Hey y'all

[KnockKnock]

Hello everyone! A couple of weeks ago I picked up my '91 F250 4x4 that is in really nice condition, but in need of an engine. The PO says that the 7.3 IDI died of vapor lock at 70mph on the freeway (suspected of cavitation), and the coolant coming from the back of the block/cylinder head area leads me to believe nothing less. Otherwise, she's an XLT Lariat w/ real nice buckets (grey interior), and only missing a center console and stereo to be real close to 100% interior-wise. The body was repainted at some point, and I found a 2" cancerous hole along the SuperCab rocker, and needs a good re-spray w/ clear on a bit of the pass.-side bed, but again, still in very nice condition. But reading is boring, and typing is even moreso, so here's a pic:

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I have hopes in the recent future for finding a later-model 6.9 short block to drop in, but as with most all of us, $ is always a determining factor. Further future hopes include steel wheels & Econoline dog-dishes instead of the foot-wide 33's on there now, and a solid front axle from an F350 would be nice too ...if only I hadn't forgotten where I planted that money-tree.

I've got some experience around gassers, but I haven't messed too much with diesels; makes me glad to have found this forum with such a wealth of knowledge so readily available, and I thank the OB staff and all of you that make it happen. Kk

 

[Waystro]

Where are you in Texas?
Theres a 87 6.9/C6 in Houston $700

 

[KnockKnock]

I'm only a couple of hours from Houston, but I just spent all my loot on the truck. I haven't even checked at the local junkers yet, but according to the interweb, there's a post-'85 bock to be had for $200 in Ft.-Worth, and another for $300 in Nevada, Tx. I'm a little further away from D/FW than H-town, but those are pretty tough prices to beat. I'm likely going to pull the engine myself, and send all the pieces to a machinist/engine-builder in an attempt to stretch the budget, so expect a bunch of noob questions over the next few weeks (or months) as I will likely be spending a LOT of time info-digging here. Thanks for the heads-up though. Kk

 

[Waystro]

No problem
I'm in San Antonio but always on the Road To East Texas

 

[KnockKnock]

Yeah, I'm between East TX & Central TX fairly often, so I've got quite a bit of shopping ground (for when I do locate aforementioned money tree). I've been doing some digging around the forums a bit, and I'm toying with a couple/few ideas here. I read a post where someone mentioned that when you have the front end torn down for a month or better, you're guaranteed to lose some parts in that time, therefore a "jerk & drop" engine swap seems like a logical choice. Then I read about Promarengine reman engines from eBay, and I like that these guys sleeve the cylinders, and while they're a steal at $3,250 (shipped!), that's still a lot of dough for a guy like me

Now I'm toying with the idea of buying a junk-yard runner 6.9 & have the original 7.3 machined & sleeved at a leisurely pace. Yeah, I'm kinda sketchy on a JY engine, but they can be had for cheap, and most places offer a "guaranteed to work" warranty you can buy from the yard for ~$25, so aside from the risk of having to pull it back out a half-dozen times before I get a good one...

There's some stuff on this truck that's nice, but that I have no purpose for, like the nice big-heavy tool box in the bed (I plan on getting an aux. tank to go back there), and the drop-in bed liner, so I may try some horse-trading to try and score a motor, or at least get some cash to put towards one.

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