New Member Intro: Truck Photos Included!

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

03-15-2014, 10:54 PM

ARW

Senior User

Thread Starter

Join Date: Apr 2013

Location: WA

Posts: 176

Likes: 0

Received 1 Like on 1 Post

New Member Intro: Truck Photos Included!

Hey guys,

Wanted to formally introduce myself and share my excitement for finally being able to officially join the PSD community and most of all, own my dream truck!

I'll try and keep this as short and sweet (that usually never happens when it comes to things like this with me though) to get to the photos quicker but I recently purchased an early '99 CCSB ZF6. Prior to this truck, I had spent a year, yes a year, researching and test driving PS's and Cummins trucks. Duramax's were out of the picture as I wanted a solid axle up front. It was honestly one of the most over analyzed things that I've ever done simply because I ended up considering and test driving such a wide spectrum of trucks including everything from 2nd gen Cummins up to modern day 6.7's. If there is one thing that I learned from this research, it is that you have to pick and choose your priorities when buying a used truck and can't overstate that enough.

So how did I end up with a 7.3? Three reasons mainly. I decided that I wanted a manual; I have always driven manuals and being the avid vehicle enthusiast that I am, love the direct intimate involvement that I have with my vehicles in that setup. I am 24 now and figure that I have the rest of my life to drive autos so I will continue driving a manual as long as I still enjoy it so that ruled out the 6.7 PSD. Number two, cost and reliability of ownership. Respectfully, I did not consider the 6.0 and we'll leave it at that.

For the longest time, I was very much considering going with a 6.4 and eventually found one in the exact configuration that I was looking for and was going to ship it from out of the state. Boy, I was within footsteps of buying it but then it began to hit me that I just could not risk the possibility of having an expensive failure happen such as a cracked piston amongst several other things financially wipe me out due to expensive repair bills. As much as I love that motor and all the potential that it has, I knew that I would not be able to sleep at night wondering if/when/ever something like that was going to happen so I decided to pass. Lastly, engine aside, I chose to go with a Ford truck over a Dodge (Sole reason why I didn't go with the Cummins) as the Super Duty truck itself in terms of durability was no comparison in feel.

Recently, this '99 came up locally and after seeing it in person, was clear that it was the truck for me. I knew that owning a tried and true, simplistic, 7.3 would be a lot more comforting to me. Repairs would not even be in the same ballpark in terms of cost or in depth as the other truck and the reliability would allow me to sleep at night. Miraculously, being a ZF6 and the configuration that I was looking for, was already setup very close to my liking which was also very intriguing. Needless to say, I am head over heels for this truck and was/is completely clear it was meant to be my truck. It does have its fair share of miles at 220K but runs strong and is showing no dramatic signs of wear.

Overall, it is in pretty nice shape for its age. The interior does not feel worn like a work truck (***** on HVAC control are not smoothed off etc) and the body is straight aside from a scratch through the left side 4x4 decal and a couple of smaller dings. You wouldn't believe it until you drove it, but it drives tight and is not all over the road; one of the things that impressed me the most when I test drove it.

Here are the specs:

Build Date: 08/98
ZF6
Recent 6" suspension lift
37" Toyo M/T's
17" XD Addict rims
Airshocks
ARB offroad bumper
New ball joints & tie rods
Cab protector
Line-X'd rockers
Fender flares
HID headlights
PIAA fog lights
Recon cab lights
In dash DVD player
4" MBRP turbo back straight pipe
Intake

Of course I've got some plans of my own, here is a short list:

-DP tuner
-A Pillar gauge pod
-Front & rear lockers
-On board air compressor
-Color match grill
-Front leather Corbeau racing seats
-Offroad rear bumper (Fusion or Iron Cross)
-Sliders
-Top rack?
-Repair scratch on bedside
-Possible bigger turbo & injectors- wayy down the road.

Not planning on getting crazy trying to make big power. The 7.3 was built for longevity/durability and when you begin pushing the limits of these engines in terms of modification, reliability goes down and that's not what the 7.3 is about so I'm not going to try and make it something it wasn't designed to be.

When I first saw this truck in the ad photos, I was pretty skeptical at first about the Line-X on the quarters. I had wondered if this truck was ruined. After seeing it up close, it was apparent, as the seller stated, that he had it professionally applied and seeing it in person grew on me quick. To me, it's actually pretty functional in the sense that it prevents rock chips from the 37's and saves the truck from door dings in the areas where its most susceptible too. It's a thick material and appears to be well up to the task for this purpose. Of course you're wondering why it was applied in the first place and what it's hiding underneath. I had seen this truck before it was applied and it used to have chrome beauty strips on the bottom. When they were removed, it took some of the paint with it. I saw photos of how it looked with them removed. The owner decided rather than repainting the quarters to go with Line-X instead for increased durability in this area.

FWIW, When I first went to the DOL to put the title into my name they required me to go through emissions. To be honest, I was a little worried with the straight pipe and all. They don't do inspections here and it's not currently tuned but it doesn't have the cat or anything. Miraculously she passed without any problem!

Photos of my babe.