410customs
Idahome
Joined: Wed May 2nd, 2018
Posts: 2165
Name: Jamie ... Occupation: Elevator Design Worlds Tallest Buildings ... Interests: Ranger Based Vehicles and OFFROAD ...
Reputation Points: 2165
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I only knew a little bit
then I bought a 97 F350 and spent the next 4 years learning them...that was 4 years ago
They are simple machines, but they are also old tech
There are lots of O rings in a 7.3 diesel
Many parts are cheap
Many are expensive
If you do your own labor they can be very rewarding
Diesel works on compression, there is no throttle body or throttle cable basically fuel is injected into the combustion chamber and the extreme compression detonates the fuel and air, the ore fuel you put in the more power it makes until something blows up
they are pulling monsters
international says the 7.3 engine block and piston rings are broken in at 250K miles I believe
The heart of the 7.3 is a crank chain driven high pressure oil pump (HPOP) that creates over 3000 psi of oil pressure (using crank case oil) in the heads, that pressure is used through the HEUI injector like a hypodermic needle to inject the fuel into the combustion chamber
7.3 powerstrokes are turbocharged from 94+ and intercooled from 99+ (superduty)
They are million mile engines if maintained properly
They were also designed when sulfur was still in the diesel fuel, so there will need some upgrades/resealing to be brought up to par as a daily driver.
I had a 99 Superduty V10 gas F250 flatbed that was my "shop truck" for hauling explorers and rangers. I could not handle the low mpg and its low power abilities (when compared to the diesels)
Eventually it came time to step up to diesels
WE traded that F250 gas straight across for a 7.3 Excursion
Then I was in the market for a new shop truck, I bought a 97 F350 4 door that broke down on its way to my house. My stepson bought it, broke down, off loaded it on me for what he paid for it...then I fixed it and started to use it for shop duties. I was not impressed, I was quite worried in fact. It could not even hold the lane, would barely pull the trailer, it was gutless and needed lots of upgrades. this truck was used by a concretecompany and they beat the living snot out of it
Still it was my dream truck, 4 door f350 OBS 7.3 5 speed 4x4!!! YES!!
$3K she was mine, I have put about $10K into her since (crush alot of explorers to get that $$$)
A few years later and many hours in the shop and online learning, I would not trade this truck for the world.
it will pull your house up a mountain and it handles like a modern truck. It took some upgrading to make this happen, time and money
Now I just drive it....no payments, no work needed, just oil changes, brakes and tires. I might need another clutch I pulled over 14,000 of red brick this summer over a mountain pass....whoops that was probably too much for the front brakes and standard OEM style LUK clutch.
The 97 has some turbo upgrades, rebuilding a 7.3 turbo costs about $150 and that's with the performance compressor wheel
I have swamps injection which was around $1500 for the 8 injectors from swaps
I have a swamps computer chip to maximize power from the injectors with different settings for towing, driving, highway, etc that was about $400
Everything else I cobbled together over time and much of it using craigslist
I added a front mount intercooler using parts from superduties and a 6.0 FMIC, about $500 into that
rebuilt front and rear axles, front Dana 60, rear sterling 10.5 $1000 or so all bearings, brakes, seals, joints, etc
the rest of it is custom touches, late model heated and cooled seats, afrter market door panels, aftermarket suspension, flatbed from craigslist, led lights, etc
She makes about 400+ HP and around 800 ft lbs of torque, she will pull whatever I load up behind her and it can get 19 mpg.... I love my old 97 we are just getting started. She has one bad glow plug and Im pretty sure I need a different engine block mine is worn out from previous owner beating on it (blow by). Still runs like a top
I peg my boost gauge at 25 psi and she is still building. I can watch my exhaust gas temps reach up to just under 1250 degrees and then the intercooler starts to bring them back down, this means I can stay in the boost pulling a load all the way up and over any mountain pass... not bad for a $13000 22 year old one ton truck :)
I have replaced every hose, O ring, gasket and seal on the engine, every sensor, made many custom mods and upgrades. It has been very rewarding. We have 6ea 7.3 trucks in the family now and we all work on them. We have gotten into the Cummins engines, little tractor diesels, 6.0 powerstrokes, and more. Diesels are pretty dang cool and they are very rewarding once you beat them into submission. My 97 F350 was just about the death of me, I think I re sealed my injectors 5 times in one summer and had the turbo off like 4 times too.....but that's what it takes to learn! Now I have fixed and flipped quite a few 7.3, rebuilding the turbo is one of my fav pastimes.
https://www.powerstrokenation.com/forums/17-1994-1997-power-stroke-technical-info/496610-new-me-1997-f350-7-3-4-door-long-bed-5-speed-4x4-let-buildup-begin-help.htmlLast edited on Sun Nov 10th, 2019 04:41 pm by 410customs
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I build custom RBV, specializing in drivetrain conversions, wiring, suspension and complete custom trucks
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I LOVE THAT TRUCK!! You make me want to get one lol. I've seen a lot for sale, but I'm not good enough to know if it's got a good motor or it's on it's way out. I've seen a lot of ford f150s with the 4.9 inline 6, I love those engines and they're reliable. Not power monsters, but I just need reliability more than anything. If I play my cards right I can pick up an old ranger for CHEAP and start the project I've been wanting to. Only time will tell, what I get mainly depends on how much the bonus is and how much my tax return is, and how much I sell my truck for. I'm thinking about still lifting it, I think it'll have more appeal to sell for a better price. We shall see.
