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Hello all, I have been on here for quite some time but never really posted a thread of things I have done to my truck because I usually just steal the ideas of other people on here and if you've seen it once you've seen it a million times.
A little about me I am a college student so things are done on a very tight budget but I have been lucky to find good jobs while in school and nice places to live with garages (not heated thought unfortunately).
Not much on the truck is in progress it is all pretty much completed.
1994 F-350 XLT 460 E4OD 4.10 gears.
Enough of me talking on to some pics.
When I first purchased it after a bath and wax.
Note the rust, not terrible for a beaten Michigan truck though
When I purchased it I got it for a trade for my old '95 F150 that I regret ever giving up but I wanted 4 doors and a solid leaf sprung axle for some reason. The PO was getting rid of it because they thought the transmission was bad but all it needed was a $95 MLPS for the transmission and it shifted fine. I drove like that for a while then I figured why not make sure I don't have any issues with the transmission. I purchased a new torque converter, punisher valve body, and some good fluid and replaced it all. I love the punisher valve body for these transmissions.
Next I purchased some cheap and very regrettable Hedman Headers and coated them with some cheap and also regrettable high temp paint from Autozone. I did my prep and multiple coats and it still did not last through the winter. Should have just saved for Banks but I would still be saving. They pulled one over on me but for $120 what should I have expected... 1.5 years later it is still on there and not completely rusted through so I call that a win. The exhaust was finished off in the gravel garage aka the backyard with 3" tubing back with a Flowmaster 3" high-flow cat made for a mustang and a Flowmaster 3" 40 series muffler dumped before the rear tire.
I guess fast forward a few months and I am moving home for the Christmas break driving down the freeway and a slow droning noise becomes unbearable so I go to pull the truck over and next thing I know loud bang comes from underneath the truck and lots of white smoke from underneath. Turns out a bad u-joint in the rear driveshaft can cause catastrophic damage to a transfercase... who knew.
Hello BW1356 internals
Good-bye PTO Transfercase
Truck doesn't even fit on the flatbed!
I purchased a used transfer case from a local yard and tried to install it in a few inches of snow over the course of a few days in 5* with windchill making it closer to -10*. (Here is where that college budget thing comes into play) I did not have my tools with me thinking I wouldn't need them so I was forced to have it towed to a shop after getting everything undone except the top two bolts. They needed too find an extension housing for me anyways because that cracked as well.
Moving on to after that was fixed and I saved more money I decided to start gathering stuff to do a lift on it. I wanted the PMF RSK 4.5" with x-code leafs and SKY rear shackle flip kit so started saving and over 6 months had all the parts just nowhere to do it. So it was put on the back burner for a while. I decided to tackle things that actually were important like brakes. The pads were cracked, the rotors were cracked and one of the calipers also had a crack in it. So I purchased new everything and while I was in there I decided to replace the wheel bearings and races and seals because why not.
For those that might be wondering the paint did not hold up well after the Michigan winter was done with the calipers I will probably have them powder coated next time. Same colors because I think it looks good.
The only thing done to this truck that I did not do myself was the ball joints I have done it before on my past trucks and I do not want to ever do it again. I believe that the ball joints were the originals honestly too much play to have ever been replaced. After that was done huge improvement in on road manners.
I also did a rear brake disc swap because I had some extra cash and always wanted to do it. It is not pretty and I don't think I have pictures of it at this moment I will have to check later, but it all works great and stops very well.
Finally, earlier this year April/May I got around to installing the lift on the truck in my driveway with hand tools and electric power tools. I would like to throw in that I hate rivets probably more than I hate my gas mileage. No pictures of install I was usually covered in grease/rust and not looking for my phone to snap shots of every detail I followed what DieselBrad did in multiple forums.
Rear lift done and tires back on looked huge and I was waiting for front brake lines in the front so I didn't have it done yet.
Front done drove it to work to check things out.
Image of the front I don't think I had the track bar installed yet it got shipped that day and I think I put it on the same day at work.
Fast forward again to June. I found a guy to paint the truck for 1100 fixing the rust and all that jazz. The workmanship was OK at best not nearly what I thought it would be but again get what you pay for. I only had to purchase new fenders and a new bed. The old one drivers side was wrinkled pretty good. $400 for fenders and bed then I found some used N-FAB wheel to wheel bed step bars for $150 so I picked those up to be painted also. $1650 later and it looks like a completely different truck!
All painted and cleaned up after a bath with the 33" tires and N-Fab running boards!
A few weeks ago my beautiful truck was mutulated by those stupid used 33" tires I had on the truck. I purchased them used about a year or so ago and they were doing fine until I was driving about 80 on the highway helping my sister move at a fairly busy time of day. Somehow the tread of my drivers rear tire decided to peel itself off like a banana out of nowhere and the damage was not as bad as it could have been but it nearly made me cry. The tread peeled off and whipped around in the wheel well until it was all gone I pulled over into one of the police medians to wait for back up spares. (The week before I had a tire develop a large bubble in the tread on the highway) I am super lucky!
Take a look:
The bubble in my previously good tire! Scary driving this off the freeway
The aftermath of what my tire skinning itself!
The N-Fab bar bends in towards the frame at the end and that's where the tread caught after it came apart
Pulled the gas filler necks right out of the metal
Also broke my gas cap apart
Folded in the rear part of the quarter panel and took off paint
Almost pulled this gas tank filler neck through for some reason it didn't but still ripped out the metal!
My peeled tire that still held air surprisingly.
I had a full size jack that I grabbed from home luckily earlier that week but I did not bring jack stands. I had to get creative with how I would support the truck until a friend brought me spares from an hour away. Good thing I have unlimited data and netflix on my phone.
At this point I was driving around with 33x12.5x16.5 in the rear and 265/75/16 in the front. I decided to bite the bullet and purchase some military take-offs Goodyear Wrangler Military OZ Radials 37x12.5x16.5. Tires were $539.00 for 4 95-99% tires and a 50% spare then $100 for shipping to my workplace! So $107.80 per tire isn't bad at all since these go for $670 per tire brand new.
Got them mounted and balanced came out okay only off at most 1.5oz except for one on a bent wheel that one came out to 3.00oz off I am looking for new wheels!
Here she sits after new tires and a bath and spray wax. Showing off the good side.
Last of the updates to bring you all up to speed on my progress. I purchased some Solid Axle Industries diff covers for both axles got them on sale for $62.50 a piece. Better than $125 per axle from ruffstuff. I installed these yesterday and flushed the fluid and everything.
Front axle done
Rear Axle completed also lots of things hanging I need to clean it up!
Randomly took the truck to a scale on my campus and this is what I clocked in at used to be 6400# before all the mods.
Is it normal after an initial fill in the Dana 60 that I am pretty sure has never ever had the fluid replaced to leak from the axle tube seals after filling it a little. There are small puddles after parking the truck for a bit. I don't think either axle has ever had the fluid changed due to the look and viscosity of the fluid I drained from it. All the internal parts look good and it has driven very nicely since the flush I've put 200 miles on it in the past 2 days.
Thanks! I am hoping to get the body on the rear drivers side fixed within the next 2 months. Just waiting to get some more money! Now I have to start on the interior and motor. I have some things to tackle there.
One thing I forgot to mention was replacing the cab lights with LEDs. They are very bright I like them although they do cast a light shadow on the visor when driving at night that is very noticeable.
Well when I first purchased it I drove it around for a while before I traded my truck it shifted fine at lower speeds but on my 2.5 hour drive home I noticed that the transmission would seem to slip out of gear and wander until it found a gear again feels like the truck was put into neutral and rpms would climb but the truck would slow down.. I didn't know at the time there was an upgraded MLPS for these trucks and after a little research and $100 and 20 minutes it shifted great.
08-03-2015, 06:44 PM
