Project White Chocolate mud truck

[chappy]

Well for years I have wanted to build a 99up f150 ex cab for a mudder but they are so damn expensive still. Well finally I talked my buddy into selling me his 2000 f150 2wd with a v6 and manual trans. the truck is an xlt also so I don't have to reach over to roll the windows up and down. I got the truck for $500 and sold the 8.8 rear axle,4.2 v6 and tans for $580. So I did pretty good on that. I bought a piece of crap mud truck off a friend and kept the 302,c6,BW T-case, 44 gumbos,and 15x14 steels. I scrapped the rest and so far have $200 into th drivetrain and tires,wheels. I traded my adrenaline of the 7.3 for a low milage 17 pump and a dana 44 and ford 9in both with 4.56's and detroit lockers. My buddy had some 4in lift coils so I used them on the front. The project is all budget and so far I have $120 into the whole truck including buying it. I have not figured in my time or materials such as wire and gas for the welder or gas for the torches,sawzll blades ect. Here are some pics

Here it was the day I got it this winter

 

[chappy]

Here it is as of now. I got the axles under it. I need to throw some exta leafs in the rear to level it out and its getting a 3in body lift.

This is with the 44's under it. I'm pretty sure I will have to clock the Tcase. I am keeping the BW alluminum for weight and the low range ratio over a np205. The front axle has a lot of castor due to the 35 degree pitch but it will not be on th road ever,just mud and trails.I'm hoping its alright but I needed it to be at enough angle to keep he front drivshaft happy.

 

[cfdeng7]

Awsome work man that will be a fun mud truck. And for 120 bucks u can't beat that. How many hrs do u have in it?

 

[crowz]

That should make for a fun toy

 

[DcMoore]

Can't see the top three pics right because I'm at work but it looks like it's coming along.. I love those body styles too.

 

[RedSmokey]

Nice! Are you worried at all about running a d44 with tires that big?

 

[I like to party]

I can't wait to see this thing in person! Take it to Silver Lake this year!

 

[DcMoore]

Nice! Are you worried at all about running a d44 with tires that big?

:whs:

 

[Clint_FX4]

Sooooo jealous. I want something like that. Reminds me of my 2000 ext cab lariat 4x4 f150. I miss that truck.

Looks like alot of fun!

Keep us posted with plenty of pictures n

 

[David S.]

dana 44 with 44" swampers? Hows that going to hold up you think?

Truck looks good though I'd kill to own a mud truck. maybe one day

 

[chappy]

Sooooo jealous. I want something like that. Reminds me of my 2000 ext cab lariat 4x4 f150. I miss that truck.

Looks like alot of fun!

Keep us posted with plenty of pictures n

Yeh I miss my old 99. I had a 6in fabtech,3in body,7700 torsion bars with keys and 38.5in thornbirds. Had to sell it 5 years ago and i've wanted another since for a mud/sand /trail truck. here is my old 99

 

[chappy]

About the dana 44 and the 44's. Well I have cut up 2 of them with the tire groover. I'm gonna do the other 2 as well. I am trying to increase the tread and make them look like a tsl and at the same tie lighten them up some. I have not weighed the huge pile of rubber yet to see how much I took off but it should help with weight which is one of the killers of axles. I am planning on running it like this for awhile since I have ran this combo before. I plan to upgrade to chromoly axle shafts since that and lockouts is the only two weak points I ever found. The ring and pinion seem to hold pretty good on these axles as long as they are a good brand. I have a set of warns and a set of spicer lockouts for it. I had lots of problems with superwinch and Milemarkers in this axle tire combo before So I'll try these warns and spicers out. If I have problems I'll figure something out. The chromoly axles from broncograveyard are suppose to be as strong as dana 60 stockers so I'm hoping they will hold since superduty axles hold so well at truck pulling and general abuse.

 

[chappy]

I really wanted a set of superduty axles for it since they are cheap and strong. But then I would have to buy wheels and a different set of tires plus regear them and but leaf springs. It would be way out of my budget which is really low so I have to go this route for now. Mud is pretty forgiving with axles just hard on trans ect. I will have better ground clearance with the high pinion 44 and after all a lot of mud runners run a 44 and 500 plus horsepower down the drag strip so I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Any one figure out why its called white chocolate? LOL

Awsome work man that will be a fun mud truck. And for 120 bucks u can't beat that. How many hrs do u have in it?

Probably about 70-80 so far. Hardest part is finding time with 2 kids and a wife that works every other weekend.

 

[SOBw/thePSD]

I have a 2000 model I want to build. I wonder if I can squeeze a 6 leaker in it???

 

[Erikclaw]

It is just a matter of time before that 44 grenades with 44's under it. I don't know how they would ever survive on the drag strip. How does the 302 propel that beast? Would think maybe a little small for that set up. Great work for what you have in it.

 

[chappy]

It is just a matter of time before that 44 grenades with 44's under it. I don't know how they would ever survive on the drag strip. How does the 302 propel that beast? Would think maybe a little small for that set up. Great work for what you have in it.

Yep the dana 44 and probably the 9in will eventually break. I've seen 2.5 ton rokwells break with just 44's. Since its not a high horsepower rig I think I will be good for the most part with some chromoly shafts I hope. The 302 is underpowered but with gearing since it will live in 4lo it should be ok for what I'm doing. The tcase has a 2.6 to 1 ratio in 4lo so with the 4.56 gears in the axles that should be 6.16 gear ratio if it was a 1to1. At least thats the way I'm figuring it. so the 302 should do ok. Eventually I would like to build a 351 windsor but I might throw a 5.0 HO in it since you can find them kinda cheap.
Here is the mud truck I bought and robbed the tires and drivetrain from.Same setup i'm gonna run except with a different motor.
That is a 302 dana 44 and a 9in all stock except for gearing. its even a TTB dana 44.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqYd4cc9uY&feature=player_detailpage

 

[RedSmokey]

You could be alright for a while. I had a stock dana 44 front (8 lug) and 14 bolt rear on my chevy k5 with 44" tires, and had 5.13 gears front and rear. I ran a sm465 with a mildly built 350 (probably 400hp or less) and never broke the d44. I beat the hell out of that blazer too, the only time I drove it was to beat on it lol.

 

[chappy]

You could be alright for a while. I had a stock dana 44 front (8 lug) and 14 bolt rear on my chevy k5 with 44" tires, and had 5.13 gears front and rear. I ran a sm465 with a mildly built 350 (probably 400hp or less) and never broke the d44. I beat the hell out of that blazer too, the only time I drove it was to beat on it lol.

I remember seeing pics of it a couple years ago on psn. Thats the same thing I'm trying to achieve here. just a play rig for the mud so I don't do this anymore with the stroke

 

[Erikclaw]

That is a great pic. Powerstroke blowing smoke and carnage next to it. I had 8 lug dana 44 with 4.88's and running 36's. Putting 40,000 miles on it a yr did it in. The metal holding the races in for the wheel bearings kept wearing out, and I couldn't find any replacements. So in went a dana 60 from a Ford, it went into a 95 chev 1500. LOL

 

[abbottfarms]

Sorry to derail, but am I seeing things or is that excavator really up to the cab in the mud?