F450 questions

[Bob]

Well on a whim I accidentally bought a Ford f450 4x4. It has a very nice big utility bed on it but I don't particularly need or like the bed. It's a 91... (I know... non-bump and actually the newest vehicle I've ever owned) ... with low miles and no rot.

What I was thinking is this...
Was thinking of either stretching a long bed by grabbing a long and short and adding some bed to it to match up to the longer wheelbase... Or possibly move the rear axle forward and shorten the driveshaft and lopp the back of the frame off. Not sure which will be easier to do. The thing is really stout and I thought it'd make a neat overgrown 4x4 pick up.

Anybody have an interest in a big utility bed? Maybe a swap for a pair of regular beds?

[adrianspeeder]

Nice find on the 4x4. They are kind of odd duck trucks with the ten lug setup and an interesting driveshaft parkin' brake. I'd want one to make a 4door bronco out of.

Adrianspeeder

[GHOST]

[Bob]

The truck is in Wyoming and I'm in Pennsylvania...
Was just thinking somebody might have some insite on best mode for bed swap.

I don't know if these pics from the auction will load?

$(KGrHqJHJCwE8fq,Cn6BBPKrzffLVg~~60_12[1].jpg

$(KGrHqRHJCgE8fjuOpMTBPKrz)w,C!~~60_12[1].jpg

By golly they did...

[averagef250]

If you don't want the service body sell it and put a flatbed on it. A pickup bed makes pretty much kills that truck's usefullness.

Myself, I like those trucks. They have one hell of a frame under them. Biggest downside is they ride like they have no front suspension under them at all unless you have a a couple tons on the truck to smooth it out a bit. They are also geared very low. 4.88 to 5.XX gears mean the engines didn't last very many miles and they don't like freeway speeds.

If you cut it down for a pickup bed it's not going to have enough weight for the suspension it has. Your kidneys will hate you.

I had an '89 with a 7.3 in it with over 900,000 miles on it. It weighed 11K empty.

[PhantomoftheBumpside]

If you want a bed on it, you should probably think about a dump bed...

Or use it for the basis of that armored truck you always secretly wanted...

[Bob]

If you want a bed on it, you should probably think about a dump bed...

Or use it for the basis of that armored truck you always secretly wanted...

Been surfing a good bit of the day. Started out looking at flat then quickly changed to dump beds. Need to get more information on it and get it back here for starters. There's a place nearby in Ohio with what looks to be a pretty fair price for complete new dump beds with the cylinders and all the framework etc.
Gonna see if a guy down the road that has service trucks would be interested in this bed. He might even have a dump bed to trade. He's got a lot of stuff back in his little private junk yard. Never know...

But the secret "armored truck" dream would still be pretty cool... Can here it now as I drive by... "Whoa!! Watch out!! Said that bird..." (from the nasty-a$$ honey badger video...)

Far as the ride goes... Can't be much worse than my 66 with like ten or eleven springs under each side, or my 48 pan head...? Or our big 20-some thousand pound GVW GMC here at work. Was just thinking... It has been almost thirty years since I've owned a vehicle with power steering or brakes. Had a car way back for a couple years that was around a 78 or 80 or something that had power steering and brakes. Since then power nothing in any of my rides. Guess that car was the newest thing I ever owned since this truck is now 21 years old. To me anything starting with the nineteen ninety sounds new... Guess I need to get my sense of time tuned up.
Oh no... I'm getting old...

[FLATBEDFORD]

That is a big bad a$$ truck there. Needs a flatbed.

[adrianspeeder]

What ya been doin' with it?

Adrianspeeder

[Bob]

Got a call from the driver who picked it up Monday. Said he had a couple things to drop in Michigan and he lived there so was gonna hang a couple days. Told him no hurry... He asked if Saturday delivery was O.K. Told him no problem. Have him dropping it off at my workplace cause it'll be easier to offload and move a truck around. Would close the road at my place...

So Saturday I get to have a look.

The highlight of the conversation was this... Driver said... "Man this thing is in great shape. Was surprised when I was picking up a 91 that it was so nice." I said... "Yee ha... glad to hear that. So no rust?" He said the thing is really clean and only thing he saw was a couple tiny surface rust spots on the cab.

Encouraging...

Was B.S.-ing with a buddy and I ran an idea past him. Thinking about rather than the possibility of shortening the frame and putting a bed... Maybe grab two beds and stretch the bed. What would be nice is if somebody with photoshop skills could swap beds in a picture and add to the bed front so I could get an idea of what it'd look like.

As it is I squint and without really knowing how much longer it'll need to be it's hard to say what it'd look like. Also thought maybe have the added section become a toolbox. Keep the front of the bed on both sections and put a checkered aluminum plate lid like the typical toolboxes on it. Seal the inside floor drains and put a gasket lid on it and Voila!! Actually have a two door box that I never put back in my 72 that could be a donor. 8 foot bed with a couple foot box in front of it that is a continuation of the bed side. Be really cool if I could add a dump frame and still keep body lines lined up? Just need to be sure the tool box lids were shut.

Maybe I can scale these pics and cut and tape prints... Gotta lose the cap though... Also need to lose the big door bender mirrors. Like to see if I can make a set of west coast Jrs. work. Figured I'll see if I can sell or trade the bed for a bed. If not was thinking the bed could make a unique storage system for my basement garage!!! Cut it and use it like cabinets on or along the wall.

right side view.jpg

1997f350[1].jpg

[averagef250]

The frame behind the cab should be around 10 feet. There's usually a foot or so section added on the rear to support a 12' bed. If you put a pickup bed on that frame you will have around 2' between the front of the bed and the cab.

Those frames are usually strapped on the bottom making them more work to shorten, but very strong.

I'd really encourage you to actually drive this truck before dreaming too much about turning it into a pickup. They aren't pickups, they are medium duty trucks with medium duty licensing requirements, suspension and gearing. These trucks are meant to have several tons over the rear axle at a minimum and tow 15K trailers at low speeds.

[Bob]

Understand what you're saying and fully intend to take it for a spin. We have a 26,000 GVW truck here at work that I drive and I'm fully aware of how unpracticle using this truck as a daily driver pick-up this would be. I'm gonna be 50 this year and have a few years of doing stupid things under my belt.

Was at the local curb service for lunch today and what do ya know... a crew cab dually F350 around the same year pulled in. I looked at it pretty good and I'm figuring the difference will be like you said... about two feet. Appeared that the length of the rear door would be the difference.

Prior to any modifications and probably even before I register it or transfer the title... I'm probably going to park it in my buddys yard with a for sale sign on it and see if I can make a few bucks on a rot free western ride here in rotsville PA. We salt our roads here in the winter and I see 2010 trucks that already have cancer here. For a contractor to go buy this same set-up new, they'd be spending about 60,000. Figure if a person wanted to save some large dollars and still get a truck that should give them at least four maybe six fairly hassle free years... then this would be an appealing subject...?

If I can't do well on it then I'll play with it and will have a stout ride for what I considered a bargain. The thing should ride like a caddy as compared to my 66 F250 with about 11 leaves under the back and no power steering or brakes or air... and 4.5- or 4.8 something to 1 ratio. Our 26,000 flatbed with a top speed of about 55mph is easier to take than my 66.

I have absolutely no use for the utility bed so if... If I end up keeping it, then I'll need to make it into something that pleases me. Dump... flatbed... pick-up or whatever. It won't see many miles anyway since I currently have two bumps and that 66 and my bike and only working about five miles from home. All of my rides together only see about 5,000 miles a year between them all. The bike and the 66 see the least, and my 72 and 71 the most. It'll be a toy.

With the new laws here in PA about hauling trailors I'm gonna steer clear of any combination tags or fifth wheel hitches etc. Have too many buddys with trailers that actually use them for a living to bother paying the extra cabbage to qualify this for heavy trailer towing. My trucks just do the typical now and then sort of things and aren't used for my job. Load of manure for my garden once a year and the miscellaneous dirt or gravel or somebody's fridge etc. Maybe drag my boat out for a ride couple times a year...

Anywho... getting excited to see it and give it a good going over. Printed out the pictures above and cut and taped pieces together and a ten foot bed pick-up didn't look too shabby. With the dually fenders... being stretched on the front of the bed almost might look more... correct? I'm thinking I'm liking the idea more and more.

[adrianspeeder]

What are the new laws with trailers? I still have all my rigs tagged in PA, but have been out of the state for awhiles.

Adrianspeeder

[Bob]

What are the new laws with trailers? I still have all my rigs tagged in PA, but have been out of the state for awhiles.

Adrianspeeder

I'm not sure exactly how it works but once you get up to a certain combined weight... truck GVW and trailer GVW... empty or not... you have to get what I've heard called a combination tag. I don't know all the ins and outs of it just what little bits I've picked up from buddys who were complaining about the new rules and costs associated with them.

I just jumped over to the DMV site and got confused as all get out.

Well the fellow hauling the truck changed his plans and he's gonna be here in about three hours...!

[Bob]

Got the truck and have to say the thing rides like a Cadillac...! After a good cleaning it's looking like I'm gonna need to keep it. Was able to put the truck under the same policy as my bumps so long as I registered it for no more than 14,000 lbs. Also have to remove the utility bed and put a pick-up bed on it for it to be covered on my current policy. Otherwise I would need to get a seperate policy for commercial vehicle. They said if I turn it into a pick-up I'm good. Also warned me that if I get into any issue prior to bed swap it will not be covered if it has the utility bed on it.

Have a rigger coming over to look at the bed that seemed pretty interested. Also have a buddy that knows a guy that knows a guy etc. that is supposed to have a 450 with a stretched bed on it already and he wants a utility bed. Hoping that works out... that'd be too easy!!

I looked into a place that makes beds and they said a custom bed from them would start at 13,500...!!! I don't think so Tim... I'll be stretching one myself if this other deal doesn't work out.

Found out the distance inside the rear wheels is shorter with this truck than a dually pick-up. Guess all cab and chassis builds use this narrower rear end? Initially it was looking like I would need to tub it a little to clear the tires then a buddy pointed something out to me. I'd need to squat the thing about a foot to hit the bed with the tires given how high it sits. To be certain it doesn't hit I could weld a stop or something.