Here's one for you gear-heads and truckers: This year I want to try and build a heavy-duty diesel pickup truck. I want to get a hold of used 1983-1986 FORD F-250/F-350 SuperCab LWB 4WD with the diehard 420cid/6.9 Liter International Harvester IDI V8 that has no turbo, EGR, or emissions of any kind attached to the sturdy 4-speed manual transmission of that timeline.
What I want to know, is for heavy-duty winterizing it, how much and what type of interior insulation can I use on the cab and it's firewall? As for the better tire upgrades to handle good off-road and on-road hazards, would I better off with something like the GOODYEAR Wrangler M/T-R with Kevlar or the B.F. Goodrich Mud-Terrain or All-Terrain? And even as for the engine, do I do a professional overhaul or go off the FORDPARTS.com web site and purchase a new warrantied 6.9L diesel to be warranty installed by a reputable FORD dealer? (yes they still have these in the crate for sale according to FORD listings)

**This ride would be my occasional daily driver as well as my bug-out vehicle for it's durability, in addition to my HD 1985 F-150 4WD.

 

I have never seen the need for adding more insulation to the cab of one of these trucks, even my used to be 82 F100 that now lives on 44's with it's bare steel roof has never ever left me wanting, and it is not uncommon to deal with -40 up here.
The factory diesel cabs actually have plenty of insulation for sound deadening.
With my 6.9, the issue was getting it up to temp, never keeping the cab warm once it was up to temp. My solution ended up being pulling the fan off in October and putting it back on in may...
Starting the cranky diesel in the cold requires A) Good batteries, Group 31's preferred B) good cables C) a good healthy starter D) properly functioning glow plugs E) A properly healthy fuel system and F) Good oil, preferably 0w40.

For tires, if you will be dealing with snow, you do NOT want a mud tire, a BFG A/T is OK in snow, but not the greatest.

What you would be getting from Ford would be a re-man, if it is actually available. I would either A) if the engine is healthy, refresh the fuel system and put in new OEM glow plugs, and drive it or B) if it actually needs a re-build I would have it done by a reputable machine shop.
These engines last multiple hundreds of thousands of miles, and there are plenty of them still out there in very good condition. You could also swap in a good running engine, but there are enough of these trucks out there that I would not buy one that does not run well unless the truck itself was mint and rust free, and an 85.5-86 F350 with a solid axle. Since you want an ex cab, you are looking at a 250, and they are a dime a dozen.
I would reconsider not wanting a turbo, the power gain and altitude compensation gained far outweigh the only slightly more complication on the engine.

 

If you want durability I agree, look for a late 85 or 86 F350 with the 6.9 and the 4 speed. They will have the solid front axle. Like was mentioned, more than likely you will not need to anything to the basic engine, just some of the support pieces like glowplug systems and fuel lines/o-rings.

 

A lot of people consider the BFG A/T a mediocre snow tire. Personally I've been really impressed by them, but I've got to admit there are a lot of other tires I haven't tried.

But I'll certainly second the thought to not get a mud tire. I've had a few sets of BFG Mud-Terrains. While they do have some advantage over A/Ts in deep snow, they are SO much worse on packed snow or ice that I'd never recommend them for a winter tire.

 

BFG A/T's are ok in snow, but anything hardpack is scary, I have ran a couple sets on various work trucks and would not put them on a personal vehicle.
My current winter tire of choice is the general grabber at2, with studs, it is similar in appearance to a BFG, but softer and with more siping, and of course studdable. They work well as an all around tire for me, especially plowing.

 

I like the idea of simplistic use and go 6.9L diesels. If I had been smart 15 years ago, I would have bought my folks '86 F-250 diesel 4WD that they had since new. I learned to drive on that 4-speed brownie beast, and she always pulled way more than she was factory rated for when pulling a double-axle steel bed goose-neck trailer full of several cords of wood. When they sold her, she had 320,000 on the dash with NO rebuilds, and is still supposedly running north of here with another 100,000+ on the ticker.

As for the SuperCab, Craig's List locally has had a few 2WD F-250 rigs for sale with the 6.9L diesel, but I know I want the 4WD for my overall build. The other areas I am watching are on autotrader.com as well. For now though, I am making out a parts list of must buys for what to have when the project truck is begun. I am even thinking of checking for tires through COOPER which had the A/T-W tires come out that are similar to their A/T-3 tires, if they have them in 16". They too were good snow rated tires. Although correct, a separate set for winter may be advisable such as some studded FIRESTONE Winterforce tires (had good experiences with them).

 

I've got a ext cab f250 4x4 6.9 and I'll tell you what, she doesn't care, as long as you can get her to crank.

Cooper st maxxx. They are a light mud terrain with holes to stud them. Handle great in water and mud but no idea about snow.

 

Where are you located at? Here in Texas there is an 85 F250 4X4 6.9 with a T19 for sale. He is asking 2500 for it.