Need Opinions ASAP

huntsonora

Explorer
Here is the dilemma. I own an awesome 12 valve Dodge that runs like a champion. Its an incredible truck and I have tabbed the KDP (dowel pin) and upgraded the 5th gear nut in the tranny. I have replaced every seal from the rear main back and have Amsoil front to back. I found out today that my front end may need a complete overhaul and may cost upwards of $3000. Thats obviously worst case scanario but one of my knuckles may be fouled up and I may need to replace the entire axle housing as well as ball joints, tie rod ends, track bar upgrade and steering box brace.

The dilemma is that my best friends dad is selling his 97 F-350 SRW Crew Cab that has 126k on it and is in PRISTINE condition. It really is as clean of a 97 as you'll ever find.

What would you guys do, sell the Dodge to my buddy thats been begging me for it and buy the Ford for $9500 or fix up the Dodge that I really do love?

Pros for the Dodge
12 valve reliability is hard to beat
I'm a front end away from a well built truck
Its shorter than the Ford and can turn it around in tight places
22mpg on the hwy and I am rarely under 20mpg at any time

Cons for the Dodge
Its a single cab and I would like to have more cab room


I guide hunts out of my Dodge and the extra room in the cab would be a HUGE plus but I get by with the Dodge without much complaining. Most of my hunts are 1 on 1 anyway.

What are yalls thou8ghts and why? I would love to hear em

I'll try to post pics asap
 

Ford Prefect

Expedition Leader
You did not mention the age of the dodge, so that might help a bit.

Also, what would your friend who wants your truck pay for it knowing that it needs these repairs?


I would recommend that you find out exactly what they expect for the Dodge, and then find out the prices the local places will charge you to fix it up. Then make your choice.

Personally I do like the found on road dead trucks, but you could do worse. The concern with the Ford is that you end up with such extreme fluctuations between a ood truck and a bad one. The lemons are very visable in Fords, and if you have one then you are going to be hurting wit trying to keep up with that thing.

Are they both gas? If the Ford is diesel has he changed out the glow plugs? IT seems like I recall reading that you should do that at 125k on the powerstrokes. That is one of the places where a good truck can turn into a lemmon fast. I had a buddy who ended up doing glow plugs in his truck three times in less than 50K after his frist swap. Now as he told it, it was not an easy job, and it was a costly one.

I will end lastly with telling you that I am FAR from a knowledgeable person on either of these veicles. I have my thoughts and preferences, but I have never done any research to back up my thoughts, beyond speaking with people I know who have them.

Heck, better than a Chevy no matter what you do. Better to ride a pig than drive a chevy. ;)
 

huntsonora

Explorer
Thanks for the response and to clarify my Dodge is a 1994 single cab long box with the 12 valve 5.9 Cummins in it

The Ford is a 1997 crew cab long box with the 7.3 powerstroke

As for selling my Dodge to my buddy, I would absolutely disclose the extent of the front end repairs to him before I sold it to him. Ironically enough, he owns a Chevrolet and a Dodge dealership and got my Dodge in on trade, I had told him to be on the lookout for a 12 valve and when he called and told me about it I bought it sight unseen. He's seen how good a truck it's been and wants to buy it back pretty bad to have around the farm
 
Depends on if you need the Long Box and Crew Cab. That is one very long truck.

We had one at the Office that I used to drive during Winter storms. I liked it but it was a long truck. I've also owned a CC Short Box and a EC Long Box Ford.

You won't get as good of mileage with the Ford. My Ram would break into the 20's where the Ford would get 17 if I was lucky. All trucks are different with the mileage though.

Aftermarket is there for both trucks so that shouldn't be an issue.

Finding a buyer for your truck is the hard part. It seems that you already have that figured out. I don't see a downside if you can justify it to yourself... :friday:
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
Keep the Dodge.

You can find a complete 2002 dodge front axle for under $1000. This would give you a bolt in upgrade. The 2002 front axle has no CAD housing, the brakes are better ( and you can install 2003+ brakes on those knuckles also!), you get 32 spline front axle shafts instead of 30 spline, and the housing would be a lot newer in general. Your existing wheels should work, but you might want to check the front wheel to brake clearance.

Sliding in a different front axle should only take a hour or two even by yourself.
 

Shiryas

Adventurer
I bought a 97 CC LB Powerstroke last year that is in excellent shape as my Toyota Xtracab had just reached the "not enough space" point in its life. So this is just a few observations.

- The interior space is cavernous. Even bigger than the 99+ SD trucks I ride in frequently.
- Check the differential tag ratio's http://powerstrokenation.com/forums/showpost.php?p=584520&postcount=7 The 4.10's may be great for hauling a 60' gooseneck full of hay, but they are not great for MPG cruizing at highway speeds. At 75mph the engine is turning 2500 rpm and gets 10mpg. Keeping the RPM's at 2000, 60mph, will return 19-21mpg on I-70 through the mountains of Colorado. (The 3.55's are in the garage, I just need to buy the TrueTrac differential for the the front.)
- Either I missed it or you did not say, Manual or Auto? The ZF manual units are reliable and robust, the Dual Mass Flywheel is not. I had bought mine as a dead truck, the flywheel let loose and cracked the bellhousing, which of course is cast with the transmission . . . new transmission. So if you do a clutch job, just replace it with one of the aftermarked solid flywheels (LUK, Valair, South Bend all have good reputations). The E40D auto has a poor reputation, but most of the posts I have read about this also have a paragraph that begins with "I put on the new monster injectors and turbo and while doing a burnout the damn transmission died". The aftermarket rebuilds for the automatic are about the same price as the flywheel upgrade and rebuild for the manual.

As Olympiccop2002 said it is a very long truck. I like the space but plan ahead on parking.

I hope Metcalf is correct, just doing an axle swap sounds like the way to go.
 

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
Duuuude... Seriously....Keep the Dodge! I have owned both (just sold my mid 90s F350 srw cc). I looked long and hard for a clean 12 valve and ran out of time and had to settle for same truck as yours but a gasser. The Dodge drives WAY nicer than the Ford. You just can't beat the 12v with a stick! (Pun not intended, but dam funny).
 

huntsonora

Explorer
You guys are telling me what I guess I should have already realized, the Dodge that I have now is an incredible truck and needs to be kept until the wheels fall off of it. In my heart I never wanted to get rid of it, the thought of a crew cab is damn sure nice though

The KDP is tabbed, the 5th gear nut has been upgraded and the front end will soon be tight again. Life is good!

I'll post up a few pics of the Dodge in the next day or so, thank you guys for setting me straight

Drummond
 

Rot Box

Explorer
The only reason I would bail on the Dodge is for the extra cab room. OBS crew cabs are getting hard to find in good shape so if you see the need for more room in the future I'd jump on it.

I have owned several Dodges and Fords and it came down to the crew cab making my decision to go with another Ford. Both have pro's and con's but in the end they are both very durable and reliable trucks.
 

chasespeed

Explorer
I have been in literally the same dilemma for a while. I had a S/C, S/B super duty before I put this truck together.... BUT, the catch is, I have 2 kids and a wife, and with a R/C truck, I am limited. I have been toying with the idea, of finding a truck in a boneyard, with an extended cab, and switching t over... IF I can get away with it with maybe only changing the rear body mounts.

I havent gotten around to measuring anything yet, I need to find a truck in the area that I can measure, so, I dont know if its feasible.

Just hard to justify getting rid of a truck I have so much time and money into, to make it how I want(other than the R/C)....

Chase
 

UHAULER

Explorer
Thats a tough desicion, I would want the cummins in a ford chassis.

You might want to research putting in a dana 60 out of a 78-79 ford, they have locking hubs and full floating spindles/hubs. I'm sure there is a Dodge or Cummins forum that has plenty of info on the conversion.
 

Rot Box

Explorer
If its an F350 it will have the solid axle/ball joint style Dana 60 in it already--and it is a gem. Only the four door F250's had the TTB D50 these years...

I LOVE the Cummins 5.9 but I see no point in considering the swap unless the motor is completely blown beyond repair. The 7.3 is a great engine especially in the 94-7 years.
 

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