Vintage Ford F-250 Transformed Into Super Cool Budget Overlander

This budget Ford F-250 overlanding build proves that you don’t have to be rich to enjoy this hobby.

Off-roading has arguably never been more popular than it is now, but we aren’t just talking about hitting the trails for a few hours on the weekends. Rather, lots of folks want to spend days out in the woods, enjoying the wilderness and escaping the depressing daily grind. As such, overlanding has spawned a massive aftermarket ripe with parts and complete builds, but those can be incredibly expensive and beyond the budgets of most humans. The alternative is to build a capable off-road camping rig on a budget, and that’s precisely what Tim Jackson did to this vintage Ford F-250 that was recently featured at FourWheeler.

Jackson started out with both a two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive Ford F-250 that he found in a field, and there were enough good parts on each to make one solid truck, in spite of a mountain of rust. The new build took the body and steering components of the 2WD F-250 and combined them with the chassis, NP435 transmission, and NP205 transfer case from the 4WD model. Jackson had a 360 from the pair that ran yet knocked, so he went with a 390 that’s mostly stock but does have some free-flowing heads on it.

Underneath, this budget build features a Dana 44 front differential and Dana 60 rear, along with stock leaf springs and cheap yellow shocks from the local auto store. Jackon has a couple of different wheel and tire combinations, including a set of steelies with Super Swampers, but on this particular day, the truck was wearing American Racing wheels and BFGoodrich K02s.

As for the exterior, Jackson fabbed up his own front bumper using a Warn center section and Jackson Fab ends, which houses a Warn M8274 winch. In the bed, Jackson also made his own dog cage to house his best friends when he heads out on the trails, which is surrounded by a spare tire, shovel, high jack, and an ARB tent – everything one needs for a weekend away.

The result of some hard work and a few bucks is one of the cooler budget overlanding builds we’ve come across, and proof that you don’t have to be rich to enjoy everything this planet has to offer.

Photos: FourWheeler

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.