What started you burning oil?

[cornbinder 84]

Well my interest in IDI's comes from my uncle. He worked for International/Navistar (retired now) in the plant where the 6.9's were built in Indy. When he retired they were building the 6.0's I think. I can remember when he bought his 6.9 new and the way it sounded. I've been hooked ever since. The simplicity of the motor and the lack of electronics is another thing I like, and I can work on it with simple hand tools. My '85 in my avatar was acquired in a trade. I traded a 1990 GMC 4x4 with a blown motor and a bad transmission for it. I only had $400 in the GMC and had driven it for 5 years when the motor and trans gave up at 251,000 miles. The guy I traded with didn't like the Ford because it didn't start good. He told me he put new glow plugs in it and wired it up to a push button, but it still wouldn't start without ether. Well I looked at the truck and we decided to trade. I let him set the trade and he thought we would just trade even. So we did. I had the truck starting good in less than an hour. When he wired up the push button, instead of cutting the purple wire at the solenoid, he cut the big wires going to the glow plug harness. He spliced one lead of the push button to the big orange wire and the other to the big yellow wire and thought it would work. There was no electricity applied to the system anywhere though. He just made one big loop. So no wonder it wouldn't start. The truck still needs some work but it is cheap to work on and I can do it myself. I won't be like my buddy that had to shell out $3500 last month to put an injector pump on his Dodge because the lift pump quit and ruined the injector pump.

I think I was the "younger member" who made the post about the people on here coming from all walks of life, but I am not really that young. I'm 35 years young altough sometimes I feel like I'm 50.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[reklund]

I got into my truck purely by accident.

I had modded my 84 Toyota 4x4 to the point it wasn't comfortable for a daily driver, and it wasn't exactly street legal with 38" tires, half doors, and full time lockers chirping the tires at every turn. I decided that I needed to buy a tow-rig and a trailer to take the Toyota wheeling, and perhaps tow my Supra to shows.

My neighbor at the time had a 3/4 ton 91 Dodge gasser, and it was always a clean truck. I bought it from him and took it to the shop to look it over. I did rear brakes, some axle seals, emergency brake cables, a window motor, and some other small stuff. I went to register it and found out he had years worth of tax liens on the truck I'd never get lifted. I had to go knock on his door and demand my money back- that was a rough conversation, especially when I wanted to get paid for the parts I'd installed.

I had to make that fall's wheeling trip without a tow rig. I drove the Toyota into Colorado, wheeled it hard for 3 days, and drove it home. That trip further cemented my need for a more comfortable truck to drive long distances. I was on the hunt for a truck, and this time I was going to be picky. I wanted a 92 or 93 Cummins, 4x4, extra cab, manual trans. Nothing else would do. I looked for 3 months, and never found one that I'd be willing to own. They were either beat up, filthy, too expensive, or didn't have one of my requirements. I broadened my selection to include a 3/4 ton Ford or Chevy, hoping for an early Powerstroke over the 6.5TD in the chebbys...

My truck was sitting in the used car lot of a local GMC Dealership. I'd driven by and seen it, but knew by the '92' on the window that it was NOT a Powerstroke, and that i wasn't interested. I went on another wheeling trip, driving the Toyota, and got a call from my Dad. "Have you seen the brown F250 at Galles and Davis?" I told him yeah, but it wasn't what I wanted. He said "But it's immaculate. You really should drive it!" I told him that I was glad he was looking out for me, but it didn't have a turbo and would be too slow.

When I got home from that trip, my truck was parked in my Dads driveway. Dad said it was too nice a truck to pass up, and that he'd bought it. If I didn't want it, he'd keep it, otherwise, he'd make me a screaming deal on it. Turns out, Dad took a $4000 loss to get me into a decent truck I could afford without having a payment.

The rest, as they say, is history. I started tinkering, first creature comforts like a new stereo, seats, and keyless entry and alarm, then the first turbo went on, with the exhaust. Next the intercooler, some new wheels, a little lift, and a new turbo. It's turned into quite the money pit. I've wanted a new truck for a long time, but I'll keep the IDI when I get that new one.

Ryan

 

[The Warden]

I think I was the "younger member" who made the post about the people on here coming from all walks of life, but I am not really that young. I'm 35 years young altough sometimes I feel like I'm 50.

Yep, you were the inspiration for this and by "younger" I was referring to length of time on the forum. I actually started hanging around this crowd before my 19th birthday, but that was back in 2000 when everyone was on ford-diesel.com (which later became TDS, before the First Great Migration of 2005).

Cool stories!! keep 'em up!!

My love affair with diesels began around age 13. I had joined this youth boating program, and our primary vessel was a 65' single-screw former prison transport named Warden Johnston (can anyone guess where my handle came from? ). At first, I simply thought the boat sounded cool, but at age 15 or so, I decided to expand my horizons and asked to be transferred from deck to engineering. That's where I really came to appreciate the simplicity, raw power, and overall "coolness" of the 1940's vintage 2-valve 6-71 main engine. One of the coolest things (I thought at the time) about that boat was that it didn't have controls in the wheelhouse for the engine. Instead, there was an EOT that would signal a kid in "the pit" to put the gearbox in Forward, Neutral, or Reverse, and to set the engine RPM accordingly with how fast the captain wanted to go. We had that boat until 1998, when we replaced it with an 82' former Coast Guard cutter that had 2 Cummins 1710 V-12's and bridge controls My time's limited because of work, but I still volunteer with them when I can...

That's what really got the diesel bug growing within me. I fell in love with the '94-'02 body Dodge trucks after seeing "Twister", and after reading about the truck in general and the Cummins engine in particular, my desire for one only solidified. In fact, I still want one someday. However, the first diesel I ever drove in a land vehicle was actually a Ford. The older members probably know this story, but the newer ones probably don't.

I had previously tried to learn how to drive a clutch in my aunt's Geo Metro, to the amusement of my dad and my uncle (hey, have YOU ever seen a Geo Metro peel out? ), and my uncle decided that he'd let me try to drive his F-250 if I could eat a small selection from his plate of liver & onions . In spite of however many hours at the helm of the boat and about 10 hours logged in Piper Cherokees at the time, at age 15 (in 1996), this was only the third time I'd ever been behind the wheel of a car. When I finished that day, I didn't even know what "6.9l" meant, but I had learned how forgiving diesels are to manual-transmission novices, and I knew immediately that I wanted that truck someday.

Unfortunately, that day was to come far sooner than I would have ever imagined. On April 30th, 2001, I came home to find an urgent message to call my dad immediately. My uncle, and one of my favorite people in the world, had suffered a sudden fatal heart attack while still in the cab of his tractor-trailer at work. He was only 50. It's been over 8 years now, and I'm still getting a bit misty-eyed typing this. When my aunt decided to give the truck to me, I decided then and there that I would do everything possible to keep it alive as a tribute to my uncle...and, while I've been through just about every bit of it since, the truck's still there and she's still on the road. I think my uncle would be proud...either that or he's sitting there laughing at all the effort I've put in Ironically, this truck has always been in the family, but it's never gone to a blood-relative. My uncle's step-father purchased the truck new in October 1983, and he sold it to my uncle (who was married to my dad's sister) sometime in the early to mid '90's.

So, there's my sob-story...sorry for rambling on so much. BTW, the truck is actually my second 6.9l; I had previously owned an '84 E-350 van with a 6.9l...I bought it in 2000 and sold it in 2002 after getting the truck. I've actually never paid money for a gasoline-powered vehicle; both of my first two cars (a '74 Bug and a '65 Chevelle) were family hand-me-downs, and I haven't owned a gas-powered vehicle since.

Thanks for listening....and keep the stories coming!!

 

[Hybrid455]

I'm a hopeless gear head. Always have been. Wife used to get mad at me because I thought going on a date was her watching me and a buddy slam a motor so we could make a race. When I decided to go ahead with my project the Ford F series and the IDI was a logical choice. The old IDI's present for me a new personal challenge that reminds me of the old hot rodding days. Guys used to try stuff, find out what worked and what didn't. It required some thinking. I like the old IDI's because for me right now they are more of a challenge then hooking a reprogrammer up to a processor, pushing a button then going down to some accessories place and bolting on every cheesy Pep Boy's part known to man. Don't get me wrong I'm not talking about racing an IDI. I am talking about trying to make the IDI better than it was. Why an older truck? Nostalgia. A nice older truck is always going to stand out in the crowd because there aren't as many of them. Why a diesel? Because that makes it even more unique. I don't want my truck to be just like everyone elses. Same reason I'm running a big block Olds in my 66 Chevy C10 instead of a mouse engine. I think most of the builders here in this forum know where I'm coming from. It is for me what makes this forum an interesting and entertaining one to keep coming back too.

 

[Hybrid455]

I think I was the "younger member" who made the post about the people on here coming from all walks of life, but I am not really that young. I'm 35 years young altough sometimes I feel like I'm 50.

Thanks,

Jack

Dude, I am 2 years older then you feel sometimes.......... that would be 52 years young and when I hear the roar of the engines I'm a kid again!

 

[Devilish]

I had driven a few diesels in the past but wasn't impressed. Then a partner located a truck in Vegas for us to haul cars with. It was a 86 f350 cc 2wd centurion 6.9 . No turbo, had lots of issues, made us some money when we sold it. I liked the comfort inside and all the 'getto fabulous ' add ons but it was a dog.
In 2005 I saw a tan 87 f350 dually with a ats turbo. I bought it for $743 including guv's vig. Now this is a truck! I still have it but the poor thing got hit by a dodge and looks awful. Oh and I loaned it to a friend for a little while and some tweeker rattle canned the busted dually fenders in black so the cops wouldn't notice the damage (stupid effin tweeker, cops look for rattle can paint jobs!). Now I got 3 more Fords, a chevy, and a mercedes (+ 2 parts cars).

 

[Andylad13]

My truck was for sale by the owner of the dealership I bought my trailer off of to do my scraping business. It wasn't until after I bought it did I realize how awesome the trucks were and how easy they are to maintain. So that was good news for me.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Well in all reality my oil burning started long before I was born.
My grand father was one, if not THE, first to have a diesel pickup in the united states. He was in Popular Mechanics for it and even had the entire board of execuatives from Ford come out to his farm to see the new creation. He put a Ford (IIRC) 6 cylinder diesel engine into a 1968 Ford pickup. There was such a rage of excitement from his neighboring farmers over the creation that word got back to Popular Mechanics and Ford about the truck and they had to take a look. But Ford was not impressed, one execuative went to the extent to saying that "a diesel will never replace a large displacement gasoline engine for towing." He went on to say that "Ford will never produce a diesel pickup so long as I am still serving on this board". The guy was a real piece of work from how my mom puts it.
But as we all know Ford did start producing diesels, but they lost their chance to be the first American company to do so.
After that, my dad was influenced by my grandfather to own a diesel so he purchased a Chevy diesel the same year my grandpa bought his 83 F250. My grandpa died a year later and my dad took posession of the F250 and sold the POS chevy.
We drove that truck all throughout my childhood and expanded the fleet by two more by the time I was 13. My brother and I were oil burners at heart by that point and my dad passed along grandpas F250 to my brother when we turned 16. I had to buy both of my trucks. You know that gets me thinking, what the hell did I get? Jarrod got grandpas truck and I got shafted for my 16th birthday. lol

 

[cornbinder 84]

Dude, I am 2 years older then you feel sometimes.......... that would be 52 years young and when I hear the roar of the engines I'm a kid again!

The reason that I feel like I'm 50 sometimes is that when I was a kid there wasn't any other kids my age in the neighborhood, so I hung out in dad's autobody shop all of the time. So as long as I can remember I have been turning wrenches. When I was 12 or so I became the neighborhood fix-it person. All the neighbor farmers brought thier equipment by the shop, and I would do some welding on it or fix whatever they broke. So I was always hanging out with people alot older than myself, and never really associated with people my own age as we didn't have alot in common. Dad bought me my first diesel when I was 14. It was the tractor in my sig. He gave $200 for it. It had not been started since about 1970 and the motor was siezed. I worked all summer that summer on an asphalt crew to get the money to rebuild the motor and get the machine work done on it. It's not the greatest looking tractor in the world but I brought it back to life. I'm still the neighborhood fix-it man, and enjoy every minute of it.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[oldmisterbill]

I have posted this B4 (on a thread about cold weather starting)but will repost it for this thread.
Funny that is why I bought my 1st deisel Ford a n 84 6.9 auto 4x4. It was Jan 23 1994-we were getting storm s every few days.My 4 chevy plow trucks were getting hammered day after day plowing.I knew I needed a truck that was ready to plow-for cheap money.and quickly.1 of my drivers said his dad had a Ford deisel,I told him no way.
After a day looking around He mentioned it again.So we drove to Pelham NH.His dad was an old school yankee I asked him about the truck hesaid he had on with a good plow for $2000 (he was retired and health was failing-nice guy though) I asked him where it was -then I knew I wasn't interested because he pointed to a pile where they had plowed sno up and said right there under the snow.I tried to excuse myself and leave but he kinda insisted that I would like it.I went aorund and saw the roof and top of the drivers door,he told me the vent window wasn't latched and I could reach in and open the window"I gotta humor him and get outta here with out insulting him"so I opened the window and wiggled in.I had never been in the seat of a Ford deisel & was totally lost.dazed,& confused.He hollered in to me how to start it ,I said when did it "last run' -Thanksgiving day he said.""well lets get this over with.It fooled me started right up."
"drive it outta there he said "no way will it get through this snow bank" "try it it'll do it" OMG!! it walked through it like nothing. Now were sitting in the drive way and there is no plow on it."Where is the plow?" "Out in that field-go get it" "no way I ain't getting it stuck out there and feel I have to get it back here!" He looks at his son-"go hook up that plow"off he goes through 3 feet of of old snow hooks up the plow and drives it back. "DAMM did I just see that?'
Ok will you take $1500 for it? It needs a muffler or something? "I don't think so"-"oh well take it" I bought it-That afternoon we did the necessary work(snow was coming that night).I remember taking it out that night & pushed back a snow bank beside the road to see what it would do.No sweat -i even went parrallel to it and rolled the bank back some more(the bank was made by the town dump trucks).

The next day I was in love with the Ford it was a bit slower but pushed so much better then the chevys it was in the long run faster getting the job done. And was always easy to start even though it was never plugged in.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Jack is that an old Ford 5000? My dad had one of those, loved it to death until two little rugrats (yea, that would be me and my brother) at the age of 4 decided it would be a good idea to put water in the fuel tank. My dad ran the tractor one more time that year and didn't run it long enough to notice the water in the fuel and let it sit all winter. The IP cracked that winter and my dad sold it the next summer because of it.
We also had two Major's that were diesel's as well. Those were great tractors but difficult to get parts for since we had to have them imported from England.

Never mind just found it in your sig. My grandpa had one of those Dexta's too, as well as an old Kubota (no one had the heart to tell him it was made in Japan, lol). Diesel runs in my blood. lol

 

[cornbinder 84]

Jack is that an old Ford 5000? My dad had one of those, loved it to death until two little rugrats (yea, that would be me and my brother) at the age of 4 decided it would be a good idea to put water in the fuel tank. My dad ran the tractor one more time that year and didn't run it long enough to notice the water in the fuel and let it sit all winter. The IP cracked that winter and my dad sold it the next summer because of it.
We also had two Major's that were diesel's as well. Those were great tractors but difficult to get parts for since we had to have them imported from England.

Never mind just found it in your sig. My grandpa had one of those Dexta's too, as well as an old Kubota (no one had the heart to tell him it was made in Japan, lol). Diesel runs in my blood. lol

Yeah it's a Dexta. It is amazing what kind of work these little tractors will do with only 32 PTO horsepower. I can sink a set of double bottom 12" plows to the beams in sod and it will keep pulling till something breaks. I think one reason the Dexta's pull good is that the flywheel and clutch assembly weigh over 250 lbs. Lots of rotating mass to try to stop. I have never stalled mine. Always broke or bent something first. It still cuts and rakes hay every year, and earns it's keep. My dad had a Dexta, and when he sold it it had 4 psi of oil pressure and was an ether baby. The guy we sold it to went to rebuild it and said both compression rings were broke into about 1/8" pieces on every piston. That tractor will still pull like the devil though. I've always called the Dexta's baby Majors. I've always wanted a Major. If they pull like the Dexta does for their size they have got to be beasts.

Jack

 

[snicklas]

I have always liked diesel engines. I remember as a kid, I lived in the country right by the local elevator, and we had trucks, tractors and other equiptment going by all the time. One truck always stuck in my mind, and I loved the sound of it. It was a GMC Brigadeer and I now know that is had some type if "Screaming Jimmy" in it. I loved to hear that truck. I then started to work for the local township and used all types of equiptment with diesels. Had an Austin-Western Grader with a 3cyl Detroit, and a retired state truck with a NA 3208 Cat and a 5 speed Allison, and the newest truck we had at the time had a DT466 and a 6 speed Allison. That truck rocked. I met Trav in school and a few years later he bought the infamous Enterprise. I liked the pickup diesels then and wanted to get one. I drive by a local dealer everyday and they had "My" Excursion on the lot. I stopped and looked at it, it was a good deal, and my family was getting ready to grow again, (We have 5 kids total and a camper) and I had wanted a diesel "truck" and I picked this one up. I have been very happy with the decision and really like have a "family car" that I can take just about anywhere , and get 20 mpg on the interstate. I will only burn oil in a bigger vehicle, and I have my eyes out for a diesel rabbit so that I can get good mileage in for my DD.

 

[icanfixall]

From my very beginings I have been interested in anything mechanical... My first car-truck was a 1956 Ford pickup with a rod windowing the 292 block... I put another 272 in it and drove the wheels off it. I had 12 inch indys on the back of it... Great till it rained. That was in 1967.... Then I got a 1955 Austin Healey with a 282 Vette motor and 4 spped behind that. Had it for one week and sold it for what I paid for it... Then I got a 1961 Ford ecnoline van... Ran the tires off that too. Installed a Mustang 200 inch 6 cylinder. Paneled it and learned some "things" in the back at the driveins..... Around 1984 I wanted a Ford van with the 6.9 motor. I thought that was the best of all worlds... Got a 1979 chevy C30 single cab 454 camper special. Factory dual exhaust... No smog crap... Still have that truck too. Had several Healeys after that then wife wanted a sedan Jag... She found an XJ12L... Thats a 12 cylinder sedan long wheel base.. She bought it.. I learned lots... Installed a 383 stretched 350 chevy in that... Got t boned in an intersection... Used what I got from that to buy the F350 I have now. That was around 12 years ago. Since then I have "learned" what I know from so many others. I feel I can do whatever comes at me on the F350. As you can see in my sig. I'm always looking for something better for our rigs. I then test it and post the finding here. Those that don't hear the warning are something I get a little giggle about privately. I would never laugh in someones face. Thats just plain rude. I guess I have always been a ford man... Now I a Boob man too... Theres no hope for me is there.....

 

[Mat J]

well in high school i always though diesels were cool and how you could run off alternative fuels.i always loved ford trucks so i bought a truck with a 460 and getting 6mpg was no fun so i kept driving my mazda till i could afford a superduty psd. so i was going to buy a 2001 psd once i could afford to and i finally was able to but i just happen to find my idi for the price of a down payment on the psd and read on up fte about it and well the rest is history. i love this old engine and truck. granted im still going to get a PSD at some point and want to put a cummins in my other ford but the idi wont be going anywhere.