So I have a buddy that is a salesman at our local Ford Garage. He calls me today and says get down here I have the deal of the century for ya! So me being the guy that's always looking for the deal I go.

I get there and he shows me a 2002 Ford F-350 SD with the 7.3, 4X4 and only 38,000 miles....it's classic DOT yellow so I know it's a government vehicle. My buddy says it's pretty clean right? Now this is a stripped down model but it does have cruise, A/C and an automatic....but it's got bench seats (vinyl) roll up windows etc.... I'm looking at it thinking yea it is in real good shape...(found one scratch in the paint) no issues found. He told me I'll sell it to you today for $2500.00 bucks!

My mouth almost dropped, I looked at him and said sold....fire it up....ahhh the catch....this was taken in from a municipalty with a government grant that purchased the new vehicle. In order for the grant to be good they had to pour sodium silicate in the engine and lock it up.....REALYYYYY!!!!! So I hagle with him and we get down to 1500 cash money.....I'm thinking no biggy I've rebuilt several of these, I'll tear it down and do the rebuild and have a damn good truck to either sell or drive on the cheap, right?

I get back to my shop and start researching the process and what I'm finding is pretty discouraging as far as rebuild....from what I'm reading and the people I'm talking to, the silicate when heated up actually turns a hard glass and blocks oil passages as well as seizing the pistons to the cylinder walls....this would include injectors, oil coolers, turbo, etc....

So finally the question.....although the people I have spoke with have never opened one of these engines up and always end the conversation with I don't know.

1. Has anyone ever opened one of these up or know someone that has?
2. Are they rebuildable, and will boiling the block get the silicate out?

I'm not to worried about injectors and turbo probably going to do something bigger and better there anyways.....I still think I'm getting a good deal even if I have to replace entire engine....Your Thoughts?

 

I would rip the ***** off of anyone I saw pouring that crap in an engine that was perfectly good!!!! Just like the cash for clunkers deal by the government-anouther reason why we are in such a bad state of economy!!
I think that crap REALLY REALLY locks up an engine for good!

 

Idk it's ridiculous they did that to it. It may be rebuildable won't know till its opened up.

 

Everything in there is toast... You could save the cam maybe... valve covers... Turbo external stuff...

You could part out a few things and get a few hundred out of the motor.

Total crap that they did that... Bet they got a nice new 6.7 thats been in the shop for two weeks now...

 

Yep that what I never understood about the cash for clunkers. Take all those vechicles off the road and can't even send them to junk yards for parts. STUPID!!!!!!! I hope it works out for ya. Even if you have to put a motor in it still will be a great deal.

 

Out taxes at work

 

Mamadas!!!!

 

Sodium Silicate? This isn't like the old school rumor of sugar in the gas tank - this is the real deal. You would spend a lot of money on an engine that goes into a fugly bare-bones truck with sit-rot.

Government tires are about bald at this odo reading and I wonder if the fuel has gone bad by now. The transmission is still good, but I'm curious how much one can get out of a ten-year-old stock 4R100. The more I think about this, the more I realize how worthless the actual truck is without the trim packages in them, a decent paint job, and a good motor. Sure, you could sell the bed (depending on rust), tailgate, bumpers, engine components, etc. on CL or Ebay, but I don't see enough profit in the deal to warrant the trouble involved with parting it out. The 4X4 hardware might change the math a bit.

 

The engine is toast. Not a damn thing to do with it but part it out for stuff you could use.

There is no issue with the tranny nor any other part.

My neighbor has a 2002 CCLB dually that I would kill to have... 24k on it. Never drives it but to the lake and back 2-3 times a year.

Not one issue with it.

From the discription there is nothing wrong with the truck other then motor...

 

If one was to keep it, $1500 plus new engine, new paint, new tires, eventual transmission upgrade, and dealing with sit-rot issues. I personally wouldn't do it because I'm not the big wrench turner. Onsiteservice sounds like the skills and tools are there to make this work, and it would make a great service truck.

 

I dont see where it needs new paint, new tires, trans upgrades or any "rot" issues that you talk about...

A motor can be had for $1000-$1800 and your good to go.

Its not like the truck just sat, hell I have driven 1980 millitary rigs that have less then 40k on them. They get driven every day, from one building to the next. They are serviced regularly and there are no issues with them.

Quit being a negitive nancy...

 

I don't know if I'd go as far as calling the man's truck fugly. Maybe he likes yellow?

Personally I think a low mile, stripped down XL is a perfect place to start a build...... especially since he can get in the door with a solid truck that costs less than a set of tires.

I think the initial reaction of:

Is still the best one. I mean, book on an 02 is still 14000+. Dude has a ton of room to play from that standpoint.

 

Shoot. I will buy it for a plow truck!! Nothing wrong with a stripped down truck if that's what you need. I could expand the bussiness.

 

I would buy it and make it a hunting truck.

 

Yes sir! You can haul a ton of venison in that baby!!! I could not get my checkbook out fast enough ! I would buy it in a heartbeat!!!


Smokie