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

[klook]

You have time and money. This is going to be a epic finished product. Watching with delight.

 

[crazydane]

Ha, I don't know about that, but I do hope it turns out ok.

Spent most of the day cleaning up the frame some more. I did manage the remove the exhaust by simply tilting the frame again:

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Its a long sucker:

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I removed all the fasteners from the frame:

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Most of them got buggered up removing them or were already broken. Do OEM replacements still exists for these?

Fuel sending units and strainers (I think some call these shower heads?) came in yesterday:

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Stopped by AutoZone as they stock the Dorman fuel quick connectors I listed above. They are a perfect fit and super easy to disconnect again without any tools.

Talked to a buddy of mine who's a great welder, he going to help out with any welding needed for this project, so that's great news as I was really nervous about attempting that myself, especially for the body work on the cab.

And I have all but decided I am doing a 4x4 conversion. So in addition to the Sky front shackle reversal kit, I need to source the following:

Super Duty springs - pick up from dealer?
Dana 60 - King Pin or Ball Joint?
ZF5 S5-42 w/ transfer case - keep looking at Facebook listing, call local junk yards?

I'll also need to get my front section of my 2 piece drive shaft shortened to accommodate the longer tail housing of a 4x4 transmission.

Would it be cheaper to source a donor 4x4 F350 with a Dana 60 and 4x4 transmission/transfer case, vs picking up those individually? Perfect scenario would be a totaled F350 crew cab long bed with a Data 60 king pin where the engine had already been sold. I think that would get me the right length drive shaft. Or a similar F350 that was totally rusted out, but with a good drivetrain still. I got plenty of time, while I work on other aspects of this project, so I can keep looking to see if anything pops up.

And as far as locking diffs are concerned, I'm strongly leaning towards the Ford e-lockers in both diffs after doing some reading. I know the Ford BC3Z-4026-B is what will fit in the Sterling 10.25, but will that also fit in the Dana 60?

I'll also be mounting a Warn M15000 that came off my 2002 Chevy Duramax that I traded in last year, on this truck. I got a new Warn motor for it and a relay pack, so it will be rebuilt as well when I get to that point of this project.

This is getting exciting!

 

[ihc1470]

Not sure I would put a locker in the front end. This is based on a Steiger tractor that I have with a locker in the front. Great in the summer but when it get's slick in the fall it becomes a real bear to turn. Wants to go straight ahead even when turned to the limit. Might want to do some asking.

 

[crazydane]

I envision only engaging the front locker when backing out of a mud hole or something like that on my land. I would not plan to use it at all when going forward and making a turn. Just like to have the option in case I get stuck, or close to getting stuck, which believe me, is easy to do where I live and with the projects I have planned.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Its a long sucker:

Some A hole did that. They are not all welded from the factory. You used to be able to buy the gaskets that go between the factory flanges separately so tat you could pull the exhaust apart by the piece and put it back together.

(I think some call these shower heads?)

Yes they are shower heads.

 

[KansasIDI]

ditch the PTO drive for the dump bed and go electric over hydraulic.

I had electric over hydraulic on both my dump trucks, the one with the Heil bed had 5/8” hoses, and a massive electric pump under the bed. I heaped it clear full of gravel a few loads one day and it dumped it without any struggle. It’s pretty easy to maintain, and quite a bit simpler than a PTO. But, a PTO has a few advantages, what with being coupled to engine speed. Even then, my Heil bed has a variable speed motor, so… maybe the point is moot. I do like the feel of a good old PTO more than electric, even with electric generally being smoother. Just something about a mechanical connection…

The locker you listed only works for the 10.25… there are lockers for the Dana 60 front, but I don’t recommend that. Probably better off without. Good for rock crawling, but, not much else. A rear locker and a Dana 60 will get you around just fine.

Too bad you aren’t closer, I’d try to sell you a Dana 60 and 4WD parts truck on the cheaper side otherwise. It’s from a 95, which has larger ball joints than the 92-94 version. 91 and earlier had kingpins, which many prefer, but ball joints typically have better road manners once you get a little wear on.

 

[crazydane]

Appreciate the insight @KansasIDI !

Temporarily bolted in the fuel selector valve and located the Holley pump:

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Do I need a check valve anywhere in the supply line?

As far as the return, did the factory setup run a soft hose back to the selector valve, or was a portion of it vinyl?

Picked up a pair of rear LED lights from HF for 40 bucks. This they will work out nicely:

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[IDIBRONCO]

Do I need a check valve anywhere in the supply line?

No. The red is fine to run as it is. It might not hurt to put a filter pre pump though.

 

[asmith]

I think with the Holley pumps you want them as close to the tank as possible. They dont suck fuel very well, they are a pusher type pump. I second @IDIBRONCO I would put at least one filter before the pump and selector valve.

 

[KansasIDI]

@crazydane

I had a Holley Red on a truck, mounted in the same spot as yours. It lasted about 3-4 months. I put another one on. Another 3-4 months. I did have a pre filter in place.

On my 91, I installed a Walbro FRB13. It works pretty well, now that I have the fuel screw in the injection pump turned up all the way, it’s marginal, but still gets me enough fuel pressure, and it’s very reliable. I do not have a prefilter on this truck.

Some people have had decent luck with the fuel selector valve you are using, but may I at least bring to your attention the existence of the Groco 6 port valve.

FV-65038 6 Port Bronze Fuel Valve| GROCO

GROCO FV-65038 NPT Bronze Fuel Valve includes 1/2 main fuel line and 3/8 return. Cast mounting feet make for simple installation.

www.groco.net

I have one on my 91, and couldn’t be happier. The stock FSV is still on the frame rail, and the original switch in the dash is still used, to switch which tank the fuel gauge is reading. The manual valve gives me control, and confidence that I am drawing and returning to the proper tank, and that it’s not between tanks. Also has an off position, if you are working on the fuel system, or for theft prevention. It might be possible to use it to help prevent drainback issues in a pinch.

Anyway, just wanted to make you aware of these two components. Obviously you’ve already purchased a standard FSV and a Holley Red, and hopefully you have no issues, best of luck.

 

[ttman4]

I put a Bronco F26E 38 gal fuel tank under rear of my '90 CCLB Dually. Before I stuck it up under there I Plugged it up, aired it up & puffed it up to 49 gals
I also have a large bed tank.
I added a 3 way manual valve for all my return fuels, 3 tanks.
I also added a single FSV on a switch so I can pull from my bed tank, usually when I'm using dash switch on front tank.
Very soon , underneath, right after my FSV I have a Caterpillar watertrap/screen filter, then my Holly Red. Been running the Holly Red for several yrs.
Under hood I did away with factory fuel filter & got filter head that runs many, many different fuel filters. That way I can find a filter no matter where I'm at.
Right now I'm running .....I think, a FS 1212 fuel filter. I think without going out there & looking.
BTW, I pulled the little screen out of bottom of the Holly Red.

 

[crazydane]

@ttman4 Glad to hear your Holly Red is still holding up! I did order a 100 micron filter to stick in front of the Holley. I went with this one:

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I've been chatting with @KansasIDI and will be making a road trip there pretty soon to pick up a 4x4 parts truck from him along with some other goodies to convert my truck to 4WD!

I'm picking up this kit from Sky's to complete the transformation:

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I'll need to raise the rear by 2" as well to remain level. I don't want to use block and it looks like Sky's also have several options for doing at as follows:

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I'm unsure what's the best path to take. Keep in mind this is a dump truck and I'll occasionally be hauling as large of a load of gravel that I can get away with (maybe 4 tons).

My current rear suspension looks as follows:

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Inside view:

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So I got my main springs and the helper springs. Any lift NOT using blocks (which I want to avoid), means the helper springs wont' do jack. So would a SD rear spring swap make the most sense? Should I consider adding air bags as well? The only ones I could find that would fit are rated for 5,000 lbs. Would that be enough when hauling a full load of gravel?

I think the DRW Sterling 10.25 is rated for 8,250 lbs. (this matches the rear GAWR on my door sticker) and the Data 60 full float is 6,500 lbs. (improvement over the front GAWR on the sticker which is 4,200 lbs.) That's a total of 14,750 lbs. A dually 1989 Cab & chassis truck should tip the scale at around 5,000 lbs. I think before adding a dump bed. Steel dump bed adds about 2,500 lbs., where an aluminum bed is about 1,500 lbs.

14,750 - 5,000 - 1,500 = 8,250 so with an aluminum bed, I would have a payload capacity of 8,250 lbs., or just a bit over 4 tons, which is what I was hoping for. So I can probably get away with going to the local quarry say once or twice a month (about a 40 mile round trip) with no ill effects? I do realize that with the dump bed fill of gravel, the rear axle will bear a lot more of the weight, like more than its rated 8,250 lbs. capacity, but I would think it could handle that occasionally without wearing out the bearings or causing other major issues.

 

[ironworker40]

Couple things on those lift kits. Most of them are designed for pickups not heavy hauling dump trucks. Chassis cab springs are sometimes narrower than pickup springs so make sure the kit is for the correct width spring. You have a lot of spring in that truck 10 plus 4 overload leafs no pickup has that many. I would put it together then consult a sring shop. You were high in the rear already looking at the first pics. De-arching the new front springs to lower if you have enough oil pan clearance would be my first choice. Second re-arching the rears would be my next option.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

Couple things on those lift kits. Most of them are designed for pickups not heavy hauling dump trucks. Chassis cab springs are sometimes narrower than pickup springs so make sure the kit is for the correct width spring. You have a lot of spring in that truck 10 plus 4 overload leafs no pickup has that many. I would put it together then consult a sring shop. You were high in the rear already looking at the first pics. De-arching the new front springs to lower if you have enough oil pan clearance would be my first choice. Second re-arching the rears would be my next option.

Yeah I agree! I was gonna say you've already got more spring than any super duty... those things are serious packs. Impressive!

 

[crazydane]

Ok cool. Once I get the front done, I'll see where I'm at. Here's an old pick from before I pulled the engine:

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Looks pretty level to me. But yeah, de-arching the front to get back to the above stance once the conversion is done sounds like a great option, assuming I have the clearance.