Girlfriend looking for an idi. What to do

[HammerDown]

If I were to buy an IDI, I would probably split my cash something like 50/50 - 75/25. You either pay half the money you would put towards the truck, and keep the other half, or put 75% of your money down and keep the other 25%. Face it, these are old trucks and they ALL will require work no matter what condition they are in. I would be willing to be every single one of our trucks could use some help in one place or another.

I would not buy a truck and have no money left over.

I would also like to comment on the B.S thats been flying the week or so. WTH guys? Seriously.

That's what I was getting at...anyway you look at it 'unless' it's a frame-off resto and you're buying something that's had "prior owners" be prepared to wrench and wrench and spend money.
Fighting "old" takes work and dollars and for what??? To want a diesel > and be rewarded by paying what will soon be $5.00+ a gallon fuel prices!
EDIT > unless you need that diesel and intend to 'work it'...get a gasser that burns the much cheaper regular grade gas.

 

[FordGuy100]

That's what I was getting at...anyway you look at it 'unless' it's a frame-off resto and you're buying something that's had "prior owners" be prepared to wrench and wrench and spend money.
Fighting "old" takes work and dollars and for what??? To want a diesel > and be rewarded by paying what will soon be $5.00+ a gallon fuel prices!
EDIT > unless you need that diesel and intend to 'work it'...get a gasser that burns the much cheaper regular grade gas.

Yes, they will all require work. I dont know about everyone else but if I tried to I have a source of WVO from work. I'm sure if we all tried, a good 50% of us could find a source of alternative fuel to burn.

Also, that same gasser will need the same amount of work more than likely.

 

[opusd2]

But a diesel is also easier to feed since it can burn a number of items. Run out of gas in the middle of nowhere next to a bunch of ATF and you are on your way to the next station. And a diesel CAN and if properly run WILL get better economy. And it will also outpull a gasser if run and set up correctly.

I don't care what the fuel prices are, I have my stinky OTR tractor in 1 ton form to drive.

 

[HammerDown]

But a diesel is also easier to feed since it can burn a number of items. Run out of gas in the middle of nowhere next to a bunch of ATF and you are on your way to the next station. And a diesel CAN and if properly run WILL get better economy. And it will also outpull a gasser if run and set up correctly.

I don't care what the fuel prices are, I have my stinky OTR tractor in 1 ton form to drive.

...can't remember EVER running out of 'gas' and I've been driving longer then I'd like to think about.
And if someone did run out of 'fuel' (in the middle of no where)what are the chance a few gallons of ATF will be at their bumper to burn
No arguing the same F250 diesel will out pull the same gas 460...BUT...with the rocketing price of 'fuel' will it do so more economically? Uh, doubt it.

PS > with new injectors and my Baby Moose timed by the King(Mel) I'm getting 10 mpg local driving.
Diesel is $4.25 a gallon vs $3.50 for regular grade gas, no convincing me a small block gasser wouldn't be the better option. Heavy towing not being in the equation.

 

[FordGuy100]

...can't remember EVER running out of 'gas' and I've been driving longer then I'd like to think about.
And if someone did run out of 'fuel' (in the middle of no where)what are the chance a few gallons of ATF will be at their bumper to burn
No arguing the same F250 diesel will out pull the same gas 460...BUT...with the rocketing price of 'fuel' will it do so more economically? Uh, doubt it.

PS > with new injectors and my Baby Moose timed by the King(Mel) I'm getting 10 mpg local driving.
Diesel is $4.25 a gallon vs $3.50 for regular grade gas, no convincing me a small block gasser wouldn't be the better option. Heavy towing not being in the equation.

Why spend the extra money on a truck then. Go buy yourself a commuter car, and leave your truck for when you want to haul your boat.

TDI's get great fuel economy, and prices havent started coming up on them yet. I'm planning on getting one in the next couple of months.

 

[yARIC008]

PS > with new injectors and my Baby Moose timed by the King(Mel) I'm getting 10 mpg local driving.

Whys that??? Seems a bit extraordinary low.

As for what to buy... I found myself a mint condition 1992 Mercedes 300D (diesel) for $500. Guy thought the head was cracked, turned out just a blown head gasket. $100 and she was good as new. Gets 37 MPG on the highway now too Little secret is... this is actually a common problem on 1992 Mercedes diesels...

I agree though, unless she is hell bent on a Ford Diesel truck, you should get her at the least a used diesel car. Cheaper light duty parts, better fuel economy, cheaper insurance, and probably cheaper to buy. My insurance on the van is I think almost double what it is on my car.

 

[HammerDown]

Whys that??? Seems a bit extraordinary low.

As for what to buy... I found myself a mint condition 1992 Mercedes 300D (diesel) for $500. Guy thought the head was cracked, turned out just a blown head gasket. $100 and she was good as new. Gets 37 MPG on the highway now too Little secret is... this is actually a common problem on 1992 Mercedes diesels...

I agree though, unless she is hell bent on a Ford Diesel truck, you should get her at the least a used diesel car. Cheaper light duty parts, better fuel economy, cheaper insurance, and probably cheaper to buy. My insurance on the van is I think almost double what it is on my car.

Don't know...not pointing the finger at anyone. But yea, I sure did hope local mpg would have went up when properly timed. I can feel more power but I always drive the thing like I'm in a funeral precession. I remember one time getting 20 on the hwy and at least 13 local > and I do have a lot of stop-n-go in my area.
Can't get another vehicle too many toys to pay insurance on as it is...the truck sits a lot and I use the Vette when I can. At least the "GAS" is cheaper!

 

[Diesel JD]

10mpg means something is not right with that F250. I have always thought my truck got low MPGs compared to others here, but the only times I ever saw anything close to as bad as 10 were when I had the timing off by two gear teeth and idled for a half hour at the boat ramp and the other time was when 7/8 of my injectors were bad. Personally, I would enjoy having something that was still old diesel but got better fuel economy than the F250 as a DD, but I like having the truck, I just flat out enjoy driving it. I keep looking at the abandoned Trooper that belongs to my brother sitting in the driveway and thinking that thing would be great with a diesel and a manual tranny. I'd say that an IDI can and should deliver low to mid teens in normal commuter in town driving and 15-16 and up on the highway, anything less than that and something isn't right.

 

[IHDiesel445]

10 mpg is an indication there is something wrong, unless you're driving an F-350 utility body loaded down with tools/air compressor/welders and enough parts to rebuild three bulldozers AND a 7 ton trailer with a bulldozer ON it...

Worst I EVER got was 12 mpg pulling an 8 ton trailer thru the mountains in VA. Average 16-18 mpg in the city. The best ever was 23 mpg on a road trip to Florida. Do THAT with ANY gas powered 3/4 ton 4x4? I think not. Even with the higher price of fuel, worst case it costs the same per mile...

 

[BlueOvalBud]

For someone one a budget, an IDI doesn't fit the bill ANY better.
My Dad and I are Weekend Wrenchers with a small budget. Not much for upgrades that's for sure.

My 85 IDI is burning a quart a week, so I just keep topping it off when I remember. I forget to check a lot as there's a lot on my mind, there has been 4 or 5 times that I've pulled the dipstick and the oil wasn't even readong on it. So I drive over to the parts store and buy a gallon and fill 'er up It's been 16k miles since the last oil change...which was last July. I drive it like I stole it everyday. 1st and 2nd gear are WFO usually and much time is spent laying on the governor between shifts. Guess what I've spent on that truck since the original $900 purchase price?
A windshield, fresh IP and Injectors as soon as I got it home, a set of wiper blades, a couple oil changes, a couple fuel filters, and in my DRW to SRW swap I did the brakes and wheel bearings.
So it's safe to say I have around $2,000 in the truck. No more than that, probably a little less.
I don't know many other people who are as ******* a truck like I am.
Just the other day, it was rainy and wet out. There was a group of Chevy guys at the gas station all snickering at my truck. So I showed 'em a little bit of IDI power. Pull out of the gas station, stuff it in 1st and hold it to the governor, shift, stuff 2nd to the governor, shift, stuff 3rd right on the governor and let that speedo sit right at 60 mph as the truck was going about 20 up the wet hill.
Oh yeah, that's with 16k miles since the last oil change.
And...12 mpg is my average with the WFO treatment everyday.
You can check my records, my truck is used for business, so I have receipts for the last 2 years. But just this week I was introduced to this feautre on FTE where you can log your fill-ups and track mileage. It's pretty neat. 5 MPG is my all time low where the truck idled for 18 hours straight and kept my windshield clear in an ice storm while I shoveled because the ice broke my 2 snowblowers. 23 is my record high, but that was last year's records, so it's not recorded on that mileage thing on FTE. The 35 and 24 are screw ups, I have to edit those still. January with all the 10 mpg days, that's because we had 1 or 2 snow storms each week...and the truck just idled for 6-8 hours straight as I cleared driveways. Yep, idling for 8 hours straight ith 15k miles on the oil change. Might be stupid, or it might just be IDI tough.
Here's a link: http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/garage.php?do=showfillups&vehicleid=6245
I'm sorry if my FTE link is a bad idea since I'm now on Oil Burners. But I started there first, no offense intended.

I'm not an antagonizer, I'm just giving a testimonial. Seems like there are a lot of IDI owners who think these trucks need to be babied. I thought I'd hop in here to defend the IDI...
Yes, there are days when I hate my truck and want to set it on fire....yep, can't lie about that!!
Like when some idiot (me! ) didn't put the injector line clamps back on after doing the return lines...I busted an injector line and had to drive 4 days back and forth to school (20 miles each way) running on 7 cylinders. The engine was bucking so hard I feared a motor mount was gonna shear right off....

But, show me ANY truck that is within a tight budget that will be as reliable as an IDI.
Gas truck? Naw, with a tight budget, that means you're looking at 2003 and older trucks...which are alread rusting out...which is why the price is lower. And good luck repairing one of those with all the electrical/vacuum stuff. I swear, they must measire the wire and vacuum hose in MILES when I pop the hood on these newer cars/trucks.
I've looked at many 90's F150 gassers for a second truck, and each time am scared out of getting once because I just don't trust wires. I trust that IP on my 6.9, knowing that every time I turn they key...that friggin 6.9 will fire right up. No matter if the oil is so black and thick that it won't even wash off my hands....

If she's looking for an IDI, I'd say go with a regular cab long bed truck. 6.9 would be ideal, but a 7.3 in good shape would be fine also. I'd run a manual and stay away form auto's (only because I'm biased against auto's, no technical reasons).
2wd or 4x4, that's your/her preference.
As for a 70's pickup...if you find one in good shape and for cheap with maybe a high mileage/blown engine...I'd think an IDI swap would be very cost-effective.
Motor mounts would need to be fabricated, fuel lines run along the frame, and the fuel tank sending unit modified, and installing the appropriate diesel transmission (ZF5 might get tight in there without a body lift).
If you go with a 70's truck, then you're talking about sweeeeeet style with a sweeeeet heart and soul.
My heart is stuck with the 61-66 body style myself...

 

[86ford69]

I'm just like you brother. Most of the time I take it easy. But when need be I give her hell and she loves it. Only thing with that is she is so loud. Five inch pipe from the middle of the cab up to a five inch stack! I burn oil like crazy but I keep her topped off and have had a few days when I forgot and there was nothing on the stick. But when my oil pressure gauge gets below 16 at idle its time for more oil. Of course there are days when I want to grab a road flair and stick it under the dash and walk away but there are those days when I just love this truck and wouldn't trade it for anything.
I would show her a couple trucks and she which one she wants. Of she really wants a IDI then rock on.

 

[BlueOvalBud]

As much as I love my IDI, my 65 F350 with 352 FE will run circles around my 85.
The 85 is bone stock. 6.9/4 speed/3.55 gears
The 65's only upgrade is a K&N filter, a HUGE upgrade over the original oil-bath air cleaner... 352 FE with 2 Bareel carb/wide ratio NP435/4.10 gears
So when compared to a bone stock 460, a bone stock IDI will fail in the out-pulling competition...
But I DO believe the IDI will pull for years longer than any gas engine will.
Heck, my 352 would roast all 4 rear tires in 2nd gear on dry pavement and 3rd too if you shifted "just right". It would hold 4th gear held to the floor in the rain with the speedo pegged with all 4 rears loose as a goose.
My IDI couldn't do half that when it was dually. Now that's in SRW, it can burn 'em loose in 1st and 2nd easy on pavement. But it'll only do 3rd if you have the fast-pedal glued to the floorboard and either on sand/dirt or in the rain.

As for hi-jacking or getting off topic. I don't usually think it's a bad thing, as usually stuff like this won't get mentioned.

As for the car vs. pickup. I know a lot of peple just don't like cars, they prefer a pickup because they are able to sit higher up and they feel safer. That's how my Mom is. She enjoys driving my Dad's bone stock 03 F350 crew long bed 2wd 7.3/Auto because she's comfortable being way up high (high compared to a 4x4).

 

[kas83]

I don't see the price arguement of fuel being valid here. He's taking my old WMO holding barrel, pump and filter setup, and will definately have access to enough to fuel both trucks during warmer months. With a gasser, they would be paying for fuel year round.

Mileage wise, with the cost differential being about $0.35 between gas and diesel, it would be a wash as to the cost per mile. I don't know about other areas of the country, but gas AND diesel are getting more expensive, at about the same rate around here.

 

[david85]

Diesel fuel will have to get a good 20% higher than gasoline before I even think about parking my F250 and hunkering down. But if it gets bad enough, I still have the LPG powered F150 although that poor ****** is a gutless bloody wonder compared to the diesel. Quiet, smooth and rides like a cadillac, but man is it slow!

Although even still, the F250 has become the primary tow pig for the business and I rarely drive it unless its in the process of making money. I would have a hard time justifying the truck if I didn't use it to make a living but if I could afford it, I would still own one. I don't want to live in a world without the rattle of an IDI.

With all the talk about engine swaps, why not drop an IDI in a 2wd F150? That will be a fun but useable truck that should get great fuel economy to boot.