Big Bertha

[tcm glx]

One more to add to those pics Philo:



But all two wheel drive!! Lets see that TTB D50 Crew Cab!

[ChaseTruck754]

Apparently crew cabs are in...

They have always been where it's at! 4 seaters are cool for bringing friends along with ya!

[BajaBronco13]

I have definitely seen more interest in the four doors and as Steve said nothing better then bringing along more friends for a ride plus the leg room is awesome. Could never imagine building a standard cab truck for a fatty like me. I like Cadilliac type of space.

Chris

[04yfzkid]

Hey philo, I have been trying to find more pics of your truck for a while! Finally I found your build thread. This thing is definitely rad!

I have close to 10 questions, any chance you could try to answer some for me?

[philofab]

Hey philo, I have been trying to find more pics of your truck for a while! Finally I found your build thread. This thing is definitely rad!

I have close to 10 questions, any chance you could try to answer some for me?

Ask away. You only have 9 now. Hahaha.

[04yfzkid]

How well does the front tuck the 37's? I had 35's on my old f-150 and that destroyed my heater box bad lol.

Random, but does it still seem to stop ok with the 37's?

How wide is the rear glass incase I missed it? Also I noticed it seemed to tuck pretty well, do you think it would be possible to run a stock bed with glass, and cut out the wheel wells for some bigger tubs?

I noticed you got a bigger rear tank, are you concerned about the ground clearance at all? I am worried about it on my truck for when I go 4x'in. Then again I guess drop hangers still probably hang down lower

I was thinking about running some 64's on my truck, but I am not sure if it's going to be too much weight for them. I have heard geoff doesn't make them for the new f-1's because they weigh too much lol

I know had more questions, but I am totally forgetting them.

[philofab]

How well does the front tuck the 37's? I had 35's on my old f-150 and that destroyed my heater box bad lol.

The front suspension is 1" forward over stock and up travel is limited. I could gain more travel with smaller tires.

Random, but does it still seem to stop ok with the 37's?

Stops fine, I used to tow 10K with it all the time. I will lock the tires up if I want to. Brakes are way better on 1 tons than 1/2 tons.

How wide is the rear glass incase I missed it? Also I noticed it seemed to tuck pretty well, do you think it would be possible to run a stock bed with glass, and cut out the wheel wells for some bigger tubs?

This has been done with limited success in other trucks I've seen. I'm not sure how much flare the rear glass is, it originally came from "Black Betty", a Camburg extra cab truck. The truck has evil 2" wheel spacers on the back right now. I hope to be able to widen a sterling axle by 6"-8" eventually. I should note that the H2 wheel is offset inward quite a bit. Bad for width but good for tie-rods and wheel bearings.

I noticed you got a bigger rear tank, are you concerned about the ground clearance at all? I am worried about it on my truck for when I go 4x'in. Then again I guess drop hangers still probably hang down lower

I'm not worried about the lack of ground clearance. My Bronco does ok with the same tank and it's not nearly as long. I think the truck will have more issues with high centering.

I was thinking about running some 64's on my truck, but I am not sure if it's going to be too much weight for them. I have heard geoff doesn't make them for the new f-1's because they weigh too much lol

I would have a good spring maker build custom leaves. The Giant leaves are very soft and 2.5 inches wide. Not good for a truck with over 400ft pounds of torque, 37" tires, and a lot of weight.

I know had more questions, but I am totally forgetting them.

I'll still be here.

[04yfzkid]

Interesting, that just threw a huge curve ball into my plans lol.

Well I am planning on running method wheels so they should have a zero offset and should help a little bit. Didn't realize you got the glass of steve's truck. I liked that truck and stared at it a lot when it was at my buddy jonnies shop a couple months ago.

So would you advise just trying to buy a superduty pack like you did, and try to make it work, or just link it with the bed still? I am not sure how hard I am going to push it with the d50 beams, but I would imagine they will be pretty strong after they get extended.

Thanks for all your help man

[philofab]

Interesting, that just threw a huge curve ball into my plans lol.

I didn't mean to. Remember there is more than one way to do everything.

Well I am planning on running method wheels so they should have a zero offset and should help a little bit. Didn't realize you got the glass of Steve's truck. I liked that truck and stared at it a lot when it was at my buddy Jonnie's shop a couple months ago.

What does Steve's truck look like now? I bought this glass off of him exactly a year ago.

So would you advise just trying to buy a super duty pack like you did, and try to make it work, or just link it with the bed still? I am not sure how hard I am going to push it with the d50 beams, but I would imagine they will be pretty strong after they get extended.

As far as linking it or leaves, that is a difficult question. Kinda depends on your pocketbook and use of the truck. I'm kinda a pro-leaf spring type of guy. I don't think I would use an off the shelf spring, have Deaver or someone else make a custom pack and convert to spring under possibly with a link for axle wrap. The D50 beams should take any abuse you throw at them. They have way beefier components than the already proven stout D44 stuff. Larger snout, bigger wheel bearings, wider ball joint spread, stronger ball joints, wider wheel bearing spread, tougher knuckles, ect.

[BajaF250]

As far as linking it or leaves, that is a difficult question. Kinda depends on your pocketbook and use of the truck. I'm kinda a pro-leaf spring type of guy. I don't think I would use an off the shelf spring, have Deaver or someone else make a custom pack and convert to spring under possibly with a link for axle wrap. The D50 beams should take any abuse you throw at them. They have way beefier components than the already proven stout D44 stuff. Larger snout, bigger wheel bearings, wider ball joint spread, stronger ball joints, wider wheel bearing spread, tougher knuckles, ect.

Philo,
How much travel are you shooting for? This'll make a big difference in your decision. As you increase your travel you'll introduce leaf spring twisting dynamics into the equation. I went throught this when I first started with my truck. The first suspension upgrade I did on the BajaF250 was to add 4" nationals to the the front. John cut the axle housings to compensate for the increased angularity of the axle housings. But, you still can't negate the twisting dynamics as the front suspension travels between bump and droop. So, if you aren't designing a lot of travel, I think leafs are great, but if you're going for more travel, I think you might be disappointed and should consider either linking or radius arms.

[philofab]

Philo,
How much travel are you shooting for? This'll make a big difference in your decision. As you increase your travel you'll introduce leaf spring twisting dynamics into the equation. I went throught this when I first started with my truck. The first suspension upgrade I did on the BajaF250 was to add 4" nationals to the the front. John cut the axle housings to compensate for the increased angularity of the axle housings. But, you still can't negate the twisting dynamics as the front suspension travels between bump and droop. So, if you aren't designing a lot of travel, I think leafs are great, but if you're going for more travel, I think you might be disappointed and should consider either linking or radius arms.

I'm using radius arms and Bilstien 9300 coilovers with the ACV valve in front. I thought the question was referring to the rear suspension. I want a solid 18" front and rear.

[04yfzkid]

Last time I saw steve's truck it was getting linked. It's been a while so I don't remember too many more things about it.


The problem with deaver or national is I have to have the pack built once, then hopefully it's got the arch and everything I need so I can take it back to north dakota with me. I thought about linking it, but I really don't want to rip out the front tank if I don't have to. Also I am sure how long the frame is going to last with shock hoops for the links, and no cage. All though my truck will see light use once a month, and desert use maybe once a year if that.

Edit: I was referring to links on the rear by the way, front is getting coilovers for sure

[SteveG]

I want a solid 18" front and rear.

I'd focus less on travel numbers and more on damping. The Scaroni Excursion only had 12" of front end travel and 16" of rear. As I'm told, it was very plush in the rough.

http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/proj ... ?printable

[philofab]

I want a solid 18" front and rear.

I'd focus less on travel numbers and more on damping. The Scaroni Excursion only had 12" of front end travel and 16" of rear. As I'm told, it was very plush in the rough.

http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/proj ... ?printable

I remember seeing that thing at the Parker 425 years ago when BITD took it over. Surprising to hear it only has 12" in the front.

18" was a number that I'm aiming for but I'd be just as happy with 16". Seems conservative to me on a 4" over front end, compared to what Tom is pushing with his. The plan is to put Bilstein 9100/9300 shocks on it with an ACV valve on the front and some cooling tricks to make them live on such a large (and heavy) truck. I will be taking advantage of Joel's help on the valving and tuning too.

I doubt I'll be unhappy with it since I had a single Rancho 5000 on all four corners and it rode much nicer than you would expect. I wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't my own truck.

[philofab]

Well, I put the 33 gallon Bronco tank in the crew today but I don't think I'm going to keep it. My rear frame rails would allow a 3" wider and 4" longer tank, plus I have room above where the bed would be. I think I will end up building a stainless 16ga tank that fits in there exactly with a 3/16 aluminum skid. Should net me about 60 gallons. What's 400 pounds of fuel going to do for traction???

[ChaseTruck754]

Sounds like the same reasons I chose to do a custom tank in the crew cab.

[BajaF250]

Well, I put the 33 gallon Bronco tank in the crew today but I don't think I'm going to keep it. My rear frame rails would allow a 3" wider and 4" longer tank, plus I have room above where the bed would be. I think I will end up building a stainless 16ga tank that fits in there exactly with a 3/16 aluminum skid. Should net me about 60 gallons. What's 400 pounds of fuel going to do for traction???

Hopefully it won't take you near as long as it did me... !

[philofab]

Photos of a little bit of rear bumper / tow hitch work and the new stance. The trailer queen too.

[philofab]

Got an Autofab dual layer hood for Bertha.

[04yfzkid]

Hey philo, do you have any interest in any drop rear hangers and extended shackles by chance? I am pretty bored up here so I am designing some, and hopefully will be sending them to get cut out in a couple weeks or months lol. Not sales pitching them, just seeing if they are even worth making a few sets of them if all works out.