Superduty ranch/Crawler/hunter rig ideas

[MDNyota]

So after too many grown up sodas I convinced my brother-in-law to let me and a buddy turn his 03 7.3L, 4dr, into a ranch crawler on the wicked cheap, this was pure dumbassedness on my part. We're thinkin 40" MTRs, +/- 3" lift (leafs), as low and stable as possible, with fender trimmin if needed, welded rear and a stock D 60 up front b/c his current 50 is junk, a little trimmin for approach and departure angle, and eventually a selectable locker in the front.

I want to make it somewhat flexy, with leafs and shackels, but still capable of hauling lighter loads and as smooth as possible at speed on ruff ass ranch roads. I'm thinkin aired down and take some leafs out of some existing lift pack with bilsteins.

Who's lift would you recomend and what do you think about a welded rear stock sterling 10.5?

Disclamer: +/- $2500 budget excluding d 60, and tires. This truck will primarily be used as a hunting/check the water/light crawlin truck. No more big pulls according to brother-in-law. Oh yah, and it's already completely two tone rhino lined; pretty cool looking.

Disclamer2: I know I deserve some flamming but it's still tuesday and I'd really appreciate some input; sorry i don't know much about SUPERDUTIES.

[jam0o0]

the d60: $800
the tires: 1200

so you've got 500 left. that will get you some shocks and a few add a leafs.

[StoopidMonkey]

Originally Posted by jam0o0

the d60: $800
the tires: 1200

so you've got 500 left. that will get you some shocks and a few add a leafs.

So you missed the Excluding D60, and tires?

How about something like a shackle flip in the rear and remove some leafs to soften the ride?

[Fordcummins]

First off his 03 SHOULD have a D60 in it already,especially since it is a diesel, I believe Ford went D60 on all F250/350 in late 02 but hey its Ford so you may have the D50. I have an 04 F-250 gasser and it has the D60

Fender trimming will be a must if you only want a 3" lift, which you could do with a 4" block in the rear, add a couple leafs in the front and have them re-arched (on the cheap side of things), welding the Sterling rear should be fine, I have seen it done up here a bunch and they hold up well if done right.

I have a Rubicon Express 6" lift on my truck and love it, but they are $, it was on the truck when I bought it, the ride is nice for a leaf spring rig and decent flex with my 45" tractor tires on it. I have a detroit in the rear and ARB in the front with 5:38 gears. I had to trim the shit out of mine and stretch the flares to clear the tires

You may want to look into Hydro Ram assist to for a 40" tires, I have Redneck Ram setup on mine and it works great!

The SD is a great platform to start a fullzise build IMO, good running rear and great aftermarket offerings for them.

Here is a pic of mine.

[FORDTECHGURU]

03 will be a 60 already
cutout fender flares are the easiest way to fit 40's with a baby lift to keep it low
you will defineatly need a hydro assist, put it on the list now.
throw 5.38's in and weld up the sterling
the stock linkage will get smashed, hi steer is available
t-case is good to go

[MDNyota]

Originally Posted by FORDTECHGURU

03 will be a 60 already
cutout fender flares are the easiest way to fit 40's with a baby lift to keep it low
you will defineatly need a hydro assist, put it on the list now.
throw 5.38's in and weld up the sterling
the stock linkage will get smashed, hi steer is available
t-case is good to go

I'm pretty sure I did som research and found out it was D50, but I could be wrong. I agree on the 5.38's but told him 40's would probably not bawg a turboed 7.3L to bad but I'm not sure.

I agree; Hydro Assist does wonders in my Toyota, can you tap a stock ford box the same way? Link? wright up?

FORDCUMMINS, thanks for the input, I dig your truck especially the AK only tires



STOOPIDMONKEY: "How about something like a shackle flip in the rear and remove some leafs to soften the ride? "
Sorry I can't picture a Superduty set up, are you referring to putting the stock shackle hanger on the top/bottom of the frame to raise/lower it? and remove stock leafs to soften OWR WHAAA AAA?

[HalfFastFord]

from personal experience, 5.38s are too low for a PSD, unless you like topping out around 75 mph. stick with 4.56s

[FORDTECHGURU]

depends on what you are doing, missed the towing part, if it is an on-road deal it would be better with less gear, duties are heavy, if you are crawling go low, the factory 4.30 is a good compromise..

[caryt]

You could also use a 3-4.5" hanger lift in front..would flex better than lift springs. 4.3's or 4.56 is all thats needed..some mods to the engine and trans would be in order..6.0 Trans cooler..intake and exhaust, guages with a TS chip and custom tunes..we have all thats needed to get you setup.

Cary

[MDNyota]

thanks for all the input. We've been doing a little research and like the shackle flip idea, but are undecided about the R & P ratio. Suggestions on shocks for a big heavy SD? Brother in law says he already sourced some 40s, I'll definitly post some pics if we ever start this build.

[jwbures]

Originally Posted by Fordcummins

That is one ugly SOB.

[TARM]

I have already gone thru all of this. I am actually getting ready to assemble it all after a few months getting all the parts together. (Doing a ton of engine mods as well which is where most of the time was spent acquiring the needed parts) The only exception mine is on a Excursion. That makes it for all intensive purposes a F250 reg cab stnd bed. At least in wheel base. In weight a CC SB. It has a 7.3. In Iceland these same low lift with big meat of Ford SD is very popular. Where I first got my idea years ago.

* Bushwacker Cut outs ( Make sure to get the ones correct for your cab and bed combo. The shorter bed has a cut out for the fuel door a long bed does not. You will be trimming the front bumper as well.

* Lift: For 40" tires you will need a 4"-4.5". For less $$ and also very nice ride while still having all the weight capacity go with hangers and shackles in the front and block in the rear. PMF makes nice sets and where mine are coming from. ICON is nice but $$. You can of course cut and weld your own up. Do not do shackle flips on SDs. For the OBS yes not SD. The small gain is not worth it. If you have the $ go for a set of Deavers or ICON rear springs. Ideally I woudl go with a Deaver but have them make them for a 09 config as they are equal length spring and much longer. Then move the stock hanger to adj for it. That would get you increased travel and a better ride at speed as well. PMF makes the hanger mount conversion but its a bit $$. Blocks again are quick and easy and get it done. You will not get all the flex but its still not bad. You will need a drop pit arm and drop trac bar bracket. I assume you will be loosing the front and rear sway bars but if not drop brackets. Ideally a adj traction bar will be nice to. Make one or the cheapest I have seen is from Sky also for the drop trac bracket as well.

* Wheels: Leaf rub can be an issue. You need a 12" wide wheel with under 5" backspacing (usually 4.5-4.75 is what you will find) to prevent or only get very light rub at full lock out with 14.5-15.5 tires. A 10" wide unless you can get 3" BS is gonna rub bad. For the little bit you may or may not have with a 12" a bit of weld on the knuckle stop will take care of it. You can also drill and tap and use a bolt to the same effect. I went with 20x12 Fuel Hostage and as I will be on the street as much as off Interco SS M16 40x14.50x20 With SD make sure you are getting proper weight ratings. The M16 are 3850 each and wheels 3600 so all good.

* Gearing: 4.56. Even for on the road 4.56 is ideal. The Diesel and especially the 7.3 is a low rpm high tq monster. You will have plenty of power. But if you go down to 4.30 you will not like the loss. With the short rpm and of diesels you do not want more gearing then you really need. You are dealing with a 3500 max rpm stock to put things in perspective for those not into diesels..

* traction bar: These diesel produce sick amounts of low end tq and you have a ton of unsprung wheel weight and grip from those 40's. With blocks its all the more leverage. Add in off-roading and you will be breaking leafs and pinions without a g good traction bar. If you need your articulation a single 3 point ladder config on the dif with a shackle front mount. Make sure to increase the strength of the tubing etc you use in line with the increase of weight and power its gonna see from the SD.

* ram assist steering: IMO mandatory. DIY is easy enough. or West Texas if you do not want to mess with it.

*Shocks: Blistiens 5100 on all 4 corners is as low as I would go. Along with SS brake lines for the travel. I have had great experience with Cary T @ CT performance He may go by OBSWIZ on here and be a sponsor, I can not recall, but is over on the Powerstrokenation and thedieselstop under that or caryt username and you can look up his contact info.

* Engine: The 7.3 are rather doggy stock but there is a lot more HP that can be hand with nothing but a chip, 4" turbo back exhaust and DIY air intake. Do not go with a programmer go with a TS chip from a custom programmer. I strongly recommend Matt@ gearheadautomotive or Bill from Power Hungry Performance. Your engine has PMR connecting Rod and the tuning needs to be done right. These guys are some of the very best. This will take you from 190 HP at the wheels to 300 or a bit more. That is all you will ever need.

* Tranny: The 4r100 can last forever if not abused but add big wheels and the type of abuse. AT a min add a perf Valve body and switch to syn fluid ( Schaeffers is IMO the best). The best VB setups for them come from Brain @ BTS( Brian's Truck Shop) or John Woods Transmissions. If you have manual then make sure its a good clutch.

* Locking Hubs: If you are still running or has auto hubs swap them now for some premium Warn or Dyna trac version


Before getting going on all this go over the front end well. Make sure the Unit bearings and ball joints are all tight. you can actually grease the Nonserviceable Unit bearings thru the anti lock sensor port. Its a bit of a PITA but will make them last far longer. Be very careful remove the sensor so not to break it off.


This is one way of doing things. Hope this is of some help.

Cheers,

Tim

[EPA LOL]

Here's mine.

Only a 2.5" leveling kit.
38"x15.5"x18" Nitto Mud Grapplers
Bushwacker Cutouts.

Nothing else was needed to fit the 38's. The cutouts leave plenty of room for them. Might be able to go with a 41" tire on the 2.5" llift. But a 4" lift will clear 41's easily.

[TARM]

Did you get the inner fender liner pulled back and screwed in yet? I know you had waited to see how much you needed to pull it back.

[EPA LOL]

Not yet. Need to get it all Line-X'd first. $1500, so it's not gonna be anytime soon.

[TARM]

Ouch does that include the truck bed as well I hope? I assume that all the cladding as well? What about bumpers and grill?

Of these whats getting Sprayed?
Bed
Side Cladding
Flares
Bumpers
Grill

[EPA LOL]

Front/rear bumpers, rocker panels, flares taken off and sprayed, tail-lamp gaurds.

The price jump is the tan color-matching.

[lifted02350]

i got an o2 350 has d 60 w/5.13s stock was 4.10 with the 38s my 5.13s r like a 4.30 with stock tire it has a re 4"kit and a 3 body with 38 15.50 claws on 16x10 dc-1s they rub the springs on turn i dont have lock to lock either i trimmed the bumper on front and on a good flex they hit the fender but im not ready to cut up yet and be glad u dont have the 6.0 guy around here did nothin but burn turbos up with 4.56s and 44s 40s he was good but i wld but 4.5 spring hangers and shackle flip from i think sky cost u like 400 for the lift crossover knuckle is way down in price and a re spring plate for their 6.5 kit moves trac bar on top of pass leaf for correct allignment prob wanna get that or i got a xtra 6"lift layin around minus trac bar bracket

[lifted02350]

leveling kit looks like u cut a piece of box tube and stuck it in there shoulld just moved the shackle hangers to the bottom of the frame and braced it with a piece of angle on the inside


QUOTE=EPA LOL;12183646]Here's mine.

Only a 2.5" leveling kit.
38"x15.5"x18" Nitto Mud Grapplers
Bushwacker Cutouts.

Nothing else was needed to fit the 38's. The cutouts leave plenty of room for them. Might be able to go with a 41" tire on the 2.5" llift. But a 4" lift will clear 41's easily.














[/QUOTE]

[EPA LOL]

It's a cheap leveling kit that uses box chanels. They bolt to the factory leafs.

I'll be doing a 6" coilover conversion with 41's eventually.

[MDNyota]

Originally Posted by TARM

I have already gone thru all of this. I am actually getting ready to assemble it all after a few months getting all the parts together. (Doing a ton of engine mods as well which is where most of the time was spent acquiring the needed parts) The only exception mine is on a Excursion. That makes it for all intensive purposes a F250 reg cab stnd bed. At least in wheel base. In weight a CC SB. It has a 7.3. In Iceland these same low lift with big meat of Ford SD is very popular. Where I first got my idea years ago.

* Bushwacker Cut outs ( Make sure to get the ones correct for your cab and bed combo. The shorter bed has a cut out for the fuel door a long bed does not. You will be trimming the front bumper as well.

* Lift: For 40" tires you will need a 4"-4.5". For less $$ and also very nice ride while still having all the weight capacity go with hangers and shackles in the front and block in the rear. PMF makes nice sets and where mine are coming from. ICON is nice but $$. You can of course cut and weld your own up. Do not do shackle flips on SDs. For the OBS yes not SD. The small gain is not worth it. If you have the $ go for a set of Deavers or ICON rear springs. Ideally I woudl go with a Deaver but have them make them for a 09 config as they are equal length spring and much longer. Then move the stock hanger to adj for it. That would get you increased travel and a better ride at speed as well. PMF makes the hanger mount conversion but its a bit $$. Blocks again are quick and easy and get it done. You will not get all the flex but its still not bad. You will need a drop pit arm and drop trac bar bracket. I assume you will be loosing the front and rear sway bars but if not drop brackets. Ideally a adj traction bar will be nice to. Make one or the cheapest I have seen is from Sky also for the drop trac bracket as well.

* Wheels: Leaf rub can be an issue. You need a 12" wide wheel with under 5" backspacing (usually 4.5-4.75 is what you will find) to prevent or only get very light rub at full lock out with 14.5-15.5 tires. A 10" wide unless you can get 3" BS is gonna rub bad. For the little bit you may or may not have with a 12" a bit of weld on the knuckle stop will take care of it. You can also drill and tap and use a bolt to the same effect. I went with 20x12 Fuel Hostage and as I will be on the street as much as off Interco SS M16 40x14.50x20 With SD make sure you are getting proper weight ratings. The M16 are 3850 each and wheels 3600 so all good.

* Gearing: 4.56. Even for on the road 4.56 is ideal. The Diesel and especially the 7.3 is a low rpm high tq monster. You will have plenty of power. But if you go down to 4.30 you will not like the loss. With the short rpm and of diesels you do not want more gearing then you really need. You are dealing with a 3500 max rpm stock to put things in perspective for those not into diesels..

* traction bar: These diesel produce sick amounts of low end tq and you have a ton of unsprung wheel weight and grip from those 40's. With blocks its all the more leverage. Add in off-roading and you will be breaking leafs and pinions without a g good traction bar. If you need your articulation a single 3 point ladder config on the dif with a shackle front mount. Make sure to increase the strength of the tubing etc you use in line with the increase of weight and power its gonna see from the SD.

* ram assist steering: IMO mandatory. DIY is easy enough. or West Texas if you do not want to mess with it.

*Shocks: Blistiens 5100 on all 4 corners is as low as I would go. Along with SS brake lines for the travel. I have had great experience with Cary T @ CT performance He may go by OBSWIZ on here and be a sponsor, I can not recall, but is over on the Powerstrokenation and thedieselstop under that or caryt username and you can look up his contact info.

* Engine: The 7.3 are rather doggy stock but there is a lot more HP that can be hand with nothing but a chip, 4" turbo back exhaust and DIY air intake. Do not go with a programmer go with a TS chip from a custom programmer. I strongly recommend Matt@ gearheadautomotive or Bill from Power Hungry Performance. Your engine has PMR connecting Rod and the tuning needs to be done right. These guys are some of the very best. This will take you from 190 HP at the wheels to 300 or a bit more. That is all you will ever need.

* Tranny: The 4r100 can last forever if not abused but add big wheels and the type of abuse. AT a min add a perf Valve body and switch to syn fluid ( Schaeffers is IMO the best). The best VB setups for them come from Brain @ BTS( Brian's Truck Shop) or John Woods Transmissions. If you have manual then make sure its a good clutch.

* Locking Hubs: If you are still running or has auto hubs swap them now for some premium Warn or Dyna trac version


Before getting going on all this go over the front end well. Make sure the Unit bearings and ball joints are all tight. you can actually grease the Nonserviceable Unit bearings thru the anti lock sensor port. Its a bit of a PITA but will make them last far longer. Be very careful remove the sensor so not to break it off.


This is one way of doing things. Hope this is of some help.

Cheers,

Tim

Damn Tim thats a lot of info. Thanks a lot I appreciate it. I read about finding a number on a little yellow factory tag on the front axle, to id it being a D60, I believe the magic number was 248 somewhere on this tag. Do you know anything about this?

[TARM]

I believe that is correct but you have a 03 so you have a D60.

You are welcome for the info. I spent a good hunk of time researching etc to figure it all out to be sure I woudl not be stuck doing things over. Tanks 250 whos on a number of the powerstroke forums was a big help with info he had posted. That is also who I believe helped EPA LOL with his setup.


EPA LOL,

I was not sure what the heck was up with that front lift but then figured what it was. I was guessing it was a temporary setup to something better down the road. If you think about it its really not much dif then the mini packs other than the pin.

I am going with the traditional Hanger kit but like you its temporary. I figure I can get almost all my money back out of it when I sell it as they are not a wear item.

I will be swapping up to a F550 05+ Super 60 front axle, suspension, steering box etc. Have a ton of other planned upgraded that are all worked out in stages. Should take a year maybe two to completely finish. When done it shoudl be one hell of a capable setup off and on road. It will certianly be one of a kind Excursion.

[EPA LOL]

Originally Posted by TARM

Tanks 250 whos on a number of the powerstroke forums was a big help with info he had posted. That is also who I believe helped EPA LOL with his setup.

Yea, I basically looked up his photobucket and DIY thread to get a good look at what would fit. I believe he started with 36's and the cutouts, and it looked like I could go a lot bigger. So I did. lol

EPA LOL,

I was not sure what the heck was up with that front lift but then figured what it was. I was guessing it was a temporary setup to something better down the road. If you think about it its really not much dif then the mini packs other than the pin.

Yea, I bought it as a cheap option before I got a raise. It does mimic a mini spring pack and bolts through. No issues so far other than hating front leafs.

I will be swapping up to a F550 05+ Super 60 front axle, suspension, steering box etc. Have a ton of other planned upgraded that are all worked out in stages. Should take a year maybe two to completely finish. When done it shoudl be one hell of a capable setup off and on road. It will certianly be one of a kind Excursion.

Nice! Is that a direct bolt on or is some fabrication required. Sounds awesome. Definately do a write-up cause I'm interested.

[Demoh]

Originally Posted by TARM

I have already gone thru all of this. I am actually getting ready to assemble it all after a few months getting all the parts together. (Doing a ton of engine mods as well which is where most of the time was spent acquiring the needed parts) The only exception mine is on a Excursion. That makes it for all intensive purposes a F250 reg cab stnd bed. At least in wheel base. In weight a CC SB. It has a 7.3. In Iceland these same low lift with big meat of Ford SD is very popular. Where I first got my idea years ago.

* Bushwacker Cut outs ( Make sure to get the ones correct for your cab and bed combo. The shorter bed has a cut out for the fuel door a long bed does not. You will be trimming the front bumper as well.

* Lift: For 40" tires you will need a 4"-4.5". For less $$ and also very nice ride while still having all the weight capacity go with hangers and shackles in the front and block in the rear. PMF makes nice sets and where mine are coming from. ICON is nice but $$. You can of course cut and weld your own up. Do not do shackle flips on SDs. For the OBS yes not SD. The small gain is not worth it. If you have the $ go for a set of Deavers or ICON rear springs. Ideally I woudl go with a Deaver but have them make them for a 09 config as they are equal length spring and much longer. Then move the stock hanger to adj for it. That would get you increased travel and a better ride at speed as well. PMF makes the hanger mount conversion but its a bit $$. Blocks again are quick and easy and get it done. You will not get all the flex but its still not bad. You will need a drop pit arm and drop trac bar bracket. I assume you will be loosing the front and rear sway bars but if not drop brackets. Ideally a adj traction bar will be nice to. Make one or the cheapest I have seen is from Sky also for the drop trac bracket as well.

* Wheels: Leaf rub can be an issue. You need a 12" wide wheel with under 5" backspacing (usually 4.5-4.75 is what you will find) to prevent or only get very light rub at full lock out with 14.5-15.5 tires. A 10" wide unless you can get 3" BS is gonna rub bad. For the little bit you may or may not have with a 12" a bit of weld on the knuckle stop will take care of it. You can also drill and tap and use a bolt to the same effect. I went with 20x12 Fuel Hostage and as I will be on the street as much as off Interco SS M16 40x14.50x20 With SD make sure you are getting proper weight ratings. The M16 are 3850 each and wheels 3600 so all good.

* Gearing: 4.56. Even for on the road 4.56 is ideal. The Diesel and especially the 7.3 is a low rpm high tq monster. You will have plenty of power. But if you go down to 4.30 you will not like the loss. With the short rpm and of diesels you do not want more gearing then you really need. You are dealing with a 3500 max rpm stock to put things in perspective for those not into diesels..

* traction bar: These diesel produce sick amounts of low end tq and you have a ton of unsprung wheel weight and grip from those 40's. With blocks its all the more leverage. Add in off-roading and you will be breaking leafs and pinions without a g good traction bar. If you need your articulation a single 3 point ladder config on the dif with a shackle front mount. Make sure to increase the strength of the tubing etc you use in line with the increase of weight and power its gonna see from the SD.

* ram assist steering: IMO mandatory. DIY is easy enough. or West Texas if you do not want to mess with it.

*Shocks: Blistiens 5100 on all 4 corners is as low as I would go. Along with SS brake lines for the travel. I have had great experience with Cary T @ CT performance He may go by OBSWIZ on here and be a sponsor, I can not recall, but is over on the Powerstrokenation and thedieselstop under that or caryt username and you can look up his contact info.

* Engine: The 7.3 are rather doggy stock but there is a lot more HP that can be hand with nothing but a chip, 4" turbo back exhaust and DIY air intake. Do not go with a programmer go with a TS chip from a custom programmer. I strongly recommend Matt@ gearheadautomotive or Bill from Power Hungry Performance. Your engine has PMR connecting Rod and the tuning needs to be done right. These guys are some of the very best. This will take you from 190 HP at the wheels to 300 or a bit more. That is all you will ever need.

* Tranny: The 4r100 can last forever if not abused but add big wheels and the type of abuse. AT a min add a perf Valve body and switch to syn fluid ( Schaeffers is IMO the best). The best VB setups for them come from Brain @ BTS( Brian's Truck Shop) or John Woods Transmissions. If you have manual then make sure its a good clutch.

* Locking Hubs: If you are still running or has auto hubs swap them now for some premium Warn or Dyna trac version


Before getting going on all this go over the front end well. Make sure the Unit bearings and ball joints are all tight. you can actually grease the Nonserviceable Unit bearings thru the anti lock sensor port. Its a bit of a PITA but will make them last far longer. Be very careful remove the sensor so not to break it off.


This is one way of doing things. Hope this is of some help.

Cheers,

Tim

Wow thanks, this is a lot of info that I can use for my superduty.

I only have 1 question though. At the moment ill be going with 37s. I was thinking about moving the axle forward a little bit with a new hanger. (already has a longer shackle) Effective lift will be 5-6 inches and maybe an inch or 2 forward if I can. How much more room do i have to go without needing to lengthen the front driveshaft??? The whole reason why I am moving the axle forward is so I dont have to cut my fenders (ill do it when im moving to something larger than 37s). Bumper isnt an issue to cut for me.

[TARM]

At 6" I think 1" is all I woudl move it if you plan to allow for full droop. Maybe could get a bit more. Its one of those things unless I had done it I am really take a guess based on what I saw. Maybe someone else would know. If you are going to go to Cut outs just get it over with and do them. You can also use a relocation plate between the spring perch and leaf think they also call them zero rate add a leaf as its get tie to the leaf pack. It has off set pins holes at 1" and 1.5" IIRC. That woudl allow you to play with it some to see what works. They add 5/6" to 1" to the pack.

EPA LOL ,

Sorry to hear about your truck. Any word from LE on it yet? As to your question on the super 60. I will do a writeup with pics when I do it. If I can swing a video of the steps I will try to add that.