OVERLAND JOURNAL FALL 201984
onthetrail,wheretheoldpowersteeringsystemdidn’thavethe
grunttoturnthetiresagainstrocksandruts.Thentherewasthe
smallissueofacceleration,asinpracticallynone.Althoughthe
7.3Lproduced 500 pound-feetoftorquewhennew,whichI’ll
remindyouwas 19 yearsago,it onlyproduced 200 horsepower.To
helpopenthingsupa bit,a 4-inch,turbo-backexhaust,S&Bcold
airintake,andHydraprogrammerwereinstalled,alongwithan
EdgeInsightCT2digitalgaugeclusterto keepa sharpeyeonall
themajorsystems.Finally,a JohnWoodTowmastertransmission
andupgraded6.0coolerwereadded,addressingthetraditional
weakpointsof the4R100transmissionsin the7.3LFords.
Thenthingsgotfunwithallsortsofarmorandaccessories.
Startingfromthefront,Brucereceiveda BuckstopOutback
bumper,featuring2-inchsteeltubingloopsaroundtheheadlights
with2.5-inchtubingacrossthecenter,as wellas specialslotscut
fordieselcooling.It lookedtomelikeit wouldn’tjustsurvivean
impactwitha deerbutevena Macktruck.InsidetheBuckstopis a
WarnZeon16.5Ti-Swinch,whichpacksMasterPull’ssynthetic
winchline,a Factor 55 FlatLinkandfairlead,aswellasenough
grunttorecoverBrucefrommoststickysituations.ThreeRigid
IndustriesQ-serieslightsandfourD-seriesamberwidesare
installedonandinthebumper,givingBasilplentyofvisibility
onthelate-nightpushestohisnextcamp.Theseareseamlessly
controlledbya Switch-Pro 9100 system,whichcanbeusedfora
varietyof otheraccessoriesin thevehicle.Thefinishingtouchwas
a setof FullThrottlebatteries,whichareconstantlytoppedoffby
a GoalZero100-wattpanelhard-mounted to Bruce’s hood for
reliablepowerwherever the sun shines.THECAMPER
WhenBasilpurchasedBruce,thecamperwasbasicbuthad
therightbonesforthejob.Thesteel-framedboxusesgalvanized
aluminumexteriorpanelingbackedbyfoaminsulationwithwood
ribsonstudsfortheinteriorframing.It hada bedandcabinets
inside,thoughit neededsomeupdatesto serveas a full-timehome.
Basilstartedwiththebasics:water,food,andelectricity.An
existing20-gallonfreshtankwasimprovedwithanAcuvapuri-
ficationsystemtoensurehealthypotablewaternomatterwhat
partoftheworldhewasexploring.A CampLuxwaterheater
wasalsoaddedalongwithanoutdoorshowerandpumptokeep
cleanandrinseoffaftera dayonthewaves.Dryfoodsarekept
in customcabinets,whileperishablesarecontainedin a Dometic
CFX95Ldual-zonefridge/freezer.Thisfridge,alongwiththe
restofthelights,waterpumps,andotherintegratedelectronics
arepoweredbya 225-amp-hourbankof 6-voltFullRiverbatter-
iesand 360 wattsof flexiblesolarpanels.There’salsoa GoalZero
Yeti 1400 lithiumpowerpackforcharginglargerelectronicslike
camerasandcomputers.Allof thisis controlledandregulatedby
a RedArcManager30system,whichmaximizestheefficiencyof
thechargingsystemwhilepreventingthebatteriesfromreaching
a criticallylowlevel.
AlthoughBasilis usuallychasinggoodweather,sometimeshe
likesto switchthingsupwithsomesnoworheat,soheintegrated
provisionstokeephimcomfortable.Forexample,a MaxxAir
Deluxe fan is installed in the roof to force air through the camperPOWER
7.3L turbo-diesel
JohnWoodTowmastertransmission
4-inch,turbo-backexhaust
S&Bcold air intake
Dieselsite coolantfiltration
GearheadautomotiveHydraprogrammer
EdgeInsightCTS2digitalgauges
SUSPENSIONANDDRIVE
3.73:1gears
Openfrontdifferential
Limitedslip rear differential
Customrear leaf pack
HellwigBig Wig airbags
Hellwigswaybars,frontand rear
FordF-550frontleaf springs and 2-inch
dropbrackets
Icon extendedtrackbar
Bilstein 5160 shocks
RedHeadsteeringbox
WHEELSANDTIRES
35/12.50/R18F-ratedYokohama
GeolandarX-ATs
18-inchMethodRaceWheels
RECOVERYANDARMOR
BuckstopOutbackfrontbumper
WarnZeon16.5Ti-S
Factor55 FlatLinkand fairlead
MasterPull synthetic winch line and
recoverygear
MaxTrax
ACCESSORIESANDUPGRADES
RigidIndustrieslighting(3 Q-series,4 D-
seriesamberwide,rear dual functionlights)
KenwoodTM-D710Gdual bandradio
iPadminionRamMountrunning GPS
Switch-Pro 9100 system
GoalZeroBoulder100 panel
Full Throttlebatteries
MaxxAirDeluxefan
CampLuxwaterheater
Acuvawaterpurification system
20-gallonwatertank
Outdoorshower
DometicCFX 95L dual zonefridge/freezer
Dometic9500Eelectriccaseawning
PropexHS2211heater
Tiny WoodStove3kw Dwarfstove
Flexiblesolarpanels,360 watts
RedArcManager30batterysystem
LED interior/exteriorlighting
2920 custommattress
GoalZeroYeti 1400lithiumpowerpack
OuterLimitSupplyExpeditionfirst aid kit
Custom,live-edgewoodtableon a Lagunmount
WeBoostcell phonebooster
225-amp-hour bank of 6-volt FullRiver batteriesSPECIFICATIONS
2000 Ford F-250 short bed access cab