Doors, more glass and structure will add a few hundred pounds. I was thinking 4WD and I'm guessing an F-150 SuperCab shortbox 4WD will be near (and probably a little north of) 5000 lbs. So my 5500 lb guess for a crew cab isn't very much more than a SuperCab. But it is just my guess. 2WD will be lighter (a couple hundred pounds?) and therefore have that much more payload.

I know people take risks with their own lives, their passengers lives, and the lives of all of the motorists around them. I can't stop people from doing it (and I've even done it myself). But I can warn people when their plans are likely to go that direction, and I won't ever suggest that someone do it.

Sure, brake parts and so forth are a little more expensive. But overall; the maintenance costs aren't that different. And it's not "most" 1 ton crew cabs that have long boxes, it's ALL of them. But the F-250HD crew cabs are all short boxes, and as Brad pointed out, it's easier to shorten a long box frame and drop a short box on it than it is to put a crew cab an on F-150 frame. And the 2WDs do turn tighter than the 4WDs, probably pretty close to an F-150.

That happens to a lot of my ideas too!


I see an F-250 crew cab from this era every day. I own one. As I said above, I think they came back in '95 but I could be off a year either way. Mine is a '97, the last model year for the old body style. Then short box drew cabs were available in both F-250 and F-350 SuperDuties the following model year (1999, there were no '98s)

I think they had to keep the F-150 cab to keep the F-150 VIN to keep it an F-150. So they stretched the cab.

 

As far as payload and taking risks, I don't do crazy stuff with my trucks. I've never had an issue with a ton in the back of an f150. You drive accordingly. I think the camper I used to own was about 1000lbs over the recommended tow capacity. The truck had helper springs added so it had no problem as far as stability with heavier rated tires, and braking was no problem at all, the trailer had electric brakes on both axles. Main issue was power, or lack thereof! Properly loaded and carefully operated, you can do a lot more weight than Ford says and do it safely. I've done it for years. Only thing I'm putting at risk is my engine because I fully intend to get 100% out if it at all cost! Lol
I do want to be a little weight conscious though. I don't want to build a crew cab truck that weighs more than it should. I don't lug a lot of weight around most of the time and I don't want it to feel loaded when it's empty.
If after it's put together, I'll need a diesel to move it then I may as well just buy a crew already built, by Ford! I guess I will have to look at curb weight of more modern crew cabs in a half ton and see what a target weight should be. It may not be possible to get a crew cab in this vintage to be light enough even if it was put on a f150 chassis.
As far as steering radius, I have driven many f250+350's but only in a 4x4. I use to drive a 97 f450 2wd service truck, it was regular cab with a 10' service body, didn't turn very tight but that old girl was tough. It was made for work not grocery shopping. I've never driven a 2wd 250/350. I didn't consider that they might turn tighter than the 4x4 but it would make sense that it could without the axle/ujoint to deal with in the spindle.
​​​​​​as far as a crew with a long bed, that's not really handy for me. Around here most stores and food joints are pretty well busy so parking an old model crew is going to be a pain compared to a newer truck. My 95 regular cab is fine but addition of another 3 feet or so and a little less steering will mean that I have to park 9 miles from wherever I'm going so I don't get blocked in. Haha
seems like a newer crew is a option than going through all of this.
One reason I like this style truck is that it had manual transmission options. Mid 2000's supercrew never had a manual and it is rare to find even a supercab or regular cab with manual in that vintage. I guess it would be easier to slam a 6spd in a supercrew than it would be to build a whole truck

 

They made 96/97 F250 crewcab short beds.
Here is my 97

 

That's a nice truck!

 

if it wasn't for the rot

 

They got to be well over 6000lbs, that is the reason they started making the bodies from aluminum.

 

According to page 6 of this tech specs sheet on Ford's web site, a 2019 Supercrew with a 6.5' box weighs between 4680 and 5190 lbs. GVWR is 6500 to 7850, and payload is 1820 to 2890

 

I suspect that even using a 95 ext cab chassis, by the time you get the crew cab and bed on it you will weigh more than that 2019. The newer trucks even before aluminum have such thin sheet metal. You lean against a 95, you have something there. A 2012.. hmmm. You seen the frame on a 2000's f150? I think an 85 ranger has a thicker frame. It's all engineering design, metallurgy, etc. Make things thin and cheap as possible while maintaining strength. I guess it works but these newer trucks will never last as long as the oldies. Once rust sets in there's not much metal there to resist it. My brother had to patch a frame on an 09 f250. It had a hole in it that you could fit your hand through. Granted it's in Northeast but come on. Can't hold it off for more than 10 yrs?? That makes me want to drop $50k on s new truck.
i guess when looking at a build like what I originally asked about, actual curb weight is a consideration. I don't need to build a f150 platform that then requires 500hp to move it around.

 

centurion is for sale near me but its pretty rusty

 

My '90 F150 ext cab 4x4 weighed 5k. My father has a '13 F150 Crew long bed(6-3/4'), the 5.0 Coyote and 6sp has no problem moving it around but I immediately felt the extra weight the first time I drove it, it just didn't feel as nimble as my truck. It's a similar sensation to driving a Ranger and then driving an F150 right afterwords, you know you are in a heavier vehicle.

It won't but the heavier it is the more energy(fuel) it takes to move around. Don't think you can have a crew cab and get reg cab fuel milage, not gonna happen unless you throw a ton of technology at it

 

I wouldn't expect stellar gas mileage. My regular cab 5.0 gets 14-16 mpg, more often than not it's 14. I'd expect a crew like the centurion to get 11-12. But it will probably require the 5.8 vs the 5.0 just for a little extra power. Although it may not feel like extra power!
It seems like a better option is to buy an expedition or an V8 explorer with 3rd row seat and haul a trailer when I need to haul something.
I'm going to call it. The f150 crew is out! There's more going against it than for it. Don't get me wrong, if I had parts trucks kicking around I still might consider trying it but it isn't worth hunting this stuff down and building it!