Hi All. I'm new to this forum, but certainly not new to Fords or Powerstrokes. I have a '96 F-250 extended cab with the 7.3 and a '02 Excursion with 7.3 (have or had. Keep reading) It also has a custom made 30 gal saddle tank inside of the frame for over 1,100 miles of travel distance between fuel stops. Thanks to the Edge Juice with Attitude which produces 18mpg on highway.

First, the pictures:
02 Excursion Slideshow by jmiles007 | Photobucket

Our son was driving the Excursion (268K mi) on Wed afternoon when the right front tire blew at 75mph. (Thanks to set of non-recalled junk BF Goodrich tires, but that is a topic for the BF Goodrich Forum). Pics of the black marks on the highway tell the story, and you can see where he tried to correct and drug the other front tire sideways trying to keep it on the road. Thankfully, his seatbelt kept him in the cockpit where he belonged, and he lived to tell the story with one burn mark on his neck from the shoulder belt. Except now, I have a crinkled up X that I am trying to decide how to replace.

It has been in the family for 8 years (had 68K miles then) and we really hate to be without one. My first thought was to buy a cheap V10 2WD with a lot of options and swap in my drive train. After talking to my mechanic and spending a day here reading conversion stories, I have all but abandoned that idea. So now I'm looking for other options and opinions. I may end up busting this up into a different thread for each option, but for now, here it goes.

Option 1: Sell it for salvage and wait a few years until I can afford to pay the tariff on a nice one if they are even still around by then. You all know they get harder to find every year. (I would also entertain offers to buy if I go this route).

Option 2: Buy another '02 diesel with crap engine and/or tranny, and do the same swap with a lot fewer headaches.

Option 3: Buy another '02 diesel 2WD and swap my tranny, transfer case, and running gear. (Is this possible with other model years? If so, which ones?)

Option 3: Buy a newer diesel with the 6.0 and either "bulletproof" it or swap in the 7.3. I would prefer the latter.

Option 4: Buy a V10 since they are cheaper and spend the extra $$ on fuel. (I really hate this option, but I have to consider it)

Please feel free to suggest others that I have not considered.

Thanks

Jerry

 

Thank God your son is ok! Trucks can be replaced!

 

No money from the insurance company?

 

Firstly, glad your son is okay...

Now, on to the meat and potatoes of the thread:
You have a COMPLETE donor to swap electronics and drivetrain components.
Most of the difficulty in a swap is caused by missing some wiring harness or obscure part because you're getting bits and pieces shipped in from eBay or some scrapyard.

If the wreck still starts, I'd look into the swap a little more.

You can get a V10 for cheap and a V8 even cheaper... I've seen blown engine gassers for under a grand.

 

Wow - glad your son is ok. Scary stuff

 

Glad your son is ok! Having personally made the flip, I can verify that it is scary as hell. How many times did it roll?

My adventure happened back in Feb courtesy of a stretch of black ice. What I did was just find a replacement after getting the insurance squared away. Of course, it cost me more money than I would have liked. In your case, you might consider buying it back from the insurance company if the price is right so you would have a supply of spare parts for your next one. Just say the word if you decide to buy a new one. We have a tireless crew of shoppers who love hunt down X's for sale.

 

Odds of finding one with a blown up 7.3 are slim, but you can find them like this one http://www.ksl.com/?nid=678&ad=39662742 from time to time with bad 6.0's. Since you have a 2002 it would be an easier swap to stuff the 7.3 into a 6.0 powered ex. Alot of the wiring will be similar. Id freshen up a few things on the 7.3 before i stuffed it into another truck though. Things like new oil pan(rust), and roll rods and mains and lpop in it since you took the pan off. Some fresh injectors and hpop. Just a few PM items before you use for another 250k.

 

I want to thank everyone your your kind words and concern for our son. He is recovering from the soreness, but otherwise fine. God was watching out for him!

Now back to the discussion. I usually take care of my vehicles & run them way past the payments. I have always dropped the collision insurance after 10 yrs or so figuring it wasn't worth the premium. I keep the comp due to the high deer population. Comp covered the damage when the first tire came apart & beat the fenderwell apart, but insurance co will not cover crash under comp even though the tire caused the crash. So, no insurance check or buyback to worry about.

I've given up on gas to diesel swap. Too much work & not enough shop space. However, I found a 2WD that we really like, so I will be looking in the tech forum for info on that swap. It has to be easier.

I still welcome all suggestions and links to other ones for sale.

Thanks

 

Wow, glad your kid is OK....good luck on the search!

 

If you're going to convert 2wd to 4wd you mind as well do the coil spring conversion from 2005-2007 superdutys. Better ride and turning radius.

 

If your Diesel engine still starts and the transmissions still moves the vehicle, remove them and recover a little cost. Beautiful thing about a wreck is that you can start cutting crossmembers and such with a torch, grinder, or sawzall.

You're far from me or I'd be all over front and rear tan leather seats.