I remember when I saw the first Bracket for a engine hoist on a stock engine. I laughed for days that they would actually come from the factory with engine hooks built in. Now we have removable cabs. In my opinion I think if it is better for them to access the engine and that is a good think. If it will save the consumer several hundred $ on a given repair what is wrong with that scenario???

 

When the manufacturers went from point type ignition, Oh the stink everyone raised, they all got used to it. When computers first made the scene, everyone screamed, they got used to it. It was the same with fuel injection, body computers, and front and rear electronic modules. All made the job easier one way or another. This is just another thing that is drasticly different, that everyone will get used to.

 

Very Good Point !

 

You do not have to pull the cab to get a Cummins out of a late model Ram. It is easier to remove the engine by first taking off the head, but it can be done either way. If a tech. has the equipment to remove the cab, it might be faster to take the cab all the way off, but the point is it doesn't have to be done that way. My brother works at a Dodge dealer, and he says they do not remove the cab to remove the engine. Another point is on the Cummins powered Ram, the head and the turbo can be removed, but on a 6.4L Super Duty the cab must be removed in order to just get the heads or the rear turbo off.

 

There is no "rear turbo" on a 6.4. They are side by side, bolted together. The reason you remove the cab for turbo removal, is not to risk bending the oil line under it (the o-ring fits very tight)

 

I think that Ford is thinking forward on this cab removal scenario as it will be an easy option to access the engine. Most tasks can be done without removal but it is nice to know that you can remove it if needed. My guess the other two will follow suite (GM and Dodge)

 

Wonder what will happen to Dodge, now that Chrysler has been put on the sale block by Daimler Benz? Sorry to change the subject, but it seems to be becoming a Dodge discussion.

 

Aint that the truth. Todays front drive cars require more work than removing a cab.

 

On the sublect of cab removal, I too agree it's forward thinking. I had a '93 F150 regular cab XLT. I was in a pretty tasty wreck that crumped the right front end to the point that the frame was almost touching the ground n(truck sorta looked like it was taking a leaning bow to the right front. Well the damage estimate was $8000.00, the truck value was 20,000. So the insurance company opted to fix the truck. Well about 2 weeks into the repair I stop by the Ford body shop to check on the status and I see this brand new frame sitting on the rack. The body man was kind enough to walk me arounda and show me everything being done to my truck. Needless to say my truck was in main components around the shop....the rear end in one corner, the tranny/motor in another, the front end in another, the bed in another (covered in tarps) and then he pointed to the ceiling (there was my cab hanging overhead). Well once I got my truck back I was sceptical at first...I mean a body shop rebuild of a truck, but once I got it back and looked it over you would swear no major repair had been done to the truck.
I recently at my local dealer had the opportunity to see a cab-off engine repair of an '03 PSD. I must say, I was really impressed. The tech looked like he was really enjoying the hassle free engine work. Not having to step up on a stool or lader, easily moving and getting right to where he needed to be, ect.
I guess my point is that if cab off repairs weren't worth the trouble then they(Ford/Techs) wouldn't be doing them. It's a great credit to the tech's out there for coming up with this idea, and Ford for building/designing the trucks now so that there's less work done to the interior in order to remove the cab.
Also, yea Ford could do a better job from the factory on body/panel alignment, but then again these are trucks, meant for working.They will get scratches, dents ect. If I make it a year with a new truck with no scratches and dents I feel very fortunate, after that I really don't worry to much.
I might also mention that Ford listens to what it's customers want in performance from their trucks, and build them that way. But our government also has a say in how Ford can build the motors with regards to the emissions and such.
Folks, we are a long way away from the days of the F250 Ranger that had the motor, battery, radiator, windshield fluid resivor and the heater core in the engine compartment (and that was it)you still could see 90% of the ground under the truck and crawl into it, sit on the inner fender well and turn wrenches. You change the spark plugs in less than 15 minutes or change your air filter in less that 5 minutes.
Our vehicles have become so advanced that thru our own wishes/wants and our goverment new ways of working on vehicles have to be thought up.
I applaud the techs out there that have to come up with new and better way of working on these vehicles.
Lastly, If you don't like the engeniering of the Ford trucks, go find another manufacturer..... plain and simple.

 

I may be dreaming. It seems to me that when these trucks do get a bit older (as in out of warranty) and people do have to start working on them themself, if an aftermarket company could make a kit to make the grill/hood/fenders all swing up on hinges in the front similar to big rigs they could make a lot of money. I realize this would be very difficult to do, if its even possible at all....Maybe ford will even start making their new trucks with the hoods like semi's. If you think about it two minutes to lift the front end v.s. two hours to pull the cab would save a lot in warranty labor. And hey, he gap between Semi's and Super Dutys seem to be getting smaller each year, for example the new F450.
Blake

 

I figure the Gov't is giving Ford big bonus for the fact the cab has to come off to do much of anything to the motor. Most of us that will be buying these don't have the ability to lift-off the cab with easy of a good lift setup.

Engineering things like this, keeps those of us that love to make a few tweaks to things from happening so easy. This keeps the emissions more standard, which the Gov't is all about right now and has quite the ******** to do so...

I personally would think it to be a huge selling perk to see one of the Big 3, build a truck with the tilt front end on them much like the large over the road haulers have had for years. It would/could make things much easier to work on and figure out what is wrong before any work would start. Attach the hood and fenders all of which or made from fiberglass or better yet carbon fiber, and just make all this one assembly that tilts foward...

I doubt someone like myself that is not so educated, to be the only person to think of this too... I am just guessing the big bucks the Gov't gives them to make these trucks so hard to work on blinds them to this LOL...

My hope is that while they are getting all the kick backs from our Gov't for this engineering, that they don't run off all the real talented wrenches at all the dealers that fix all the FUBAR'D engineering ideas they come up with. Like the 6.0L was, and somewhat still is.

I think by taking out the things some of us come up with for a fix to things less than perfect on our trucks will end up being more costly to the whole R&D of anything being manufactured. After all more heads are always better than just the one...

So while the Al Gore's of the world are going to run around scarring the heck out of everyone, or at least trying to; I figure all this sort of poor thinking to try and take all the backyard wrenches out of this messing around with these to continue... Yes, Al Gore does scare me, but only because of twisting things around and him mis-leading people with all his "ideas" of what Global Warming is doing...

There is no way anyone is going to know what the earth has done over the past million years. Sure they can look at tree growth rings and the like for a good idea of what has gone down over the last few hundred maybe, but I don't see how that tells them anything, much as a spit in the ocean would for elevation changes LOL...

The unfortunate thing for most of us is that our Gov't has practically all our money and can fund stuff like this and just quite possibly lead us all down the path of destruction and at our expense too... If anything is certainly out of control, its our politicians, not so much as our emissions. I do think we need to all do our part in the emissions and need some of the levels controlled, but I doubt the emissons that need the most help in getting cleaned up are getting the Gov't attention, when they are in bed together to keep them all focused on little motors and the emissions these have and what all us tax paying people are doing the most of, after all; we make all the money for them!!! They just sit around figuring on how to take all our money from us with all the new found ideas in the form of taxes...

Just my take on this, and I love the new 08' SD and have high hopes of it doing even better in the future, if all the big money from the Gov't and the bigger oil companies will let Ford do so...

Aftermarket-wise, I think a new product that just tilts the whole cab assembly forward from an axis's point on the front of the frame would fix all the challenges of looking and getting to much of anything. Sub-frame the cab assembly and attach a small hyd. system and a good quality electical latch at the back of the cab to secure it to the frame until you need to tilt forward to show her off a little LOL... I am really surprized someone has not already done this and put it on the market already. At the cost of the new trucks over the last 12 years or so, at least since I ordered and bought my last new truck which was a 95' PSD, they have more than doubled; this after-market add-on for the tilting the cab forward could be billed out at plenty enough money to make a living making these possible...

Whatsa few more thousand dollars to have such a heck of a nice truck and being able to show off all that is under the cab in the level of technology??? Just to actually get to see the twin turbos alone would be kind of cool... As she is now, you can't see much at all, don't know why they even have a hood that lifts up LOL...

 

I can't imagine the type of load forces that would be on the front hinges if you made a "crew-cab-over". Is that a new word?

 

I thought I was open minded!

jimbo

 

so some of you are bitching because you want to do your own engine work yet you have no way to lift the cab off, right? ****, do you really plan on taking the damn heads off in your garage??? yea, didnt think so. i bet you can still do all the tweaking that you could on the 6.0l without removing the cab, so enough with the bitching and moaning.

 

Hay dude take it easy. Its just a good old fashiond pissin contest no need to be throwin words like that around.