Oswald: Nothing Special's '97 F-250 Crew Cab

[Gary Lewis]

Before this week's update I realized that I have quite a few recent pictures of the driver's side of Oswald, but I haven't happened to take many of the passenger's side. So before I started taking stuff off I thought I'd get this picture. Yes, the fender flare is gone over the rear tire, but that wasn't removed in this project. It fell off when too much of the metal is was mounted to went away. This is the worse side, so it seemed worth a "before" picture.

Now see if you can tell what progress I made this week. i know it's kind of subtle, but I bet a few of you will pick right up on it

OK, if you didn't catch it, I removed the bed! That was a lot of putzy stuff, trying to get the tail light wiring out from above the receiver hitch and grinding off the bed bolt heads (and then sweeping up the grinding dust). I looked at the nuts on the bottom of the bolts and realized I'd never be able to get a wrench on the back ones without removing the bumper and receiver, and the rest weren't going to go down without a fight. So off with their heads!

It was still stuck down pretty good, but a bottle jack between the leaf spring and the bottom of the bed persuaded it to let go of the frame. Then both of my sons were stopping by to pick up their dogs (both were on vacation at the same time so we had two extra dogs for awhile), so I enlisted their help (as well as Lesley and one daughter-in-law) to first carry the topper off, and then the bed. And I only missed one zip tied wire run that started to pull tight as we started to move it!

I thought I'd include one more picture for those of you who don't live in the rust belt. Part of me really wonders why I'm not starting this project on a truck from the southwest. But here I go anyway!

Part of me wonders why you live in the rust belt! But I guess you have your reasons.

Anyway, yes it was subtle but I did figure out what was missing. That's got to be a huge relief to have gotten that much help to get things off.

As for the bolts, let them eat cake. Oh, I think I got the wrong quote. But it must be close.

Glad you are making good progress.

[grumpin]

Before this week's update I realized that I have quite a few recent pictures of the driver's side of Oswald, but I haven't happened to take many of the passenger's side. So before I started taking stuff off I thought I'd get this picture. Yes, the fender flare is gone over the rear tire, but that wasn't removed in this project. It fell off when too much of the metal is was mounted to went away. This is the worse side, so it seemed worth a "before" picture.

Now see if you can tell what progress I made this week. i know it's kind of subtle, but I bet a few of you will pick right up on it

OK, if you didn't catch it, I removed the bed! That was a lot of putzy stuff, trying to get the tail light wiring out from above the receiver hitch and grinding off the bed bolt heads (and then sweeping up the grinding dust). I looked at the nuts on the bottom of the bolts and realized I'd never be able to get a wrench on the back ones without removing the bumper and receiver, and the rest weren't going to go down without a fight. So off with their heads!

It was still stuck down pretty good, but a bottle jack between the leaf spring and the bottom of the bed persuaded it to let go of the frame. Then both of my sons were stopping by to pick up their dogs (both were on vacation at the same time so we had two extra dogs for awhile), so I enlisted their help (as well as Lesley and one daughter-in-law) to first carry the topper off, and then the bed. And I only missed one zip tied wire run that started to pull tight as we started to move it!

I thought I'd include one more picture for those of you who don't live in the rust belt. Part of me really wonders why I'm not starting this project on a truck from the southwest. But here I go anyway!

Ya got me, I was thinking running boards!

[Nothing Special]

Ya got me, I was thinking running boards!

My bad, that was probably the biggest change!

And I gotta say, I sure like the look of these trucks better without that type of running board / fender flare. I'd've taken them off on day 1 but I was afraid of what it would look like underneath. Lesley says I need to put steps back on it or she won't ride in it with me, but I won't be going back to anything that looks like what I had.

Part of me wonders why you live in the rust belt! But I guess you have your reasons....

I guess I've decided that there are more important things in life than having trucks last more than about 10 years. (but that part does sting a bit)

[grumpin]

Ya got me, I was thinking running boards!

My bad, that was probably the biggest change!

And I gotta say, I sure like the look of these trucks better without that type of running board / fender flare. I'd've taken them off on day 1 but I was afraid of what it would look like underneath. Lesley says I need to put steps back on it or she won't ride in it with me, but I won't be going back to anything that looks like what I had.

Part of me wonders why you live in the rust belt! But I guess you have your reasons....

I guess I've decided that there are more important things in life than having trucks last more than about 10 years. (but that part does sting a bit)

I've been using Carr Hoop Steps.

I wasn't going to put them on my GMC, it sits lower, but my Ex wanted them for a long trip we took.

https://www.carr.com/product/the-hoop-ii/

[Nothing Special]

I've been using Carr Hoop Steps.

I wasn't going to put them on my GMC, it sits lower, but my Ex wanted them for a long trip we took.

https://www.carr.com/product/the-hoop-ii/

I think Lesley is going to want something longer than that. Or maybe more accurately, I'm going to need something longer than that to get it in the right place for her.

Plus I really don't want to mount the step to the body. I want to hang something off the frame.

I have a vision for what I want to do. I think it was DeeZee that used to make an off-the-shelf version, but I heard they discontinued them for these older Fords a while back, and I'm not even finding pictures of what I remember anymore.

I know I can fabricate the mounting just fine. But while I could fab up the entire step, I'd rather not go to the effort of making it look nice. So hopefully I can find something close enough to adapt and I can use what a company already did to make it look nice.

[Gary Lewis]

I think Lesley is going to want something longer than that. Or maybe more accurately, I'm going to need something longer than that to get it in the right place for her.

Plus I really don't want to mount the step to the body. I want to hang something off the frame.

I have a vision for what I want to do. I think it was DeeZee that used to make an off-the-shelf version, but I heard they discontinued them for these older Fords a while back, and I'm not even finding pictures of what I remember anymore.

I know I can fabricate the mounting just fine. But while I could fab up the entire step, I'd rather not go to the effort of making it look nice. So hopefully I can find something close enough to adapt and I can use what a company already did to make it look nice.

I just bought used step bars and adapted them. They worked out great.

[Nothing Special]

I just bought used step bars and adapted them. They worked out great.

The big progress from the last update was removing the bed. The big progress this time was putting it back on! But more on that in a bit.

I got the last seat belt bolts out (I don't think I reported on this yet). The ones at the ends of the belts were all stuck pretty good (I broke a T50 Torx driver trying to get one out). I ended up welding a nut to the top of each bolt so I could use a big 6 point socket to turn them out. The fronts came out OK that way, but both rears snapped off. If I don't end up replacing that sheetmetal I'll end up needing to figure out how to get the broken bolts out, but that's a problem for another year.

Then I had a glass company come out and remove my windshield and rear window. I didn't want to mess up the chrome trim around the windshield, and I will be reusing the rear sliding window, so I wanted them removed by someone who knew what they were doing. (edit to add so I can remember, a lot of the clips that hold the windshield trim are in pretty bad shape, so I'll need to get some new clips when it's time to put it back in)

With the windshield out I could take the headliner out. I did break one of the tabs on the lens for the front dome light, so we'll see how that goes back together (eventually).

(edit to add: I threw away the insulation that was above the headliner. It was about 3/4" - 1" thick stuff that looks like the stuff you roll out in your attic, but sealed up with a layer of plastic on both sides. I'm trying to keep everything I take off, even if I expect to replace it, so I know what I need to put back. but this had been used for a mouse restroom and was way too gross to do anything with but throw away. But I'm noting it here so I have a better chance of remembering when it does come time to put it back together.)

With the cab now completely stripped out it was time to remove the doors There's some freeplay in some of the hinges, so they'll need to be rebuilt or replaced before the doors go back on. And a few of the bolts were rusty enough that I'll want to replace them. But otherwise that all went fine.

That's as far as I'm going to be able to get on Oswald this year. What with closing up the cabin, a couple of vacations coming up and grouse hunting season I won't be able to get anything more done before winter, and I never end up doing much on car projects in the winter. So it's time to put him away. But as I've mentioned, I don't have room to store piles of truck parts, so everything pretty much needs to go back in a truck-sized footprint. To do that the bed has to be on top of the frame.

But I want to be able to get the bed on and off by myself, and to be able to move it around when it's not on the truck. So I attached 2x4s to the top of the frame rails and the bottom of the bed. The idea is that I can tip the bed up, back the truck under it, then pick up the back of the bed and slide it on. While it's off the truck I can attach casters to the bottom of the 2x4s so I can roll it around. And when it's on the truck I'll use just the center bed mount bolts (but longer to reach through the 2x4s) to hold it in place (and probably some ratchet straps for insurance).

That was the idea. In practice it didn't go quite so easy. The doubled up 2x4s didn't lift the bed high enough to clear the tire or the back bumper, so the bottom edges of the bed took a bit of a beating. No big deal, the bed's getting replaced anyway. But that was harder than I expected.

Anyway, here's a few pictures of that project. And the last picture sort of shows the doors and windows gone.

[Gary Lewis]

The big progress from the last update was removing the bed. The big progress this time was putting it back on! But more on that in a bit.

I got the last seat belt bolts out (I don't think I reported on this yet). The ones at the ends of the belts were all stuck pretty good (I broke a T50 Torx driver trying to get one out). I ended up welding a nut to the top of each bolt so I could use a big 6 point socket to turn them out. The fronts came out OK that way, but both rears snapped off. If I don't end up replacing that sheetmetal I'll end up needing to figure out how to get the broken bolts out, but that's a problem for another year.

Then I had a glass company come out and remove my windshield and rear window. I didn't want to mess up the chrome trim around the windshield, and I will be reusing the rear sliding window, so I wanted them removed by someone who knew what they were doing. (edit to add so I can remember, a lot of the clips that hold the windshield trim are in pretty bad shape, so I'll need to get some new clips when it's time to put it back in)

With the windshield out I could take the headliner out. I did break one of the tabs on the lens for the front dome light, so we'll see how that goes back together (eventually).

(edit to add: I threw away the insulation that was above the headliner. It was about 3/4" - 1" thick stuff that looks like the stuff you roll out in your attic, but sealed up with a layer of plastic on both sides. I'm trying to keep everything I take off, even if I expect to replace it, so I know what I need to put back. but this had been used for a mouse restroom and was way too gross to do anything with but throw away. But I'm noting it here so I have a better chance of remembering when it does come time to put it back together.)

With the cab now completely stripped out it was time to remove the doors There's some freeplay in some of the hinges, so they'll need to be rebuilt or replaced before the doors go back on. And a few of the bolts were rusty enough that I'll want to replace them. But otherwise that all went fine.

That's as far as I'm going to be able to get on Oswald this year. What with closing up the cabin, a couple of vacations coming up and grouse hunting season I won't be able to get anything more done before winter, and I never end up doing much on car projects in the winter. So it's time to put him away. But as I've mentioned, I don't have room to store piles of truck parts, so everything pretty much needs to go back in a truck-sized footprint. To do that the bed has to be on top of the frame.

But I want to be able to get the bed on and off by myself, and to be able to move it around when it's not on the truck. So I attached 2x4s to the top of the frame rails and the bottom of the bed. The idea is that I can tip the bed up, back the truck under it, then pick up the back of the bed and slide it on. While it's off the truck I can attach casters to the bottom of the 2x4s so I can roll it around. And when it's on the truck I'll use just the center bed mount bolts (but longer to reach through the 2x4s) to hold it in place (and probably some ratchet straps for insurance).

That was the idea. In practice it didn't go quite so easy. The doubled up 2x4s didn't lift the bed high enough to clear the tire or the back bumper, so the bottom edges of the bed took a bit of a beating. No big deal, the bed's getting replaced anyway. But that was harder than I expected.

Anyway, here's a few pictures of that project. And the last picture sort of shows the doors and windows gone.

I've broken more than one Torx bit on seatbelt bolts. Man, those things can be in there! So I do understand the problem.

As for the glass, I like the idea of having it removed professionally.

Are you going to store things in the truck? With the doors off?

Speaking of that, I guess winter comes early up there.

Last, I like that idea of mounting and removing the bed. But what change would you make to have it work better?

[Nothing Special]

I've broken more than one Torx bit on seatbelt bolts. Man, those things can be in there! So I do understand the problem.

As for the glass, I like the idea of having it removed professionally.

Are you going to store things in the truck? With the doors off?

Speaking of that, I guess winter comes early up there.

Last, I like that idea of mounting and removing the bed. But what change would you make to have it work better?

Oswald will be in a garage at the cabin. The seats, carpet, headliner and doors are in my basement (a lot less mice). Most of the rest of the stuff I removed will be in the bed (in the garage).

Winter is still a few months off, but September is pretty well taken up with a vacation. October and into November is grouse hunting. The next couple weekends in November are usually catching up on the yard work I've neglected during hunting season. And then comes Thanksgiving, and that's starting to get into winter here.

So it's not that winter is here, just that I can't make Oswald enough of a priority to make any significant headway. So I'd rather get him put away for the winter before we close the cabin up on Labor Day.

I don't know what I'm going to do different to get the bed on and off easier. Removing the rear bumper will be a good start though. And I have thought about getting some junkyard steel rims and trying to get the smallest OD 16" car tires I can find (take-offs) to get Oswald low enough to fit into my garage at home (if he's not too long as well). But any more figuring will have to wait until I get closer to needing to do anything.

[grumpin]

Oswald will be in a garage at the cabin. The seats, carpet, headliner and doors are in my basement (a lot less mice). Most of the rest of the stuff I removed will be in the bed (in the garage).

Winter is still a few months off, but September is pretty well taken up with a vacation. October and into November is grouse hunting. The next couple weekends in November are usually catching up on the yard work I've neglected during hunting season. And then comes Thanksgiving, and that's starting to get into winter here.

So it's not that winter is here, just that I can't make Oswald enough of a priority to make any significant headway. So I'd rather get him put away for the winter before we close the cabin up on Labor Day.

I don't know what I'm going to do different to get the bed on and off easier. Removing the rear bumper will be a good start though. And I have thought about getting some junkyard steel rims and trying to get the smallest OD 16" car tires I can find (take-offs) to get Oswald low enough to fit into my garage at home (if he's not too long as well). But any more figuring will have to wait until I get closer to needing to do anything.

Yes, great idea on the bed, too bad it didn't work out better.