Lt CHEG
Platinum Member
The other day I happened across a truck that it looks like I'll be buying. It's a 1997 F350 regular cab 4x4 with the 7.3 Powerstroke and a 5 speed stick. It also has a 8 foot Western minute mount plow. I saw it at a terrific deal (good enough price that I will let everyone know after I pick it up) and decided to take a look at it. The truck has new front fenders and doors and a junkyard bed. This was all done so that there was no rust on the body panels and then the previous owner shot it with some paint. It actually looks pretty good, but I'm mostly concerned that there isn't rust. The under carriage looks good. The engine seems pretty good and the transmission shifts well. The plow works well, but the moldboard is rough. I'll plan on welding a small patch and then painting the plow.
It's only an XL model, so no A/C and hand crank windows but the interior is also in decent shape except for the standard rip on the driver's side of the bench. It needs ball joints, so I am planning on just replacing the upper and lower ball joints on both sides. I also need to change the rear section of parking brake cable. I crawled under the truck and this really shouldn't be too bad as the truck is not rusty. How hard is changing the ball joints on this truck? Anything special to know about? How about the parking brake cable? What do you think a truck such as this would be worth?
I'm only planning on having this as a work truck. I'm still keeping my Silverado 2500 HD, and that will probably still handle any long range towing work. I'll probably use this for snow removal (it was cheaper than buying a snow blower for my tractor) and for towing my tractor around town as necessary. I'll definitely need to replace the hitch and I think I'll have to run wiring for trailer lights and brakes. It runs solid and only has 135,000 miles on it. The guy who currently owns it still drives it daily and I have no doubt that this will be a reliable truck as long as I drive it a little and take good care of it. I now have garage space for it and will be building our new place by the end of the year hopefully, so I can finally justify having an extra vehicle.
I'm actually looking forward to having a vehicle that I can tinker with. I'm also looking forward to having another diesel, and really happy that it is a pre emission 7.3 Powerstroke. I'm also pleased that it's a 5 speed so I'm not as concerned about transmission problems. Anything that I should know about this truck? Anything to look out for? I know about the oil pan issues on this truck and am fortunate that the previous owner changed the oil pan and the oil cooler within the last 2 years due to corrosion of the originals. I'll post more details when she's officially mine, but let's get the opinions rolling for now. Thanks in advance.
It's only an XL model, so no A/C and hand crank windows but the interior is also in decent shape except for the standard rip on the driver's side of the bench. It needs ball joints, so I am planning on just replacing the upper and lower ball joints on both sides. I also need to change the rear section of parking brake cable. I crawled under the truck and this really shouldn't be too bad as the truck is not rusty. How hard is changing the ball joints on this truck? Anything special to know about? How about the parking brake cable? What do you think a truck such as this would be worth?
I'm only planning on having this as a work truck. I'm still keeping my Silverado 2500 HD, and that will probably still handle any long range towing work. I'll probably use this for snow removal (it was cheaper than buying a snow blower for my tractor) and for towing my tractor around town as necessary. I'll definitely need to replace the hitch and I think I'll have to run wiring for trailer lights and brakes. It runs solid and only has 135,000 miles on it. The guy who currently owns it still drives it daily and I have no doubt that this will be a reliable truck as long as I drive it a little and take good care of it. I now have garage space for it and will be building our new place by the end of the year hopefully, so I can finally justify having an extra vehicle.
I'm actually looking forward to having a vehicle that I can tinker with. I'm also looking forward to having another diesel, and really happy that it is a pre emission 7.3 Powerstroke. I'm also pleased that it's a 5 speed so I'm not as concerned about transmission problems. Anything that I should know about this truck? Anything to look out for? I know about the oil pan issues on this truck and am fortunate that the previous owner changed the oil pan and the oil cooler within the last 2 years due to corrosion of the originals. I'll post more details when she's officially mine, but let's get the opinions rolling for now. Thanks in advance.