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7 Months on the road in an OBS (Pics)

12K views 77 replies 20 participants last post by  s54mcoupe 
#1 ·
I haven't posted here much, but when I've had problems, these forums have been a huge help.

I've spent the last 7 months cruising around the American West with my girlfriend and our dog. We've had out fair share of fun and minor mechanical issues, but the OBS pretty much kicks ***. It's got an older Lance camper on it, which is heavy and cumbersome, but very livable.

We'll be landing in Austin Texas and staying there for October/November, and I'm planning on taking care of some issues with the rig; when climbing steep mountain passes, I find myself wanting just a big more power.

I'm planning on a turbo-back exhaust system - leaning towards the Diamond Eye stainless steel. I've read issues with fitment on trucks with an MT (firewall/bell housing): Will a 3 inch downpipe fit if I massage the firewall a bit? I'm assuming a 4 inch downpipe is out of the question?

I'm also planning on throwing in a new CPS, GPR, aluminum radiator, thermostat, and coolant filter (all for added peace of mind).

Aside from that, I've pretty much made up my mind on the 6637 intake setup, unless someone can convince me otherwise.

I should have another $1k to spend after that's all said and done - any other ideas?

It'll eventually get an intercooler and a tune, but that's probably going to wait until I'm back home and can address some other issues. The previous owner dented the oil pan while crawling some small rocks. It leaks a little, so I'll inevitably have to pull the motor. Figure that will be a good time to weigh my options on new injectors, tune, etc. And a solid front axle, of course...

Here are a few pictures of the rig from the trip so far:







 
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#3 ·
It's been epic - no kids makes it manageable. You could always pull a massive 5 wheel and make the kids hang outside as often as possible, haha.

EGT would be my first priority - what others would you recommend?
 
#4 ·
Trip sounds awesome. Good for you guys!

I'd just do a downpipe and cat delete, your exhaust is perfectly fine (unless it's rusted out of course).

Do the 6637 intake, TS chip with tunes (I run Wildman), boost trans and EGT gauges, then do an intercooler if you have enough to put the parts together. That'll run it plenty fine with a camper on it. You'll be surprised what the chip alone will do if your injectors are in good shape.
 
#5 ·
Agreed on this, your plans sound fine too, just get gauges and a chip with custom tunes you will love it
 
#7 ·
His sig says short bed stick shift guys
 
#8 ·
Thanks for all the input. And yup, it's a manual with a Southbend Clutch (dual mass POS died while we were in the Eastern Sierras).

I'll probably do a full exhaust, just Cus I might as well while I'm down there.

As for an IC - I know there are a few options that can be pieced together, and then there is the Banks option. I know the banks IC is expensive, but it also looks clean and seemingly doesn't need much work for a pretty nice fit. Seems like the only piece in their lineup that can't be bought from another vendor for half the cost...

I'll get more pictures uploaded of the rig while I'm still around wifi. Enjoying a week in Denver
 
#9 ·
Look at the cxracing ones on eBay, couple guys here seem to really like them, and they are half the cost
 
#10 ·
Do the gauges and chip before the other mods, see what temps you are running. May not need the intercooler.

With my Federal truck with stock injectors it takes a long hard pull to get to 1300. 1200 is easy to stay at pulling my Jeep at 6000 lbs.
 
#13 ·
I'd much rather pull the camper than use one in the bed, especially a short bed, but if it works it works :thumb:
 
#14 ·
easier to turn around and park with a camper in the bed as opposed to a trailer. plus you can tow something else :poke
 
#15 ·
This is true, but a short bed camper just seems cramped (I'm over 6 foot tall, longer than a short bed)
 
#16 ·
It's actually really spacious, especially for what we need. It's got a queen bed, a ton of headroom, and plenty of storage. We keep all of our winter gear in the Thule box up top. We've taken it on some poorly maintained BLM and forest service roads where a trailer would have been impossible.

Only downside is how top heavy it feels, and how much it sways on tougher roads. It's been a great learning experience, so we know exactly what we'll want for our next trip. We're leaning towards an 02 F350 with a custom, lightweight camper built directly onto the frame. Which means the OBS would be free of her duties and be built into a beast.

Any recommendations for tuners in or near Austin?
 
#18 ·
Yup. Pretty common amongst cab-overs, from what I've been seeing on the road. It's not always the most ideal, but it's worked well. We've still got 5 months till the trip is over, so we'll see :)
 
#19 ·
Ahh, had no idea it was a long bed camper


Doesn't tony wild man live in Texas?
Look up cptrucks.com, they mod trucks in house they should be pretty close to Austin iirc, good luck bud
 
#20 ·
Awesome, thanks!

And I'll get more pictures uploaded, I promise...
 
#21 ·
As good fortune would have it, the rig is stuck in some deep mud. Thankfully I've got the phone to keep me occupied while I wait for someone to pull us out...
 
#22 ·
lol that sucks your stuck in the mud but your trip looks awesome and has me totally jealous i however could never get that much time off work seeing as i only get 40 days off ( including sick and personal days ) and i can only use 10 days consecutively. does look like an awesome time though. your lucky to have a girl that likes this sort of thing they are hard to come by.
 
#23 ·
I certainly found a good one. She is asleep in the passenger seat, cool and relaxed, while I'm pissed off and acting like a child who didn't get his way.

Hopefully the tow truck will have some luck and we can keep trucking by morning.
 
#24 ·
ill say... mine blows up if people are doing 55 in a 60! god for bid we run into a little traffic!!! i typically refuse to go places during rush hour. we were leaving a concert once and she went awol because it took an hour to get out of the parking lot... hello! 4 exits 15,000 cars... it does take a second especially when everyone is wasted. jesus that night still makes me mad haha
 
#25 ·
awesome freakin trip dude!!!! im all about goin on some nice road trips. building the cool bus to do just that.

maybe one day we can organize a powerstroke.org cross country cruise!!

really lookin forward to seein some more photos. keep up the fun times :D
 
#26 ·
Sounds like a winch should be on your list of mods to do bud, glad y'all can enjoy each other like that for a trip though
 
#27 ·
A towtruck showed up and was able to pull us out.

We left Boulder, CO just in time. Pretty bad situation there. The plan was to drive to Oklahoma City in one push to celebrate my girlfriend's sisters birthday. Her sisters husband is a naval pilot and got stationed in OKC... Anyways, we stopped for fuel in Hays Kansas, and while getting back on the highway, I realized I didn't lock the camper door. I pulled onto the dirt shoulder. It had a slight decline about 6 feet down to the ditch at the bottom. As soon as all 4 tires were on the mud, it slid sideways down to the bottom (kind of an uncomfortable feeling). As soon as we were at the bottom, I was stuck. I spent some time trying to get out, but it wasn't happening. Towtruck showed up after a few hours and got us out pretty easily. A bit embarrassing and a bit of fun :)

Another good learning experience... And it also solidifies my knowledge that the nex camper will have to be smaller/lighter. Sand ladders and a winch will also be an addition. Since this rig is so cumbersome and heavy, I've been careful to keep it out of mud, but it would be nice to have a more capable setup that could handle a wider range of terrain.

Glad to be in a comfortable house in OKC. Time to sleep!
 
#31 ·
Thanks!

Glad you got out the mud there, but if you decide to go to a super duty, those trucks are actually heavier than ours, a good a/t tire and winch should help a lot in the next sticky situation
I'd be looking to save most of the weight with a lighter camper - this thing is just so big. I'd love to eventually do something like the most recent Turtle Expedition Vehicle. Someday!
 
#29 ·
Glad you got out the mud there, but if you decide to go to a super duty, those trucks are actually heavier than ours, a good a/t tire and winch should help a lot in the next sticky situation
 
#30 ·


This was after 300 miles of driving, after being stuck. The rain got rid of most of the mud for us :)
 
#32 ·
Didnt even notice the short bed(or the long bed camper)

I may try that with my dually(it would handle it better just because it is a dually), and the longer wheel base

So how do you get 7 months off of work and afford 7 months worth of living and fueling?
 
#33 ·
I was wondering the same thing! Jealous!!
 
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