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Budget Built Head-Ache Rack Project....F-250SD

17K views 43 replies 17 participants last post by  78K20 
#1 ·
This is a headache rack I am building on a really tight budget. So far I have only 40.00 in material. I had to buy some more 4 x 2 x 11ga and 1/4 Flat stock x 3" wide. I had some 4 x 2 and expanded metal laying around from a previous project I did for someone. Here is the start of the build up for my '02 F-250 Superduty. Again, nothing fancy just a headache rack that will hold my strobes, flood lights and maybe some other lights I have laying around.

Ok. Here we go:


I was able to find the angle of the cab with this great tool. Digital anlgle finder.



Then I cut calculated how high I want this thing to be and cut the uprights to the proper angle. Remember you are cutting from 90 degress. I wanted the uprights to be at 71 degrees so I made the cut at 19 degrees.



Here is the upright.



More pics next post.

T.J.
 
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#2 ·
Cont'.

Here is the Strobe Eccho set up I will be using. I also have a plate that it will bolt to. There also will be some sort of anti-theft/branch protection strapping for it too.




These are the 12x5x 1/4" base plate. Notice the holes in this stuff, again more scrap. These plates cover up the front stake pockets. So I will machine a hole in them so I do not loose the functionality of the stake pockets.
 
#3 ·
Cont'.

Machined the plates for the stake pocket and also did more simple geometry for the miter cut for the top piece. I mocked it up with wood just to make sure my angles were correct. The digital level reads in 10ths. So you really can't get more level than that (0.7). Yay my math worked. Here are some pics. And, I still only have 40 bucks into this thing.
More of the budge headache rack coming soon.
T.J.









Pics Cont. Next post.
T.J.
 
#8 ·
Yes you are right my tools are a big investment that allow me to work smarter and more efficiently, thus potentially creating a greater return on investment.:D
Really I just want to show this can be done with scrap I had laying around without spending much and building it the way I want it built.
T.J.
 
#7 ·
Some of us enjoy spending money on tools not toys and building things the way wewant them not the way some office big wig thinks we want them.
 
#10 ·
Matt...

TJ is no joke this guy is amazing. He has done some wild fab work from trucks to Mustangs to Jet Boats :drool..........


IMO there is nothing better than seeing someone take an idea from what is already being mass produced and making it better and on their own and it coming out super nice like TJ's work...


Jay
 
#11 ·
TJ very nice work one question for you; the holes for the stack pockets did you have to mill that out completly or were you able to just go around the edge of it and end up with a rectangular piece for a scrap or just metal shavings?
 
#12 ·
Hehe. Funny you ask that. I milled around the edge and have the pieces. I am going to use these pieces that will act like large washers and pinch the top plate to the bed when I bolt it down.
T.J.
 
#14 ·
Update More progress and pics.

Worked on it more today.

I was able to tack it alltogether on the truck. Here it is in the garage.



Clamped it to the bench for a full weld of the joints to eliminate movement.



All tight and ready to weld.



Full weld.
 
#15 ·
Another shot. I also smoothed out the outside corners for painting.



Stood the rack up on the bench and tacked it down for a full flange weld.



Ready to go. Both sides are tacked to the bench.



Full weld.
 
#16 ·
Letting it cool fully. Had lunch.



Mock up test fit. It did not move too much the bolts still line up...



I will round the corners when ready.



Shot from the back. I left it high because there willl be a light panel too.
 
#17 ·
Outside corners are smoothed out.



Stay tuned for the light panel and the expanded metal fitting. Oh and I still only have 40 bucks of material into this thing...

T.J.

www.tjsperformance.com
 
#20 ·
Oh, and BTW, nice welds! :shades How do I teach my welder to make 'em pretty like that! :D
 
#21 ·
Teach him how to weld :wink.

TJ

The rack looks great, funny when we take a 7 day week and shrink it down to about 7 hrs off on sunday if that i havent fired my Bridgeport up in awhile.

My Dad and Butch both taught me the value of making it yourself with no real formal training on a lathe except for high school machine shop i have self taught myself, same with welding high school welding was it and still to this day me and my brother a union welder argue about welding i have no certs for it but be it Scratch, Tig, Mig i can produce welds , recently the same brother needed some aluim plates made for something he was building after 33 yrs i got a pat on the back from him on Tig welding .

Back when i restored the 60 Ford F250 i faced the fact i would have to fab most of the panels and parts i needed to rebuild the truck with nothing more than a Ford body bible has there called i used it for the deminsons and would dolly out piece after piece .. i said all of this to answer Brendans question about building another for 40 bucks if i was a smart guy i would take the templates i made for the 60 and sell body parts but the truth is like with you your savory , Skill , time and abilty is worth far more than 40 bucks your project is a great lesson if its been shipped in a carton or even if it hasnt it can be made better and for less money. Again great job...
 
#22 ·
Thanks everyone. I have a question for you Ford people. Where is the best way to run the wires through the rack and out of the bed. These wires will need to run to the engine compartment where I am going to build a relay panel. I hate drilling holes in the bed but if I have to I will. I was thinking feeding the wires down the left side of the rack to the frame and follow the frame up to my relay panel under the hood. The strobes I am going to use will be powered by the Whelen box where I can just feed the strobe wires inside the cab.Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks.
T.J.
 
#23 ·
On my current truck, I drilled 2 1" holes in the sides of the inside of the box, and dropped the cables down to the framerail, then followed the frame rail to the engine compartment. Mind you, I've got all the wiring for the buzz box (2 4ga, 10 12ga, and a 1/2" harness of 10 18ga wires, and 2 camera cables) plus the wiring for the overhead rack to deal with, not just headache rack wiring. On my last truck, a regular cab SD like yours, I just ran them out the front of the backrack and dropped them between the cab and box, and fished them in through the holes in the back of the cab. Look carefully, there are 2 1" holes in the back of the cab (1 on either side) with rubber plugs in them, you just have to cut a hole in the back frabric panel of the cab to get to them. IIRC, I could feel the plugs through the fabric by pushing on it, and just cut a hole in the fabric with a utility knife. Getting the cabling hidden to the back of the cab is a little more fun, gotta remove the sill panel and the kick panel, and make sure you protect the wiring well in the sill, it gets very wet and salty in there...
 
#24 ·
Update Update

I never finished this thing cause I was way to busy with my Jet Boat. So now it is time to get it done before the snow flies (hopefully).

Anyway, see pics and progress.

Decided today that I was going to add some lights to the project I had laying around so I had to make some mounting tabs and weld them on. Yesterday I drilled the all the holes needed for the wire harnesses. I also welded in a lower brace that is going to support the expanded metal. So far I still have 40 or so bucks into this project as most the materials used is scrap I have laying around.

Follow along as the tabs are fabed up.




Mocked up the rest of the lights and the strobe bar. KC lights ready.



1/4 flat stock for the mounting tabs.




Traced the mounting part for the KC light and transfer punched the hole.




Drilled out both holes using a vice stop so I do not have to refigure the second part.
 
#25 ·
Cont...


A little cutting and sanding and all done. We don't need no water jet...




Mounting tab and light mocked up for proper clearance.




Ready to weld.




One down, one to go.
 
#26 ·
Cont...



Second one done.



Another shot.




Yay the lights fit.




Another mock up. Next up plasma cutting the expanded metal and welding it on the rack.

Oh if you want to see the boat build up go here..
http://www.tjsperformance.com/blowerEFI.htm
 
#27 ·
More. Painted and did some wiring to my home made center console switch box. This will control the 6 head strobes front and rear independently as well as the "tractor lights" and "off-road" lights. I also have my plow controls mounted on here.
T.J.





 
#29 ·
More pics. I also made dummy plate to take place of the center strobe set up.
I can swap it out in about 10 minutes. The center strobe light is bolted on from the inside to threaded holes in the plate. The dummy plate will cover the hole for the wires.





 
#32 ·
Done !!

Got it mounted on the truck and wired up (what a pain that was). Anyway, the holes I drilled in the plate for the thru bolts to the bed rails does not work. The head of the nuts or bolts from under the bed does not fit. The heads hit on the sides. Only the front bolt works. So I had to make a sandwich plate and bolt assembly that resembles a “back rack” bolt set up. I was able to find some bolts laying around and make this thing work. A little bit of cutting and tigging and it is done.
T.J.




 
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