I am seriously considering the purchase of one of two vehicles. One is a 1989 Ford F250 4x4 Centurion with a Banks turbo add to the 7.3 IDI and the other is a 1991 Ford E350 with a 7.3 IDI non turbo.

The '89 is a great runner, looks good and is a prototype Bronco model that had a new motor in 2001. I can get it for around $6k. It needs some cosmetic attention.

The van is a "Ducks Unlimited" edition and has a blown head gasket. I can get it for $1,800.00.

My diesel mechanic is out of town and out of touch....so I cannot get his opinion. I would really appreciate yours!

Are there issues to the head gasket replacement that I need to be aware of??



Here is the Van:




Here is the Centurion:

 

Id go with the f250. Working on vans is no fun from what I hear...and see

 

for $4200 less i would go with the van, fix it, turbo it and still have lots left in your pocket

 

I understand what you mean and being the tightwad that I can be, your advice makes sense.

I will say that the Bronco Centurion has appeal...it is more user friendly to passengers, and one of the cool features is that the rear top can be removed very easily for Summer or hot weather play!

I am very conflicted about the decision and after seeing the thread above about head gasket repair am very interested as I read through that thread at posts from those more mechanically inclined than I am.

 

your mechanic would be in business for a while if you got the van.hold on until he gets back.you may see the price of $1800 isn't so appealing when he quotes you a head gasket repair for that gem.

given the fact that you have a mechanic suggest you'll be $ ahead in the end with the bronco with much,much,much lower cost repair bills.

 

Oh.....My.....God



DREAM VAN!


I wouldn't think twice.. VAN! It's even my favorite color ....Silly windows though


...but that's me



Of course a head gasket job on a van is a total pain the a$$...big time, i've done both on my E350 motorhome.

I got quoted something like 3000$ for the job 7 years ago..... so I turned around and left with a set of gaskets and did it my self in my driveway, took an entire weekend. The whole front of the van has to come off, both seats inside and carpet has to go. And heads 125lbs each..... and theres no room.



Would I do it all again? For that van..... hell YES!




Does this look fun?

 

^ some guys never learn.

 

Bro, that Centurion ROCKS! That's how GM should have built the suburban. It can pull a few suburbans, so that's why Ford rules. I dread working on a E chassis because they are so compact you almost have to pull the engine for all engine work.

 

Thanks for the honest feedback guys. It is sounding like the prevailing wisdom is to go Centurion. I think if I had the "diesel driveway" mechanical skills...tackling the headgasket on the van would be the way to go.

My mechanic is a great Ford Truck specialist and does my work on a moonlight basis so that I do not pay shop fees....

Can anyone advise how many hours a head gasket job might involve?

That said...what would a turbo kit cost to purchase and install?

Thanks for the solid feedback. I love it and it is incredibly helpful.

 

Dude,

Buy the centurion. The costs to get the van roadworthy are going to eat you up. Plus the cost of the turbo and installation.

Unless you want to have a project to learn on...then buy the van. Might be fun...

Thad

 

Mitchell on demand says both head gaskets on a 1991 E350 Diesel

Labor time is 15.3 hours. Warranty time is 13 hours.


Says OEM head gaskets are 57.12$ for the set.


Finding a turbo kit for a van will required alot of ebay hours.... not many of them around.

 

Diesel John...

So the turbo kits for a van are hard to find? Holy cow...am I glad I made this post. I had no idea.

Thanks for the comment.

 

If you're not the pro driveway mechanic I would go centurion. You're gonna become discouraged from working on the van wheras u could just hop in and start driving with the centurion. And if u think doing headgaskets sucks on a iso van wait til u get the joy of doing them on a 6.0 e series like I did haha!

 

buy both, and have the best of both worlds.

 

Um, take a look at that interior picture with the engine cover removed.

The floor cutout is soooo tight to the exhaust that it's going to be a real trick to get any of the turbo exhaust piping to fit in there (not saying that it can't be done, ANYTHING can be done).

The bonus for doing a turbo on the van is that you'll be able to use the top of the engine cover as a cooktop while you drive!

As much as I am in love with the idea of a 4x4 diesel-powered van, I'd also vote for the Centurion just for ease of maintenance alone.