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2003 RCSB 4x4 Build

17K views 52 replies 17 participants last post by  a-fuso 
#1 ·
Some of this is going to be copied over from the thread I already started on another forum.

So my brother and I picked up a friend's truck that's been off the road for a while. It is a regular cab F-350 6.0 Diesel, cab and chassis truck that originally had a hoof trimming chute on it and then a flatbed. This truck has a 9' frame, so when my buddy bought it he wanted to put a longbed on, but the front of the frame is 4.5" too long, so we decided since it needed to be cut down anyways we would put a shortbed on it. He lost interest in the project so we decided to pickup where he left off.

Specs
2003 F-350 Regular cab
6.0 powerstroke, automatic
4 wheel drive

So far, my friend had acquired the bed, bumper, shortened the frame, and bought 05 front sheet metal. The truck still needs a few more body panels and eventually a complete paint job.

Bed mounts need to be made since the cab and chassis frame is narrower than a regular pickup, and then install the b&w turnover ball and find a factory hitch receiver.

Once we get it back to running and driving shape then the front sheet metal will be removed and changed out and the head gaskets replaced, studs installed, and new oil cooler and egr cooler, plus anything else we may find needs replacing on the engine.
 
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#2 ·


Then I marked out the frame, double and triple checked and we got to cutting. I am going to plate the inside and clean up the outside to make it look acceptable.
We cross measured before and after, and the frame is now straighter after we cut and re-welded it than it was from the factory.





I will have to fill in the filler hole in this frame so I can bolt the bumper on, we removed about 4" off the rear of the rails.



And even though all the parts collected have been white, they are all different shades so I'm planning on painting the whole truck. The cab and front will be repainted white to match the newer bed, which was already resprayed before I bought it.



All the parts on the trailer getting moved to their new home

 
#3 ·
After cutting the frame I was pleased to see my measurements were correct. I figured out how much to remove based on Ford's wheelbase measurements.
My brother and I worked on getting the bed mounted, since the C&C frame is narrower than a pickup, the bed bolts sat down just outside the frame so I used angle iron to support it all, also plated the inside of the weld where we cut the frame.

I need to take apart and modify the b&w gooseneck to fit and mount the bumper and a receiver hitch. The narrower frame is a bit of a hassle







Also had a friend do a photoshop for me of what I want the truck to look like. Just like this except with 08 mirrors and only 4" of lift

 
#4 ·
I got the driveline shortened, ended up being 39" from outside to outside of each flange.



Also picked up the original cab and chassis tank last night, I think with a few mods I can make it fit back into the shortened frame



I'm looking for advice from anyone whos done this before, but i was thinking about moving the rear crossmember all the way to the end of the frame and welding it in since it wont line up to be bolted anymore, then adjusting the lower skidplate so it will bolt back into those two crossmembers again


Then I'm not sure if I want to move the filler neck to the front and try and run a hose to the shortbed filler door, or if I could make it work to fill from the rear somehow, either behind the license plate or possibly inside the bed?
 
#5 ·
Looks good real good keep it up and keep us updated, I have debated the same thing as you about the fuel tank but I just decided to run a pickup back half and use the 28 gallon tank
 
#6 ·
I finally have enough to update with. First i got the factory tank mounted into the frame. Added tabs to the front crossmember and slotted the holes so the original nut inserts would fit and slide ahead until the tank almost touched the crossmember. In the rear we plated the end of the frame with a piece of 6"x 1/4" flatbar, then welded angle iron on to bolt the other end of the factory crossmember to. The tank fits perfectly in between the frame now.


The filler neck has yet to been figured out, but I want to try and still fill from the door in the bed. Then I cut the fuel lines and hooked them back together with 5/16" fuel line and some hose clamps. Started the truck today and didn't see any leaks so far.

I also took apart the factory wire loom, removed all the ****ty wiring from the flatbed, then slid it all down and re-loomed the fuel sender and abs ring sensors. I will get the factory plugs for the tail lights and bumper lights and then shorten the remaining wiring and solder those on.

I need to get a new rear brake line bent up and rebuild the rear axle then I can post some driving videos hopefully in a week.


Anyone have a factory limited slip or 3.73 ring gear and pinion? Mine is shot and this truck has an open differential.
Also made a mounting system for the gooseneck hitch, and ordered a class 4 c&c hitch on amazon.

Edit: please ignore the junk laying in the background of the pics, I'm doing this ar our farm shop in between working on our equipment everyday to keep it all running.
 
#7 ·
Finally got some solid work in on the truck, back half is nearing completion now.

Went to the junk yard and got the factory plug for the truck's wiring harness so I can plug into the lights on the bed, shortened the harness to the correct length and soldered that plug on. Cleaned up all the wiring and stuck it back into looming, leaving the 7 wires for the trailer plug out since I haven't wired that yet. Soldered the broken wires back together from my bumper light harness.

Got the frame mounts made to bolt on the bumper, it fits great, but sits about a half inch to low, so I am going to fix the bumper brackets later on.


Image is of the original axle after I pulled it from the truck, before disassembly.

Found a used rear axle off craigslist, 3.73 limited slip, seller said it had about 77k miles on it, been sitting outside for some time, but overall not bad, came with leaf springs still bolted on too. Went and picked it up last week, then tore it apart the next day and found some stuck rotors I ended up pulling off, and one bad axle seal. Pulled the hubs off, changed both axle seals right away, swapped the backing plates from the original axle so my original parking brake cables would fit. Also cut off the mounting pads and moved them in for the c&c frame width, and welded them back into place. I pulled the axle out from under the truck and set it up in the yard to pull the springs out too.



Ended up making my own leaf pack for it since the c&c springs were just way too stiff. Used the f250 springs from my axle I bought, and bolted on the factory f350 overload spacer and top leaf, then hung the springs back under the frame, pulled out my cribbing and rolled the axle back into place. We moved the truck over by the drain and pressured washed everything that night, then I taped up the ends of the brake lines, breather, ebrake cables, and studs and started spraying the frame Sunday afternoon. Semi-gloss black for a nice clean look. I wouldn't normally paint everything assembled like this, but since it's staying stock, and I'm trying to speed up the process I chose to do it all together.








Today I touched up a few spots I sprayed a little light, threw the shortened driveshaft in for the first time and bolted it into place, and pulled the rotors back off so I can get them turned at the brake shop tomorrow. Will also be buying new rear brake pads.



Left until the rear half is finished includes: shortening the brake line under the cab and reinstalling it, bleeding the brakes, reseal the diff cover and fill with fluid, reinstall the fuel tank, cut a new filler neck into the front of the tank so I can hook it up to fill from the gas door in the bed. I hope to have it driving before this weekend, but we will see. Had a tractor loose the transmission hydraulic pump on Saturday, so my Dad and I split it apart today.
 
#8 ·
So I took the cut off wheel to my perfectly good fuel tank yesterday and cut out the fill neck. Then moved it to a new hole in the front of the tank.

I did this so I can have the shortest distance possible to connect the filler up to the door in the bed. I'm hoping there will be enough height/distance that it will still fill like a stock pickup.

Welded in the filler neck, and welded the patch back in the rear. Then cleaned all the remaining fuel out of the tank and removed the dust and particles that got in during welding. Gave the tank a quick paint job and will be installing it for the final time this morning.

This is where the filler originally was, in the back left side. I chose to leave the breather in the same location since the front of the tank was not wide enough for both.



Here's the finished tank too, pressure tested it quick before painting and made sure I had no leaks in my welds either.

 
#9 ·
subscribed ! looks awesome keep us updated
 
#10 ·
Got a lot of updates, been slacking on here, but not on the truck.

Got all the rear frame finished up, fuel tank installed, brake line shortened, flared, and brakes bled, new pads and turned the rotors in the rear, bolted up the B&W gooseneck and 2" receiver hitch, and took it for a test drive, everything seems to work okay the little I drove it. Then bolted the bed on, and bought an 08 bumper for it. Hooked up the filler neck to the factory door in the bed with two sections of rubber fill neck hose and a 90* steel elbow



How I slotted the front cross member so the fuel tank would slide ahead far enough to clear the back of the frame, and added a new place for the brake line since it hit the tank skid plate then.








Once the back was complete, I started to tear down the front to remove the engine, getting to the really expensive part of this build now....



 
#11 ·
Somewhere in between I cleared the headlights, and cut out my own clear reflectors since I don't like painted ones.



Onto the engine pics, this 6.0 lived up to the name six-leaker very well...

Entire side of the block, frame and oil pan was solid crusty and fresh oil.
Top of the engine valley, oil cooler and hpop cover were all coated in oil.





Engine pics









 
#12 ·


















I disassembled all the engine myself, and I have never seen an engine as oily as this one. Safe to say a full rebuild and all new gaskets was in order if I ever wanted this thing to be right.

Also decided to clean up the engine bay, paint it all gloss black, and install the lift while it was easy to access. Pulled the axle out from under the truck, pulled the cover, resealed it and put in fresh oil, then changed the axle dust seals, hub seals, balljoints, and regreased everything in the hubs, reinstalled my warn locking hubs, and painted everything black again.












Now the latest news, I visited the machine shop that's doing the engine. He told me the bottom end all checks out fine, so he will be honing the cylinders, line hone the crank bearings, polish the crank, and put new rings on the original pistons, as well as new rod, main and cam bearings. Bad news, the heads were toast. Numerous cracks in the exhaust valve seats revealed by magnfluxing, some almost 3/4" long, all valve guides are worn, and the heads are warped. So we elected to order new heads rather than spend a ton trying to repair and rebuild the originals. I should have the engine back in 2-3 more weeks. I also installed new front fenders since these pictures were taken, and picked up a new driver's side door I will be hanging tomorrow. Then the truck will be ready for it's engine when that is done. Interior is complete too minus a new headliner.
 
#15 ·
Couldn't update this thread for a while because my phone would not upload the pics. But I got the engine assembled and she started for the first time last weekend. Now onto the build pics.

















Got a ton more parts ordered for the truck cosmetically, and it needs a few things before its road legal, plus to break in the engine some before I smog and register it.
 
#16 ·
Let me get that hotsie you have laying in that shop lol
 
#21 ·
It's been on hold for the moment, I have to find a bad injector because I was stupid and didn't have them checked while the motor was apart, and I need to lower the whole truck down some and build traction bars because I'm getting some drive shaft vibrations.
 
#22 ·
A-Fuso you did a awesome job on your truck and I mean that 100%.
Attention to detail is amazing and that was a huge job to take on. I'm doing all kinds of mods and truck projects but you really put it all into perspective.

One question: I saw you tapped the heads for supplemental water flow in the cylinder heads, how much of a improvement in heat dissipation does that give you?
I am assuming that it will extend exhaust valve guide lifespan including the valves too. Surely it also helps head gaskets and any hot spots from a slow heat transfer area. Curious how many gallons a hour are moved through those fancy hoses you installed. I know the proof is in the pudding......... how has that modification worked for others and is there positive data on it ?

Again Beautiful Work........
 
#23 ·
Thanks for the kind words, Those hoses are actually for a regulated fuel return setup. Went with 2 wire braid hydraulic hose because it is more than sufficient for the heat and pressures being seen and is much cheaper than braided stainless lines like all the kits come with, plus I prefer the simplicity of tapered hydraulic fittings for their lack of leaks. I had looked into tapping the heads for coolant lines too, but there just isn't that much room back there for everything.


On another note, I had pulled the oil rails 2 weeks ago and put in new o rings on the injectors and ball tubes, some were bad in the balltubes, But now I am sure I have a bad injector as it has gotten worse and shows the signs of an injector. Time is not on my side to get it repaired quickly though, as I started another semester in college and have class 5 days a week now.
 
#24 ·
So here's some old pics,
-Since these I have installed aftermarket 08+ tow mirrors, still need to wire in power and signals some day...

-Installed led headlights and trs switchbacks, clear tail lights and red led bulbs and led license plate lights, have dome lights, not installed yet

-clear third brake light, painted insides of cab lights black, installed white leds

-installed the correct seat belts for the back seat, To do this was easier than I imagined, since Ford uses the same back cab structure weather its a rc or cc, the bolt serts are welded under the cab in the correct spots for the rear seat belts, I just had to drill through the floor and tap them and the center belts bolted right in like factory.

-Lowered the truck back down a little, pulled the middle leaf out of the front leaf pack, lowered it 1", and it actually rides and handles better than originally, and made 2" rear blocks to relocate the axle back 1". After swapping out the 10 leaf f350 packs to the regular 5 leaf 250 packs it moved the axle location and is no longer centered in the fenders like it originally was. New blocks will fix that.

-I have put about 500 miles on the truck since the engine rebuild, and ever since it was started it had a rough idle and running, finally got it bad enough for me to know for sure it's an injector now. Pulled the valve covers and put new o-rings in the injectors and ball cup sockets to make sure I have no high pressure oil leaks, all that system is new now except for the hpop.

-Pulled the dash bezel off and installed an led flasher relay (Ford put that in the most bastard location to reach) and then found out my hazard switch was bad after the new relay, so replaced the multi function lever too. But no hyper flash with my led tails and switchbacks is nice.

-Noticed yesterday that the slight radiator seep around the upper tank has turned into a leak and was dripping on the ground.

-Still have a small list of electrical stuff I would like to do, wire up oil pressure and fuel pressure gauges that I have and wire the mirrors. Also need to find a nice looking fog light switch and wire those up, already have matching 6k hids in them, just no wiring to turn them on yet.

Plans are to paint the cab, doors, handles and bumper cap to match the bed and front sheet metal over summer, and possibly the mirrors. Truck needs an injector changed and a new radiator now and then it should be good to drive I hope.





Interior wise, I have gutted the entire thing, washed and removed all the old "work truck" mess, installed sound deadener on the back wall and floor, installed a new vinyl floor mat, '03 leather crew cab back seat, matching seat belts, got a headliner from the junk yard and recovered it and deleted sun visors. So I have a very different interior from any other work truck out there, but still using all oem parts.






New Mirrors and painted cab lights, clear tails and third. Yes there is a hitch under there too...




Also picked up a set of ion forged wheels, 18x10, had the chrome stripped off and just got those back today. I plan to polish them and mount on some Nitto Terra grapplers we have sitting around.

Looking for any ideas for a clean center cap to run in the rear. Fronts I will run none since the truck has chrome warn hubs already.
 
#25 ·
Nice truck, that must move out with that 6.0 being a little truck. You just don't see short bed standard cab anymore. Pretty cool
 
#26 ·
The few times I have driven it, it seems to move pretty good. I'm anxious to get this project finished up soon because I want to tear the lift off my GMC soon and redo it.

I have a friend with snapon scanner that can do a cylinder contribution test so I should be able to find that pesky injector, need to order a radiator and get those installed asap. Then It's just little things but I'll be able to really drive it and get the engine broken in some more. After a few thousand miles I'm hoping to add some tuning and really see what this bulletproofed 6.0 can do.
 
#27 ·
Awesome build man!! Never thought of putting the rear seat in the front. Definitely different. I like it though!! Been trying to decide on the headlights you have or the black harley's for mine and after seeing your truck made my mind up. Going with the same as what you have on yours. What part of california are you in? I have AE and if you are close enough I would be willing to help with that if you need.
 
#28 ·
The seat was just a hunch that it might work after looking at my seat, plus I really wanted leather in the truck and leather captain's chairs I was finding were all junk or super expensive. Found this one on craigslist and gave it a shot, couldn't have worked out any better!

Pardon me for not knowing, but what is AE? And I'm in Lodi.
 
#29 ·
Auto Enginuity. I have the Ford bundle for it. It's a diagnostic tool for your truck. I bought it since I do all my own work on my trucks. Let me know if you ever need it. Lodi isn't too far from me.
 
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