Family rig revival

[stumpjumper3]

Family rig revival *updated 4-3-11, interior started*

Well i'm new to this forum and have been reading almost every tech article i can find. I have to say the wealth on knowledge on here is amazing. Which is great because my wife and i finally bought our first crew cab pickup and its just what we wanted. We are planning on fixing it up just the way we like it and cant wait to get to work.
So here is the truck, its a 1987 F350 crew cab, it has an aluminum flatbed with a hidden gooseneck hitch and a class 3 reciever hitch. I also talked the PO into the 90 gal transfer tank/ toolbox combo. The truck was originally a 6.9 auto. But it now has a 7.3 5 speed in it. The trans was recently rebuilt and so was the transfer. The PO did a nice job on the swap and everything looks to be sound. Plus he included a gallon of Root Beer brown with gold metallic flake in with the sale.
I've always loved these 6.9's and 7.3's as my grandfather has a 86' 6.9 4spd crew cab 4x4 that i grew up riding in. So i knew this was a good choice for a reliable rig.
Plans for now are, removing carpet, and replacing with vinyl floor, fixing the vent windows(they leak), Pulling and pop testing all injectors(my work has the proper equipment), resealing all return t's, and fixing miscellaneous oil leaks on the engine. So far i've installed my LED tailights and backup lights i already had. Makes a world of a difference.
Well sorry for the long intro, and of course some pics of the truck. I look forward to updating this with we progress on fixing up our truck to new.

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[Diesel Max]

Welcome to the forum !!! You will find lots of knowledge on this website about these trucks.... Congratulations on your new IDI..

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum and nice looking rig. These motors are stupid simple to repair. Just ask for help here.... Someone is here 24 hours a day waiting to help... Thats a good thing too...

 

[Cincinnati Guy]

Nice truck, glad you found the place! Oilburners is by far the best place to gain IDI knowledge, and get help. You will see after being here a while you get addicted to the site and everyone starts to feel like family.

 

[87crewdually]

Nice truck, sweet alumn body. You know the engine has been replaced and assume it's now a 7.3. The picture you posted has the old 6.9 oil filler on it and the 87-down fuel filter assembly. To double check if it's a 6.9 or 7.3, the easiest/quickest way is to grab 12 point 7/16 & 1/2" wrenches and see which one fits on the head bolts. 7/16=6.9 and 1/2=7.3. Either way good crew cab.

 

[Black dawg]

you will want to get some injector line clamps and get those lines squared away when you do the returns. nice truck, that bed is sweet.

 

[stumpjumper3]

Thanks for the heads up on the head bolts. I'll check that out tomorrow. I've been reading up on the water seperator, and from what i've read, did the 7.3's not come with a water seperator? The one on the firewall is currently not hooked up which doesn't sit well with me. I think i'm just going to install a base from work and a CAT fuel/water seperator instead. That way i can get either part from work. I admit i'm a little confused on the line comment. Are you noticing some of my clamps missing? Or are you saying to be sure to install new clamps because the old ones fail? I'm very aware of the importance of the clamps on these engines, as they are just as vital as the ones on the old 3196's, 3306's, 3400 series mechanical engines.

*Edit, just checked the headbolts. I'll be a sun of a gun. ITS A 6.9! I cant find any numbers anywhere on it to tell me the year however. I guess they just swapped the auto for the five speed and not the engine.

 

[OLDBULL8]

Welcome to the OB. Nice looking truck. You gonna paint it Root Beer? Looks like someone may have mixed up the injector lines, they need to be all layed flat next to each other on each side and clamped, there is a special clamp rubber lined to fit them. Have fun doing the work, take your time, ask questions.

 

[Black dawg]

the ones on the drivers side are missing clamps, and are kinda bent all over the place. cant see the other side for sure.

 

[stumpjumper3]

Thanks for the info. I'll look at my grandfathers 6.9 and fix my lines accordingly, unless somebody doesn't mind throwing up a pic of their line routing. I've found injection lines at OFI, kinda pricey, but worth it for good ones.

 

[icanfixall]

The block serial number is just on the flat area by the temp sender location. That number will tell you what motor you have too. It has either 6.9 or 7.3 in the number sequence. Those injector hard lines are a mess. They need the vibration clamps installed or you will be breaking lines. Usually the first cylinder on the drivers side (thats number 2 cylinder) breaks... Thats a tuff line to replace... Several lines need to be removed to reach the nut on the pump. Check ebay for a set of replacement lines. Usually you can find them for around $25.00... Midwest Fuel Injection sells new ones for around $45.00 each. Most of the members here have a spare set. I have several spare sets because I got them so cheaply on ebay over the years.... The injectors look like they are original as do the return line kit. Those could easily be replaced and do buy a set of new BB code injectors. They are about the best stock injector for these motors. Mel makes an injector called the Moose Mister. They are the best high performance injector on the market. His name here is Agnem... Really a great guy... Typ4 (russ) sells a good set of BB codes and can pop test and match them for you.... Kinda sad the previous owner told you the motor was a 94 7.3. Looking at your pics kinda told me it was a 6.9... I don't like when someone lies to anyone... Its just bad business....

 

[stumpjumper3]

icanfixall: Thank you for the advice and tips. Very very much appreciated and helpful. We sold our tacoma in order to buy this truck, so we have the funds to fix what is wrong. Whether its a new injection pump(which is likely, noticed fuel in the valley pan) or lines, injectors ect. Thank you for the tip on the BB code injectors or Moose misters. This motor will remain NA for the time being. But will be turboed in the future. I'll check out ebay for those lines and pick up some clamps. We'll just keep the driving to a minimum until i get those fixed for sure. I am pretty surprised at the lack of knowledge and tall tales the PO gave me. He seemed like a big time 6.9 and 7.3(all his trucks), so i guess i'm not really upset, because we got the truck/ setup we want, just more so surprise. So i guess on the list now for immediate attention. Fuel injection service. Pump(potentially), lines, clamps,8 BB or Moose Mister injectors, Return line kit.

 

[hesutton]

Those injector hard lines are a mess. They need the vibration clamps installed or you will be breaking lines. Usually the first cylinder on the drivers side (thats number 2 cylinder) breaks.......

Gary bet me too it. But that Cylinder #2 line is not corret. In fact, it looks like most of the lines on the driver's side have been messed with. Maybe the PO has replaced a few lines with whatever he could find. The all should have vibration dampers on them to prevent cracking like Gary said.

Plus, those injector return caps look like the originals and the lines in between are held on with small hose clamps, not the spring clamps that are supposed to be there. Get a return line kit when you do the IP and injectors so you can replace all the caps, lines, o-rings, and clamps.

Heath

 

[87crewdually]

*Edit, just checked the headbolts. I'll be a sun of a gun. ITS A 6.9! I cant find any numbers anywhere on it to tell me the year however. I guess they just swapped the auto for the five speed and not the engine.

Don't fret, personally I prefer a 6.9 over the 7.3 anyways. I would say your engine is 86-down judging by the oil fill. The 87 6.9 (last year) used the same 7.3 oil fill.

 

[BioFarmer93]

Welcome Stumpjumper-
You have landed at THE undisputed best place to learn about these trucks. Just a quick word about the moose-misters, unless you have a turbo and are building a "hot" engine, they are way more injector than you need especially for right now. A freshly rebuilt "Baby Moose" pump from user Agnem and a set of pop matched BB code injectors from user Typ4 will bring the old girl alive. When you eventually do your turbo install, those two things will not have to be upgraded at that time because they posess the necessary reserve capacity to handle the extra air. Unless you are a purest, you might want to just loop a piece of fuel line from input to output on your mechanical lift pump (in case of emergency it will still be there and working) and run an electric pump like many here do. It really saves time and batteries when repriming for any reason is necessary. Enjoy!