here is my next project.
if any of you follow the IDI world, i just finished my first 6 door.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-build-10.html
but now i gotta get my powerstroke done!

i have a 01 F250 CC SB 4WD.
i have driven this truck for years, but the headgasket went a couple of months ago.
shes beat up, and its time for a low buck make over.

i also have a 02 F350 CC LB DRW. (minus engine/trans)
i bought this truck for parts for dirt cheap about a year ago.
has a scrapped title (unregisterable)
its got a super clean body, so i will be combining these 2 trucks to make 1 super truck.
plans for paint are out of the question for this round.
the goal is to get it all apart, and back together and make it run.

im going to make this truck a 6 door, short bed, DRW.
primary use is for family trips (4 kids, 2 dogs, lots of equipment, and a wife(optional)
I also have a 10M offshore, heavy lay boat.(7,000 lbs)

first order of business is to decide what to do about the cab.
i have a few routes going on in my head.
due to the differences in the electronics inbetween the 01/02,
im thinking about simply swapping the F250 cab to the F350 chassis before cutting it up.
the F250 cab is registered, the F350 cab cant be reg'd
or.
i gut the 02 cab, and throw all of the 01 components into the latter.
i would have to do a vin swap. both trucks are legit.

picking up the cab is not an issue, and more than likely its the same amount of work either way i go.

the benefits are, that i can get behind the dash, learn and clean things up.

the 2nd order of business is the drivetrain.

the 01 7.3 came to me with a blown headgasket,
the previous owners popped a radiator hose, and were transporting alot of weed, so they didnt stop, guess it was cheaper to buy a new truck.
i fixed it, and it ran great, did a new top end.
4 years later, it popped a headgasket again, the short block is done until i get it checked and machined.
the engine IMO is only good for parts.

this engine build will be low buck, i plan on building a forged rodded and fully studded engine in the future.
what i have is:
a running (180K) 96 tripplehoar short block.
i have a set of heads that im going to send to the shop.
cups are a must. the rest of it, we will just see how they check out.

i will strip the short block and mic the fecies out of the crank, bores, and slugs. if it checks out, i will polish my crank.
new bearings, rings, and hone it a RCH.
just for ring sealing.

im not going to do anything with programming or hoped up injectors.
stock tune.
may upgrade to the 38R dryer.

im still a month out on starting this project.
painting my sons F100 right now, and vacation right around the corner!

just wanted to throw stones in the water and listen to the ripples!
if anyone has any questions, thoughts, ideas, or trash talkin, feel free,
im not the sensitive type.


here she is...












here is where ill be making my cuts for the 6 dr addition.
dont need centurion, when ya got a welder

 

any interest in this?
or should i save my breath?

 

I have plenty of interest in this but I can not offer any advice as it is way out of my skillset. I will definitely be following along. Be sure to take/post plenty of pictures. The thread on the 6 door IDI is awesome and it looks like you know what you are doing.

Good luck.

 

Do it!

I'm saving some money to swap my powertrain in to a 04 cab.

 

i never know what im doing, even when im doing it! hahaha

skill set and imagination are two completely different things man!
some of the best things ive accomplished came from people that couldnt point out a welder from a plasma cutter.

ive done a few of these conversions, and they are really not that hard.
the hardest part is cleaning the metal for welding.
and working all that weight into the right place.
when the bodys were stamped, and put together, its actually nothing more than a Mans lego kit.

alot of people are intimidated of this kind of work, but if you can cut a straight line, and weld a nice bead, and have the attitude that youre in it to win it, you will do just fine.

 

Looks like a fun build! Don't be shy with the truck ****.

With the wiring harness changes 01 to 02, what's your initial plan of how to mix and match? To me that would be the most trouble and some systems would just never get done.

 

this is one of the things im hung up on.
i cant decide if i wanna simply swap bodys, or just swap the dash n stuff.
the VSM will not be used. im afraid that a vin may be stored on the CPU, i dont know tho.
this is the first computer controlled vehicle ill be doing any major fab work on.
ive swapped engines and "little" stuff like that, shouldnt be too hard.
ive even swapped a PSD into a brick nose with an OBS dash. but the guy ran out of money and i didnt get to finuish it.
shoulda been a plug n play type of deal.

so the 01 stuff will all be used...

im going on vacation next week, so i have time to ponder.

gut, or swap.... that is the question.

the 01 is beat up, the 02 is super clean....

decisions decisions.

i will have loads of truck ****.
i have a complete build of the brick nose over on OB,
just a small one here on FTE.

 

1200 dollars later.
complete 04ish front seats and rear seat, the rear of the 01 should match pretty closely.
decent short box, its got a pretty good dent on the driverside upper rail, but nothing that cant be worked out, may just patch it from another bed i have.

DRW fenders new, 300 a pop, ouch! spent as much on the fenders as i did the box and interior.
still not a bad deal IMO,
took the heads to the shop on friday to mag, and pressure test.

 

Looks like you are jumping into this build full on. Just curious, do you take the 6 door IDI on trips/vacation or is it a Sunday cruiser?

 

well its intended to be my daily driver.
but ive had to take a break on that build due to my 16 yr old wanting to give his truck a make over before school.
he's half way done after a week.
we should be ready to spray next week.
then i can finish my bed, and do a few things to get it to daily driver status.
the PSD will be the weekend warrior, the IDI will be the daily driver.
its my duty to get the kids to school n such, thats why i decided the fleet of extended vehicles are a necessity.
4 kids takes a toll on my hotrod building!!!
i have a super straight 41 1/2 ton pick up thats beggin for a powerstroke!!!

 

finally, some progress. the past few days ive been stripping the 02.
finally got the body off today, time to clean the frame, and get it ready to accept the other body.
this is a low buck build for now.
after I drive her around for about a year, shell get the full on custom job my 87 got.

 

 

now thats freakin cool! if i did that , my wife would want more kids!ha!

 

kids are the best part of life!!!


tell you what, drilling out spot welds is not fun lol
I still got a few hundred more to go

 

I admire you sir. This looks like fun.