So we mentioned earlier that Bill and I were going to look at a Crew Cab for me this evening. Well, we did, and I got it! Man am i excited!!!

It's a 1997 F350 CCLB 4x4 XLT, 275,000 miles. Gave $7,500 for it. We felt like it was pretty good. And one of the best things is...there is NO RUST!! It's a North Carolina truck. There are a few cosmetic issues that we need to work on, but overall, this truck is in great shape.

I promised some pics, so here are a few for tonight. I'll post more soon.



Here's a shot of the rear spring hanger with the factory paint!!



Now...I think I'm going to go sleep in the back seat!

Here's the other thing that we wanted some of your opinions on. My DD has 170,000 miles, and this truck has 275,000 miles. If it were you all, would you consider an engine swap so the CC has the 170K engine? I"m already planning to pull my ZF5 from my DD and put it in this CC, and put the E4OD back in my DD. What do you guys think?

Also - I plan on keeping the CC for a long time and plan on selling my ECLB, if this affects your answer to my question above.

 

Congratulations on the new truck! You're going to love having all the extra room, but like Nate said in an earlier post, parking takes a bit of planning at times.

Give it a few days and go over this new truck before you start thinking engine swap. Check all the major mechanical issues, im sure Bill has done most of this, check compression and see what you find.

 

Thanks! I'm not worried about parking too much. It's already a challenge for my ECLB sometimes, so it shouldn't bee too much worse. If that the worst that I have to deal with...I'll take it!

The engine seems good. I just drove it about 130 miles home, and it did great. Pulls great and has a smooth idle. It seems pretty tight mechanically, but we'll give it some time. I just hate to go from 175K to 275K. That's a big difference in mileage. But like Bill said, something is probably just as likely to go wrong on the one with less mileage. You just never know.

 

Nice looking truck Tyler! I guess it all goes back to how the po took care of them. Mine has 260 some thousand and im not worried bout it. But all motors will be different. Good luck with it!

 

Nice looking Tyler, very nice. Like Gabe said, just depends on the maintenance, x2 on compression check. Is Bill going to sleep in the back seat with you??

 

As if I don't stay in enough trouble on my own.....my wife and daughter blame me for this........thanks a lot Tyler

 

I guess so Glenn....mine don't have seats in it! And, by the time all this truck stuff is done, it might be both our dog houses!

 

Its never done Bill, that's the biggest problem!

 

Nice looking truck Tyler! My thought is if you had a little better help, you could switch that motor. With the help you have around there, you maybe better leave it alone...

 

Yup. I must be a genius...because I'm not getting blamed for ANY of this! It's all your fault for "getting me started"! Not sure how I worked that out...but I like it! I"m sure it will come back around to me though - that's the problem. And when it does...

And like I told you last night - the blame you're getting now ain't nothing compared to the blame you're gonna get when we've got both trucks at your shop torn apart for that tranny swap!

 

Ha ha ha, nice one Darin!

 

Nice looking truck Tyler! I agree with what other here have said already. Drive it a while and see how it does before you decide on the engine swap. That thing looks really nice! XLT or XL?

As far as the blame goes, just tell your ladies that it could be a lot worse things you two guys were getting into together. I always tell my wife "You know where I am, I am not warming a bar stool or carousing women. I just spend my time in the shop instead wrenching on stuff.".

 

Thanks! Now I have to get serious though and take up for Bill - if there was anybody that I would want to have on my side to help me do anything to these trucks, I'd want it to be Bill. Nothing against any of you guys, but he IS my father in law, and we do get along great, so there's something to be said about that.

 

Thanks Nate! It is an XLT. Here are some of the extras that I like:

-All power windows/locks
-Factory Ford CD Player
-Keyless Entry (Bill has this and I was extremely jealous)
-Rubber floor - no carpet (which i am very stoked about because I use my trucks for work too)
-And, most obviously, 4 FULL SIZE DOORS!! That is going to be great for the kids.

But I have to reiterate the statement I made about the cosmetic issues that we have to address - I took a picture of the good side for you guys last night. On the other side, there is a huge dent and about 2-3" hole in the side of the bed where the guy jack-knifed a gooseneck trailer. There are a few other dings, but that is the major one. I'll post up some more pics later.

Also - the glow plugs (or something - maybe the relay) are bad. It took me forever to get it started this morning in 30` temp with it plugged in all night. Does anyone have a good link to a thread about Ohming the glow plugs to see if they are good or bad? I need to look up in the stickys to see if it is up there, but if anyone knows right off, a link or something would be much appreciated.

And I do tell my wife that my working on trucks and other projects could be much worse. I said, like you Nate, "just imagine if I was always out at the bars and never worked and was a bum, what would you be saying then?" To that, she replies "I would not be with you." So we're both able to cope with my work-a-holic sickness!

 

I should also say that the guy did tell me the glow plugs were bad. He seemed pretty up front, but I guess you never know.