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Had thought about selling the truck a few times. We just use it to tow the camper a few times in the summer, leave it in the barn all winter. Well, Unfortunately my uncle passed a few months ago…health issues for a while. Great guy, we a just clicked, could talk for hours! I always told him, let me know first if you ever sell your truck. It was more of a way to give him compliment than me really looking for another vehicle…he really loved his truck! I know my aunt wanted me to buy it, and I couldn’t not buy it! So that meant the 2018 would have to move along. With current used truck values, just couldn’t justify keeping it, plus I need the winter storage space for the new to me truck! It’s completely stock, has 150,000 miles and had done very little towing, garage kept, no winter…rare bird in Maine! I want to get a plan for some preventative maintenance and a few mods before next summer. Anyway, thought I would start this thread to keep track of things.
Wow, very nice! Your uncle sure took great care of his truck. Glad you’re able to take care of it for him now. This will be a great adventure with lots of memories.
That’s great. If all the maintenance was done already I would start with bellowed up pipes if they haven’t been updated, gauges, and billet compressor wheel and go from there (unless you want to “upgrade”).. enter PMS.. we would LOVE to help you spend your $$. 😈
Got new tires, old ones looked great with very little wear, but with a date code of 1311 they needed to go! Also swapped the headlights, keeping the orange turn signals. Really liking the original look for the most part. Last week I replace the grill with an Ford original and added the lower front valance. From what I could find it seems the 99 did not have one, no mounts for it on the bumper or the little support braces that go on the ends of the bumper. Truck was build May 99, best I can tell that’s about the last month of the E99 suspension differences…motor built 13 Apr 99.
It’s a beauty! Uncle definitely gave it some love.
There are a few things these trucks usually need by now and some commonly neglected maintenance items you may consider looking at. Be sure to read through the tech folder for tons of general information and specifics about this engine and truck.
Cooling system maintenance is critical for the 7.3. Your E99 is not compatible with OAT ‘extended life coolant’, so 100k flushes, monitoring and adding SCA’s is critical. This is how I do it.
Also mentioned was the in-tank and pre-pump mods, commonly called Hutch and Harpoon. I feel like a lot of people do this ‘wrong’ based on the original versions created by the namesake. I started doing the simplified version below over 10yrs ago and I’ve done it to dozens of trucks since then.
Another item I OFTEN see neglected is brake caliper slide pin maintenance. This truck uses a ‘floating caliper’ design and the slide pins are what balance the braking force to pads on either side of rotors. A stuck pin will cause the braking force to be applied to just the caliper-side pad, wearing it out prematurely. This can allow the caliper pistons to extend beyond their bores and cause a catastrophic failure that causes the brakes not to work and can do irreparable damage to the axle tubes. I recommend checking slide pins at least every tire rotation, but you can do it easily without even jacking the truck up or removing a tire. Just loosen the slide pin bolts and use them to push the slide pin in and pull it back out. If it slides, you’re good. If it’s gritty or stuck, maintenance is required. You’ll need to use the correct lube, not bearing grease, anti seize, etc. A high melting point silicone grease is proper. I’ve had great success using quality dielectric grease I always have on the shelf, but there are caliper-specific products for this. I am NOT a fan of the little packets at the checkout at autoparts store.
You'll want to check your air filter box ASAP. These are commonly not put together correctly, are broken and/or are missing parts (clips). If it’s intact, resist the urge to ‘upgrade’ as the factory filter flows adequately for a stock or mildly modified truck and does a great job of filtering the air.
On that note, the factory exhaust is also adequate for all but major power upgrades. Larger diameter pipe has no advantage over a straight-piped (muffler/kitty deleted) exhaust.
When/if you want to add more power, there are a few things we will suggest - including a ‘chip’ and gauges that can add up to a real 100hp to the ground. In spite of what many will say, this will not improve MPG more than just modified driving style - but it does make truck a lot more fun to drive and feel less like it’s struggling to tow heavy loads.
Sorry to hear about your uncle passing. Death is a part of life that none of us can separate ourselves from.
It is nice that you are able to take the truck and he can live on in your mind each time you see the truck. It looks to be in AMAZING condition! That is one of my favorite color schemes of all time.
Talk more about your goals for the truck so we can make educated recommendations.
As a baseline I'll always start with Hutch and Harpoon mod SSJ style, and a set of gauges TBD. Fuel pressure for sure imo.
Great question about goals for the truck! It will continue its pampered lifestyle, no winters, in the barn when not being used! Number one goal and only real one is towing! We have a 10K travel trailer that we take to Bar Harbor 2-3 times a season…2 hours away. A trip to Vermont, 4 hours, maybe a couple of in states trips…very little highway, almost all secondary roads. I will use it around town and up to camp, normal truck stuff, again very little highway use. I’m sure the truck would not have a problem as it sits today, my old 2001 7.3 dually with 275k did it just fine with very mods. With that in mind, I am seriously thinking about swapping in some gears this winter. I know that seems to be a little bit of a hot button topic as of late. The dually had 4:10s from the factory and still gave me a little anxiety on a few hills. It will never be sold or needed as a daily driver…don’t care about mileage or speed…I’m getting old, not much hurrying for me and never when towing!
It’s a beauty! Uncle definitely gave it some love.
There are a few things these trucks usually need by now and some commonly neglected maintenance items you may consider looking at. Be sure to read through the tech folder for tons of general information and specifics about this engine and truck.
Cooling system maintenance is critical for the 7.3. Your E99 is not compatible with OAT ‘extended life coolant’, so 100k flushes, monitoring and adding SCA’s is critical. This is how I do it.
Also mentioned was the in-tank and pre-pump mods, commonly called Hutch and Harpoon. I feel like a lot of people do this ‘wrong’ based on the original versions created by the namesake. I started doing the simplified version below over 10yrs ago and I’ve done it to dozens of trucks since then.
Another item I OFTEN see neglected is brake caliper slide pin maintenance. This truck uses a ‘floating caliper’ design and the slide pins are what balance the braking force to pads on either side of rotors. A stuck pin will cause the braking force to be applied to just the caliper-side pad, wearing it out prematurely. This can allow the caliper pistons to extend beyond their bores and cause a catastrophic failure that causes the brakes not to work and can do irreparable damage to the axle tubes. I recommend checking slide pins at least every tire rotation, but you can do it easily without even jacking the truck up or removing a tire. Just loosen the slide pin bolts and use them to push the slide pin in and pull it back out. If it slides, you’re good. If it’s gritty or stuck, maintenance is required. You’ll need to use the correct lube, not bearing grease, anti seize, etc. A high melting point silicone grease is proper. I’ve had great success using quality dielectric grease I always have on the shelf, but there are caliper-specific products for this. I am NOT a fan of the little packets at the checkout at autoparts store.
You'll want to check your air filter box ASAP. These are commonly not put together correctly, are broken and/or are missing parts (clips). If it’s intact, resist the urge to ‘upgrade’ as the factory filter flows adequately for a stock or mildly modified truck and does a great job of filtering the air.
On that note, the factory exhaust is also adequate for all but major power upgrades. Larger diameter pipe has no advantage over a straight-pipedo (muffler/kitty deleted) exhaust.
When/if you want to add more power, there are a few things we will suggest - including a ‘chip’ and gauges that can add up to a real 100hp to the ground. In spite of what many will say, this will not improve MPG more than just modified driving style - but it does make truck a lot more fun to drive and feel less like it’s struggling to tow heavy loads.
Good luck and keep us posted!!!
Thanks for the guidance, really appreciate it! While some of the chassis is E99, pretty sure the motor is 99.5 variant…3” intake runner, AIH with relays side by side, newer air filter design, power strokes badges on the doors build date 13 April 1999. I went through the tech folder when I first got my dually and will do the same for this truck…HPOP lines and fittings, hard fuel line running through the valley, seems like I changed a power steering line that could fail on a bad way. I have a small oil leak coming off the back of the engine, pretty sure it the EBPV actuator. I cleaned everything I could from underneath, 300 miles and everything is still dry…so not too bad of a leak…could be the boots on the spider. But how could the pedestal not be leaking a little after 21 years and 150K? That’s info on the pins…thanks! Pulled the dually out of winter storage one year and one front caliper was dragging hard after the first good brake application! Hope to do the take mods ASAP, but we got a puppy a couple weeks ago and she has really keep me hopping!
I would change that top radiator hose to one that goes around the serpentine belt rather than through it.
When the belt is damaged, way easier to replace it.
I would change that top radiator hose to one that goes around the serpentine belt rather than through it.
When the belt is damaged, way easier to replace it.
Yes, plan to replace hoses and upper will be the one routed around the belt…thanks!
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