1971 f250 DESERT truck- 10/24 race prep

[1971ford]

yeah the bed might hit the tires if we take it to the offroad track. ill check for clearence. if i need to i can cut the lip that folds in off of the bed and maybe bend the lip out a little more. i really want to get the skinnier/taller tires soon

[rjewkes]

cool deal.

[aramil]

just trim a bit of the fenders off or find that company that makes the fiberglass fenders with the bulges up front, then you would have lotsa room to tuck those tires.

*flared-fenders.com is the source for the fiber glass ones i was talkin about, they might help with the front to rear weight transfer with that big block up front.

put the stickers under the bump line somewhere to bring some attention lower on the body and the top wont look so cluttered, and you need some shock hoops stickin out the hood nothin says prerunner like big coilovers and lotsa suspension flex

good idea but i think if i moved the SPEED-BUMP sticker under the bump then it wouldnt look right with the stripe suddenly ending. if i had of carried the strip on all the way to where the tailgate would be then it would be under the bump.

ive got a bunch of links for fiberglass fenders. such as Autofab, they make a great fiberglass fender to tuck the tire in at compression. but today i cut away more of the fenders, and when the front end is naturally raised from the drop i-beam mounts, skinnier tires should fit into the stock fenders that ive cut. plus i want to roll out the edge i cut like the factory did. my dad and i also thought about making fiberglass fenders. weve seen it done on other forums. we'll see.

the shock hoops wont quite be through the hood but they will be just under the hood

sorry i should have been more specific i meant put any new stickers like the fordification one and your boss's lower on the body so that it dont look too cluttered up top, the speed bump sticker is perfect where it is.

good job on the fender cutting, front looks good, the back just needs rolled to get rid of the sharp edges.

[BiggDogg]

Looking good Ryan and Ryan's dad So are the neighbors happy now that there is something better to look at?

[1971ford]

just trim a bit of the fenders off or find that company that makes the fiberglass fenders with the bulges up front, then you would have lotsa room to tuck those tires.

*flared-fenders.com is the source for the fiber glass ones i was talkin about, they might help with the front to rear weight transfer with that big block up front.

put the stickers under the bump line somewhere to bring some attention lower on the body and the top wont look so cluttered, and you need some shock hoops stickin out the hood nothin says prerunner like big coilovers and lotsa suspension flex

good idea but i think if i moved the SPEED-BUMP sticker under the bump then it wouldnt look right with the stripe suddenly ending. if i had of carried the strip on all the way to where the tailgate would be then it would be under the bump.

ive got a bunch of links for fiberglass fenders. such as Autofab, they make a great fiberglass fender to tuck the tire in at compression. but today i cut away more of the fenders, and when the front end is naturally raised from the drop i-beam mounts, skinnier tires should fit into the stock fenders that ive cut. plus i want to roll out the edge i cut like the factory did. my dad and i also thought about making fiberglass fenders. weve seen it done on other forums. we'll see.

the shock hoops wont quite be through the hood but they will be just under the hood

sorry i should have been more specific i meant put any new stickers like the fordification one and your boss's lower on the body so that it dont look too cluttered up top, the speed bump sticker is perfect where it is.

good job on the fender cutting, front looks good, the back just needs rolled to get rid of the sharp edges.

ahhhh ok
yeah, all contingency and fun stickers will go below the bump line for sure.

Looking good Ryan and Ryan's dad So are the neighbors happy now that there is something better to look at?

im sure they are

[1971ford]

first of all, HUGE huge huge.. huge, thanks to Bryan (Haycock on race-dezer.com ) for letting me use all his equipment and his shop, and his time. we got an awesome bumper 3/4 way done.

-fixed stupid heater fan and jambed defroster vent open so that works now.
-brought the DOM home, Haycock brought the mild tubing to his shop since he has a rack on his truck.
-built 3/4 of a front bumper. still need to add what is highlighted in red for the actuall bumper.
NOT my truck for those skimming through

and still need to add a tube that goes from mount spot to mount spot to support the skidplate where it bends, and two tubes that weld to that, that then weld to the engine crossmember. and then tabs on these tubes, and then skidplate.
(the outlines of tubes are behind the skidplate, same with the mounts of course)

-also i noticed a pretty nasty oil leak when we were at Haycock's shop. i was hoping it wasnt some big hard to reach seal. well when i got home, i found the tranny pan covered in oil, and the engine pan covered in oil. well the tranny pan's bolts wernt snug anymore. fixed that problem. and the engine oil pan.... well im no expert but when FOUR pan bolts are MISSING from the front of the pan, and two are backed out half way, and a couple more are loose, im preeeetty sure that right there was the problem .
the upper light guard tube/nerf tube looks a little too tall, but im sure when the red highlighted tubes in a few pictures above are added that it wont look so bulky. besides, if this bumper doesnt say "get the hell outa my way" then i dont know what does

not PERFECTly flat/straight, but close enough.

this picture makes the top tube look alot more big for some reason.



we will plate this for more strength.





DOM tubing in bottom right of picture. ended up being 18' sticks. so 54ft total. and was only $260


what it should look like later on. light hoop doesnt look so big anymore.



oh, i almost forgot
the owner of the shop has a BEAUTIFUL highboy bump freshly painted and all. saw it from a distance but damn, this thing was gorgeus.
and one of the guys that works at this shop, has a BEAUTIFUL fully restored (something like $10,000 in polishing and de-denting old original trim alone). the truck is past show condition. and you have to turn the radio on to start it, thought that was a neat safety feature. i hope i didnt drown the truck in drool. OH and it had a beautiful hemi swapped in, sounded so whicked too.
there was also a poor-condition 68-69 bump in the parking lot waiting for some lovin.
and there was a really old awesome "barn find" type truck tucked under boxes in a little garage thing.
not to mention all the old broncos too. this place .... was AWESOME

[TheEskimo]

That looks great Ryan, I can't wait to see it finished with the lights installed.



Hey, no picks of the other trucks?

[1971ford]

thanks! ill get pics of the other trucks next time

[aramil]

bumper looks awsome ryan! cant wait to see it finished.

[fomocoguy]

I think the top tube looks just right. I can't wait to see it done!

[72stepside]

Been a while since I've 'seen' your truck...

Nice job on the paint. It's all coming along really nicely!

I assume now that things have come together, the neighbors have left you alone?

[kaptnkaos]

Hey Ryan...

Man the desert truck is comin' along great... kudos to you and yer pop !!!

KaptnKAOS

[1971ford]

thanks

new toy, dad picked it up on way home for work for $60
cant wait to play with it


the dash will be something along these lines. we will cut out the whole front of the dash, minus the bottom where the curve and factory knobs are. were keeping those. then weld in aluminum to replace it where our guages and switches will go. actually most the switches will probably be on the center "console" that will extend from the dash to the floor where our shifter will be.
stock speedo will be placed in front of driver. then maybe some random switches for the rocket boosters and missile launchers. then the tach with light, then some guages, the race-radio.

[1971ford]

anyone want one of these super-custom tach mounts for $20?


tranny is definately slipping , but we knew that as soon as we installed the rebuit tranny. i wonder whats wrong with the stupid thing

my dad's welds dont look pretty but they should do the job just fine. he's a little rusty on the welding skillzz
added upper tubes that help support the light hoop and protect grill


and the view that makes the hoop look super big

added all the skid mounting tubes/tabs.


im going to make a skidplate at the welding shop in a few days

[427blackpearl]

looks good from here
whens the first race for ya?