Jim,
One of my long term goals is to own a diesel pickup. A mechanic
friend of mine down in California, a true Ford guy all the way thru
would say that the time tested and proven International engine used
in the the Ford pickups was the most reliable--with the Cummins running
a very close second (It should be noted Ford owns a controlling interest
in Cummins and Ford does/has used Cummins in several of their industrial
projects, including farm equipment and heavy duty trucks). I don't
know all the details but I will say that from my own experience the Ford/International
trucks, namely the 6.9 liter of the 1980s was a long-lived engine.
I once was at a Ford dealership in southern California when a fellow
brought in a 1986 F-250 non-turbo 6.9 liter diesel to 'trade-up' to
a more modern pickup (this was in 2000). His truck, which he claimed had never
gone thru a rebuild, had just had regular maintenance had 688,000 miles
on the odometer!
The guys at the dealership were astonished and even mentioned contacting
the corporate headquarters to use his story as an example of Ford reliability.
I myself own a 1973 1 ton GMC with the very reliable 454 gas engine
and I have given serious thought to pulling that out and sticking in
a
6.5 Diesel. I would more than likely go from my present 9-10 MPG to
15-17 (even with a 3 speed turbo 400 tranny behind it.) If there are
any folks out their giving this consideration (those of us with older
pickups) they may want to consider this as an option and if they are
running an older 3 speed like a turbo 400 or Ford C-6 and they want
better highway performance, look into 'Gear Vendors' over/under
drive. See: http://www.gearvendors.com/index.html.
This, I'm told, will turn that old tranny into a real highway cruiser.
Story
has
it that the guys on the hot rod circuit
and at the drag strip
swear
by 'Gear Vendors', they are rated at handling 1,200+ horse power!
Hope this helps someone that is hanging onto there old pickup but wants
the reliability and performance of the newer rigs. Thanks, - Jason
in North Idaho
JWR Replies: If your 1973 Ford still has a rust-free body,
then it may be worth doing. To achieve full reliability on a truck
that old will probably require a lot more work than just re-engining. Read:
extensive and expensive. (For instance: a new
wiring harness, rebuilding both differentials, a new drive shaft or at least
new U-joints, re-arching the springs,
considerable other suspension work, possible steering work, new master cylinder,
new radiator, et cetera.) When all is said and done, you might be better off
finding
another
1 ton 4WD
that was built in the
the
early
to mid-1990s
with
a
dead engine as your starting point. Rebuilding a 10 to 15 year old vehicle
is a much less daunting task that rebuilding one that is 32 years old! Once
a rig is more than 25 years old, it generally requires a true "zero time"
rebuild.
Again, that is extensive and expensive. In the interim,
you can use your running 1973 until the project on the "new" pickup
is done, and then sell it off.
Just
my
$0.10
worth--"your
mileage may vary."
(YMMV.)
