Trailered home a 1989 F350 dump truck that looks great on the outside, but the 7.3 IDI is something else

[crazydane]

Got it out. Unbolted the turbo manifold extension and was able to tuck it out of the way a little (was still not able to remove it all the way). And that gave me the clearance to remove the other exhaust pipe.

Engine all the way out:

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I did end up cutting the center out of the core support. Its pretty shot anyway at the bottom, even worse than my original.

With the engine out, the turbo flange / manifold extension finally dropped out. Here are both of those exhaust pieces:

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What also helped getting that long pipe out, was removing the pyro probe from the bong fitting.

Off to HF to pick up another engine stand.

 

[crazydane]

Decided on the middle of the road HF engine stand:

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I love the fact that it had a big beefy bearing in the housing for the shaft. My 1,250 lbs. stand has nothing and its a huge pain to spin an engine on that thing, especially an IDI. I'll have to transfer the engine to something else before I can roll in the stand and get it bolted up.

Need to remove the clutch and flywheel as well. So is this a dual mass unit:

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The bumper was definitely not made for a Ford, at least not this generation:

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Looks like it hit something in the center. Will see about getting that straightened back out.

Closeup up of the bracket on one side where I cut it off the frame:

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Shop is a real mess right now:

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Tomorrow I hope to get the transmission out and the front axle removed, although I might wait and do the front axle once I roll it back outside and find a semi-permanent spot for it. Won't be easy to move with no front wheels.

Figured I'll hold on to it until the dump truck is back on the road so that I have something to compare to as I put the '89 back together. Likely also need to steal several non-drivetrain pieces from it, like the blower housing, etc.

 

[ironworker40]

I was wondering were you have been. Busy I see. That core support at the top should have been removable from the factory. You may want to re think about using that bumper, unless you really like the way it looks. There are a lot better looking options in my opinion.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

That core support at the top should have been removable from the factory.

No they're not. I know that the '99-'03 models have that removable, but not before then. There's probably other, later models that also have it removable, but I haven't personally seen that.

 

[crazydane]

Yeah, I'll discuss with my welder buddy if that bumper is worth fixing. Its very rough the more I look at it.

Got the transmission out. I missed this when I was crawling up under during the pre-purchase inspection:

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Once I get it cleaned up, I'll see what can be done to do a better job that what I see above...

Made a spot for the donor truck and dropped some thick plastic I had on hand:

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Pulled donor out of shop:

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Looks like it has a serious lift without the engine/tranny in it.

Eased it into position with the utility tractor:

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Resting in its new spot for what will likely be a year plus:

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Next up will be getting the engine on the new stand, drop the pan, and see what condition the crank is in. Might also pop the heads to check the condition of the rest of the engine.

 

[crazydane]

Shop floor was filthy after having the donor truck in it:

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Got out the mop and some Zep concentrate:

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After 25 years that "U-Coat It" is showing its age, but still doing ok. Redoing it is on the list, but not anytime soon, lol.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

sorry for the derail, but is your solar grid tie or offgrid?

 

[crazydane]

No worries, love talking about my solar setup! I got a 60 kW grid tied system with Net Metering. Power Company upgraded my transformer from 25 KVA to 50 KVA. I produce way more than I consume. That wasn't always the case. I used to mine crypto, which consumed a LOT of power. Currently have a kWh bank balance on my account of 55,621 kWh. On a cool sunny day, I produce about 400 kWh.

I also have a 20 kWh offgrid system about a quarter mile from the house that is powering a music stage I'm building along with a studio apartment.

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[ironworker40]

No they're not. I know that the '99-'03 models have that removable, but not before then. There's probably other, later models that also have it removable, but I haven't personally seen that.

I know that they are not. They should have been from the factory.

 

[crazydane]

Got the clutch and flywheel off. 2 of the flywheel bolts came out with no effort. Turns out the likely had been snapped going in...

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Oil pan bolts were only finger tight, some not even all the way in. So I was expecting the worst pulling the pan, but I was pleasantly surprised that what I found:

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Other side:

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Close up of one cylinder from below:

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Another one:

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Everything looks to be in amazing shape. I almost believe the guy now when he said this motor had less than 5k on it since the factory rebuild.

 

[ironworker40]

For having 5 gallons of water in it it does look good

 

[crazydane]

Yeah I was really surprised. I know the truck sat for a couple of years, but perhaps he didn't tear into it until last year?

I sprayed a liberal amount of WD40 all over the bottom end, wiped out the small amount of sludge on the bottom of the pan, which is surprisingly rust free as well, and then buttoned the bottom end back up.

Rotated the engine, reinstalled the injectors, glow plugs, IP and gathered up all the turbo pieces and installed those as well. It looks like he did save all the bits and pieces.

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I then rolled it over into a corner, tucked away, until I decide what to do with it. Maybe down the road I'll pop the heads to see what condition they are in.

Took a closer look at the clutch:

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That looks relatively good as well, perhaps consistent with around 5k miles? But then again, maybe not:

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When I put the cab & chassis back together, it probably makes sense just to get a new clutch.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I know that they are not. They should have been from the factory.

There's really no need. The engine will raise up over it easily. Unless you try to drive your cherry picker over huge cracks in the concrete.

 

[crazydane]

Been crazy busy with work and other projects around the property now that spring is here.

My Sky's reverse shackle reversal kit and Super Duty springs finally came in today.

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Also picked up a dropped pitman arm. I went with the 43-818HD springs, which are rated for 3,250 lbs., so 6,500 lbs. between the pair, exceeding the capacity of the Dana 60, so I don't expect the front to be sagging, even with a full load of gravel in the dump bed.

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The Sky's kit is really nice. Great quality and nice welds. Hope to be able to get the 2WD suspension removed soon and then paint the frame and start putting things back together again.

With those front springs, I suspect I'll be sitting high and will need to taller springs in the rear as well, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Here's what she looks like right now:

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[KansasIDI]

@crazydane

How’s this project coming along?