an additional switch will operate the ‘left’ or ‘right’ tank when the factory switch is in the ‘front’ position.
• Battery warmers, and additional batteries as needed for box
• Second alternator for additional batteries
• A variety of repair tools, spare parts, and recovery gear
There you have it. My build plan – no doubt it will change over time, but it is a solid foundation. And coupled with a good box and trailer build in the works, will be an excellent exploration vehicle that can take me anywhere I want to go. Let me know what you think and check back for more.
Happy Exploring!