The place for general talk about gun, shooting, loading, camping, survival, and preparedness related tools and gear, as well as gear technology discussion, gear reviews, and gear specific "range reports" (all other types of gear should be on the back porch).
IrateIrishman wrote:If you can find one, just get an early '03 with the last of the 7.3 powerstrokes.
I must really belong here. Even knowing the subject of this thread, my mind stumbled over that sentence because '03 was .30-06 not 7.3mm and define "powerstroke" on a bolt action?
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
If you can find one, just get an early '03 with the last of the 7.3 powerstrokes
I've had 3 of the 7.3s of the years. Great engine. Now, the transmissions...
The main problem as mentioned is the torque converter. When I was still spinning wrenches we had about 80 E350's in the fleet, all with PSD's. The trannys rarely went bad(although these were mini busses not towing anything), but the converters needed regular service and often replacement. The key to making them last is regular fluid changes, including draining the converter. Luckily they have a drain bolt in them.
blackeagle603 wrote:A buddy killed his just backing his 30' toybox over the curb into his sideyard parking...As for backing loads up my hill (the guys coming to the SD meetup will get a perspective on that next week), I put a "Hidden Hitch" receiver on the rig's nose and push it up now. That was an excellent spend. It's saved my bacon multiple times in campgrounds too. Esp national parks where the tree huggers won't let any trees be cut back around campsights. I can turn it on a dime from the front hitch -- like parking it with a ball on a fork lift.
The weakest any auto will be is backing up. Add in a load or resistance(like jumping a curb with a trailer) and the problem gets worse. Had one of those hitches on the front of a service truck some years back, and like you said, moving a trailer with one is easy as pie.
Now, it isn't a diesel, and it was a fleet vehicle - but I have an F350 w. a gas engine, that had 12K on it, 1 year old, and I paid 11K for it.
Its very, very bare bones - no cruise, no power anything, am/fm radio, etc - but its a great work truck - unless you need to do long-distance hauling. (We put a small cold-plate box and use it as a delivery truck. The commercial stuff is just too much of a pain, and too expensive to deal w.)
Personally, I'm happy w. my Jetta TDI, and I'm trying to get my brother to convert to a TDI wagon for his work car... That, or maybe a mini clubman. We have numerous vehicles, which other people might not, but its more pleasant, and much cheaper, to have dedicated work vehicles/box trucks/etc, and a fuel efficient one for just hauling yourself, and a briefcase/toolboxes around.
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One could always buy a gasser, buy a "surplus" diesel engine and make what you need. Your already gonna be pulling apart the tranny a few more hours of work and you can build what you want.
I know some people who have done that, or bought a truck with a blown diesel cheap and dropped in a different surplus diesel and been much better off for it.
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson
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That's a bad idea - will cost you more than simply buying outright. A decent 5.9L Cummins for example, goes for around 4 grand on Ebay. Then there's all the little things that quickly add up, like new gas tanks, lift pumps, and senders.
HTRN, I would tell you that you are an evil fucker, but you probably get that a lot ~ Netpackrat
Describing what HTRN does as "antics" is like describing the wreck of the Titanic as "a minor boating incident" ~ First Shirt
Not to mention the electronics if you go with a newer diesel. The injector drive module alone for a 7.3PSD is a few hundred. Add in a computer and harness and the price difference between a factory PSD and a swap favors buying factory. Also the trans wont just need to be beefed up, it will need to be replaced as it is a different case. A mechanical diesel such as a Cummins wont pass any form of inspection either on a newer vehicle. We wont even get into trying to get the gauges to work.
Swaps are fun but never an economically sound idea.
