Project Survival Truck

When the shit first hits the fan, stay put. Hole up in your house in a defensive
position. Make no noise, no lights, cooking smellsas far as everyone else is
concerned, you already left. Wait several weeks for people to make their mass
exodus before you depart. Travel by road during the initial surge out will be
maddness, you will waste more fuel in a gridlock than you used actually traveling to
your destination. When you do head off, travel off the road. On road you are a
target, albeit a highly maneuverable one. Watch for hazards like broken glass,
sharp bits of metal, and ambush points. Desperate people will try and take
whatever you have, the more travel you can do off road, the better. Live off the
land and by what you can scavenge from those who left ahead of you. Humans are
extremely wasteful, the trash left behind in a hurry can have very valuable things in
it. Remain camouflaged and unseen. You dont want to hole up in an armored shell,
stealth and evasion is the name of your game if you truly intend to survive. Going
all Mad Max is probably the worst thing you could possibly do. FYI: 200 miles can
easily be covered in two days if you are reasonably fit. If youre not fit, get fit. The
fatties WILL NOT survive the upcoming apocalypse. Start addressing any health
issues with your primary care physician NOW.

I'm working on a plan to mod my truck to make it ready to get away from what's coming. Your
knowledge, experience, thoughts, etc. would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance
joe garza

Project Survival Truck: How To Turn A Used F150 Into A Reliable, Low Maintenance,
Getaway Transport To Survive The Coming Economic And Social Collapse.

The requirement is to be able to get away from a society and government gone wild with enough
gear, food, etc. to survive the ensuing bloodbath.

And, of course, resources are not unlimited.

Fulfilling the requirement means some off road capability, some load carrying capability,
extended range and some independence from a sustainment infrastructure. The vehicle has to be
able to operate free of prepared road surfaces, with minimal recourse to a professional dealer and
maintenance network, while carrying everything I need to drop off the grid for as long as
possible.

In the best case, I have to be able to get a location less than two hundred miles away. In the worst
case, I have to be able to move more than a thousand miles, and then return. This plan will focus
on getting two hundred miles.

Requirement 1: Free Of Prepared Road Surfaces

1. Ground clearance tires, lift, leveling, etc.
2. Suspension travel -
3. Traction gearing, LS/Locker, etc.
4. body armor, skid plates, push bars, etc.

Requirement 2: Load Carrying Capability

1. OEM payload package & HD suspension
2. OEM ClIII Trailer hitch & trailer
3. Camper top
4. Cargo rack
5. Hoist

Requirement 3: Extended Range

1. Economy engine programming
2. Aux fuel tanks

Requirement 4: Reliability
1. Consumer reports ratings
2. Limit deviation from oem specs
3. OEM HD cooling & electrical
4. Reliability improving mods synthetic oil, etc.

Requirement 5: Limited Resources

1. 2000 F150 <60K <$7850
2. CarMax reputation and warranty ($1449)
3. Used components Shell @ $410, etc.

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Ok, heres a recoup of where I am now, with some clarification:

Fist, let me clarify the requirements:

1. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP

a. I dont have a lot of money, so Im going for the most cost-effective. Yes, an M1
Abrams tank would do the job, but I cant buy one. I cant even afford a used F250
crew cab, though that was my first choice. I bought a used, low mileage F150
because I could afford it. If Id been smarter in my youth, I could probably afford
anything I want, but, if Id been smarter in my youth, I might be president and we
wouldnt be in this mess (wed be in a different one!)
b. If it only costs a few hundred dollars, I might well do it for even a miniscule gain.
If its a 1500 dollar bumper capable of surviving IEDs, well, it aint happening. If I hit
an IED, Im dead. A good bumper is probably not necessary for the casket. So, E-
fans, programmers, UDPs, etc. are good bets. Diesel engine swaps, military axles,
not so much.
2. RELIABILITY.
a. Obviously, there are as many opinions on this as there are those of you gracious
enough to part with your wisdom and experience. I would prefer to hear more about
how far modifications can go while minimizing maintenance requirements.
i. Mods such as moving the battery, going to dual batts and/or alternators, are good
bets. It strikes me that such mods are almost maintenance free, if done correctly.
ii. Body armor, etc. are good bets, but only if suspension mods are included.
Everything that increases the suspension load has to be accounted for. So, if put a
push bar/bumper/etc. on the front, I might have to go to fiberglass hood and fenders
to make up for the weight increase.
iii. Some mods should be dead last. Such as the suspension upgrade I mentioned
above before I do anything to increase suspension performance, I should first
lighten the load as much as possible, within available finances.
iv. I have seriously considered engine upgrades, but, all things being equal, before I
go very far down that road, Im probably going to drop in an OEM V8 on the theory
that the farther below rated capacity an engine works, the longer it will last. So
there are limits to how far Im willing to mod the existing V6. Ill do it, but I think
some of the supersixmotorsports.com stuff is probably not going to happen.
v. Reliability means protection, so body armor is worthwhile, such as skid plates,
push bars, etc. Again, has to be cost effective.
3. Range
a. I want to be as independent of gas stations as possible
i. This means better mpg, and greater fuel carrying capacity.
ii. Somebody mentioned being able to make my own diesel that sounds absolutely
fascinating tell more?
iii. I didnt ask for storage solutions, but the more I can carry, the farther I can go
not only gas, but food, water, tires, spare parts, etc. Lets hear from the Turtle
Expedition fans out there!
4. Off-Road
a. This is not ever going to be any kind of off-road performance vehicle. Im more
than willing to go slow, go around, air down my tires, dig, bridge, etc.
b. Most of you know smart, careful driving can get almost anything amazingly far
off-road. I am not racing. So Im going to settle for smart mods that increase
independence from paved roads. Im not going to go swimming (well, not deep
anyway), or cliff climbing. I am going to cross farmers fields, as little mud as I have
to, etc.
c. I think, given all of the above, that what counts more than anything else is self-
recoverability, ground clearance and traction. Comments?
5. Misc.
a. Radios, survival gear, first aid kits, winches, shepherds jacks, levers, pry bars,
come-alongs, solar stills, solar battery chargers, generators, air compressors, floor
jacks, genies in a bottle, weather-proofing, etc. Lets hear it!

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Second,
Heres what the design looks like now:
1. 2000 F150 XLT short bed (6.5) regular cab 4.2L V6, 5SPD manual 3.55 open diff, OEM
HD payload package: 255/70R16 tires, HD Springs, shocks, electrical (130 amp alt), cooling
and Class III towing pkge. This truck has just over 60,000 miles on it now.
2. used Leer camper shell (done)
3. Line-X bed liner (done)
4. 285/75R16 tires on stock rims
5. LS or locker TBD. May go to lower gears. May even go to a 9.75 axle, depends on what I
learn here. So far, the jurys still out on that.
6. Im moving the battery(s) to the bed.
7. Dual Alternators (see pro elect tech comment below)
8. Push bumper/bar with receiver. Eventually remove OEM bumpers (F/R) and may go to glass
hood and fenders for weight reduction.
9. Efans: Im going to pull fan(s) off a Taurus or a Mark VIII. A professional engine electronic
tech is going to design and install the wiring, controller(s), etc.
10. Engine programming (PHP?), Gotts mod and UDPs are in!
11. modded 10 meter radio
12. skid plates, rocker bars, side steps
13. Roof rack if I can put one over the camper that will carry any weight.
14. Maybe better mufflers. Its got OEM dual cats on it now, and apparently its hard to
improve this much. (Improve= power/mpg, not sound. Opinions will vary.)
15. probably stronger springs/shocks
16. Suspension limit straps, axle hoop, etc.
17. Aux fuel tank, water tank, tool boxes, etc.
18. AC inverter, air compressor, electric generator
19. work lights
20. steel matting, shovels, picks, axe, sledge, shepherds jack, come-along, floor jack, wheel
hub winch, hand winch, electric winch, pry bars, wrecking bars, air jack (balloon), solar still,
solar battery charger, etc., etc. etc. Feel free to contribute to etc. Really.
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COUNTER CLAIMS

Ok, with budget as a limit working within the restrictions of 1, 2 and 3:

4: carry two spares.
5: Regearing two axles is expensive ($1200+). Your money would be better spent in other
ways. You may want to upgrade your 8.8 to a non C-clip axle. The problem with a C clip type
axle is if you break an axle shaft, your functionally dead in the water until you repair it. Get
yourself a lunchbox locker (look that one up). they are DIY install and relatively inexpensive.
6: Leave the battery under the hood, moving it to the bed just uses valuable space and adds
expense. There should be room for two batteries under the hood if you get two gel batteries,
which I would suggest if you will be bouncing around off road.
7: I dont think you need dual alts. a spare would be a good idea though. Buy a high output alt
and keep your factory one as a spare.
8: Aftermarket bumpers are uber expensive, unless you are building it for looks, dont bother.
Get yourself a front reciever, if you can get someone to weld up a pushbar that fits in the
reciever, that'll be enough to push disabled vehicles out of the road if need be.
9: Dont do an electrical fan, the mechanical one, while using a couple of horses, is more
reliable (and cheaper). Deep water crossings are about the only reason I would choose electric
fan (you said you wont be doing water crossings).
10: Dont waste your money on a programmer, you arent running the Baja, The key here is drive
slow, dont break anything.
11: 10 meter, scanner, TV, AM, FM.
12: Get or make skids to protect the important parts underneath and a set of rocker skids to use
as jacking points to lift the truck.
13: You can put a roof rack on a cap but what I would do is get a contractors rack that mounts
staight to the bed so you can put more weight up there and use it as a platform to stand or shoot
from.
14: Dont waste your money on exhaust mods, a couple of HP isnt worth $400-$500.
15: Get an add a leaf for the rear springs. They will cheaply increase capacity.
16: No need to get fancy.
17: Carry some 5 gallon water and fuel cans, a nice tool box and extra vehicle fluids.
18: Get a good sized inverter (at least 2000W) or better yet get an under hood welder that has
inverter capability (search premier power welder). This will cover your alt needs as well. Get
an air compressor capable of seating a tire.
19: I would mount a set of driving lights to the front and a utility light to the rear and a couple
of handheld lights and a variety of flashlights. Dont forget extra bulbs, batteries and lenses.
20: I'll add, chainsaw (extra chain, fuel. bar oil)
21: Its fun spending YOUR money
PART 2

I like your way of thinking there bud

Ppl are forget some of the most essential items here.Now maybe i misread,or didn't
read all the requirements.If i did not,i apologize.

Survival knife with a smooth and serrated sides

A hand gun
Rifle(of stock up on ammo for both)With scope
First aid kit/but also a trauma kit(which different from your standard first aid kit)
Mre's(flavors are getting better)
Glow sticks
Real time Gps,but also a map as a back up
Gortex clothing(preferably woodland camo for your wooded surroundings,real tree
also)Including gortex boots
Waterproof gloves/socks
Poncho with liner
Weather specific coat
Fishing line
Flashlight
Blanket/sleeping bag(preferably 3piece gortex)
Knowledge of field tactics when it comes to your surroundings and how to live off
the land/also blending in with your surroundings
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