Bye Bye Cobra

I am thinking it is time to sell the cobra. I have just had problem after problem with it and I don't really feel like nickel and diming myself to death on a car with 80,000 miles.

Sooooo I have been looking at 7.3's like I was before the Cobra. I ran across this one on craigslist:
http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2677373642.html

I wouldn't really be interested in all of the veggie stuff on it but is there anything to be worried about switching back to good ol'e expensive diesel that I should be aware of?

I have to talk to the bank before I get too crazy on this idea but being done with school in December I am thinking it is time to get a truck so I can get my rear around without having to depend on someone else during bad times during the winter. If anyone has suggestions where to look for affordable 7.3's with 6 speeds I would be interested!

http://dallas.craigslist.org/search/cta?query=ford+7.3+diesel&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=


scroll to oct 7----99 for 11k


not as many as imagined

Seems a little pricey for a 99. He doesn't mention the miles but it has had to have a new T-case and clutch so it must be fairly high. It is a nice looking truck. I wouldn't worry about switching back since it seems to be a dual fuel rig anyway. I imagine all the heated veggie system is $2500 or so.
I'm not to big on the lift kits, trucks are too dam tall in stock form to get anything out of the bed without crawling up in there. I do like the P/S with 6 speed but having driven both Dodge and Ford 6 speeds, the Ford is a clunky shifting bastad compared to the Dodge and it has some cheesy plastic part on the clutch that melts.

After owning the 12 valve Cummins...I can safely say I'd never go to a Powerstroke. I can out pull them, out mileage them, and outlast them easily... but that's just my opinion, and worth what ya paid! I'd even go as far as to say I'd rather have a 24valve than a p/s.... Not trying to argue with ya Lance, but personally, I think you should at least take a look at them.
John

there ya have it Lance---if one of those 2 are tellin' ya the bull is giving milk, just go get the pail

the only diesel i have experience with is the old 6.9--pre powerstroke--it was a good one in my book--but i defer to those with a great deal more hands on than i will ever have

Something that I have noticed for fuel economy, if there is such a thing, is powerstrokes are all over the board from 10-20. Allen always got better mileage when we would pull a trailer with it.

I always thought that Dodges were too darn loud inside the cab, or at least Allen's was anyways!

The nice thing about Ford's is I have an in with the Ford dealer here through my grandpa and he can get a state discount on parts and can use their service books and stuff if need be.

Yeah, the bad thing about a cummins is you have to drive a Dodge (more like herd a Dodge) to get one. If I won the lottery I would have a 96-97 ish F-350 with a juiced up 12 valve and a 6 speed. I have driven 24 Valves that ran out fine and power strokes that did ok. The newest PS I have driven is an 09 my sister has, supercab 6 speed 4x4. I came up out of the Cheyenne river on I-90 grossing over 25,000 and pulled the hill in 6th with the cruise on and only dropped about 5 mph. That ain't no slouch. The pickup handles the big trailer real good too and I love the trailer brake, best I've ever used. I also got to pull a trailer and haul a suburban with a brand new 4 door Dually 4x4 Dodge with a six speed. That tranny is so sweet you would never want a Ford 6 speed if you drove it but powerwise I can't say it pulled any better than the Ford. They are hard to compare because the power bands are so different. So I don't know which is the worst trade off, drive a whistling, rattling road crazy Dodge to have a cummins or drive a power stroke to have a comfortable ride and a quiet cab...and a truck that don't make you sit up and drive all the time.
Oh, and I had a real treat today, took a 25,000 gross to the scrapper with my buddys 93 7.3 IDI. Pickup and trailer was 12,840 empty and the load was 12,840. Glad it was only 30 miles and no big hills.

Yah, I hear ya JB. I've gotten most of the bugs out of our Dodge as far as the steering goes...but it all costs $$. It's still not fantastic, but not bad. I agree totally about the "hybrid" of Cummins and Ford..that would be sweet! I sure don't mean to come across as hating the powerstroke, because it is a pulling sucker, but I do love the simplicity of that Cummins! I wound up with a 6 speed from an '04 in mine and that made a HUGE difference! The 5speed is a real turd in my book, when it comes to towing.

I drove a 98 12 valve (with torque plate) with a 6 speed to Texas and back empty. That is one sweet set up, and after a while you get used to the cab that sounds like you left a door not closed all the way.

I'm actually considering a really clean 92 2wd dually Dodge cummins with a 5 speed. I just need something to haul iron with. Last week I took a load over 41/2 tons in with my 92 F-250 with the 300-6 and ZF. Needless to say I never hit 5th.
I wonder how hard it would be to put a 56 Dodge 5 window cab on that chassis.

What do you guys know about the 6.4's? I know to run from the 6.0's unlike my brother and have heard bad things about the 6.4's as well....

Don't hit 5th when loaded and pulling hard in the Dodge either, or it will eat the 5th gear nut pretty quick....even with a stock engine. There's a bunch of "fixes" for it...but it's not a great deal.
Ours isn't bad inside... not sure what happened, but it seems to be pretty quiet, especially for a Dodge. It's not a newer Ford, but not that bad... but then, I'm going deaf too

I think the single cabs are tighter than the quad cabs and 4 doors. Even the 08 My sis had new whistled like a bastad in a cross wind, just like you had a window cracked open.
I have heard some problems on the newer Fords diesels but not so much mechanical as engine management issues. You don't want any of those high pressure injected engines around when they go off warranty. It's just a matter of time before you'll need a set of injectors that cost $10,000-$12,000. That's why my sis got rid of the 08 Dodge. It was getting close to 100,000 and already had one injector on warranty, $2700. The particulate filter was a pain in the ass and caused a lot of check engine light issues. We all like the 09 Ford much better than we did the 08 Dodge. The Dodge might have had just a bit more balls but it rode terrible, got poorer mileage and didn't handle the big trailers quite as well. The Dodge automatic is pretty sweet with the retarder, makes the wannabe truck drivers think they have a jake. But all that new techy stuff isn't where I'd drop my coins, I still prefer a 12 valve, and might even wheel a Dodge just to get one. At least you don't have to buy a Chevy to get one,lol.

I agree...no electronics for me....other than a stereo, and that's optional! I'm getting ready to order a new set of injectors for my 12Valve...finally at 253,000... and stepping up a bit in size... $350. I love the way the 12valve is setup to change all the fuel and air settings with not a whole lot of trouble! A new $15 fuel plate, new injectors, and a couple hours of adjusting the aneroid, and you've just upped the hp/torque considerably without breaking the bank. I can't imagine the cost to just maintain the new stuff once warranty goes off!

gm suks

and i'll betcha a buck that anything with electronics controlling the engine can be zapped by the govt, just like the cell phone and internet

I called today on a '00 250 crewcab 4x4 with a 6 speed. Has 184,000 miles on it but is only $7,500. The dealer is currently doing some work on the tranny and then they are gonna put it up for sale. I looked a bit at Dodges and around here they are even higher priced than a Ford. The gf suggested last night maybe I should look at yet another brand.....the dicussion quickly ended.

71ford100 wrote: The gf suggested last night maybe I should look at yet another brand.....the dicussion quickly ended.

build it Lance

http://texoma.craigslist.org/pts/2681929324.html

7.3 with trans---70k mi--7500

or 1 with a feeder

http://texoma.craigslist.org/cto/2673138957.html

Id drive the second truck no problem.

71ford100 wrote:I called today on a '00 250 crewcab 4x4 with a 6 speed. Has 184,000 miles on it but is only $7,500. The dealer is currently doing some work on the tranny and then they are gonna put it up for sale. I looked a bit at Dodges and around here they are even higher priced than a Ford. The gf suggested last night maybe I should look at yet another brand.....the dicussion quickly ended.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

http://texoma.craigslist.org/cto/2687982694.html

bargain--if i had the scratch......