Project "Autonomous" F-350

pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
are you planning on re gearing the axles, or does the 460 turn the 37"s fine with the stock gears? ive got 37's and 4.56's and 5spd and ive thought about going down to 35's to help with towing, but i think id lose some cruising speed, but the hemi likes the high rpm's. still loving the falkens? im about ready for some new shoes, but i see alot of snow and ice up here in the pnw. the truck is looking good as usual, i sure would like that 4wheelcamper for my own!:sombrero:

I have 4:10's. I definitely lost some torque with the 37's. I can't go up some of the steeper passes in overdrive anymore. I kind of like the lower rpm's on the freeway though and I still have tons of grunt in 4WD so that's not an issue. I still love the Falkens. They work well in snow btw.



I have had a couple people interested in buying the camper just with word of mouth but no cash exchanged yet. May be time for craigslist.
 

xbox73

Adventurer
Right now the house batteries are powering my Whynter 65 quart fridge through an extension cord plugged into the Samlex 300 watt pure sine inverter. Cold beer in the desert at last!

It's more efficient to run your DC-capable fridge directly off your house batteries, rather than up converting to AC (with the inverter's inherent 10-15% losses) & then running your fridge off AC. If you don't have the DC cable, it's probably worth investing in a replacement.
 

pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
It's more efficient to run your DC-capable fridge directly off your house batteries, rather than up converting to AC (with the inverter's inherent 10-15% losses) & then running your fridge off AC. If you don't have the DC cable, it's probably worth investing in a replacement.

Thanks xbox, I found that out. :Wow1: You can see the voltage drop when the fan on the inverter kicks on. So far the single 120 watt solar panel is able to keep up but I'm going to wire it direct when I put the new box on.
 

guidolyons

Addicted to Gear Oil
Very cool truck. Saw your pics in the Pirate 4x4 "show your expedition vehicle" thread...went looking for a build thread and found it here. :sombrero:
 

pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
Thanks! Like most builds, it turns into a glacier. Only a little bit shows but the work, time and money invested is huge.
 

pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
CAD sure makes it easier. I've changed it many times already but here is the latest.





The rear set of wheels are my spares. I will mount them to an axle that runs all the way across with two arms mounted to the frame. To change a tire, I will lower the axle with my rear warn winch. The tires will help with any overhang issues, I just have to be gentle with it. The tires will come up into the box. The wheelwells will be covered by benches/ storage. I am thinking about a table that would swing down from the ceiling, suspended with two arms.





The pink cylinder is the propane tank mounted below the box along the frame rail. Above it, the red rectangle is the stove which will mount on sliders like a drawer. The large grey rectangle is the envelope that represents a Yamaha TW200. I hope to get one to ride around while boondocking. I am designing the interior so I can haul a bike. It will be located on centerline of the box and as far forward as possible during transport to center the weight over the rear axle. The blue rectangle next to the side wall is the shower pan. I will have a shower curtain that stows away until I am using the shower. The orange rectangle is the cassette toilet. I need to have access to the tank but don't want it to be cramped in use. My solution is to have the toilet on a pivot. When not in use it will be under the bunk with the tank against the wall. When needed it will pivot out into the cabin space. I will use the shower curtain for privacy. The water tank (blue rectangle along front wall) will be tipped at a slight angle to get all the water I can out of the tank. The water lines and fittings will be mounted over the shower pan so if I have a leak, the box won't flood. The grey water tank will be mounted below the box along the frame on the passenger side. :ylsmoke:
 
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pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
I guess I am guilty of hijacking my own thread but does anyone have any experience with the Banks kit for the 460 Ford? Does it give a fuel mileage increase like they state? I sure would like to get any gains in fuel mileage to be had. I am also looking to do some aero work on my truck/box to clean it up. The flat front of the 4WC and the overhang are like a parachute. I am planning to deflect the air over the box and seal up the overhang area between the box and the cab like they do on OTR trucks.



 

Rot Box

Explorer
Turbocharged IDI swap!! :luxhello:

As for the Banks power pack I think 68hp and 94ft/lbs would be a great increase in power considering the EFI 460 was rated for 245 hp/395 lb·ft (correct me if I'm wrong). From everything I've seen the Banks components are top quality--pricey--but top quality. There are plenty of cheapo/crappy/flimsy headers out there for the 460 I'd personally rather pay more for something that will hold up over time..
 

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