Haven't got any pics up yet but I am a proud owner of a 97 f350 7.3 PSD manual tranny, duelly, flatbed with hideaway gooseneck hitch. Got a hydraulic winch therefore I have a PTO. currently have 115K miles. I have had it for almost a year. What a beast of a rig!!! I heard nothing but great things about this motor tranny combo so I went for it. Got a steal at $6,500. Great condition inside and out!! The 4.1 gears I am not a big fan of. 2,500 rpm @ 65mph I don't like running it that that on the freeway. I heard that if u keep this motor around 2k rpms it will go 1,000,000 miles. Any suggestions or words of advice for a proud owner of a bad *** 7.3

 

Welcome to FTE. These guys will help you keep it going. Lots of knowledge on this site. Oh yeah and if you want to upgrade they will help you spend your money. Ha ha

They helped me spend my money and I believe I have some top notch stuff thanks to help.

Tim

 

Youve had it for an entire year and havent had any questions about things breaking yet?! Either you know everything there is to know, you got one hell of a strong truck, or you're babying it..

Just kidding. Welcome indeed! Yeah these guys will help you get any job done! Weather you want it done 'right' or jimmy rigged to 'just get by' they will have links and writeups and opinions and know-hows about EVERYTHING.

I would personally do a downpipe and larger exhaust(no kitty) and a 6637 intake from Clay. https://www.riffraffdiesel.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=7d9ea97c511acaa292f4a9334a 38b6e5&&

Just to let it breathe.. maybe a chip to help with towing and shift points..
other than that if you arent into modding or making it have EPIC AMOUNTS OF HORSEPOWER..there isnt too much you NEED for these babies. IMHO that is.. I dont know too awful much either.

 

Ya I would like to beef if up a little bit but not all crazy. I think I wanna go with a 3stage programmer but not sure of a good one to get. My muffler has been removed to make room for my hydraulic tank which is hidden between the frame rails. It just seems a little sluggish to me but I have never driven a 7.3 duelly before so not sure what to expect. U can feel the power at or a little above 2k rms is that normal? I heard that if u keep these motors around 2k rpms it will run FOREVER. I got rid of my 07 f150 2wd (tired of paying for it) and scooped this rig up in LA. Drove it to Fresno (250 miles) 75+mph at just under 3k rpms. (just to give her a test). Nothing broke no problems so it passed. So if I put an intake and bigger exhaust and a programmer she should pretty well be set. For my needs. I think I am goin to re gear it so I can knock the rpms down a little bit on the freeway and actually use my first gear. Lol. What gear ratio should I go with? I believe I have 4:1 right now.

 

3:55, close to that anyway, will do what you want but if you ever pull a load of any kind that you'll want to go back to 4:10's. Welcome!

 

I have duel batteries looking at an AFE stage 2 intake. Does it fit or do I got to move crap around?

 

Thanks I was told 3:73 from a guy at work with I believe a 2000 7.3 his came stock like that but it isn't a duelly

 

The only stock options for rear end gears in our trucks would be 3.55 or 4.10's. There is a way to swap thw 3.73's out of a newer (99 - 03) Super Duty as well. Unless you tow or haul heavy, and I mean HEAVY, you should be fine going to the 3.55 rear end gears. There are quite a few guys on here running 3.55's that use their trucks to tow a lot of weight.

The best bet (bang for the buck) for the intakes in our trucks is this one from Clay at Riffraff Diesel You're not going to be able to touch an AFE kit for less than this one (less than $100). A lot of us on here run these kits and they do a great job. You don't have to relocate the battery either.

Here is a picture of my kit:


Oh and welcome to the site! Be sure to ask these guys before you buy your upgrades and they will steer you to the best places to spend your money so you get the most out of your dollars.

 

3.55 in mine. Towed a 12K trailer no problem. The only thing is you practically have to run in 4th on steeper grades. East coast mind you. I pulled a 7% 8 mile with that trailer. I topped the hill in 3rd turning about 40 mph. As soon as I grabbed 3rd, I stopped slowing down. I hit the bottom doing about 75.

The big thing I've noticed is how far apart 3rd and 4th are. But in the flats, I could tow that same trailer at 75 in 5th no problem. I wasn't even using much throttle.

Oh and X2 on the RiffRaff intake! I couldn't believe it would make much difference, but it seems to. At least the engine/turbo spool faster. I also highly recommend the 3" downpipe (if you don't already have one). It also seems to dramatically affect the way the truck runs.

 

Dang Nate, its DIRTY in there!!

 

Yeah that's what 388,000 miles and the Ohio winters will do to your engine compartment. And that is AFTER I have done some cleaning in there! I could clean it all up nice and shiny, but then it would make the body of my truck look even worse!

 

Mines not real clean either, I just saw a good place to rag on ya a little bit! Mine also gets to sit in the winter and try to stay away from all that salt and crap!

 

Welcome! This is a great place to get info and help. They steered me into the right derection and gave me alot of info when I bought my 96 last year!

I have an auto with 4.10 and turn 2200 at 65mph!
Please post pictures when u can.



My Afe cold air intake kit! $400 + shipping, I got it from a guy on here for 300. Good deal. I would go with riffraff cold air intake and a dimond eye 3" down pipe then gut or do a kitty delete. Hope u like it.

 

I would also suggest the RiffRaff 6637. It's very easy to install, gives countless benefits, and it will give you your first taste of Powerstroke Modification Syndrome.

 

2500 at 65?
I don't think you have 4.10's.