It's been awhile since I posted here, been hanging out at FordMuscle.com talking cars. Got a truck question so I figured this is the place to post it.
I want to start looking around for a candidate to replace my aging F150.
A friend who rebuilds vehicles directed me to a guy who has a 96 F250 extended cab 4x4 Powerstroke 5 sp. It is a theft recovery (salvage title) and needs at the very least the following items:
Windshield, doors, steering column, front bumper, grill, front seat, back glass, tailgate. I am not familiar with what a Powerstroke looks like so I can't say for sure what (if anything) is missing under the hood but I know it is missing the air filter and duct that runs to the inlet side of the turbo. At this point I do not know the mileage, but it is rumored that they had it running previously. I can probably buy this truck for $3-$3500. It has a few dings and dents on the sheetmetal. Not being familiar with diesels (other than the high cost of rebuilds) is making me real cautious about this. All recontruction work would be performed by myself, with the exception of painting, I suck at painting.
What do you guys think? Is it worth it? I am inclined to keep shopping. A diesel would be nice but not that important to me as I don't put enough miles on one to justify the extra expense. The body would likely be rusted before the engine is worn out.
DannyP

 

You'd be in a better position to determine if the task of replacing all the missing stuff is worth it to you to save some money, so I won't go there. What I will say is that it would be wise to find out how long the truck ran without the filter/intake assembly. If the truck ran for a significant period of time without a filter, there's a fair chance the turbo could have been damaged by ingesting dust. If you're handy with the other stuff, that's the part that would concern me.

 

Yeah that was my thoughts on the turbo thing too. I didn't talk to the guy that owns it yet because I wanted to first ingest what my inspection turned up and get other opinions. The mileage should be able to be determined- if thats the correct digital odometer in the dash. Still kinda unsure about the whole thing. The cavitation thing has me worried too. Is it as big a deal on the Powerstrokes as the earlier 7.3s? I am a cheapskate that's not afraid of work, but I don't wanna pour more money into this thing than what I can buy one fully assembled for. Plus I have to figure in the added uncertainty of the condition of the drivetrain since I can't test drive it.
Thanks,
DannyP

 

DannyP-
Cavitation is a very important consideration with Powerstrokes, and I'd take a test strip with me to check that out. From that you'd be able to see if additive is in it now, and make a more informed decision.
You're really going to have to follow your gut on this one, but if it were me, considering how inexpensive Powerstrokes are on eBay, I'd probably find one that didn't require so much work, and so many unknowns. But, that's me. It's your call.
Good luck.

 

I been scoping out eBay. They are cheaper than they are around here for sure and I like the thought of getting a truck from outside the rust belt, be it diesel or gas. I think it would make a nice little vacation for me and the wife to fly out to Arizona or New Mexico, buy a truck, and drive back. We bought a car this way out of Chicago a couple of months ago. Got it off eBay for about $2000 less than what they were going for around here and it only cost us $225 for plane tickets and gas to go get it. Flew up in the morning and was back at home that night. I live in central Kentucky.
Kywookie

 

I think I'd move on too....after all, I think you could find something that's not missing all those parts and even have a better idea of the kind of care that it had for a little more. if you want the challenge and thrill of fixing it up...then I say go for it...because who knows what your in store for. I don't like the idea of the condition its in starting out and the unanswered questions surrounding the air filter and all....there are good trucks out there...I'd keep looking.