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Offline Atkinsmatt

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #300 on: April 06, 2016, 09:10:05 AM »
Spring clips mounted to the license plate that clip to the rollers on the sides of the fairlead.
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Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #301 on: April 06, 2016, 09:41:37 AM »

Spring clips mounted to the license plate that clip to the rollers on the sides of the fairlead.

That will be the end result but I don't have a winch or fair lead yet.   So I need something temporary that I can use till I get a winch. 


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Offline Atkinsmatt

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #302 on: April 06, 2016, 01:03:38 PM »
Put a wood plate inside the hole and screw the plate to it.
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Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #303 on: April 06, 2016, 01:24:39 PM »

Put a wood plate inside the hole and screw the plate to it.

That's a good idea. But I welded up a little bracket that should work well. 

Had an Amazon gift card so I got some goodies. 

Plug for the block heater for the bumper.  I'm probably going to run this plug to a junction box somewhere and have this plug split off to run battery heaters and a fuel filter heater. That way I plug one extension cord in and it can run all heating systems.



Also picked up a 12volt fuel pump.
We exclusively use fill-rite on pipelines and they are stupid reliable.  In fact I've never seen one fail.  This one is a little smaller though because I don't need to fuel heavy equipment with it.   


I'm setting it up with cam lock fittings to be able to easily disconnect it and configure it to pull from the on board tank or be able to hook up a draw hose from the inlet side and suck out of other tanks.   In case of an emergency I can suck out of  abandoned heavy equipment, tractors, anything really. Get a long enough hose and I would be able to pull from underground tanks at gas stations.  The pump will supposedly pull 15' of head but we'll see.




Painted my tool box finally



I welded some tie down points to the bed rails.





I'm also thinking I'm going to put a section of E-track I have down each rail for more attachment points.

 




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Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #304 on: April 06, 2016, 02:56:42 PM »
Welded in the E track.   They are made of some crappy metal.  But they should hold up well enough for anything I need to haul.




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Offline JR

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #305 on: April 06, 2016, 04:01:24 PM »
I had E-tract in a trailer and liked it. Pulled it out when I sold it plan on using in burb. Nice that you can get accs. for it almost anywhere, even HF!
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Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #306 on: April 06, 2016, 07:41:37 PM »

I had E-tract in a trailer and liked it. Pulled it out when I sold it plan on using in burb. Nice that you can get accs. for it almost anywhere, even HF!

Yeah it's handy for sure. 

I changed my mind a bit about the fuel pump.  I realized I had better put a filter on the tank in case I run into a batch of bad fuel and it's just a good idea.   

I didn't really have room for one on top of the tank so I went and got some black iron and rigged up a little something. 





I'll get a filter head and put it on the end of the pipe.  I may run a dual setup like I put on the engine so I can run the same filters on the tank and on the truck.  That way in a pinch I could swap the tank filter with the truck filter to get out of a bind.  And I only have to carry one set of spares. 


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Offline swbhobie16

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #307 on: April 06, 2016, 09:50:17 PM »
I just had 2 of those exact same block heater plugs show up at the doorstep too! seemed all to convenient to not have to fiddle with a plug in the sleet and rain. just flip the cover and go. not that the primary driver would forget, but we are going to run my dads to the driver side. probably behind the door and above the rocker. just so you dang near have to step over it to get in the truck and a less astute person would wonder what's plugged in. hahah. also may run an indicator light inside so you can tell when its energized. just extra precaution. 

and I know from our generators you can get a filter head that'll hold a wix 33357 filter.. which is what's on a PPump cummins. the VE may be 33358 (slightly smaller) and i don't remember right off hand which one you're running. I'm sure a parts store can easily cross reference it for you. I think the filter heads came from a Stone trucks parts, which may be local. but you can find them at any heavy equipment repair store I'm
sure

Offline husker77c

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Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #308 on: April 06, 2016, 10:45:38 PM »
That's a good idea running the plug to the body haha. My girl can't get the clutch all the way in on the truck so I'm the only driver. 

I'm not running a factory filter base.   The guy that pulled my engine didn't get all the banjo fittings and I couldn't find the correct bolts for it anyway.  So I'm running two filter bases on the frame rail and running a separate filter and water separator.   I can use any filter that has a 1" inlet.  I originally built it to run a cat 1R-0750 filter because they are supposed to be a 2 micron filter.  About $30 a pop though.  But that's to be expected with anything painted yellow lol.

Only pic I have in my phone of the bases.




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« Last Edit: April 06, 2016, 10:47:17 PM by husker77c »

Offline swbhobie16

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #309 on: April 07, 2016, 06:25:56 AM »
those are pretty sweet. I can't recall right off hand what size the PPump cummins filter nipple is..
wanna say 18/20mm X 1.5. but I could be wrong that might be the oil drain plug. hahah. I'd maybe figure out what thread it was and cross reference it to the white filters and just order a case. should be able to get them for $5-6 a piece and just have a dozen on hand..

Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #310 on: April 10, 2016, 07:08:23 PM »
Finishing up a few loose ends before I leave on the 700 mile trip tomorrow. 

Installed some Chinese spot lights.


Tacked the mount onto my license plate bracket because I'm not sure what a final living configuration will be. 

Installed my plug for the block heater. 





And I installed my cell phone booster.

I made an antenna mount out of angle iron with room for the booster antenna, a CB antenna and a future 2m set up. May have to ground the mount better so I drilled a small hole for a ground wire in case that becomes and issue. 



The booster antenna is obnoxious but it's a life saver in those fringe cell reception areas. 




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Offline stlaser

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #311 on: April 10, 2016, 07:46:03 PM »
All looks good! I'm gunna go out on a limb here, the shackle mounts are 1/2"? If you're not on a straight pull I think you may bend those to the side some. I don't think they'll let go just think they might twist a little possibly.
Living in the remote north hoping Ken doesn’t bring H up here any time soon…..

Offline JR

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #312 on: April 10, 2016, 10:15:38 PM »
I like the plug. Seen that a couple times on rigs for trickle chargers too. Simple and solid.
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Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #313 on: April 10, 2016, 10:22:47 PM »
All looks good! I'm gunna go out on a limb here, the shackle mounts are 1/2"? If you're not on a straight pull I think you may bend those to the side some. I don't think they'll let go just think they might twist a little possibly.

Good eye. Yeah it was suggested before that a side load might tweak them and I would have to agree.  I've been trying to figure out some gussets that look decent and will be strong enough.    I may end up laying a piece of 1/4x3 flat bar all the way across the top of the two mounts to tie them both together.   Plus it could be used as a step to get up on the bumper. 

Yeah I may incorporate a battery tender type thing into the heating/AC side of the truck.  It's never done lol.

Offline JR

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #314 on: April 10, 2016, 10:29:38 PM »
Why not just laminate another piece onto them for the thickness you want? Or a piece on each side for the same. Weld that to the bumper face and that solve the possible folding issue.
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Offline swbhobie16

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #315 on: April 11, 2016, 08:05:56 AM »
im partial to the step idea myself. would keep them from folding and could provide either overhead or underneath protection for the fog lights.

Offline Bear9350

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #316 on: April 11, 2016, 08:25:02 AM »
Why not just laminate another piece onto them for the thickness you want? Or a piece on each side for the same. Weld that to the bumper face and that solve the possible folding issue.

I was going to suggest the same.  Clean all the paint off there good and grind some bevels on each piece before welding.

I don't think you would need to worry about them tearing at all and I don't think they would bend much unless they were given a good jerk.

Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #317 on: April 16, 2016, 10:20:12 AM »
Well I'm on my way home from MI.  Bad news on the dr visit but we are trying some new things and are hopeful things will improve.   

The truck has done really well.  Rock solid temperature and oil pressure.   Will cruise smooth up to 80mph without much coaxing.  It's sweet spot is around 70. 

It really isn't that terrible in the ride quality department.   It's loud though. After 13 hours in it my ears are humming for a few hours afterwards.  I'd like to address that but not sure what else I could do. 

Fuel economy is good but a little down from what I was hoping.  I'm averaging about 18 mpg.  I was hoping for 20s but for higher speed highway driving its good.  I think with a timing change and some more tuning I can get 20s. 

The larger rear fuel tank is awesome.  I didn't need to fill up at anytime I got fuel but I wanted to calculate mileage.  I'm getting around 350 miles when I fuel up and the gauge reads a couple needles over a half tank so I'll be close to 700 miles off the rear tank and another 350 or so off the front. 

I have approx 500 miles left until I'm home and I don't plan to stop for fuel again. 


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Offline Wilbur

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #318 on: April 16, 2016, 11:28:35 AM »
Husker sorry about the news from the doc I hope it turns out ok.

You raise something I was thinking about on the fuel range. Around here Sam's is always the cheapest for fuel and I was considering that if I had the right range if I was planning a road trip I could plan out fuel stops (wife and I are discussing another western road trip in the not so distant future) and only use Sam's (or the gss buddy app which i really like) where I could plan stops way ahead of time based on that. (Gas buddy would be good if I needed fuel very soon and was unsure which station in a 10 mile range or whatever had the beat price but wouldnt tell me to drive another 100 miles bc a place two counties over is $0.20 cheaper or whatever). But I like having that range. I had a K10 back in the 80's with 56 gallon capacity. Loved it for cross country/long road trips.

Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #319 on: April 16, 2016, 01:17:14 PM »
Thank you for that. 

And yes a large fuel tank is great.  For me to stop for fuel its about a 20 min process.  If you don't have to stop for fuel but need to  use facilities a stop at a rest area takes about 5 minutes.  Averaged out over a trip saves a significant amount of time.

That's a good idea to plan for SAMs.  And to have the app as a backup.  You'd need that gas buddy running out west.   I80 through NE and WY it could be 500 miles or more between SAMs clubs.  Grand island NE to Cheyenne would be one gap.  Then Cheyenne to probably Salt Lake City.  I70 through Kansas would be similar. 


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Offline Wilbur

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #320 on: April 16, 2016, 03:28:05 PM »
Yeah with a bunch of fuel it could be done though.  With the 56 gals I had I usually only need to fill up when I stopped for the night. I would do CO to MA in 625 (or so) mile per day increments (except for the 1 time I did it nonstop by myself yeesh). I am with you- rather stop for a quick p*** break than to add fuel all the time.

Offline Bigdave_185

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #321 on: August 18, 2016, 10:03:46 PM »
How is the ol ford coming along


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Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #322 on: September 29, 2016, 11:14:32 PM »

 
How is the ol ford coming along


Raising boys into RealMen!!

Haven't been on here in a while.   I've been busy with a new "normal" job.  Turning wrenches on roll off dumpster trucks.   Not oil field money but I'm learning a lot and it's kind of nice to only work m-f and 40 hours a week.  I also started a little side business making kydex holsters and selling them at gun shows around these parts.  Gun shows are few and far between though in the summertime up here it seems but there's one almost every weekend for the next few months so hopefully that takes off a bit. 

 Ford is good.  It's my on again off again daily driver.   I never got the AC hooked up so it's been parked most of the summer due to the heat but now that it's cooling off it will get a lot more miles.  With access to a proper shop now I'm already starting to think about installing a reverse shackle kit and super duty leaves up front and moving up in tire size a little bit.   I'm also entertaining the idea of a service/utility body for it.   I hate that I had to take all my tools to the shop which leaves me with the bare minimum here at home.  A service body would solve that and if we have a truck go down on the road at work I could use that to go render aid (at an additional cost to my boss of course).   And I may try to hire out as a truck mechanic on a pipeline next year and I'll need a service truck for that so it seems like a good idea. 

Offline JR

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #323 on: September 30, 2016, 03:18:52 AM »
Glad to see you back around. Funny how life slows you down the harder you work.

Now tell us more about the holsters?
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Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #324 on: September 30, 2016, 07:24:29 AM »
So true brother.  I started a thread in the firearm section about them.


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Offline Bigdave_185

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #325 on: September 30, 2016, 08:16:27 AM »
Sounds like a good plan for multiple reasons too.     We need a holder I can screw to my underside of my dash!!!


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Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #326 on: September 30, 2016, 11:35:50 AM »
I could probably work that up.  My new job is in a sketchy part of town so I usually roll with it laying in my lap haha.  But a more permanent solution would be better. 


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Offline Bigdave_185

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #327 on: September 30, 2016, 04:16:54 PM »
I was thinking something that would mount to the side of a center console or the under portion of the steering wheel kind of next to the usual place is people with old non factory installed trailer brake kits go


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Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #328 on: January 30, 2018, 09:22:50 AM »
Well since I stopped in to check on Square D I figured I could post a little update about the Ford. 

I got back into the Pipeline game so money has been better and I have a company truck to drive now so the Ford stayed put for the better part of last year.  However when a co worker offered me more than what my 2012 was worth I ended up selling Great white and I just used my company truck for a daily driver.  However the time is nearing that I will have to pull my camper to a new location.  I tossed around the idea of buying a 2017 Ford but the idea that I spent 10k less on a truck than I did my house didn’t sit right so why not move the Ford into tow pig duties?   

I brought the truck down to my work site and started in fixing things I knew would be needed to make it pull and be safe.   

New rear brakes, rear wheel seals and bearings.   After the front end rebuild and the rear end maintenance my running gear should be good to go.  I addressed some wiring issues as well.

I built a new panel for under the hood

I ran 4/0 welding cable over to a big truck battery kill switch and then from the switch to my starter and other accessories.   This allows me to shut off and lock the power to the starter as another form of a theft deterrent.   I also cleaned up my relays for the headlights and such and added 4 more relays for future expansion. 

I also put my Reese fifth wheel hitch in. 

I work with a guy that is pretty good with a 12 valve so after I get it back up and running I’ll have him bump the timing and tune it a bit then see what happens when I tow a 14k fifth wheel. 
 


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« Last Edit: January 30, 2018, 09:29:55 AM by husker77c »

Offline Bigdave_185

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #329 on: January 30, 2018, 10:34:38 AM »
Looks good! 


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Offline BobbyB

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #330 on: January 30, 2018, 12:18:38 PM »
I was actually wondering yesterday about whatever happened to this truck.
So, Bobby...being the calculating trained warrior NCO that you are.  Take the appropriate action, Execute!
your standard grunt level CQB is just putting rounds and rounds on scary stuff till it stops scaring you!

Offline JR

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #331 on: January 30, 2018, 12:20:41 PM »
Nice update
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Offline husker77c

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #332 on: June 11, 2018, 12:28:13 PM »
Time for my once a quarter update.

The Ford failed the 5th wheel test.  I set up for a 5 mile pull from the campground to a shop where we were set up for the winter as a shakedown run.  The truck pulled the camper fine.  It needs more power if I continue to push it into a full time tow pig, so I'm researching twins right now.  However stopping the heavy beast was the problem.  It stopped fine and safely on the shakedown run.  With the trailer brake controller and mostly 30-40 mph through town I had no major hiccups.  However there was about a mile stretch where I was able wind it up to around 55mph.  Then when it came time to stop and turn in to the shop, one again it stopped fine but the brakes were smelling pretty bad and when I parked the rotors were too hot to touch.

I think part of the problem was when I rebuilt the rear brakes over the winter I didn't have them adjusted correctly and all of the stopping power was the front brakes alone.

A couple mechanics at my work adjusted the rear brakes for me but I didn't get a chance to pull it again after that.  An employee I work with let me borrow his duramax dually to haul the camper over to our next job location and I drove the Ford over bobtail after that.

I now have until November or so to figure out what my next plan of attack should be.  I NEED a reliable truck to pull my camper but I can't justify the price tag on most newer trucks right now.  In hindsight I shouldn't have sold my 2012, but I did and now I have to figure out what to do.  So my options are.

1) Continue to build the Ford.  Maybe take it to a shop and make sure the brakes are all up to snuff from a professional.  But if I go that route and it comes time to pull and I find out the brakes are never going to be good enough then Im back to square one, actually worse because Ill have to pull and won't know it won't work until I get under the trailer.

2) Buy a truck.  That can be broke down into to options.  One being buy a later model dually, or pick up a single axle international 4300 or similar and install a fifth wheel on it.  With the weight of my camper to be "legal" I really need an F-450 or F-550, and if Im doing that then an international starts to make sense.  A newer 550 can run from 15k for a work truck model to 100k for a platinum 2018. While an international can be had for around 10 used.

While the zombie Ford won't be "legal" either I seriously doubt I will ever get in trouble for it, but I just have to make sure its safe for me and others on the road.

Offline Bob Smith

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Re: Zombie Ford F-350
« Reply #333 on: June 11, 2018, 12:42:04 PM »
Are the trailer brakes set up properly, and  are working as they should. Is the controller one of the newer ones, Prodigy name comes to mind, the newer ones work much better. Hopefully once you get the truck brakes adjusted and the trailer brakes working right you should be in good shape.

 

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