So I bought a 94 F350 4x4 manual as I love driving a manual and prefer these early 90s Ford trucks. Currently at 140k miles. I picked it up as sort of an impulse buy and it has already hauled stuff a few thousand miles for me. My plan was that over time as this truck fell apart I would rebuild it. Unfortunately that time has come earlier than I expected as the transmission has died.

So now I'm looking at somewhere around $4,000 for a new transmission and possibly transaxle/rear axle. Apparently whatever happened this Ford dealer has never seen before and they're still investigating the extent of work required. Before I make my first big investment into this truck, what should I look for that might indicate I'm wasting my time? So far the only thing I can really think of is rust/condition of the frame.

I'm happy to drop $4,000 on the transmission and another $4,000 down the line to replace the engine and all the other costs as they add up. However, I just want to know I'm not going to put thousands into this truck and then 3-4 years from now find out its completely junk anyway with no real solution. I'd like this truck to still be driving 20 years from now and will pay to make that happen as long as I have a good starting truck.

Its a difficult decision when I could literally buy another truck for the same price. I understand in this situation I have a rebuilt transmission with warranty compared to another questionable truck, but then I start to wonder.. I could buy another identical truck and have a spare parts truck on standby? Might save a lot of money in the long term and I have space to store it.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

Also, I'm assuming having this work done at a Ford dealership is going to be expensive for little reward compared to a speciality transmission shop for example. Anyone have anything to say about getting major work done on these older trucks at a dealership?

 

I wouldn't take mine to a dealer, way more expensive. I'd be surprised if they could even get a new one. Should be able to get it rebuilt at a local shop for way less than 4k, should be under 2k. 140k isn't a lot of miles if it has been properly maintained. I wouldn't spend much on a parts truck, chances are it will be the same or worse off than what you have . These trucks are plentiful in the local junkyards so I don't worry about used parts if I need them

 

As an example, you can get reman ZF transmissions off eBay for a little over a grand, which is closer to what I'd expect a transmission shop to charge to rebuild yours. Check around, probably get a better deal at smaller shops.

Worth is a subjective term, many 96 and earlier Ford trucks aren't worth 4 grand, even after investing 8, just the reality of it, it boils down to what makes you happy. You can buy a new or newer truck and make the monthly payment or buy a cheap truck and make repair inspired payments, sporadically, with varied periods of down time. Either way you go, ya have to pay to play.

Unfortunately, my local area/ junkyards, all the pre 96 trucks are crushed and gone.

 

The bigger question is why do they think you need a new transmission? Same for the drivetrain?

We need more details of the reason why you took it to a dealer, what troubleshooting was done and proof of their hypothesis.

This place looks like it is dangerous to your wallet thickness.

 

Some of the stuff i'm saving makes me question my own sanity. I am lucky enough to have a place to establish my field of dreams and I have a pretty good stock of Ford products to work with. What makes them worth saving is pretty subjective. I have scrapped servicable trucks to repair highly optioned single cab SWB 4X4's simply because of their relative scarcity. Don't expect a financial return except for the knowledge you gained making a servicable and interesting ride for far less than the investment you would have in a brand new vehicle.

Now, as far as dealerships go, there is not much reason to use them for servicing your 20 or more year old vehicle. Their service departments are there to support new car sales and the high hourly rates will discourage you from repairs. The technicians were likely still in diapers when the warranty ran out on your pre 1997 truck and the expertise you hope to access has retired. Now, there is some hope in parts as crate motors are still available as well as factory remanufactured transmissions and possibly even NOS parts if you can find a friendly parts guy. It all boils down to selling you something as opposed to supplying labour, which they treat as a necessary evil tolerated only to support new sales.

Interesting sidebar in that " factory remanufactured " parts are often sourced by local rebuilders. Best advantage here is that Ford will stand behind the part.

 

^^^ What he said

Frankly, owning an older truck is rarely a good economic decision if you're going to have someone else do the work. By now I'd probably have $10K "invested" in my $2000 truck if I was paying someone else to do all the work I've done to it.

 

For myself, I could not consider having this vintage Ford truck if I wasn't able to handle the labor part of the repairs by myself. Hell, I couldn't even afford the taxes if it were registered as a regular vehicle and not a classic!
Good advice here on finding a replacement transmission. I'm not a 'dealer enthusiast' either...

 

$1500+/- seems to be about the going rate for a ZF rebuild, $300 t-case, $300 rear axle. $4k seems a bit on the steep side, and dealership techs will have to consult manuals to figure out how to work on the old girl as most have probably never serviced a truck that old and rely on the OBD systems to tell them what to fix.

 

Dont bring it to the dealer, pick up a used one for 500 and a clutche kit for 200, and 300 labor at a shop thats not ford

 

4k is absurd, especially 4"we still dunno what's wrong"k. These trucks are appealing because they're cheap to replace parts, a trans shouldn't cost more than 1500 and can be found for as little as 100 bucks for a good used one. Axles are a dime a dozen and aren't worth much, expect 100-400 for a good used axle.

 

One word:

Don't.

 

dearlers are only good for warrenty work,free.besides that go get it and take it some where else or buy a book some tools and learn about your truck and take youer time.

 

buy the way look for a good parts yard,we have on in n.h. that warrenty there arts for 90 days,you cannt bet it.good luck

 

Thanks for the suggestions all. I'll let Ford finish their diagnostic and then shop that information around to get a better price.

I do want to work on this truck myself but unfortunately where I live it pours rain 90% of the time and I haven't built a garage/carport yet. If only my truck could have lasted another couple months I would have been set.

How difficult of a project would it be for me to buy a transmission and do the swap myself?

 

The truck is worth what it's worth TO YOU...If you want to keep it for the next 20 years, then you'll drop whatever $$$ you feel you want to afford....as for the frame, if it's rusted, soda blast it then seal it with a nice quality sealer....unless of course the frame is delaminating then, I wouldn't put much of anything into it...I'd probably just strip the good parts and junk the rest...but it's totally up to you. I myself live in the Chicago area, my 95 F250 4x4 5.8L MT, is on the fence for if I junk it or not, only has about 135,000 but, I'm almost thinking the frame has too much rust to continue running it. It's not rotted through and it's not weak, it just has more rust than my liking.