Did something change here.
Trying to post anything is all messed up.
If you see a video link, you'll see my destroyed engine after all the work I put into it. Those who followed my engine project will wo der about this one.
Jeff, sorry to hear your trip and truck are ruined.
And moreso the long term effect or issue of getting a new solution.
You probably don’t relish my suggestions, as you haven’t in the past either, but your time with this truck is done. It was done a while ago but you’re resourceful enough keep it going every time. Just like you could now if you wanted to.
But like before, it’s still the right time to cut bait here. Maybe slap a junkyard 5.4 in it to sell it, if that makes financial sense, but that’s it. This truck hasn’t made long term financial sense for a while. And the issue is the deeper you get into it, the deeper you get into it and the harder it is to justify losing what you’ve sunk into it.
Trust me when I say this advice is coming from someone who understands the value of keeping old cars running and certainly understands the value of DIY repairs. Also from someone who knows enough to not get emotionally attached to a run of the mill piece of transportation and is almost allergic to spending more than necessary to achieve a goal.
I may be presumptuous here but on the assumption that a new or very gently used truck is off the table financially, your best bang for the buck is finding a low mile grampa 6.2 Ford (since your a ford guy, although it IS the best gasser combo of the 2010s era, 6.0 Chevy coming in second due to early ford 6.2s being very overbuilt in their transmission selection.
If you want a bigger truck, find a gasser dually although they’re pretty rare for obvious reasons.
Don’t be swayed by the med duty bug. Anything like that CV or similar is more of a challenge than it’s worth and basically a non starter for a truck camper.
One of the biggest issues being you end up with an over height rig, by ALOT once you get a big camper jacked up high enough to fit over the cab. Nevermind the full set of stairs needed to reach the door from the ground Ram 4500/5500 is the only viable option if you can’t make do with a “little” 1 ton.
Take any of these suggestions for what they’re worth if you secretly like them, tell the wife it was your idea and move on to happy er camping. PS, the wife might also like you not having a backlog of “projects” and the lack of propensity for failure when out on the road. Most wives don’t cherish those moments on the side of a road watching you play McGyver while trying not to get run over by a semi or stabbed by tweakers. Fun fact, they put up with it and squeak out a smile as to not be rude (actual story)
Time to go truck and camper shopping!!!
I think you must be thinking of the 650 series ford, they are huge, the 550 is pretty much the same as the 450 with maybe a inch higher in ride height. they just ride like tanks till you get weight on them. we used to have 550's at work for our cable truck (I work at a copper mine) and they sucked because the suspension was so rough and we were basically driving off road all day, but the height was the same as a normal truck.
We're in agreement. I'll look at cost of setting up a 6.2 in my truck versus getting another vehicle. I think the future holds a S&S 11 foot TC, newer version if we can find a well maintained one. A larger truck is on the list too. I'm leaning toward about a 3rd year 6.7 diesel. A bit more research to go.
Most likely, I'll look for a decent boneyard 5.4, transfer my new oil pump, timing components into it and sell. The truck is a good truck. New suspension and steering parts all around. No rust, other than the bad luck with the engines, it has been a great construction and TC truck for about 18 years I've had it.
We shall see what the future brings.
For now, the target truck is a F550 4x4 dually 6.7 diesel. Whether that manifests itself is in the future.
Take care,,,
Honestly that sounds like a horrible idea. All around. Hear me out.
well that sucks. I have always used 1 piece valves when I have rebuilt an engine, not because I was worried about this happening but rather because I was usually shooting for 400HP or more on a build so I went with stronger stuff.
so what's the plan now? new truck, find a block and such in a junk yard and do another rebuild, or do we look at a crate engine?
I'll probably try for a minimal mileage 5.4 replacement but I am toying with the idea of installing a 6.2 and a matching 6 speed. Need to transplant all the electronics and wiring. Friends the 6.2 setup are happy with the performance of the 6.2.
Or I'll find a bigger truck and possibly camper.
I have to say, I'm very pleased with the Enterprise rental truck, an International CV, I understand it to be a rebranded Chevy 6500. Drives and performs nicely, and it's 4x4.
another option would be a GMC 6.0LS, it shouldn't me that hard in your truck and you don't mind getting your hands dirty. its just seeing what is available for converters so your factory dash works properly. I Imagin you would have to go through the similar process if you went to a 6.2, so cost wise you should be able to get a 6,0 with a 4l80 or 6l80 for way cheaper than a 6.2 but you never know. I hate mixing ford/chev but for power and milage on a budget the 6.0 is hard to beat
It's been messed up here for days. It looks like they are reformatting the forum, so things are either locked up or not updateable yet. I can't believe there's not a post by the administration explaining the update.
I was just as surprised as anyone when I couldn't log in. what I have heard is they are implementing some of the changes that were planned. Send me a message if you notice things that aren't working like they should, or any new issues.
I can't find a way to message you yet, either I'm blind or the option isn't there yet. The one obvious thing after the update, is that I can't tell what new or unread posts are.
