Well I guess I will start up an official build thread, even if it's just to specifically start grabbing parts right now. We are going to work on building a family crawler to enjoy wheeling with our two boys, with plenty of room to grow into. We figured the bronco wouldn't be a comfortable back seat and the more uncomfortable it is, the more grumbling we will be in for as the boys get bigger. Might as well get ahead of the curve now right? Ultimate plan is going to be a Bullnose-OBS generation F250/350 crew cab. Currently planning on 05+ super duty axles with radius arm front and a shackle flip in the rear. Rear axle slid forward to behind the cab, front end converted over to the bullnose era front. No bed, simple storage tray for tools/gear. Frame chopped to just behind the suspension. 351W/E4OD/BW1356(for now). Somewhere between a 38-40" tire depending on what is around when we get to that point. As low as possible within reason considering it will be roughly 138" wheelbase (roughly the wheelbase and length of a gladiator with more interior room). Going today to get a donor F250 with a running 351W/E4OD/BW1356. Also has all of the parts to retain AC on the truck as well as a complete wiring harness if needed to swap dashes from a diesel to gasser. Next week I am hoping to go take a look at an F350 that could be a donor for the body and chassis. Plans for suspension and axles may change as the truck is built, this will most likely be slow build as I have until our youngest is into the wheeling age to build it. Will start with making sure the donor is running properly before the swap so it isn't just sitting around collecting dust in the meantime. I let ChatGPT make a quick reference image to keep my plans in mind. I'm certain it will be different wheeling this vs the bronco, but figure this is a good basis to build a capable rig without drowning myself in all of the custom fab and whatifs that can happen with a large build or packaging constraints of something smaller with a similar stance (large tires, lower center of gravity). Feel free to tell me i'm stupid or follow along for what will hopefully be a fun build to watch come together.
