I am planning to buy a F250 4X4 with 42s, but I am still in the process of doing some research. To be honest, I don't know too much about this kind of stuff, but I am looking for some help. Obviously, some guys here are real experts.

Where are some websites that talk aout off-roading for greenhorns and first timers? It would be great if I could pick up some tips and advice- or warnings.

Also, any personal feedback on owning an off-roading truck? This is going to be my primary vehicle and I do plan on doing on-roading as well as a little off-roading. What are the advantages and drawbacks of owning these kinds of trucks?

Thanks

 

kd 206
If i was going to 4 wheel serious i would have another truck for my daily driver. Things break even when we dont want them to .And to fix them takes alot of cash.But dont get me wrong you can do it with a daily driver.Just depends on your cash flow and ability to work on your truck. Its alot of enjoyment , so have fun and keep us up to date on your 4x4
Trouble

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 01-Feb-01 AT 10:57 PM (EST)[/font][p]One thing forgot....GAS MILEAGE! If you are looking for a gas hog you have found the right area. With 42's I am sure you have custom gears so your top speed will not be fast on the highway...and depending on how low the gear and if you have a 3 banger trany, you might have a rpm screamer at relatively low speeds....which brings us back to the original point. AND what condition are the tires in? Have you price a set of 42's lately? You cant really reduce in size too much because of the gears and then you would red line at 40 MPH in 3rd gear. You are stuck with the tires You have lots of reason not to do it but here are some to get crazy! 1. You must be crazy and put up with stares and jealous people! 2. Get ready to drive across that lake everybody cant do! 3. Geo Metro...nuf said.... 4. Women......haha..... Anyway....if you commit do it running with guns blazing. Its not cheep, but its lots of fun! My 2 cents...could use some for my head come to think of it!

Dan "Mudinford" MacDonald

 

You're best bet to get wise quick is by picking up some 4x4 mags and reading everything cover to back. That will give you allot of info. As far as an F-250 goes, hey, best truck ever made in my opinion. Just make sure it has got the running gear to support those 42 inch tires. Many people just slap on the huge tires without gearing it properly or beefing up the axles. I bet it has a Dana 44 up front which frankly, is too small to handle 42's in the rough unless is has been seriously beefed up. Frankly, I wouldn't run them on anything but Dana 60s. Have fun and good luck.

If your knuckles ain't bleeding you did something wrong.

'72 F-250 "Hi-Boy" 4x4, Dana 60/HD44, FE390 @ 400hp(purt near!), 4-speed, custom suspension w 4" lift, black on black.

 

I agree with all of the above posts.

pick up some mags and read. if you looking for a daily driver that has offroading spunk. start small grow tall. but if you have the money to play. go fo it.


If it is still running. you didn't try hard enuf!

 

I totally understand what I would be diving into. It seems like a very costly thing to do, but I hope I can do it. To tell you the truth, I do not have much money- as a matter of fact, I am a college student and this will actually be the first vehicle that I would personally own.

Geo Metros... yes mudinford, I see what you mean. And yes, I would love the stares and the craziness of it all. But I am more concerned with the practicalities of the everday use of it. For example, I already know I will probably get less than 10mpg with this truck. It will be a guzzler- that I don't really worry too much.

However, I do value the manueverability of the truck... will it be a really big problem, say if I am trying to get in/out of, say a college campus parking lot? Or how about tight parking in downtown? Or what about red-lining at 40 mph? That would totally suck because I plan on doing a fair amount of highway driving. I don't want to win the Indy 500, but I would like to comfortably cruise along in road trips at around 70mph. I may have to be in such positions, so right now, I am very aware of these things.

The other thing is, the guy's asking for an arm and a leg... well, atleast in my opinion. At first I thought it would be a steal since he's giving me a '91 F250 4x4 ext. cab, with 42 inch tires, HD bumpers, and a triple-double roll bar. It was somewhat apparent to me that this person had invested a lot into this truck. Currently, he is asking for $8900.

On the other hand, I know that this kind of truck with this sort of equipment would be thrashed. He's probably gone to hell and back with this. I realize that maybe $8900 may be pretty cheap, but shelling out thousands more to replace a bad engine or transmission (or both) is something that I DON'T want to do. I am very suspicious of this vehicle being a complete mechanical mess. The possibility of me having to repair it every 6 months, shelling out tons of cash is not my idea of fun. It would also be difficult for me especially, since I don't have a Ph.D in this kind of stuff...

So what do you guys think? Should I nab this sucker and take my risks? Or buy another stock F250 and work from the bottom up?

All of you guys' feedback is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks

 

A '91 F-250 with 42" tires and a TTB D50? Those are HUGE tires for a '91. Are the wheel wells cut? That has got to have at least a 8" lift which is a lot for a street driven Truck even if it is a 4x4. You need to assure yourself that the lift is of the highest(no pun intended ) quality. any sortcuts could lead to badly worn parts. Try looking for an earlier truck that is in excellent shape for the same money...say a '67-'79. much easier to work on and the mileage will actually be about the same. Good luck.
Eric



Proud owner of a '73 F-250 4x4 High Boy, 460 V8, NP435, NP205
And a '68 Bronco 289 v8 , NP435 , Dana 20

 

As a fellow college student i realize how small those parking spaces are. If you do buy this truck, I would try to get to the parking lot early, and let everyone else park around you, instead of squeezing into two of those commuter parking spaces like i do Seriously... what is the width of the 42's? At my college the guys (and girls) that run 33X12.5's on 10" rims hang over the line on one side or the other. It could be that we have little a$$ parking spaces too....either way...i would test drive the F250 again and "try on" one of the parking spaces at your school.

oldblue18

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 02-Feb-01 AT 02:24 PM (EST)[/font][p]This is going to be your only rig, you have little money, and its going to see allot of highways miles to boot!? Don't do it! For eight grand you could buy a good commuter car AND an early/mid 70s F-250 4x4 that would tear that 91 in half. From the info you added I would be seriously dubious about that truck anyways. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

If your knuckles ain't bleeding you did something wrong.

'72 F-250 "Hi-Boy" 4x4, Dana 60/HD44, FE390 @ 400hp(purt near!), 4-speed, custom suspension w 4" lift, black on black.

 

I am beginning to see that, with you guys, older is better... which is definitely something that I could find myself agreeing with.

Proeliator, you do have a point. I would love to spend as little as possible. Typically, how much have you guys spent on your off-roading rigs? (The pickup itself, any modifications, tires, suspension- everything).

I would like to reiterate that again, I am a poor, pathetic college student =)

 

...enough to put 10 kids through Yale! BUT its all one dollar at a time..Over time you can sink a fortune into it but remember, you don't have to do it all at once! I would take the rig to a reputable off road shop and have em look it over. They would give you a good idea of how well built and what condition its in before you buy it. BUT like you said...older is better....and in some cases cheaper...well lots of cases!

Dan "Mudinford" MacDonald

 

I spent $1,300 to buy the truck, but then I spent over $5000 on a new 428 engine. I didn't have to build a new engine, the old one worked ok, but I wanted to and I did it when I had the cash. This is not my daily driver, I'll say that my daily driver has gotten over 33MPG once and is MUCH easier to drive that the F250 4X4.

As for the off-road part, the mid 70's F250 HighBoy truck as one of the strongest, best looking, best running, best built trucks ever! Really, these are some of Fords best work.

 

For spending $1300 on your pickup, did it have any problems or anything? Any mechanical trouble, rust, or anything? How good of a truck can I expect for $1500-$2000?

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 07-Feb-01 AT 07:21 PM (EST)[/font][p]I got mine for one grand. BUT it was from a guy that was just looking to get rid of it at no real loss to him. And it was in phonemail shape. The only thing that was bad was the master cylinder. It was a 2x4...but that changed real quick. Duno..just depends where you look and what luck you have finding one. They are out there, just have to find em.

Dan "Mudinford" MacDonald

[Link:www.fordtrucks.com/pictorial/big/1986_f150_6.html|Here are some pics a few years and lots of $$$ later....and i think i got out pretty cheep for what i got.]

 

i have an '86 f250, the best type of truck to have any way!
i ride on a total of 12" of lift and 40x17" wide tires. and it rides great, but i've done a few things to it and yes it is very costly! the up grades for gears, horse power and torque can and will get very expensive. all new fords, however, ( '90 and up dont have the proper gears in the axles to roll 42's. and it would be a good bet that if the previos owner didn't do something about them gears you may have stripped gear teeth or strain could of worn something out somewhere in the drive train. also this sounds like a truck that was properly being built for the mud so keep it there! large trucks like this, unless properly set up dont do well on rock crawling or black diamond trails. i know this for a fact! you tip, you break things, you get stuck in a situation that is near impossible to get pulled out! by the way 17" wide tires stick out the sides of the truck 3". advice when a coop askes you where are the mud flaps simply say that they are a special order item!