I have owned an 1997 F350 SD CCLB 7.3 for over 15 years and want to give it some love. Had about 10 years mild use with a lightweight camper or popup tent trailer. 180k miles. I have really just kept it running, with fluid changes and stuff to keep it passing emissions. It had waste gate, shocks, rear drums and front disks, but I will look at them again.

After that it has just been used for fun and home depot runs, etc. Perhaps 3k miles per year max.

Its time to make it better and use it.

I would like to be able to tow a decent trailer, perhaps 6000 lbs. Also use offroad on what most people thing are difficult trails, so I am thinking lift and at least slightly larger tires.

1- Steering is loose, clueless on what this is.
2- Stock suspension, 235/85R16 (love this tire size, but was thinking 35's, is there an R16 load range E 35" option?).
3- Still starts cold, with what I believe are original glow plugs
4- How to improve turning radius without looking like a dork.
5- What is involved with a lift on this thing to prevent problems with camber, wandering, etc. I am new to modifying this vehicle.
6- Stock gears. What does it take for lockers (rear at least), do you need to upgrade axles if you do lockers, do I need new gear ratio?
7- Does lift require new drive shafts too?

Is there a place that offers a turn key DIY solution for 3" or so lift?

Sorry to bombard with questions, but I want to see if I can make this happen in a the next 12 weeks or so.

Thanks so much!

B

 

Hey man sounds like a fun project. I'll try to answer your questions in a way that makes sense...

1- Steering is loose, clueless on what this is.
~Figure out where the looseness is and replace that part. Have a helper get in and turn the steering wheel left and right (basically, wiggle it as far as slop lets it wiggle, don't turn the tires) and see where the movement isn't being transferred. Could be rag joint, splines in the collapsible part of the column, steering box, or any of the tie rod ends... or all of the above lol.

2- Stock suspension, 235/85R16 (love this tire size, but was thinking 35's, is there an R16 load range E 35" option?).
~How aggressive are you wanting to go? Just get on any tire store website and sort by tire size and load range. You can get anything from a Transforce highway tire to hardcore mudding tires in 35" Range E. You'll be looking at tire size 315-75-16 btw.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireS...earDiameter=17

3- Still starts cold, with what I believe are original glow plugs
~Won't hurt to replace glow plugs with new Motorcraft ZD-11 units. Do NOT cheap out on these, off brand plugs tend to swell and get stuck in heads, requiring a head removal. Also bust out the test light to make sure the relay is getting power and is passing on the power when required.


4- How to improve turning radius without looking like a dork.
~Not much you can do here besides an axle swap with a coil suspension. Lots of writeups around.

5- What is involved with a lift on this thing to prevent problems with camber, wandering, etc. I am new to modifying this vehicle.
~Lifting is really easy on these trucks. You will typically not have camber issues since it is a solid axle, and none of the ball joint geometry is affected by lifting like independent suspension trucks. Reverse Shackle Kits are great for a solid lift and improvement in suspension geometry at the same time. At 3" you're on the cusp of needing a drop pitman arm and trackbar drop bracket.. I needed one for the 4" lift I have installed.

6- Stock gears. What does it take for lockers (rear at least), do you need to upgrade axles if you do lockers, do I need new gear ratio?
~All the gear ratios and lockers you could ever dream of are available for our trucks. Rear is a 10.25 Sterling, front is a Dana 60. Get on any gear/locker website and choose the one that fits your application best.

7- Does lift require new drive shafts too?
~Nope, just give the driveshafts a once over and make sure you've got healthy U-Joints and carrier bearing.

 

Thanks for the information!

I am looking forward to this project. I was thinking I would get a 4x4 RV of some type and sell the F350, but then looked at what they are going for and decided to use it to pull something and outfit it with offroad stuff like winch bumper, skids, lift, etc.

Trying to figure out "kits" looks like SKY has decent kit for lift.

 

SKY is good, I went with the PMF kit but I didn't see any on their site when I looked earlier.

 

I am going to start with....
Glow Plugs, transmission service, power steering flush, radiator flush, tcase, diffs, new rotors, pads.

Anything else. This thing has not seen anything more than an oil change for 7 years and only 5k miles in that time (just confirmed with shop).

I feel so bad she has been neglected, but she will live once again.

Brian

 

Thank you. Looks like all fluid/gear/oil/filter service, new rotors, pads, full service rear brakes, is about 3k. Still need to ask about plugs, they did not have that as menu price on a 1997. Compared to my old rover that seems pretty reasonable. I just hate having to deal with all the fluid, so would rather have someone do it, if they can do more at the same time, fine by me.

What should a glow plug replacement cost?

 

I wouldn't worry about the brakes unless the current pads and rotors and such are shot. Besides, depending on your lift, you may need new brake hoses. Better wait till after the lift so you don't have to mess with the brakes twice.

Fresh fluids are always a nice improvement. Most auto stores will take used oil as long as it isn't mixed with coolant or water. Shops charge a pretty steep premium for diff services. Its literally drain and fill for the transfer case and such. No black magic or tricks.

I have a pmf rsk and it is great, no issues.

 

X-2 on the brake hoses (after the lift). Both hard lines and flex. End-to-end.

Prior to working on the brakes, check the RABS. Common symptom of failing / failure is that the pedal seems soft (softer than a the typical vacuum brake system) and allows the brake pedal to press closer to the firewall after a stop. There are plenty of videos on this.

Given the intent to offroad, another item to consider is the differential breather hose. Cheap and easy enough to replace. While the vent 'cap' is NLA, just look for one from a newer generation pickup if necessary.

Larger tires have a reputation of not playing well with the steering system's OE components in terms of long term durability (commonly the pump and steering box), so do some research here.

 

Thanks. I am having the brakes serviced, will see if they will add extended lines in the process.

I appreciate the fluids advice. I do that a lot with my rover, but since this service is all fluids, gonna have it done. I know its a lot of cash for fluids, but living 30 minutes from a parts store and lugging it that distance is just not very convenient. I do it with engine and gear oil when I maintain them.

ABS light has been on since I have had it, not sure that I want it anyway, but I may ask mechanic to look at it. I think I replaced the sensor when I got it and that did nothing. Pedal has never seemed soft though.

 

A few additional thoughts for us to help you spend your money...

• If you're going to do a lift, consider doing RSK (reverse shackle kit) with SuperDuty springs on the front. Helps clean up the handling even if everything else is right and tight, rides better on highway bumps, and gives minimum of 2.25" lift, with higher lifts available. If your spring shackles and bushings are shot (possible contributor to loose steering) and you're going to lift, you'll be doing a fair amount of the work of an RSK anyway.
• With any front lift, do consider both drop track bar bracket and drop pitman arm, sized to your lift, to avoid bump steer.
• Brake lines- YES! If you're not sure how old they are, replacing everything with stainless or cupronickel may be a good choice. You might also take a look at hydraboost... but that definitely will find any weak points in your braking system. I started with "just" hydraboost, blew a hard line, and replaced all lines, wheel cylinders, calipers, and master cylinder.
• I put in ARB air lockers front and rear, with stock gearing. Depending on what you want for traction, you might look at other selectable lockers (electric and mechanical), as well as Eaton TrueTrac. With ARB, you need to ensure the axle vent lines are clear. If you engage the lockers with blocked vent tubes, you risk blowing your axle seals. Learned that the hard way. If you're going on more difficult footing, having full open on pavement or good gravel then going full locked on the more interesting stuff is nice.
• If auto, an additional transmission fluid cooler, in line after the radiator cooler.