Hi everyone
I'm looking for some advice on my potential first diesel truck purchase. Due to two badly herniated disc's I can't use a snow blower anymore and we have a 500 ft driveway on our farm so I need a truck and plow. I've owned a bunch of 88-92 F150's including currently having a 1992 Bronco with the Nite package. But they were all sbf's.

I found a 1989 F250HD 7.3/ZF/4x4(regular cab and box) with 130,000 miles for $3000. It has an older HD Western Unimount plow in good shape. It's been owned by the same guy for the last 12 years and he used it to plow his driveway and his Mothers. Last Fall it received a rebuilt injector pump, brakes lines, glow plugs and controller. It needs tires but I have a few sets here that are usable until I can afford new ones. The fenders are soft behind the wheel openings, the cab corners are bubbling but not rotted through and the bed has the typical wheel well arch rot. The rockers, braces, back wall of the cab, floors are all solid.

The truck is 3.5 hours away from where I live so I haven't been able to check the coolant for SCA, the ph level, or any of the tell tale signs of cavitation. The guy agreed to take it to the shop by him and they have a licensed Ford mechanic. I've read 150K is likely the life span of an untreated 7.3. If this one wasn't treated, am I really gambling at 130K or is it likely still salvageable if I treat it right away? Is 20K before 150K enough of a cushion? I'm going to ask the mechanic to check for all the cavitation symptoms but the seller did disclose he knows the mechanic. I'll be able to check for SCA and the ph level when I get there but I'm risking driving 6-7 hours round trip in Winter conditions to find out it may not have been treated. Would it still be worth rolling the dice at $3000? By the time I get it over the border and pay exchange rate, taxes etc. I'll be in it for about $3500US($3750Can) including the plow. I'd say a fair value for the plows would be about $1500 so the truck would cost me about $2000. I'm on permanent disability for my back so the truck would likely just be used to plow the driveway and occasionally be used to haul a car project home in the Summer.
Thanks for any advice, Steve.

 

I have some pics of it but I'm not sure how to post them here. I haven't seen a way to add attachments. If someone can tell me I'll post them.
Thanks.

 

the price sounds reasonable for a working diesel 4x4 with a plow if it can pass a road worthy safety inspection by a mechanic (even if you not required to have one by law.which blows my mind some states don't have this yet.scary.)
however,since you really only need a yard truck,you can find those much cheaper with plows that are no longer (and never will be again lol) fit for the road.for other times you might need to haul/tow if rare,you can always rent a road worthy truck.this is just a suggestion because as a rule,bringing back a worthy idi truck still requires lots of $ just for their basics cus people let them go and just run 'em.problem is,trucks left like that (if it ain't broke,don't fix it) leave ya stranded and fixing them roadside as you go along lol.either way,they're gunna get repaired if you wanna run 'em.learned this lesson the hard way years ago.no one rides for free.
some advice to ponder Pheadrus,it sounds like it could be (and likely would be) cheaper for you to simply hire the yard plowed out in the winters,and renting a truck when you need one.only you can determine this,but im just tossing this out there for you to think about.running trucks,even old ones,takes some $.old trucks require constant repairs and new ones require constant payments.when lucky,you get a brake somewhere in the middle.
get an old idi plow truck if ya want one.im just helping you prepare for whats ahead thats all.for those of us handy with wrenches we love it.i like working on mine as much as i like working 'em.if do don't,you may be disappointed lol.these ain't spring chickens anymore.all of 'em are over 20 yrs old now.

 

With your back issue are you sure you really want a manual trans truck? That is the biggest question I would ask. I have plowed with a manual trans truck for a couple years with light snow falls. It does wear on you and I'm only 30. Give this a good thinking before going any farther.

Now to the truck. Yes I would drive the 3.5 hours there and back weather permitting to look at it. I picked up a basically the same truck but with 196k on it for $1750. Yes it needed some work and still does in my mind. Yet it is road worthy and I would drive it anywhere loaded. These old trucks are hard to kill and cheap to work on. Now I consider them cheap when you look at the same job on a newer truck. Seeing as you talked about bringing home other projects I assume you are good with a wrench. That's good because they will need parts replaced. As mentioned these trucks are only getting older and need some love.

Good luck with your decision and let us know how it goes.

 

Sounds like a good truck to me. If its not cavitated when you treat it, it will stay that way as long as you treat it.
As far as inspection... state mandated inspection is BS.. Nevada wanted $2000 just to register my 79 because they considered it "assembled" Then there was some other BS in which i was charged because it didnt have and e-brake. Ill stay in good ole idaho / E. Oregon, no emission, no inspection.

 

It sounds like an okay deal. That mileage is low, that IDI is probably just broke in. (Does the '89 have the 7th digit on the odometer? IIRC my friend's '88 just had the typical 5 digit.) Cavitation isn't as common as you'd think, there's just a lot of chatter about it. If it was me I wouldn't worry about it, it run the proper SCAs from this point forward.

Yeah, that state inspection is a lot of bunk, a money making scheme nothing more. Even Communist California gave up on the idea back in the '70s. Most accidents happen over driver error, not equipment failure. Are there vehicles with brake and light issues? Of course, but they're not doing 80 on the interstate, they're doing 30 on the back roads. And a vehicle that neglected won't be on the road for long anyways.

 

^and this is why state safety inspections should be mandated everywhere.
safety first.be safe guys.don't forget who we share the road with.they all want to be safe too.

ok,lunch is over.back to the snow bank with me.

 

Actually no, I wasn't making the case for mandatory inspections. Just the opposite in fact. You took my post out of context and perverted it.
If you rely on a big government bureaucracy for your safety you will be disappointed. And left broke.

"Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither."-Ben Franklin

 

Thanks for all the advice. I think it has the 5 digit odometer so it could be 230K but the general appearance of the truck including the interior suggests that it's 130. It would look a lot rougher if it was 230K.

My main concern was whether an untreated 7.3 would last much longer if I bought it with 130K on it. I spoke with the seller and he said he changed the coolant and used "green" anti freeze about 4 years ago but never knew about adding the SCA to it. So for at least the 12 years he's owned it it hasn't been treated with SCA's or had the coolant changed for 4 years but he also hasn't used the truck a lot other than the plowing. Hence the low mileage.

I have no major concerns about working on it. I've been turning the wrenches on my cars for approximately 25 years including a 1964 International diesel tractor. I've just never had a diesel truck before. I've swapped motors, trannies, diffs, drive shafts, etc. so having to do repairs or maintenance wouldn't be a problem. I have a bad back but I'm only 38 and I can still work on my vehicles. It just takes longer. To get it on the road I might have to put fenders and cab corners on it but I have a welder and buddy with a paint booth who can spray it for me for the cost of materials.

Where I live, the rental companies won't rent trucks to tow vehicles with. They don't even have hitches on them. With me living up in northern Canada(about 7 hours north of Minneapolis) we get a lot of snow in general. I need a plow on average 10-20 times a year and if it's a bad year for snow, 20-40 times. I'm out in the country and the only guy who offers to plow out here asks $50 per plow and there's no guarantee he'll do it in time for the wife to get to work. It only takes a couple years and the truck has paid for itself and the wife doesn't have to be late or miss work.

In Canada you have to get a safety done on the vehicle before they will let it on the road. It's gotten pretty strict up here as well so it might be just a farm truck for plowing, hauling wood, etc.

The bottom line is I NEED a truck and plow SOON. Like two months ago soon. It's hard to find affordable trucks up here that aren't rusted out. This truck is in better shape than anything I'd find locally. If I could post pics, you can see it's pretty solid for the climate. I've had no luck finding a plow locally because I live in a smaller city. The plow on the truck would cost me $1500-$1700 easy as it sits if it was for sale where I live. But no plows ever come up for sale. I was planning on finding one for my 92 Bronco anyway but the tranny(E4OD) crapped out in it this Fall.

My only other concern is whether I can drive the 200 miles home at highway speeds with the plow on the front? Will it over heat with temps this cold in northern MN?

I would be paying about $2000 for an untreated 89 7.3 with 130K miles on it. All the reasons and pros and cons aside, is this truck worth rolling the dice for $2000 and a 8 hour drive? If the cavitation isn't a likely issue, I think it's a good deal but I'm a newbie to diesels and the cavitation issue.

 

If someone tells me how to post pics I have a few.

 

While cavitation is important it is also blown out of proportion a little. My 90 IDI is coming up on 300k and lead a very rough life as a farm truck for about 10 years before I got it. Maintenance was very hit and miss during that time and the radiator was spraying rusty coolant out the side. I got it cheap enough I was willing to gamble and the IDI is just a place holder for an inline 4/6 diesel at some point. It now has a new radiator and fresh coolant with SCAs and is doing fine, I just took it on a 900 mile trip without a hiccup.

 

I figured it wasn't common from reading up on it but having not owned a diesel before I was a little worried. What do you mean "the IDI is just a place holder for an inline 4/6 diesel at some point"? Are you saying when the 7.3 dies, another diesel like a power stroke can be swapped in?

 

I'm specifically wanting to swap in an Isuzu 5.2L 4 cylinder with the Isuzu 6spd trans. If I can't find one for a reasonable price an Isuzu 5.9L inline 6 or Cummins 6BT are my next preferred options.

 

As far as pictures, it's easiest to upload them to photobucket then link them here.

 

Buy it, the IDI is a great engine and cavitation is a much over hyped issue. Sounds like the perfect truck for what you need.

You're Canadian so when you say it has 130K is that miles or kilometers?

And as with others here BOOOO Pinko Commie Inspections. I can go on and on about how they are nothing but bad.