Hi all.
new member here I currently have a 01 f150 And a 70 bronco.
I am planning a few years on the road in a bumper pull travel trailer and my 01 150 isn't up to the task.
I'm looking for my next truck and the only one that I really like is the 97 250 4x4. Do you think this is a good choice for a guy living on the road for a few years pulling a trailer less than 10k lbs up and down high mountain passes? I'm doing this in a borderline shoestring budget.
I'm drawn to the 97 because I love the body style. I Hear the engine is near bulletproof, and being a shade tree mechanic I think I can Do a lot of the repair and maintenance on the road. The more modern computerized trucks worry me on that account.
Am I crazy? Is there a better truck I should be looking at? Am I wrong about the longevity and cost of ownership of the 7.3?
I want a truck I can pay cash for...and $5k is the range I see some very nice 97s going for. That's very doable for me.

 

I would say that a 97 would be a good choice for u especially if u can find one with reasonable miles and good maintenance and such has been done and if u plan on pulling I'd swing for guages if it doesn't already have them after you find yourself a truck These trucks are great trucks just sometimes mine can test my patience but guess that's part of owning a older truck

 

Thanks.
which gauges would you recommend. I figure trans and oil temp...what others?

 

If it's auto trans for sure but I'd recommend a egt guage for sure any time ur towing fuel pressure isn't bad guage to have either

 

Thank you
I'll be taking a 7.3 crash course to be sure.

 

I'd go with the F350 srw just to get away from the ttb front end

 

Can you tell me more about this..250 vs 350 front axle? The 350 will be harder to find i imagine

 

google D50 TTB vs D60 and you will see the reasons people like to switch to D60

 

I'd say the d60 front from thew F350 will definitely be stronger and a better axle, but the TTB D50 isn't as bad as people make it out to be!

I have the TTB D44 on my Bronco, and it's never given me any issues. Yes, a solid axle would be better and probably easier/cheaper to align when alignments are due (but the cost of getting one installed is pretty high on my truck), but if you can only find F250s in your area, don't let that be a stopping point for getting the truck.

If you have the choice between an f350 and f250 that are both in comparable shape, the f350 would be a better option (if the price isn't too much higher), but the biggest thing to be looking at when getting a 7.3 should be the maintenance of the motor.

If you can, check behind the intake boot to the turbo to see the turbo wheel. That way you can see potential dusting of the motor. Also do the blow-by test. You just take the oil cap and set it upside-down on the valve cover over the opening. If there is enough pressure to push the cap at all, then the motor is probably pretty worn out and I'd pass on that vehicle. Rattling off the valve cover is fine, as long as it's just rattling and not being pushed.

 

You can get an ELM OBDII Bluetooth adapter, an android device, and Torque Pro to monitor your transmission and engine oil temp and other items going on with the trucks.


TFT is trans temp and EOT is engine oil temp.

Kevin

 

Glowshift gauges seem to be the most popular choice. Autometer is probably the second most popular, but they are way more expensive. Most of the reviews I see for glowshift are good, but some people say they are garbage. I have them on my 97 f250 and they work great. Only issue I have is my boost gauges sometimes reverts back to factory color setting instead of staying on the setting I leave it on. But it still works.

I don't know much about the suspension/steering setups on these trucks, but I do know the TTB front ends ride a little nicer than the solid axles do. But, the solid axle will be a lot better for the reasons mentioned above. like bubba said, don't let it be the reason you let an f250 you like go. I towed my 88 camaro with my 97 ext cab longbed 4x4 7.3 a few months ago and I couldn't even tell it was back there. This was before I did stage 1 injectors and DP tunes too.

$5000 in the Phoenix area won't get you a "nice" one, but it will get you one that is perfectly fine(not sure where you are). Mine was $4000, but I got a pretty good deal on mine. I needed to change the clutch as it had the factory dual mass and sounded like it was about to explode, but everything else I have done I haven't needed to do. Mine is an XL so for now, manual everything, although I already have a complete window and door lock wiring harness to put in. I helped a buddy buy the exact same truck as mine, only his is auto and not lifted for 4500 but his is in pretty excellent cosmetic condition, just has 350K miles on it. But you'd never know driving it or looking at it.