Hey Ive been reading around the forum and figured Id make a s/n and see what yall think about this...

Ive been talking to a guy whose selling a used 97 250hd, 5 speed w/ the 351 and only 83,000 mi. From what he says its been used lite (his wife was a chicken/duck farmer when they lived in VA and they used it to haul grain from the feed store). He states there are no mechanical issues and that its in great shape.

So..... I called him up to arrange to meet this week and he decided to let me know that its not registered or insured and has been sitting for a while (no more than a year) from what he says, Ill just go by whenever the inspection sticker expired.

Finally, I was wondering if yall could give me some pointers about inspecting 1. a vehicle thats sat a while and 2. one that I cant take for an appropriate test drive. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

Make sure you check the undercarriage really well for rust, rot and decay. Frame, brake lines, fuel tanks and straps, oil pan... spend a good amount of time under the truck inspecting. Especially if the truck has been sitting on a non-finished surface like grass or dirt. The damage that condensation can do to a sitting vehicle is amazing....

Check the belt and hoses for dry rot, as well as the tires.

When running, check for any leaks from the engine, particularly at the trans bellhousing and front timing cover. Crank seals and rear mains can dry up and develop leaks in a vehicle like this.



If you can't take it for a very long ride, you'll still be able to check engagement of the clutch, brakes, and how the engine runs. Since you won't be able to hear any suspension issues on a test drive, bring a jack with you, jack up the front, and check ball joints, tie rods, and look for any bushings that may be rotted away or dry rotted.

 

Thanks Bob, Im meeting with the guy tomorrow to see what kind of shape the trucks in. My primary concern is figuring out if any condensation in the gas tank is rusting it from the inside out. Im guessing there's no real way to check for that without removing the tank.

 

It would be pretty hard to check for that, or convince the seller to drop the tank for that matter. If everything else looks OK and the price is fair, it may be worth it anyway. Fuel tanks only run about $100 or so....

 

Why is that your primary concern? There are a lot of things to check out on a vehicle that's been sitting.

 

I figure most major issues will be found with a thorough inspection and good test drive.... primary was a bad word choice

 

So, what's the verdict? Did you check the truck out? Proud new owner, or still on the hunt?