should i stay or should i go now?

[CHKNFKR]

My daily driver is a '95 f-250 supercab. it's got a 7.3 psd with 363,000 miles on it and is starting to show its age. the engine leaks in all the usual places and compression has been dropping. the ZF has become more and more difficult going into 2nd and reverse. most importantly it's two wheel drive and is front heavy enough that i've gotten stuck on nearly level ground before. The good: it can pull anything, its a supercab, it has cup holders, it gets 22 mpg.

The truck i am looking at is a '92 f350 regular cab. it's got a 351 with 109,000 miles (six digit digital odometer so it really is 109,000) with a leaking rear main. the ZF shifts super smooth into and out of every gear. the 4x4 works very well. the rear end is limited slip. It's got a vinyl bench and gets between 11-13 mpg.

i should be able to come out about $1,000 ahead buying the 4x4 and selling my truck. should i do it?

The red one is the one i'm looking at, the white one is what i've been driving.

 

[adsm08]

I wouldn't. Give up a 7.3 for a 351? NO WAY. I will neg rep you right now man.

 

[clvanhorn]

agreed. i would love to be able to have a full size with the mileage you're getting with the 7.3

 

[CHKNFKR]

did you miss the part about getting stuck on level ground?

I've had my truck on the scale before it weighs in just under 8000lbs, over 5000lbs of that is on the front end.

motor and cab aside this is an upgrade in every way. my current rear end is a 3.55 open diff sterling. the '92 is a 4.10 limited slip rear end, and when that fails, there's a dana 60 up front to help out.

ideally I'd like a super cab 7.3psd 5speed 4x4 with the limited slip out back and the dana 60 up front. right now that's not in the cards.

i suppose i could buy the truck for the parts i want out of it to sas the diesel, but since it's my dd and i don't have another vehicle to drive in the mean time, its not really practical.

 

[88_Eddie]

that $1000 that you'll have leftover will be gone in 3 months after filling up every 4 days. i'd keep looking

it sounds like you're really just looking for someone to tell you to buy it though, lol, it's your $$$ do what you want. just remember you are consulting trained professionals here.

 

[CHKNFKR]

yeah, the difference in mileage is really going to suck, but will it suck as much as getting stuck making a 3 point turn on a country road? will it suck as much as putting new rings in the diesel?

I'm not looking for someone to tell me to go ahead and do it. I know the benefits and i know the drawbacks, i'm still just weighing my options.

If i had a spare truck to drive in the mean time i would love to buy this one as a parts truck. swap the guts of the transmission, and the tailhousing into the the one behind the diesel, swap rear ends, throw the dana under the diesel, and fix the diesel. i just don't have the coin for that right now.

fwiw the wifey is telling me the same thing y'all are. so that's prolly what's going to happen.

 

[88_Eddie]

i'd want a 4x4 over a 2wd any day....i hate that my dd is a 2wd. i think i'd just find a better one, that's all i'm saying

 

[adsm08]

Alright, I figured this out.

http://rockford.craigslist.org/cto/2896340326.html

That is the answer to your dilemma sir. Buy it, drive it while you fix George, and then sell it for $500.

 

[CHKNFKR]

Alright, I figured this out.

http://rockford.craigslist.org/cto/2896340326.html

That is the answer to your dilemma sir. Buy it, drive it while you fix George, and then sell it for $500.

I appreciate the effort adsm, but that's getting close to the blue part of this red state. I'm way down in charleston, craigslist has a charleston-mattoon and so far i haven't seen anything promising.

 

[Jraymer360]

i say buy it, drive it around and re-build the 7.3, throw the 7.3 in the truck on a weekend, then save up money for a small beater like a 4cyl Ranger. once you've gotten the cheap beater, pull the drivetrain from the red truck, put it in the white truck, then sell the ranger and part the rest of the red truck out to help pay for the costs of plating the ranger and other associated costs you had to spend while swapping the drivetrain. you might actually come out even and have exactly what you want!

doesn't sound like too bad of a plan if you ask me, but i'm not a big plan maker.

/e: this is assuming you can afford to buy the truck and also keep yours. with the condition of the drivetrain of your truck, it doesn't sound like you're gonna get much for it anyways, but i could be wrong.

 

[chrwilkins30]

why not just pay some one to fix the diesel and that be the end of it if you dont have the time too.

 

[adsm08]

why not just pay some one to fix the diesel and that be the end of it if you dont have the time too.

Because that's the cheapest thing in the world. It'd be cheaper to put a crate engine in it.


The big issue is that you kinda have to take the cab off a little bit to really get the engine out.

 

[Jraymer360]

why not just pay some one to fix the diesel and that be the end of it if you dont have the time too.

engine rebuilds sat in my dads shop for like a month before he finished them. he was the only mechanic so that didn't get his full attention but they sat for a while before he could do stuff. so having a shop fix it isn't always the quickest method.

 

[wizkid00104]

If you can, get the 92 and drive it while you fix your 95. You won't want anything but a diesel lol

 

[trail B2]

What happens to me if I got one vehicle and it gets dismal gas mileage is I'm frustrated everywhere I go.You seem to be excited about four wheel drive but to own a car that you can't afford to drive doesn't really do you any good at all.