I would look for a good running core motor and transplant that puppy in with all the goodies you have Rich. There are plenty of them around, and it sounds as if Cody has you covered. I wouldn't do the dealership route. That'll be a $10,000 engine before you know it. I am sure (with Cody's help, especially) you are capable of the swap. I have a 1996 7.3 with less than 70K miles waiting in the wings as we speak. They are out there.

 

the dealership engine is expensive and not completely new,they inspect the internals and reuse what looks good out of all the core's that they get.It is also assembled in Mexico or it was when i last looked into it and started my motor build odyssey in 2013.If Cody is willing jump on it!!!!!!!!!!If I wish I could get him to tune mine.

 

I too would wait to see if indeed this is a catastrophic failure before going too far down the yellow brick road..........

If it does indeed end up being the case then, given the options that have been mentioned I would personally either:

Buy the necessary parts to completely overhaul the engine (given that the block is sound / can be sleeved/honed/bored). I like to learn as much as I can about things, there is more than enough information and experience in the brotherhood to help you through the process, every single step. Time and whether you can afford the vehicle to be out of service while you work on it would be the final decider.

OR I would take Cody up on his offer. You know Cody (well sort of) and know enough about him that he will do everything in his power and skill to make everything right. I would trust him over some random shop or random person who overhauled the engine any day of the week.

Finally I would keep all my goodies in either option (as long as the sale of these parts are not needed to fund the repairs) and transplant them into my newly reworked engine. You have come down a long and twisting road to get to this point and seemed at a point (finally) where you seemed mostly happy with the truck and how it was set up, do you really want to start at square one again and suffer the heartache and anguish you have over the past few years dialing everything back in??

Ultimately it is only you that really knows what would be the direction you feel is best for you and stinky, I am merely offering my insight as an outsider to the situation and trying to put myself in your shoes.

 

if you go to riffraff and put all the parts to redo the motor completely new with arp headstuds,mainstuds,smith push rods,comp springs,fluid damper,machined and coated pistons,all the upgrade goodies bells and whistles, it comes in around 4500,add machine shop cost about 900 and I would rather have Cody put it together than anyone at ford here or in mejico,I say load both barrels of the buckzooka and fire away, get those boxes with the yellow tape a comin and dont forget a hypermax taper core to keep it all running coool,thats a blast that hurts, but you are in too deep to stop now,come to the broke side and rebuild that motor

 

Ritch,
I just put over 10K into my 2002 f350 with 215000 on it in body work alone.
I would have spent that on engine work if it was needed.
The way I look at it it's worth what ever it cost me to keep the truck that I am verry fond of.
I think your best move is to get together with Cory to do the work needed.
Just my humble opinion.
Tony

 

Fresh out of work, still have slush spilling out of the top of my boots and haven't had a beer yet.

I love this site!!!!

I don't know if what's ringing in my head is: Toby Keith I love this site!! or "Friends in low places ?

Excellent group! Salute

Denny (btw Cleatus, where's the shipping address. I may need you soon.)

 

Rich: Sounds like you've got it covered with Cody. Best option. But just wanted to point out that going with "getting another truck" has all the same risks as your previous choices on engines. Just because there is a different truck wrapped around an engine, doesn't mean that engine itself is good-to-go.

Now if you're talking going with a gas engine in a newer truck, well, that's a whole different ballgame.

 

Keep it, rebuild it with Cody and make it like new.

 

Pull the Block, get it checked out internally, then you can live with the rest of the motor for another 300k. Cause you've certified it with your own eyes. anything else will have you second guessing yourself forever.....Hell I've seen Out-of-the Crate Racing motors puke their guts on the asphalt after 2 passes down the 1/4 mile, so you will always have a 10% crap shoot. Get the Long Block square, everything else is dressing....

 

Hard to say what I would do, but if I was closer to you Rich I would help you out any way possible, as for the truck, I would either go steelership, orcheck with the best local reputable diesel shop (most generally will waranty any thing they do with in reason) and talk to them and see what they could do, if they would lets say put a new engine in, and all that and waranty any work they do on it then go with it.


as for selling bits and bobs off your current engine, if you need the $$$ to assist with the buck$Zooka blasting (I should know it will glow red for a long while) then do what you must, I am in the camp of looking for turbo upgrades and possibly a second turbo....


in all honesty if you can pull the block and speck out all the current components and replace them your self with new or like new by all means take that route first...!!yould be the best IMO...

 

maybe you should get something simpler.

drop in a 12v cummins

or switch to a chevy with a big block

ready for the flames.

 

 

X2 on the Blackstone report. If there's some metal grinding deep inside it will show like a flare gun.

Assuming you get bad news there, if I was in your Birkenstocks Plan A would be rebuild it with help from the 'Hood. That's 73.73% better than Plan B, but you'll need the enduring support of the better half. Plan B would be sell it "as is where is" to a 7.3 guy and seek out a grandpa selling his retirement gift to himself, a later model 6.0 creampuff. Overall the truck would be very familiar, you can make more power, tease out a new HEUI puzzle, and you can make more power.

Plus, you could make more power.

 

There you go a new title for your book "the adventures of Stinky 6.0".

 

Sorry to hear the bad news Tuggly, assuming the engines toast. Why not buy a Junk Yard engine, install it and go a slow but crazy on a rebuild on your existing long block?