"Travels With Charlie" 1996 F250 Service Bed Build

[Jeff Knoll]

I have always liked unique purpose-built vehicles. Is necessity the mother of invention? Imagination, or foolishness? You can decide, but please understand the journey is more valuable than the destination for me. When this is finished, if it does not perform in the backcountry, it will certainly perform some service as it has for going on 10 years now. I like building stuff as much as driving it.

Yesterday I told the wrong friend I was willing to sell my Jeep, tomorrow she will be here from Montana to hold me to my word and hand over the pink slip. This means that I have to get serious about building my next 4 wheel drive vehicle if I plan to enjoy the summer. I guess I am putting this build thread together to hold myself accountable, or perhaps to validate how foolish I might actually be. Maybe I was just bored, but over the last 6 months, I have sold my Truck and Camper, my flatbed trailer and now my Jeep. All this with the idea, that something was missing in the adventure department. That something was a single vehicle that could propel me and my hobbies deeper into the backcountry and for longer periods. BTW the Jeep was my daily driver, I am not sure what I am going to drive to work Monday.

This is the Jeep I just sold. Maybe I am a fool?


My build actually started many years ago, so some of this will be condensed. "Charlie" started life as a $1300 auction truck. The Charlie handle comes not from the Steinbeck novel "Travels with Charley" (Which I really enjoy) but from the NATO phonetic alphabet. I used to race in the SCORE and BITD series. My chase vehicles all had a handle. 4470 race - 4470 Alpha - 4470 Bravo - 4470 Charlie. Everything else is gone, except Charlie, which I have a soft spot for.

My Old Jeepspeed with the Dust Junkies Race Team. We built this as a group of friends in a barn.



Here is the kicker, while at some points, I may invest in quality high dollar items, I believe that you don't have to have deep pockets to build a vehicle that allows you to enjoy the backcountry. Some of the things I am doing may be simple inexpensive DIY items, some require advanced fabrication, some I simply will call on experts due to time vs money. But keep in mind, I paid $1300 for this truck almost ten years ago and have spent little money to keep it on the road until most recently. Frankly speaking, I can't recall if I ever even changed the oil for the last 8 years.

Why? The last few years, I have been finding greater joy in the wilderness than in the adrenalin of motorsports. I am trying to learn greater patience and find the same excitement that risk brings in daily life. Hiking, backpacking, fishing, shooting, mountain biking, Kayaking photography, exploration, quiet, solitude, and peace. If I want to go rock crawling, I will build something to do that, this vehicle is not that and never will be. I also would like to inspire others to not get caught up in needing to have the trendy vehicle or miss out on the adventure because they are saving for the popular rig.

The FatCity Liberty I built with a host of friends in 2005. This thing was a beast.



This truck is readily available, is easy to get parts for and is cheap. I rebuilt the entire interior between Pick a Part and eBay. I enjoy fabrication, so I have a leg up, but I was not always good at fabrication, I learned by doing. You can too. I am still a bit of a hack in the company I keep. So feel free to inspire, give your two cents and tell me what is not going to work. If you would like to know more about something I did I am happy to share.

So what is all this leading up to? This exceptional Work Truck.


I know you are laughing or calling me an idiot.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

Charlie has not looked like this for at least 8 years. Let me catch you up to its current condition. I liked the TTB Dana 50 front end on the truck, but I did not like the lift kits available for this model truck. Wanting bigger tires, I had to compromise, so I decided to invest in new fenders and hood that would allow large tires without using a lift kit.
https://www.mcneilracinginc.com/collections/92-96-ford-bronco/fiberglass


I also added a set of Raceline 17" wheels and BFG KM2 tires. This was done with no lift kit and has served the truck well for many years.
I had to fabricate mounts for the fenders and a core support. I also had to relocate a few items, but I love the look of the truck.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

Bumpers were next on the list. Again, I built these some time ago and they have worked well if you want the full build thread on how I built these bumpers you can check out FabricationForum
https://www.fabricationforum.com/threads/1997-ford-desert-chase-truck-bumper-build.16/
Here are some highlights





I added a 10,000 lbs Smittybilt winch that is hidden down inside the bumper. It has served me well the last many years and was well worth the low cost.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

I am not able to find the rear bumper build pictures, but I also fabricated a rear bumper. Shortly after getting the truck this far, I stopped racing and Charlie became a wheel buro. Used for runs to the home improvement store. This is where I stopped giving the truck much love, moved to Reno and resolved to drive it only to the Home Depot or Lowes. I should add that I did build a new rack for the truck when I was racing as well. That rack later turned into the reason I started working on the truck again. At this point, I have driven the truck about 8 years and have only bought tires, wheels, and the fiberglass front clip. I built the bumpers myself with remnant steel so the costs were fairly low. I bought a smittybilt winch when they were even cheaper than they are today.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

That should just about catch us up. The next posts happening in recent months. I had a set of leaf springs that I purchased and never installed on Charlie. One weekend I was bored and the ball started rolling again.


The Dana 50 TTB front end uses leaf springs but is actually an IFS front suspension set up. I have always considered converting this to a link and coil over front end, but this set up seems to work fine, so I figured I would give it a go. The new springs ended up lifting the vehicle back to stock and 3" taller. This, of course, begged the question of would a 37" tall tire fit? Why yes it does.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

Years ago I had started building a swing away tire carrier, but life happened and never finished. I bribed my son to come over to the shop during the winter and help me finish that project. Now I could start to see what Charlie could become......An Adventure vehicle. Notice rusty roof rack and hardware that was never finished?



If you have never tried to lift a 37" tall tire onto a carrier, you may not appreciate the reason for the tube. You will also notice the ramp. The tube allows me to set the tire up onto the platform before I align it with the studs. The rack is balanced enough that the tire is almost weightless when you swing it out. My wife has always had a hard time with our tire carriers, so this time I designed it with her in mind.



Best investment I have made, I sent my son to the Lincoln Electric Welding School. Now I have a master TIG welder at my beckon call.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

The tire carrier was lonely, so we built it a companion.



My Locking design is a little different. I am not sure If I like it yet, but it is pretty simple and uses standard hitch locks.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

I don't have any photos of the work that went into removing the rust from the roof rack or the painful process of cutting it in half so I could make it wide enough to fit two kayaks. but you get the picture. The kayak rack mounts are custom made as are most of the parts on this truck. So far we are just out labor and material on most of this build.

This is a detail shot of the bracket that holds the spreader bar for the kayak rack.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

So at this point, I am starting to like the truck again and can see a vision for what it can become when the wife tells me how terrible the interior is.






I was skeptical about spray painting the interior, but keep in mind, this is a low budget truck, so I can't make it worse. You can be the judge, but I am pretty happy with the results.







The headliner is homemade as is the material on the back wall. The old gals at the fabric store are very helpful to men looking for craft supplies.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

So remember I said I could not remember the last time I changed the oil? I decided that before I go any further, I should take Charlie in for an inspection. $$$$$ later I have a new clutch, no oil leaks a clean bill of health, new motor mounts and a handful of new parts. Even at 173K miles the motor is in good shape. I have Charlie back now and will be finishing up the interior while I wait for my new RTT to arrive. That brings us up to present day on this build.

 

[Smileyshaun]

awesome build and one of a kind !!!

 

[4wheelspulling]

Glad to see you making use of what you already have! Having the utility bed will give you lots of lockable storage. I like what you are doing with your truck, nice job. Benz.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

Had some time this afternoon to work on Charlie and decided to daily drive the old truck for a while so I can shake the trouble out of it. Friday afternoon, I headed down to my local 4 wheel parts to find out what a pipe dream of ARB air-lockers and 5.13 gears might set me back. No surprise, its a lesson in open your wallet and your savings. $5K is more than my max limit on a single purchase for the old girls, so this seems like a good time to learn how to finally set a gear pattern. I have a Pick-A-Part down the street, so my plan is to just buy a Dana 50 TTb diff and get after it.


My wife bought me a new bike rack with her 20% REI discount, this week. I think she wants to make sure I can ride the bike home if Charlie decides to take a nap.


I have had this ARB awning for many years, so I pulled it out storage and re-installed it on Charlie. If I break down, I can relax in the shade.
Lastly, as long as I have owned Charlie, It has never had a radio, so I invested $150. in some tunes.
If time allows tomorrow, I will install the new vinyl flooring I found on eBay. I had it sitting in the sun today.



In other news, the person that bought my Jeep yesterday spun a 360 this morning in Butte Montana on ice with Jeep in tow. Thankfully, only the towbar is damaged.

 

[Jeff Knoll]

Upgraded my 8-year-old BFG tires with some new 37" BFG AT's today.

 

[yendoR]

Awesome build, will be watching for more posts.

 

[The Demon]

I love the uniqueness of this build, keep up the great work and enjoy your rather one of a kind adventure rig

Sent from my VS988 using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Jeff Knoll]

Not a lot to report, but work does continue. Charlie got new ball joints, new Bilstein 5100 shocks, and a front end alignment. I am currently researching my options for gears and lockers. My friends at Sierra Gear and Axle as well as 4 wheel parts have been helpful in giving me options. I was able to confirm a stock gear ratio of 4.10. The transmission has a first gear ratio of 5.72 and an overdrive of .76. After much consideration, I have settled on a 4.88 R&P. This should increase my current at speed RPM by about 400 RPMs across the shift pattern. With the 37" tires, I am not able to pull 5th gear, so I feel like the extra 400 RPM will bring it back to the factory spec.
My plan is to pay a reputable shop to set up the rear end. While I have done this work before, I am not an expert and don't want to hassle or issues associated with a poor set-up. I am still debating the addition of a locker. I know I will be disappointed the first time I don't have it. Most of my time 4 wheeling I have had ARB lockers, so I am seriously considering it, but a Trutrac by Eaton looks pretty good as well. For the front end, I plan to do that work myself. I will add an ARB to the front in regardless of what I do in the rear.

I am buried in a home remodel so I can't dedicate the time I would like to Charlie, but I have two trips planned to act as deadlines. Memorial weekend will be the shakedown and in Mid July will be the big trip to Montana. As soon as I am done with the mechanical work, the fun starts with outfitting.

I expect to receive a Tepui Ruggedized Altuna tent in about 2 weeks. It has been on back order from Backcountry.com. I will need to fabricate a mount for it, so I will share when I finish.