1987 Ford F250 Buildup - Project 300

  |   1987 Ford F250 Buildup left Side Angle Our '87 Ford F-250 is called Project 300. Its name comes from the dollar amount we forked over to get the keys. Once we had them, we soon found out they were unneeded, since the steering column was broken. Currently, this truck has many tricks and procedures in order to get it started, which makes for the best security system available. Since we bought the truck, we've added glow plugs, various hoses, a seat cover, pedal bushings, a firewall reinforcement, an ATS turbo kit, body mounts, an exhaust system, a fuel pump, V-drive belts, a fuel return line kit, a front corner lamp, a front filler, and batteries. This project not only involves adding stuff, it includes removing things as well. For example, at least 50 pounds of grease, rotten carpeting, a dangling headliner, deteriorated firewall and hood insulation, a leaking fuel water separator, and a spare tire holder. This real-world project highlights the problems and triumphs you'll likely face if you buy a $300 diesel. Fitting New Tires
This month's episode started with a set of BFGoodrich's new E-load-range-rated 285/75R16 All-Terrain tires. At the stock ride height they fit without rubbing the fenders or bumpers, but when the steering wheel was turned, they came in contact with the radius arms a little more than the stock tires did. Wanting a little more room for the tires and liking trucks with a leveled look, we decided to call the folks at Daystar and have them send us one of its Ford twin I-beam 2-inch leveling kits. Our next call was to Skyjacker, since we were after its steel, 1/4-inch, hex-cut spacers, which would help us fine-tune the perfect ride height. Replacing The Brakes And Bearings
During the installation, we noticed our brakes were shot. One of the calipers had seized and milled 1/4 inch of steel from the one-piece hub and rotor. We needed new brake pads, rotors, grease seals, and calipers. While we were in there, we installed new wheel bearings, too. To set the tapered roller bearings, we tightened the adjusting nut to 22 lb-ft while rotating the tire back and forth, then backed it off a half turn, and finally tightened it to 10 to 15 in-lb. Once it was all back together, we noticed our flexible brake lines were stretching at full suspension droop. This was fixed by bending the hard line portion connected to the caliper.

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Dealing With More Wheel Travel
Everything was fine until we decided to increase our wheel travel (distance the suspension moves from full droop to full compression) by removing the antisway bar. This modification definitely called for longer shocks, so we contacted Rancho and had it send us four RS9000XL nine-position adjustable shock absorbers. The front suspension got shocks that were 3 inches longer than stock (PN RS999136), while the rear got the stock height versions (PN RS999116). We are looking at different height bumpstops to make up the extra inch (2-inch leveling kit and 3-inch-longer shock), so our shocks don't take the load under full compression. The ride quality from the Rancho absorbers is way better than what our worn-out units could match. Now when we go over bumps, our tools stay put instead of launching from the bed and then crashing back down. As another side effect of the 2-inch lift and antisway bar removal, our factory flexible brake line became much too short. Once again, Skyjacker had the solution. It offers extended braided stainless steel brake lines (PN FBL90), which are 4 inches longer than stock. We ordered a pair thinking we would grow into them as Project 300 develops into a mild Baja prerunner that can still tow.

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From Stage 1:
Original Investment February 2009 $888
(including $300 for cost of truck) From Stage 2:
Getting it Running May 2009 $315
(cost of glow plugs, fuel return line kit, autocross fee, and dyno testing) From Stage 3:
Adding a Turbo August 2009 $2,616
(cost of ATS Aurora 2000 wastegated 6.9L/7.3L turbo system, ATS exhaust system, ATS upgraded fuel injection line, 8 feet of 11/32-inch vacuum hose for brake booster, and polyurethane body mounts) Stage 4: Suspension, Tires, Bearings, and Brakes
(2) Front brake calipers $44
Brake cleaner $3
Brake pads $44
DOT 3 brake fluid $6
(2) Brake rotors $112
(2) Timken wheel seals (PN 4160) $14
(7) Quarts 75W-90 gear oil $49
(2) Inner Timken wheel bearings (PN Set 47) $38
(2) Outer Timken wheel bearings (PN 15101) $24
(2) Skyjacker hex-cut 1/4-inch spacers (PN HS25) $26
Daystar 2-inch leveling kit (PN KF09108BK) $130
Graham Tool Company bearing race and seal driver set (PN 12980) $70
Graham Tool Company vaccum tester/brake bleeder (PN 75200) $100
(4) BFGoodrich All-Terrain E-load-range-rated 285/75R16 tires $772
Skyjacker extended brake lines (PN FBL90) $100
Alignment at Lucy's Wheel & Tire Center $100
TOTAL STAGE 4 $1,632 Project 300 Grand Total $5,451