questions 1992 f-350 to 2001 f350??

[410slayer]

hello long time lurker very seldom poster.i am a sprint car driver i tow all over the midwest 28 ft. enclosed trailer 10 ft sidewalls.towing with the 1992 f-350 quad cab dually non turbo.i have done all the DIY upgrades.3 inch dual exhaust,huge air intake and air cleaner.enough of blah blah blah.the truck tows well at 65-70 mph.45 thru the hills.i have the opportunity to buy a 2001 f-350 powerstroke lariat quad cab dually 180k for 10k.i know the 2001 owner he is retired and all service work done at the ford dealer.immaculate truck i know it is a big upgrade in truck.i will be able to tow upwards of 80 all the time.what should i look at on the 01 before purchase?and how much shall i ask for the 1992?it is in fair condition 180k 2 tone paint classy chassis conversion.i was thinking of listing the 92 for 4k and accepting 3k or 3500?iam open for all advice and ridicule for dropping the idi.with the idi.towing into a head wind sometimes i hold the pedal to the floor for 1-2 hours straight.iam sick of leg cramps.thanks for all the tech.advice thru the years.my ears are open to all.thanks.

 

[icanfixall]

I would try to keep the idi and use it as a backup when the psd dies on you... But you seem to know what your doing and you will be driving it... I drove an 05 F350 dually 6.0 ltr 1800 miles to Canada and back hauling 6 horses. It ran fine but got terrible 8 mpg fuel mileage. Last year I hauled 8 horses to Tulsa in a Duramax 4500 truck. It got around 5 to 6 mpg and rode hard. The air seats saved my back.... So I do get around but I still drive an idi.... I have 8 forward gears too..... The gear vendors really helps....

 

[410slayer]

thanks yes the idi is in the 8 mpg range while towing hard.14 with no trailer.i love the old girl but need the $$ to purchase the new one.thanks again.

 

[ameristar1]

With the PSD, as long as it has a verifiable history, wouldn't worry too much about it. You can't go wrong with a 7.3PSD. The thing with the PSDs is making sure the wear items in the HEUI system are dealt with like cam position sensors, valvecover harnesses, glowplugs, relays, etc. Make sure the high pressure oil pump is in spec. And, as you know, things can get very expensive when it comes time to replace parts. An FS2500 or Amsoil bypass filtration system should be mandatory on these things.
The other side of it is keeping the IDI and making it work. If the truck is nice, and aside of it being slow, is a good runner, a turbo, intercooler, hot injection pump (like Agnem's Moose Pump), a set of injectors and a good tuning can really wake the vehicle up. I'd stud the top end and do the head gaskets for good measure. You'd be surprised at what a little forced induction can do for you.
If you still want to sell it, and it's a clean unit, what you're asking for is not unreasonable. The economy is starting to come back and anything that can be used as a work vehicle is going to be in high demand.
You towing at 80 mph says to me that you want something that will be comfortable at speed and that trailer is pretty big from what I can tell, so I am going to give you what you didn't ask for, and that is another option.
Take a medium duty Ford like a F650-800 or a IH 4300-4900 crewcab and make a pickup out of it. I know you may ask why. Bigger brakes, better suspension, a low profile option and a tilt front end. Plus you'll have more engine than you'll know what to do with. The Brazilian 6.6 or 7.8 inline 6 or the DT series engines are easy to work on, and can be uprated without going through the gymnastics of electronics. These engines have inline injection pumps, which are a plate mod and governor spring kit away from perfection. Add a high flow turbo and stacks and watch out. The rearend can be geared easily for speed, and you have enough room to put a real transmission in. How about a 10 speed with overdrive, 3.08 gears, 150 or more gallons of fuel, and an easy 500 or more hp with 1200 lbs/ft of torque? And the mileage will be roughly the same as the dually pickup.

 

[410slayer]

thanks most of the other teams use the toter homes or have converted semis or large cube vans to motorhomes.a few friends tow with the power stroke and they carry a extra cam position sensor.and crank sensor also.and yes it is a verifiable history on the psd.it is just a quick and easy upgrade for me.i have tried to get the wife to agree with the toterhome under the guise that we can use as camping for the family but no agreement.that is the plan in the future to purchase a semi remove one of the rear axles. install all the required dot mandates and get licensed as a motorhome.my buddy works for bosch in the diesel injection reman lab.so that is the diesel expert i lean on and right here at oilburners.net thanks for the reply.

 

[Agnem]

I would try to keep the idi and use it as a backup when the psd dies on you... ...

X2 My IDI's (all of them) have been hands down more reliable than my 02' PSD Excursion... and I haven't had any really challenging problems with it yet.

It is however, the only truck that tucked it's tail and limped back home in my fleet. If an IDI has a problem, you fix it and keep going. Also, if your going from a handshaker to an automatic, be prepared to be disappointed. The 4R100 is absolutely dreadfull when towing until you get over 35 MPH and the torque converter locks up. I love my Excursion when the TQ is locked. It will beat the pants off my IDI's but... The rest of the time, I absolutely hate it. I've been thinking of renaming the truck from Moose Wagon to Moose Jekel and Moose Hyde. Any of my IDI's could beat it in a towing challenge as long as you made 30 MPH the top speed.

 

[410slayer]

thanks iam a firm believer in keep it simple the 92 has never failed me ever.the electrical electronic scares me.i like old equip.i am a boiler operator in a 40 year old coal plant.any mechanical thing needs daily attention once you know the vehicle the rest is easy.thanks again.the shiny lariat with a.c. and leather makes me forget some of the old stanby qualities of the 92.thanks again.