OBS F250 slow adventure build

[amgvr4]

In other news, I have been able to fix a bunch of little issues and add some small improvements over the past few weeks. My steering column bearings have been shot for some time and they finally gave up the ghost on our camping trip to Idaho. I was able to practically steal a mint column and leather steering wheel from pull-a-part for $40. Man it made such a difference and put the joy back into driving the battleship.





I also added some LED lights in the engine bay to light up nighttime wrenching.



Finally I stumbled on an amazing deal for a extra 7.3L that came with a ton of spares and some pretty choice upgrades for $1000. It came with a rebuilt turbo with EBPV delete, WW2 compressor wheel, and some Irate Diesel up pipes, T6 chip, e-fuel system, 3" downpipe, two full extra sets of injectors, two ECUs and four IDMs. He also through in a complete hydro boost setup for free. The plan is to throw some fresh bearings in the Turbo and add it to my truck now to take advantage of my injectors and tuner, then slowly rebuild the long block over the next year and slap in a fully refreshed powertrain next winter. That is as long as my clutch last that long!

 

[amgvr4]

Pretty cool. Is that shop at your house or work?

Thanks, it is a bay at my work. I am currently working on renting the next bay over to get double the space and actually be able to fab with the truck inside!

 

[bknudtsen]

Working inside is a game changer! I’m in Monroe, so I am sure I will see you around at some point.

 

[BajaSurfRig]

@amgvr4 out of curiosity what are the symptoms of your steering columns bearings going out? I think that mine might be giving up the ghost....

 

[snowaddict91]

Your rig is looking good! Opening this thread for the first time in a while really made me miss my 7.3.

 

[amgvr4]

@amgvr4 out of curiosity what are the symptoms of your steering columns bearings going out? I think that mine might be giving up the ghost....

If your steering wheel wiggles at all your bearings are starting to go. A fresh one will have little to no play up/down or side to side. There are two bearings, one right behind the steering wheel that you can replace without removing the column and one just before the tilt pivot that requires the column to be pulled. My suggestion is to pick up a complete column in good condition if you can, it will be less money and less work. If the bearings are bad enough the shaft can be damaged and need replacement as well.

@snowaddict91 Thanks! I almost sold mine at the beginning of this year before putting all this work in. After all the fixes and upgrades I am very glad I didn't. This thing amazes me how well it does just about everything!

 

[pappawheely]

If your steering wheel wiggles at all your bearings are starting to go. A fresh one will have little to no play up/down or side to side. There are two bearings, one right behind the steering wheel that you can replace without removing the column and one just before the tilt pivot that requires the column to be pulled. My suggestion is to pick up a complete column in good condition if you can, it will be less money and less work. If the bearings are bad enough the shaft can be damaged and need replacement as well.

Nice score on the engine and parts. My column bearings got so bad that I thought my PS pump was going out. I rebuilt my column, and was surprised by how easy it was.

 

[BajaSurfRig]

Nice score on the engine and parts. My column bearings got so bad that I thought my PS pump was going out. I rebuilt my column, and was surprised by how easy it was.

@pappawheely thanks for the advice. I am hoping to poach a used one from a junk yard that is in good condition. Out of curiosity where did you get the parts to rebuild yours? I am having trouble turning at lows speeds on occasion and the column is starting to bind every once and a while....

 

[pappawheely]

@pappawheely thanks for the advice. I am hoping to poach a used one from a junk yard that is in good condition. Out of curiosity where did you get the parts to rebuild yours? I am having trouble turning at lows speeds on occasion and the column is starting to bind every once and a while....

I think I got them from rock auto. You can check with your local ford dealer. You need the steering column bearings. They are really cheesy looking and feeling. You would think they would be better quality for their importance.

 

[amgvr4]

@pappawheely thanks for the advice. I am hoping to poach a used one from a junk yard that is in good condition. Out of curiosity where did you get the parts to rebuild yours? I am having trouble turning at lows speeds on occasion and the column is starting to bind every once and a while....

Better to get them replaced sooner than later. Mine jammed on me once and almost caused and accident. I had to jerk the wheel pretty hard to dislodge the bearing that stopped me from being able to turn the wheel. There are several places to get the bearings, but they are about $80-120 for both depending on where you get them. I got a complete column and nice leather wrapped wheel for $40. The most important thing is do not use your steering wheel to pull yourself into the truck. That seems to be the #1 way to tash them in a hurry. Unfortunately Ford didn’t see fit to provide any grab handles on our trucks so us lifted guys with no side steps have to get creative.

 

[mtnbiker4evr13]

Finally I stumbled on an amazing deal for a extra 7.3L

Yes, Yes you did! Should be some big improvements in maintenance and reliability. Like the new profile of the bed rack as well. Scary to hear how your column bearing debacle started, I have never understood why such crappy bearings are used there.

 

[amgvr4]

It’s been a very long time since I have updated this thread on the old truck. Quite a bit had improved although it looks about the same from the outside. I ended up doing the e-fuel conversion about a year ago and did a full replacement of all components including lines and tank. I replaced the two stock tanks with a single rear 38 gallon one. Also rebuilt the turbo with all the usual parts. I love the way those two mods transformed the truck. Way more power and smoothness. I also replaced the rear leafs with ones from a Bronco to replace the twisted F-250 ones. Much smoother and nicer for the trail and daily driving. It squats pretty good under load but still gets the job done. The truck now has over 320k on it and 100k of those have been from me. The plan is still to link the rear and change the radius arms in the fron to a 3 link but I’m not in a hurry so we will see when I actually get around to it. I
Picked up a 2000 Excursion for the family adventure rig since it was getting tough to fit the kids, dogs, and gear in the truck.

 

[amgvr4]

Sad day but I have this old gal up for sale in the classifieds. I need a F450 with a flatbed for my shop more than I need a second adventure rig so it time for it to move on to another loving home. Message me with questions.

 

[amgvr4]

Here is my youtube folder with all the videos of the truck over the years. I just added a walk around with info that I took today.

 

[pappawheely]

Here is my youtube folder with all the videos of the truck over the years. I just added a walk around with info that I took today.

Why not keep it and just get a new truck? Yes, I'm trying to be a bad influence.