The NIGHTMARE TRIP! Will I be asking too much of a IDI Turbo?

[dunk]

My 460 and IDI trucks cost the same per mile to drive, towing or empty. it has varied up to a couple cents either way depending on price of 93 octane vs diesel, but the fuel costs are essentially the same. The 460 is also lifted on larger tires, but has overdrive. IDI is stock height and C6. I suspect once IDI is lifted and has overdrive cost per mile will still be comparable, maybe slightly in favor of the IDI. Not sure how many miles you drive a year but I drive about 12k miles a year and consider fuel costs to be trivial at about 4% of my total spending in the past year. That includes fuel for both my 460 and IDI trucks as well as fuel for my bike.

Not sure what is so great about the 94-97 heads. They are the funky EFI heads and are junk. For info on 385 series heads and a hierarchy chart see here: http://www.429-460.com/t122-cylinder-head-info-gathered-by-djohagin

 

[asmith]

Something to throw out there. I didn't see it mentioned, but it might have. sorry if i missed it. Swap the axles and suspension to '05 and up superduty ones. They are easy to swap and you get more payload, better ride and best of all four wheel disc brakes. combine that with a hydroboost setup and I think it will really help out in the stopping department. Bikemaker had a pretty good write up on here about it not too long ago.

 

[franklin2]

We have a moble machine shop on a tandem gooseneck trailer where I work. They used to pull it with a 454 dually pickup but kept having problems, the truck just could not handle it in the mountains. They swapped to one of these and haven't had anymore problems. It's not as big as it looks in the picture. I am not sure if they have 4x4 versions.

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[fordgirl4by4]

I pulled a 12,000lb 1970 motorhome powered by a low miles 390 up to this property about 8 years ago, it was a F350 camper special 4.46 gears c6, it overheated so many times it blew a head gasket, cause I had no place to keep pulling over. along with the A/C heater core nightmare!
Had new super cooling huge radiator(larger than idi's) direct drive 7 blade fan, new everything, oem miles were 21,000. detonation and overheating till dead! tdc backed down to 4 degrees due to knocking.
We wont even talk about the down hill issues.
Sorry just not doing gas.

 

[fordgirl4by4]

Ok So its been brought to my attention that I can buy new disc brake setups cheap! less than $200 for a rear dana 70! My garbage/hay truck that never gets used has a dana 70-18u with 4.10 and locker. They use common Gm rotors and calipers. My dana 70 is nice, low miles and I changed fluid and changed seal 200 miles ago. (7 years) seals are $5.00 each unlike Sterlings, I dont mind pulling axles but wouldnt have to with discs if I swap this into my cc f350
ANY INPUT? truck is a 85 f250 reg cab 4x4 camper special with explorer package, 6.9, c6

Should I use this rear with discs?

 

[franklin2]

The main problem with the rear disc kits is you lose your parking brake. The kits with a parking brake use factory calipers from I think a cadillac, and those calipers are not the greatest and sort of small. There are all sorts of ways people have tried getting a good parking brake, but it's still a problem.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

They swapped to one of these and haven't had anymore problems. It's not as big as it looks in the picture. I am not sure if they have 4x4 versions.

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Yes they can be had in 4x4, but you'll pay dearly for one, even used. Never really cared for newer trucks tho, especially newer Freightshakers, but I gotta give it to them in the visibility department - it's easier to see out this thing's windshield than it is out one of our IDIs. That, and they can be had with air seats from the factory, whereas installing the same seats in an older F-series with its pickup-truck-based cab can get challenging (and I'm being nice here, curse you Ford for not following GM's example with the Kodiak/Topkick high roof option).

 

[PwrSmoke]

The main problem with the rear disc kits is you lose your parking brake. The kits with a parking brake use factory calipers from I think a cadillac, and those calipers are not the greatest and sort of small. There are all sorts of ways people have tried getting a good parking brake, but it's still a problem.

I second this.

What you gain with a rear disc upgrade on the old axle does not equate to what you lose. A strong parking brake is vital when you tow. Anyone who had had a park pawl jammed due to weight knows, plus a manual trans left in gear will not hold a heavy load on a hill. IMO, your money is better spent on a front brake upgrade (I do not know the current product on the market so google away).

If you absolutely gotta have rear discs, better to swap in a later model FF model axle with discs, though because they have the metric wheel bolt pattern, that means you have to do some work up front as well to match. I think all the trucks with rear discs have the metric pattern (8x170mm, I think in '99, versus 8x6.5 in.) but you might verify that. Maybe there are some standard bolt pattern disc brake rear axles.

 

[laserjock]

Supposedly there is a van axle out there that had the standard pattern and disc brakes. A question I've had is about the hubs. Will the older hubs and axles fit in the newer sterling housings?

 

[Greg5OH]

^perhaps, I knwo both are 35 spline, axle inside housing is same length. but I know the hubs themselves 9the snout) is much shorter on super duty vs old truck.
IMO, swapping 99-04 front and rear axles would be the quickest and easier way. Literaly a bolt on affair. You get big discs all around, good drum parking brake, and front is still leaf sprung so just pop it in, and has cross over steering. the linakge is BEEFY, id say 2x as big as OBS stuff. but the tie rod is lower than OBS, (below the axle tube)

 

[LCAM-01XA]

99-04 have weak unit bearings tho, remember BikeMaker did the research and that was another reason he went with the '05-up axles.

Honestly if new axles are to be swapped in I wouldn't mess with anything short of F450 stuff, you get a Super 60 up front and a 131 out back, them things are massive yet not too massive to be useful under a pickup truck.

But I still think more truck is the better solution, unless one is trying to fly under the DOT radar, which the OP obviously isn't. I'd say build the IDI how he wants it for "light" to medium work, and get an older MDT for the heavy stuff.

 

[dunk]

I would be worried about hassle from the government towing heavy with 10 lug axles. I also would not touch anything with unit bearings or ball joints. Maybe you can find one of those rears from a van with the normal pattern or have metric hubs redrilled. I would definitely want a parking brake. I've had enough weak parking brakes from leaky Sterling axle seals before figuring out the newer style seal, non functional from seized cables, etc... Every vehicle I've ever owned I've had to fix the parking brake as it was non functional or inadequate when I got it. If you retrofitted discs with no parking brake maybe a brake on the rear of the transfer case might work. Don't think a pinion brake is practical on a Sterling as there's nothing to mount it to. Just a thought.

 

[snicklas]

The 99-04 Bearings are not as bad as they have been made out to be. My 03 has the FACTORY unit hubs in them at ~150,000 miles, with no unusual noises or apparent problems. Now the one thing is, I have ALWAYS run factory sized tires. The larger the tire, the harder it is on the unit bearing. But in a stock-ish sized tire, and not hammering it all the time, they last a long time.........

Also, the 99-04 were leaves on all 4 corners, the 05+ when to coil front, leaf rear (Except the Excursion, all Ex's 2000-05 were 4 leaves). This is another reason some choose the 05+ axles, especially if they are doing a 2x4 to 4x4 conversion, and they can retain much of the 2x4 coil setup rather than having to drill all the holes to mount the leaf brackets.......

 

[fordgirl4by4]

OK I forgot about the e brake issue! So yes the Superduty 99+ axles are the way to go but are to costly and hard to find here, guess I will make do with drums, drilled/ slotted front rotors (maybe) I DONT like unit bearing either, ive changed TONS of them some with 60,000, they go without warning.
I'm not a big aftermarket parts person, too many failed parts, I'll go with regular Ford f series stuff and make do.

Just for peoples info: The 94+ 460 heads are larger valve size with GREAT high turbulence tumble ports, still efi though so limited to OEM intakes, valve covers, but came carbed in boats and 370/429/460 medium duty trucks. These heads GENERALLY!!! make more torque than the early C9ve/D0ve heads, closer to PI heads 400-430ft in smog efi
I'm still not interested though!

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

guess I will make do with drums, drilled/ slotted front rotors (maybe)

i put these on chip truck;

http://brakeperformance.com/brake-r...&-slotted-brake-rotors-black-zinc-coating.php