I have been told there are not many out there, but I feel I can have the best of both worlds, the F250 capacity with the F150 body style I like so much. Is this a good truck to get? or do the parts stores and aftermarket shops scratch their heads when you try to get parts?

 

I dont see why would be hard to get parts for one of these trucks. I believe all the f250s in 97 came looking like the 97-2003 style. This is when they first introduced the new style and hadnt yet finished the f250 and 350 versions. Till the year after. The f350 still retained the look from the 92-96 f150. This was kind of a weird combo. So 97 is the last year you can get the 92-96 style and the first year you can get the more aerodynamic looking f150. I think it would be cool to have the f250 with the aero style body, just because it was the only year it was made.

 

it is a good truck but it does not have the capacity of a superduty.

In 97 there were some options with motors and trannys.

But it is bacically a 150 with a
heavier frame,
higher rate springs,
torsion bars,
rear end,and
posibly heavy duty tranny, radiator.

Most of the parts can be ordered as 150 parts except for the above listed.
o ya i forgot about the 7 lug wheels and heavy duty breaks.

if you need more info just simply search this site there is plenty of info on them and there newer brothers the 150 7700.

Hope that helps
Brian

 

From what I've gathered Ford made the Light Duty F-250 from '97 to '99, then in '00 it was badged as the F-150 with the 7700lb payload capacity and 8 lug wheels. I may be mistaken but the heavier package scored your a larger ring diameter rear end gear, lower geared as well I think, plus you also scored the 4r100 transmission.

 

me

 

I can't believe I have found someone with the same truck,,Your questions and answers,,are what I have been looking for.I'm wanting to buy a 3"suspension lift,,(Tuff country)But i have heard i cant put a F-250 system in it,, it wouldnt work,I was told to put an F-150 system in it,,any truth,,what should i put in it?lol

 

I have a factory air ride in mine with about 4" of adjustment, and I cranked the tortion bars on the front (people say that will screw up your alighnment but it didn't hurt mine) so I got 3" easy without any lift kit. You should turn up your tortion bars a few turns and block the rear or add a couple of leafs and re-arc your springs and ta-da cheap lift! and no expensive shocks and drop pitman arms and stuff like that. If you were going to buy a kit get a 150 kit because thats the bodystyle of these trucks when you buy 250 stuff you superduty parts. .......... good luck bro!

 

They are great trucks...but as said not quite as much capacity of an F250SD. The SD's have much heavier running gear. I believe the LD F250 of 97-99 had a GVWR of 7200 and that got bumped to 7700 (obviously) in 00 for the F150 7700pkg.
Lifting these things might be a problem, at least with the 7700's because they had longer and larger diameter torsion bars. Also, after market wheels are hard to come by due to the 7 lug bolt pattern.

 

Hey texan..you have some good ino for me and my truck,,lol,,i want to put a 3" suspension lift,,but dont know which 1 to get,,1997 F-250 4x4 lariat,,5.4 7lug,,do you kow?

 

i own one too, and i'm begining to fall in love with it, i've got 100,000 plus onit,for me it does just about everthing i ask of it. check and see which trans you have, e4od is great. i got 370,000 out of my last truck.

 

plus i love pulling up to other F-150's and seeing them look at the F-250 badge LOL. no offence f150' owner's ,i was one you before i bought this truck

 

I've got one, too. Nice truck. I can hardly wait to do more to it.

 

As far as I know there isn't anybody who makes a lift kit for the F-250 LD, now on another Ford truck message board, there is a member there who put a Fabtech lift,, despite their warning that it would not work, and he's yet to have any problems. E-mail me for more info.

I was reading my 1997 F-Series brochure last night, and here's some interesting stuff on the F-250 LD pkg....

Standard equipment drivetrain was the 4.6l Manual OD, Options include:

4.6l auto OD
5.4l auto OD
Electronic shift on the fly 4x4 (XLT and Lariat Only)
3.73 or 3.73 Limited slip
Engine block heater (includes heavy duty battery)
Load Levelling suspension (Only XL, XLT, and Lariat)
Skid plates for transfer case and fuel tank
Class 3 Trailer Towing Group: 7-Pin wiring harness connector, frame mounted hitch, engine oil cooler with the 5.4l, super engine cooling, aux. automatic transmission cooler, 78 amp-hr battery, front spring upgrade, 3.73 rear axle ratio, 3,950 front torsion bars on 4x4.
HD Service Package: heavy duty 78-amp-hr battery; super engine cooling; aux. automatic transmission cooler, 3,950 front torsion bars on 4x4.

The maxiumum trailer weights based on gear ratio/engine chart for the F-250 is simply.. bewildering.. it ranges from 2700lbs on a standard cab F-250 4x4 with a manual trans, 3.73, and 4.6 to a whopping 8700 in the same truck but with the 5.4l and automatic trans.

 

I too have a 97 F250 LD with newer body style. I am thinking about getting an 04 F150 but I having trouble figuring out what it is worth. If I recall correctly kbb and edmunds don't even list the 5.4 engine. Was there were 97 F150s with both the old and new body styles. What that alos true for the F25 LDs? I am wondering if the values being returned are for the older body style.

 

It appears in 97 and 98 they offered the F250 HD that had the old body style, then the F250 LD was the new F150 body with some beefy brakes, 7 lug wheels, and some other heavy duty towing stuff, like extra cooling, etc. It seems in 99 they finally studk with the F150 body style, and then all 250s were the superduty style. I should be picking mine up in a day or two, MAN I CANT WAIT!