All, I have a bit of dilemma, I bought a 2002 superduty diesel dually that was partially dismembered. The guy I bought it from needed a parts truck and ended up taking a bunch of stuff from it, then sold it cheap. My initial plan was to repair it and use as a toy hauler however I'm now rethinking this initiative given the number of parts that are missing.

So far, this is what I see as missing.

Engine computer (in the foot well)
Instrument cluster
Shifter stalk
Drivers side inner fender
Radiator
Tailgate
Front seats
Brake master cylinder
Rear fender flares
Tailgate
Mirrors
Hitch

Truck appears to be straight and stickers are pretty recent (2015). The guy was a dealer so I had him run the paperwork and put the truck in my name so all taxes are paid which is good because I paid tax on the price I paid and not the book value of the vehicle which I would have had to do if i registered.

The big concern for me is the computer, they're expensive and I don't know which one will work on my truck as I have no reference point. In order to see if the truck is worth fixing, I would usually try to make it run but in this case, this is impossible because I don't have the parts needed to make it run.

I'm guessing that as these are EFI diesels, there is no way to bypass the computer in order to try to make it run so I'm seeking some expert advice here. What do you think I should do?

Thanks and happy new year.

 

What is your time worth? How many hours do you think it will take you to restore this to running condition? Is this the kind of thing you enjoy doing as a hobby?

Apparently, you never even heard the engine run. Be a real bitch to spend X dollars and Y hours only to discover the engine or transmission has major, hidden problems.

Why would a dealer strip parts off of a good, running vehicle?

 

only RARE and pricey vehicles come back from the dreaded "Parts Car" classification

For a very good reason... as Optimistic Paranoid stated.
it must have needed more work to return it to service again.
so only remaining Value is parts car.

but IF you want to make this a "FUN" project.. start visiting wrecking yards for parts.
LOTS of visits.

 

I tinker on cars for fun and love taking relics and making them run. I bought this truck because I liked the idea of having a 7.3 dually. I already own an F350 V10 SRW that does a pretty good job of what I need it to do which is pull ta single car hauler every now and then.

That's my big concern, in speaking to a couple of dismantles, people seem to want around $500 for a computer but even then, the guy I spoke to told me that unless the computer is designed for that truck (ie a 2000 MY computer may not work on a 2002), it may not work.

Not running is not the end of the world but I'd rather not spend thousands before I find out.

It makes sense to me, dealers don't like project cars. They want to buy a vehicle and put it on the lot without putting too much effort. The seller builds and sells high end excursions for a lot of money. If he needs a few bits and pieces to make one or two perfect then it's better to buy a parts vehicle.

I do that all the time. When I do buy these cars, they're usually in reasonably good shape (to yield reasonably good parts), they just go to fix better cars.

My labor is essentially free to me so it's just parts. I'd rather not spend $500 for a computer, $xxx for some other sensor or injector before I hear the truck run. It's very difficult to budget that way.

Thanks.