I'm having an issue with Stinky, so it's time for me to recall why I haven't given up. I have a few stories and I invite you to post yours!

I bought tires for Da Big Stink at Les Schwab and they automatically do safety checks. The guy came out after the work was done, wearing a big grin. "The front end is tight and those brakes are perfect... that is one well-maintained truck." You damn straight.

I was idling next to the shop at work, where the fleet mechanics were fixing fork lifts. One of the mechanics asked if this was a 7.3L. Upon confirmation, he chimed "Man, I never heard one that quiet." He needs to hang around FTE and learn how it's done.

The State inspector noticed I had a truck like his and asked if I had starting problems. Containing a snicker, I offered up my assitance with troubleshooting his starting issues so his truck could start like mine, then I fired Stinky up. He just shook his head in disgust and walked back to his daily-driver car. Until we schedule a visit, my friend.

My most recent vacation had me far from home when things went awry with two cylinders (unresolved as yet). I drove 700 miles with two hurtin' holes and got home safe, while averaging 18.5 MPG. Stinky delivers!


After the big-stick mod (when Stinky was running right), I pulled alongside a co-worker who is a big Duramax fan and has been bustin' my chops about the money going into a Ford. I told him I'm about done and I let Stinky do the talking with a few rapid spin-ups to 3000 RPM. Letting off the throttle emphasized that big ol' 38R spinning down and his eyebrows went up, over his head, and settled somewhere near his butt. "That sounds niiiice." Yea... I saw that coming.

Your turn!

 

I was just recently killing some time on the net. Was looking at trucks on craigslist,ebay and the like. You look at a truck with a 7.3 in the 99-2003 range and they are holding there value like gold. As for the later 6.0 or heaven forbid a gas engine and they are going down in value quicker than a chipped 7.3. Point being I don't mind putting money into something(insert truck name here) that is holding its value. I got to come up with a name for my truck.Stinky is already taken.

 

Couple of months ago wife says she wants a tree gone in the front yard, so I get my shovel and go out there and start an unmotivated version of digging. As is my custom when outside, my eyes wander over to my truck thinking of what's next, and it dawns on me. One strap + one tow shackle + one F350 7.3 = no friggin tree in the front yard. Class dismissed.

 

One week after I acquired Gus, my parents moved from Louisiana to Tennessee. First road trip opportunity? Hell yeah! I got off of work on an early February Thursday night, installed the Auxilliary tank that I got from a friend, fueled up, a total of 83 gallons on board, and headed out by 9:00 PM for my 8 hour drive to LA.

Didn't make it the whole way before pulling off at a rest stop and idling with the big rigs while I passed out in the cockpit chair. I don't know if it was just a side effect of owning my first diesel, the King of Diesels, the legendary 7.3, and just wanted to hear the rumble while I slept, or if I was actually tired, but I enjoyed that nap.

Woke up after about an hour, and finished the remaining of the trip to my parents' place, where I crashed for about two hours while everyone else finished loading the trucks and trailers. No tagalong for Gus, just a bed loaded down like the Clampits were moving. Obviously I moved a few things around, added a couple of straps and made sure it was all secure, then we headed out for TN at about 10:00 Friday morning.

The 12 hour drive ahead was too much for the more mature members of the caravan, so we ended up stopping for the night in North Mississippi. I'd have to say that was one of the best nights sleep i'd had in a while. We got up and ate at Cracker Barrell the next morning (because you can't have road trip without eating at Cracker Barrel), where we kept seeing cars pull in with ice and snow covering the front grilles, bumpers, wheel wells, and roofs. "Umm, is it snowing in Tennessee? That sure looks like snow..."

Being a southern boy, and having never spent a winter any further north than I-10, I had heard of this crystaline structure of frozen water falling from the sky, but had never experienced it first hand, except for that one winter back in the '90s where we woke up with enough flurries on the hoods of the cars to make about 2 snow ***** each. Shortest snow ball fight ever.

Turns out, there had been somewhat of a small blizzard pushing down with a cold front, and we were heading right into it with a caravan of people from Southwest Louisiana, A moving truck, a minivan, 2 sedans, and Gus. I had a grin stretching all the way from one ear to the other, I was ready. A seemingly unlimited supply of diesel, the ability to idle indefinitely to stay warm in what was bound to be horrific traffic, a good set of all terrain tires, and a **** that turned all four corners of my truck into snow blowers. Bring it on. This was just the type of adventure that I was looking forward to for my first trip in a brand spanking new to me truck, not to mention my first experience in snow. The bonding had begun.

The interstates had been fairly well cleared in the rural areas. We had to reroute from using about 100 miles of 2 lane roadway that was closed, and detoured through downtown Nashville instead, where 6 lanes of traffic had been narrowed down to one path that was cut by big rigs. The path was so rough, it was like riding down a washboarded dirt road. "I've had enough of this." Click- 4 high. Pulling into the adjacent lane (assuming we were even in an actual lane to begin with) onto about 2 inches of fresh snow, it was like riding on a cloud. Gus was relieved, as were my ears and my seat. I maintained speed with the rest of the caravan, relocated to the rear incase anyone had issues, and held out the next 40 or so miles with snow crunching beneath the tires and the sound of that 7.3 just rumbling under the hood.

We made it to the city where they were moving without any hiccups, a few hours before dark. Unfortunately, the last 4 miles was a winding road, with sharp curves, steep grades up and down, and no way possible for the van and cars to make it. We pulled into a local store right off the main road and made arrangements to leave the cars parked there. One of the men who lived in the area offered to drive the moving truck to the house, since my dad didn't know the area and had minimal experience driving in the snow, and driving big trucks. Gus and I followed, trying to memorize the terrain of the road, and making sure we didn't slip off the edge. It took about 20 minutes to cover that 4 miles. A very long 20 minutes, but we could see the house, or atleast the roof. It was about 200 feet below us, with a driveway cut out of the side of a hill. It was 20 feet wide, with terrain so steep on the bottom side that even during the summer, the cows have issues climbing it. The road itself wasn't too steep, except for one section, about 50 yards long, with a sharp turn right at the bottom. The guy driving the moving truck had nerves of steel, because the rear tires locked up several times, and it scared me just watching it. Gus on the other hand, never slipped once, except when rounding the sharp curve at the bottom, but that was due to making a sharp turn in 4wd, nothing abnormal or bothersome. We had made it.

We quickly unhooked the straps and unloaded the larger items from the bed. Gus's work wasn't finished just yet. There were still 3 car loads of people and luggage and boxes that had to be ferried from town. It took 3 trips and well over an hour and half. Climbing the hill, Gus showed off his limited slip several times, and occasionally shifted his back end a few inches, enough to bring the pucker factor up close to that of changing the oil pan dipstick oring. Mostly because it was dark, and once the drive dropped off, there was no seeing what lied below.

We were all there, arrived safe and sound, and managed to get the moving truck unloaded. But one thing kept sticking into the back of everyone's mind: The temperatures had risen to about 40 degrees that day, and in the sun, some of the snow had started to melt. As soon as it was dark again, the temperatures quickly dropped, and we expected what was fresh snow that day (which actually offers a fair amount of friction) would be sheets of slick ice by the next morning. We wanted to get the moving truck back up to the top of the hill before it was locked in for a week or better. An empty 2wd dually box truck that was unloaded doesn't do that great of a job in the friction category. There was no way for it to get up that first 50 yards of grade by itself. Gus came to the rescue. We hooked a chain and towed the moving truck up the hill. It wasn't a pretty site, not like the commercials at all. The axle didn't just slip a half inch, catch with the other side, and pull effortlessly. There was excitement, power, noise, tires slipping, and then catching, and then slipping again, rocks getting thrown through the air, the sound of the chain tensing up, the rear end shifting towards the edge of the cliff, one foot, two feet, then we started to move forward, a few inches at a time, until we crested the steepest part, and it was over. Just the sound of the diesel, idling as if nothing had happened. I was proud. proud of myself, proud of my truck.

Then the next day I learned about the glow plugs and GPRs and all that jazz, and became a member of FTE in the process, and couldn't be happier. We have had several more ups since then, and a couple downs, but I couldn't imagine trading Gus for any other truck.

Merry Christmas guys, hope everyone has a wonderful month.

From: Jeff and Gus (and Gabrielle I guess. She keeps begging me to go get a tree or something like that...)

 

I see jeffreyt is a good story-teller.

 

Yeah no kidding, great story Jeff!

 

My family always had a diesel around and I have always loved the smell of a diesel idling away. We have a 6.9 that I have spent many many hours in and a 94.5 7.3 turbo. After test driving a 99 7.3 when they first came out I knew I wanted one of these new 7.3 powerstrokes. Over the years I watched these new superduties driving around just waiting till they were in my price range. After 10 years with my 96 351 pulling a car trailer all over the country and then having kids and getting a camper and having to take multiple vehicles it was time for a new truck. Well that and the gasser couldn't hold 70mph with the TT nor get near 10MPG. I was originally looking at 4 door trucks and very nearly won a 7.3 4 door DRW truck on ebay. After that I found a few pics of excursions while searching for 7.3 trucks and started looking at them. After much more searching for months I got my 7.3 powerstorkeI waited all those years for! It pulls everything I put behind it at whatever speed I wish and gets great mileage doing it! Hauls the whole family comfortably. I get that sweet diesel smell and rumble. It is priceless seeing peoples faces when I have the train out on the highway or when they first realize the X is a diesel. I just love everything about it! I have "the legend" motor!

 

Good one Jeff!!

In 2003, I had a need for a crewcab dually truck for my business at the time (painting water towers). I actually looked at a couple of NEW trucks. These included a Cummins quad-cab - turned out to be a JOKE, these were xtra cab trucks w/4 doors that opened the same way. I drove a 'new' 6.0 truck (whew! glad I missed that bullet... ) and even an F450. At the time, I knew several contractors with PSD's and the only problem they had was tearing up automatic transmissions - so the hunt was on for a 6spd. Even though I could afford a new truck, I liked the price of 2yr old trucks a LOT better!

I finally found my '01 F350 cab-chassis flatbed in AL after looking for MONTHS like it was my full-time job. By making the criteria a 4wd crewcab dually flatbed 6spd, minimum of an XLT (preferably with vinyl floors) - I really narrowed the field down! Most trucks in that category were 'work trucks' often driven by the 'crew' - not the nicest trucks and not gonna get that kind of money from ME. The winner belonged to an old man who hauled cars for a living and bought a new truck every 2 yrs. This one had 100k on it and was exclusively serviced by the dealer. It literally did not have a scratch on or in it.

This truck hauled a 32ft GN flatbed that always had at least 14k lbs on it and was an absolute dream to drive. It rapidly received a muffler delete, 6637 air filter and a 10k mod - damn PMS set in early...

In 2006, I did the VO conversion at 190k miles. This was really the beginning of the most intimate part of my relationship with this truck. Soon, it had (4) gauges on the A-pillar and a CHIP as well!! The veggie conversion now made road trips basically FREE! My boys were 3 & 6 at the time and all of our spare time was spent traveling. Since then, they have visited something like 34 states and dozens of State and National Parks as well as landmarks and monuments from FL to WA to TX and NJ. They are now 9 & 12 and frankly have no idea how well traveled they are. I cherish the time we get to spend on the road. The conversations we have range from science to philosophy and unlike most kids these days, mine are not glued to video games and DVD's - except maybe across Kansas or Nebraska.

After a couple years of making B100 for the diesel tank and burning mostly WVO - I convinced the (ex)wife we needed to replace the gas-guzzling minivan with a 7.3 Excursion. I used the $500/mnth I was spending on gasoline (she was commuting 100 miles/day to college) to make payments on the X. In 2yrs of burning B100/WVO - this vehicle literally paid for itself. Obviously, I kept the X when she became the ex!! (that sounds like a good country song right there!! )

Now I have put 260k miles on my F350 (170k on the high cholesterol diet) and the X has racked up well over 100k almost all on grease. The list of mods is looooong but include a custom leather interior in the dually and a BTS trans in the Excursion. Some would say I have PMS, but I can stop anytime I want.

The best part of this whole experience is the friendships I've made here on FTE. Of course, I wouldn't know what little I know about my trucks without the patience of the experts here. I talk to friends I've made here on nearly a daily basis and we have places to stay on our trips all over the country!! We are truly humbled and blessed to be part of the Brotherhood.

THANK YOU ALL, from the bottom of my heart.

 

Ended up with a partial trade of this '00 F250 SC 4X4 7.3 long bed for my '99 Class A RV. Needed the RV gone and did not need the truck but we did it anyway. Deal wise it was right in the correct dollar place.

After putting the truck on the road, we had to decide between keeping it or the '93 Bronco. Both had low miles (153,000 on the truck, 111,000 on the Bronco) and were in good shape. Wife likes both in looks. Wife has medical issues which make it hard to get "up" into trucks. The Bronco and the truck sit close to the same, both have running boards so there is not much difference.

After the first trip into town in the 7.3.....wife says "I like it". No moans and groans of pain when getting in...... And you all know about a "happy wife"....lol A couple more trips with it and she decided for sure it works for her. So, we sold the Bronco and fixed a few things on the 7.3. I am very happy with the truck.

Now, we have no need for 4 wheel drive, a long bed truck, or the power of a diesel.....but damn is it fun to drive every day........and this is how we stumbled into our first ever diesel hoping it is a blessing. One of these days we will do some mods.

 

Three years ago, almost to the day, my wife and I had a dream - what if we could retire, or at least semi-retire and live on the road in an RV? We knew we wanted a truck and trailer (as opposed to a motorhome pulling a car). We fairly quickly decided a fifth wheel would be the ticket. I decided that a DRW diesel pickup needed to pull that fifth wheel, and I've always loved the Fords.

The plan was to buy a used truck early this year (2012) and put any work into it that was needed. When I was getting ready to start looking at used trucks, I ran across a local wanted ad for a Ford diesel truck. The potential buyer said "anything but a 6.0". Now I had to find out why. That landed me at FTE. Didn't take long to figure that seemingly cryptic message out. So, it was decided that a 7.3 was in our future. I wasn't comfortable with the 6.4, and a new-ish truck was out of our budget (6.7).

About a year before we were originally going to purchase the truck, I saw a nice white dually sitting on a used truck lot. We were on the way to church, but I decided to check it out on the way back home. That particular lot puts a sheet on the dash with the list of equipment and their asking price. Sure enough, it was a 7.3 and the asking price was $16K (right at clean retail). I walked around, admittedly in the dark under a streetlight, and couldn't find a dent anywhere on the body. Told the wife about it and we went on home.

Two days later, on a very rainy Friday, I called the wife from work and said "hey, let's go look at that dually at lunch" and she agreed. I ended up taking the afternoon off from work to finish up the paperwork and bring in my trade. Before we left the lot, three other people tried to buy the truck - one of them was even seen outside waving a checkbook in the air in a very animated display while we were signing papers inside.

We've put 37K miles on the truck since we bought it in July, 2011. It has been relatively trouble-free, all things considered. We've put a bunch of money into it, mostly on wear items (tires, brakes, batteries). It's stopping by Brian's Truck Shop in January to get the tranny rebuilt. That also happens to be our first stop on our big travel adventure. I'm semi-retiring as of the end of this year.

 

When I was looking for another truck to replace my "retired" 00 F350 I wasn't really looking at a diesel. I joined FTE after having issues with that F350 and as I started looking at the different threads I saw "Excursion, King of SUV's". I went to my friends carlot where his Dad has a beautiful 1997 F250 Heavy Duty 4x4 ext cab 7.3 with 112,000 miles on it. After figuring out on here and reading about sitting diesels I decided to pass on it out of fear I think. As I was leaving I decided to look into diesels, After driving that 97 I was hooked on the rumble and smell! The next day I got a call from my Friend saying he has an Excursion he just got in and its got a 7.3 but, Its got 270,000 miles on it. After more reading about the 7.3 on FTE I decided its time to go look with the general things to look at when buying a used 7.3. I was expecting a tired,worn out and not really maintained truck given the year and miles. What I saw was a one owner, very clean, and very well maintained beauty! After posting here again about the truck and what to expect I decided to buy it! Well its been an expensive 10,000 miles with the truck with replacing aged things but thanks to the help of all the friendly people on here saved me lots of time and money! I know its an excursion but its still a 7.3! That old tuck has never let me down, from Chicago to St. Louis, Chicago to Iowa that 7.3 just keeps on going! Thanks to Everyone on here for the great advice and the willingness to help! Merry Christmas Everyone!