$900 1980 Ford F250 - Budget Build - The best overlander is the one you have

[stark-in-the-wild]

A 'clunk' in the front (left?) of the truck every-time I come to a complete stop. Don't have a chance to look today but can't stop thinking about it. Im thinking a bad bushing in the steering or control arm is the likely culprit. Hoping you guys can provide some thoughts so I can assess it fairly quickly when I have a chance to crawl back under the beast. Thoughts?

 

[old_man]

It is not uncommon to have a worn caliper bracket such that the caliper has rotational slop.

 

[Downs]

You need to adjust the drag link. That's the link hooked to your pitman arm. That will allow you to adjust your wheel back straight and have equal left and right steering. Double check your steering box bolts if they're loose they can cause a front end clunk.

Hopefully the parts store rebuild steering box serves you well so many times those are worse than the old OEM boxes people pull off of their vehicles.

Awesome truck by the way.

 

[stark-in-the-wild]

It is not uncommon to have a worn caliper bracket such that the caliper has rotational slop.

Good call! i will definitely give that a good inspection.

Hopefully the parts store rebuild steering box serves you well so many times those are worse than the old OEM boxes people pull off of their vehicles.

Awesome truck by the way.

So far its had no issues! but yeah that is definitely the risk I'm running to save a couple bucks. Really hoping it holds in there for at least 50k miles *fingers crossed*

 

[stark-in-the-wild]

Ive decided that apart from giving all steering/suspension bushings and calipers a good once over, the next job is going to be building a new RTT rack and spending more than 30 minutes on it this time. It will be slightly raised so that when it is closed it will be even with the roof height. This will also allow me to mount a shovel and highlift jack on the sides of it too. Coming soon!

 

[Downs]

If the reman unit fails check out redhead steering boxes. They're gonna cost you more money but that company actually does a good job rebuilding them.

 

[stark-in-the-wild]

Finally an exciting (at least for me) UPDATE!!!

My last tent rack was thrown together in an hour after being poorly measured so I could get on the road to Pismo. I always meant to go back and rebuild it mo betta. FINALLY I did. Waited for the hottest weather in a while then cut up the old one and re-welded it to look half decent. Behold Truck rack 2.0:

In the Above you can see on the left how I am setting up and on the right its still welded from my throw together. One thing I did do right the first time was make the distance perfecting. To keep that the same I tac welded thing bars on the ends while I cut off the the original cross bars. Then welded on the new ones. I already have Hi-Lift Jack mounts purchased and I will be drilling holes into the side crossbars to mount it. On the other side I will mount a shovel...or MaxTrax (off-brand most likely...because budget build)...or I'll get something I haven't decided on yet.

 

[Downs]

Heck yeah. Increased your bed storage by quite a bit too.

 

[Lost Dutchman]

Time and time again I see amazing builds of brand new Tacomas or dodge trucks built with a pretty decent budget. I love them! However, seeing these so often makes it a little intimidating to get into the hobby. This is what I hope to be a very open thread about the slow build of my classic truck. I have never heard anyone say "wow a 1980 F250...taht'd make a great overlander" so I have no standard to live up to and no rule book to follow.

I bought this because it was running, had working 4x4, 4-low and was $900. I purchased this in Seattle and immediately (despite the sellers hesitancy) drove it back to the bay area. It has no power, but enough torque to move the planet. Not to mention it had a terrible exhaust leak. Also it is HUGE.

I do have limited mechanical experience. I built (another never ending project) a 1967 Mustang with my dad...engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, etc.

If you are interested in this build I hope you enjoy! Expect slow updates though. And feel free to participate I'd love guidance, pointers, and just any crazy ideas that you think could be cool on this blank slate!

Now for the juicy part...some glamour shots of where it all started:

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Nice rig! I have an 88 Bronco I'm building up to explore in!

 

[stark-in-the-wild]

Nice rig! I have an 88 Bronco I'm building up to explore in!

Nice! I love seeing other older rigs on the trail. If you have a photo id love to see it!

 

[stark-in-the-wild]

Made it up to the mountains in my noble steed!

 

[Cav 3724]

Did you get the clunk in the front end fixed ? Just a heads up, you have what is called a TTB, twin traction beam, front axle. Some people swear at them some swear by them. It is not a solid beam axle but has several pivot points. My son in Alaska had a clunk in his f250 TTB. Jacked one side up did a 12 and 6 o'clock slop check on the tire. Two bad ball joints, wheel bearings way too loose. Dug into it further and the axle u joint was bad. Checked other side, some things. Pivot bushings were bad also. Point is the TTB has a lot of moving parts . Make sure they are all checked and replaced if needed. This job on my sons truck was originally supposed to be a one day job. Turned into three.

 

[stark-in-the-wild]

I haven't figured out the clunk yet! and it is still clunking but as you will see in my next post I have bigger issues at the moment haha

Still I really appreciate the info and have been doing a bit of research on TTB's. So stupid question but I've never done it before. How exactly does one do a "slop test"? Sounds like something I should do once I get it back on the road. Since the truck was sitting for years in rainy Seattle I am sure most of the pivot bushings are shot. a quick look under the truck confirmed it too but I am really hoping the U-joints aren't shot.

Thanks again for the advice and i'll definitely be looking into that further! Though a 3 day job is quite an undertaking haha

 

[stark-in-the-wild]

Making the 3 hour drive home from the mountains today could have gone smoother. It was going great until my driveshaft fell off. This got me thinking. What would I do i this happened on the trail? I think I would disconnect the driveshaft completely throw it in the bed then put the truck into 4WD and drive it as a FWD vehicle to the closest road...or is that a terrible plan?

 

[Cav 3724]

The slop test is actually very simple. It's best if you can have a second person to either do the wheel movement or look where there is slop in the suspension. You jack one of the front wheels about 3 inches off the ground. Then either you or your helper grab the wheel at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. Now push the top in and pull the bottom up, in a rocking fashion. Use some strength. If ball joints are worn, upper or lower, you will feel movement. The helper or you should be looking for slop . This will also reveal if wheel bearings are loose or going bad. Next grab the wheel at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. Do the push pull on the tire from 9 to 3. Again look for slop in the steering components, tie rod ends, drag link, pitman arm. Drop that wheel back onto the ground, raise the other side and repeat both steps. Do NOT replace only one ball joint on a side if you see slop. Replace both upper and lower. Lots of info on the Internet. Cool thing as well, Oreillys auto parts has the ball joint press for rent, which is actually free. Make sure you get all the pieces in the kit for 4 we'd, press and adapters, if you decide to do it. Get quality parts, no china crap. Moog brand is good. USA. I don't know if Seattle salts their roads in the winter but it eats the crap out of vehicle parts. Looks like your u joints took a crap on your drive shaft.

 

[Cav 3724]

That is a very good plan. I have done it several times, only using front wheels. By the way, checking front axle u joints in the axle. They are visible in between the upper and lower ball joint where the wheels turn. You might as well check all of your u joints, rear drive shaft, front drive shaft, front axles. Again get quality, like Spicer, and make sure they are greasable u joints.

 

[Cav 3724]

The three day job in Alaska was because the repairs were being done on a gravel driveway, in the cold, using a floor jack, in the rain. The only thing that would have made it worse would have been if it was in the mud.

 

[Big G]

Making the 3 hour drive home from the mountains today could have gone smoother. It was going great until my driveshaft fell off. This got me thinking. What would I do i this happened on the trail? I think I would disconnect the driveshaft completely throw it in the bed then put the truck into 4WD and drive it as a FWD vehicle to the closest road...or is that a terrible plan?
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OH wow, that sucks.

 

[stark-in-the-wild]

Awesome thanks so much for laying out exactly how to do that! Will be doing this as soon as i get my driveshaft back on!

Yeah the gravel and cold are definitely not ideal conditions for taking apart a vehicle even if it was a small job. Let alone the entire steering setup.

 

[stark-in-the-wild]

OH wow, that sucks.

Hahaha wasn't ideal! but its definitely the game I play with an old cheap rig like this . It's the first tow truck ride for my truck but def not my last I'm sure!