PROJECT BLUE MULE

Idilarry89

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Hey guys! So its been a while since i've really done anything in the IDI section. A few years ago my old faithful 91 F250 with the 6.9 decided to give me some major fits, it went through 4 fuel pumps in like 2 weeks and was just getting tired in general when i found my current daily which is an 06 F250 with the 6.0 which i love. but that meant ol' blue got pushed to the side.

I ended up swapping injectors and pump with the ones out of my old plow truck and that cured my fuel pump problems. I had an injector stuck open pushing compression into the fuel system killing fuel pumps. that was the start of the repairs with it but it has sat for the last 2 years. last year I put the snowplow on it, fixed one oil leak, swapped in my 60 front and took compression of the worn out 6.9. I cant remember the exact numbers but I do know one was significantly lower than the others. that was last October.

FAST FORWARD! It sat all year till September, I had a coolant leak that I never fixed last year, a mess in the plow wiring, bad battery cables, no block heater and various other issues, and no time to fix it. I was on debate to sell the old girl but our winter forcast is looking snowy so i figured id better keep it, and the IDI bug hit me. I bought her a new bed, i ordered cab corners, fancy strobe lights, new plow lights, bought another NA IDI with a 5 speed I think its a 93, not sure bought it sight unseen haven't gone to pick it up yet, and possibly another IDI for parts, and have slowly started work on it.

This picture is from when i first bought it in 2014 or 15. My avatar is it in 2016 or 17 just before i bought my 6.0, i think that trip was the trip that killed that injector. it was a 1200 mile round trip to get my sister in Albert Lea Mn, when she broke down moving back to SD from Wisconsin If i remember right it was close to 24k pound total weight.

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Idilarry89

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Here she is as she sits today, with the new to me bed on it, I really like that bed, it fits very well. Putting that on there is really what gave me my IDI bug back!

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Idilarry89

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So i got a bit done last night, not much for pictures though. I got the front bumper and grille guard mounted, all 3 battery cables replaced, the coolant leak fixed (loose hose clamp) filled with coolant and i made a list of things to do! this will be a fairly slow project as i still have customer vehicles/equipment that keep coming in so bear with me as i whittle on my list.

FUEL PUMP-its first, I want my mechanical pump hooked back up. i know some of you don't like them but I've had excellent luck with this, and my other current and previous IDIs

BATTERY TRAYS- they are falling apart in a bad way. missing hardware and pieces

MOUNT AND WIRE THE BED- the bed is just sitting there. I have the pieces cut, I just need to back it up to the twopost and lift it off to drill the holes and bolt it down. then wire in the tail and marker lights and the strobes

REBUILD LEAF SPRINGS- The front doesn't really sag much with the plow, but those big tires rub on my running boards when turning with the plow, it will add some lift and stiffen things up. the rear will get the same treatment.

EXHAUST- I had an MBRP 4" glass pack on it, i robbed that off for my 6.0 so the exhaust ends under the floor, gunna put a straight pipe in place of where that muffler was

then its on to the smaller items,

SPEEDTECH LIGHTS SWITCH PANEL- for my strobes and spotlights

POR15 FLOOR BOARDS- not rusted through but surface rust is showing better take care of it now

TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL- not planning on heavy hauling anymore i have a couple 6.0s for that but handy to have just in case. dont remember why i even took it out...

RESHIM FRONT CLIP- passenger fender is misaligned and loose. been that way for a while needs fixed

CAB CORNERS- they are starting to rust bad, ill smear some POR15 on it for now to slow it, but they will get replaced soon.

VISOR- remount my Lund moon visor

I know ill find more to do but this will get me started

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Idilarry89

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Thanks man! I appreciate it. I feel guilty cause I’ve let her rust buildup. Good news is I just got a set of fenders given to me! They are white so paint will come sooner than later. But atleast they aren’t rusted around the arch trim like these...

Debating on painting the whole truck white. I have 2 gallons on hand, but I do like the blue.
 

chillman88

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White shows rust much earlier than lots of other colors fyi. Never been a fan of white cars because I keep them forever hahaha.
 

Idilarry89

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White shows rust much earlier than lots of other colors fyi. Never been a fan of white cars because I keep them forever hahaha.
That is true! I never thought of that, I'll probably keep it blue so I can still call it the blue mule. Although, the "mule"part isn't exactly true anymore, it's more like a sick three-legged pony... And iv'e never really been a fan of white myself, but its cheap and forgiving to shoot, that's what i do like about it.
 

Idilarry89

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Hey guys! No progress on my blue truck yet but I just wanted to show off the glow plug harness I just got from Wes. It’s not for this truck, it’s for my 68 ford with a 6.9. I’m swapping from the burned out autolite 1110 6.9 plugs to the ZD9 motrcraft plugs, and I figured I’d try Wes’ harness. Very well made, will install very soon but so far I’m impressed thanks @Thewespaul !

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Farmer Rock

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Hey guys! No progress on my blue truck yet but I just wanted to show off the glow plug harness I just got from Wes. It’s not for this truck, it’s for my 68 ford with a 6.9. I’m swapping from the burned out autolite 1110 6.9 plugs to the ZD9 motrcraft plugs, and I figured I’d try Wes’ harness. Very well made, will install very soon but so far I’m impressed thanks @Thewespaul !

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That looks like a well made harness.If you don't mind me asking,how much did it cost?My f250 is in need of a harness.thanks

Rock
 

Idilarry89

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The harness was like 85 plus shipping. To get it to South Dakota, all together was like 98 bucks. well worth the money in my opinion. His website is Classicdieseldesigns.com He offers them in both turbo (pass side relay mount) and non-turbo (relay behind intake). This is the turbo model.
 

Farmer Rock

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Thank you,I will look into it:Thumbs Up:Thumbs Up
The harness was like 85 plus shipping. To get it to South Dakota, all together was like 98 bucks. well worth the money in my opinion. His website is Classicdieseldesigns.com He offers them in both turbo (pass side relay mount) and non-turbo (relay behind intake). This is the turbo model.
 

Idilarry89

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Good evening everyone! So earlier I had talked about buying a parts truck sight unseen (crazy I know) but it was from a local rancher who him and his wife have been doing business with my family’s multiple businesses for as long as I can remember. So I trust his word, and he came through. I was finally able to make it out to his place with a pocket full of cash and this is what I bought. It runs and drives like a sweetheart. It’s a 93 f250 7.3 na 4x4 5speed 4.10 173000 miles. I gave him 1500 for it which may have been a little high, but considering I need the engine AND transmission for the blue mule I’m good with it. Especially with how it runs!

Almost thinking I may put my 79 ford cab on this chassis instead of parting it out..... haha

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IDIBRONCO

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If you were able to start it up and drive it when you bought it, I don't think that you did too bad. A 3/4 ton diesel 4X4 that runs and drives up and down the road should easily be worth that much. To compare, just look at some local area ads like Craigs List to see what others are asking for theirs. If you do put the Dent Side cab on there, you'll have a few body panels or even a whole cab to sell to help recoup some (or all) of your purchase price. Just keep that in mind. And that's besides having a cool project to be proud of when it's all finished.
 

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