97 F-350 CCLB build:

[Seabass]

I've had my "new to me" f-350 for a couple of weeks now and I really like it- a lot! The Dodge is currently for sale and I'm sure it will have a new home soon enough. So back to the new truck... It's a mint condition truck. I purchased it from the original owner who was "particular" to say the least. It's like brand new inside and out. It only has 135,000 original miles- good thing cause its now my DD. The Power Stroke engine has a Banks inner cooler, a super chip tuner, 4" exhaust, and a set of boost and pyro gauges. It's got a five speed tranny with the original clutch (gonna get rid of the DMF and put a South Bend in it next) and 4.10 gears. It's slower than I care for- 70 mph will get approx 2350 rpm- but at 65 and under it's definitely tolerable. Since I'm not heavy footed or a speed freak I can live with it. Besides, the slower gears are nice off-road and great on the back roads. I gotta admit that the Dodge will eat the Ford both on power and speed- but I don't care because the Ford is a TANK! It's got a really fresh set of 285-75-16 BFG AT'S and while they aren't mud grips- they'll do. It also has a winch bumper and a warn 8000 lb winch. I'd prefer a 10 or even 12000 lb winch but it was on the truck and it works great- SCORE!! It also has a Ranch Hand rear bumper and a slick set of home made steps that run front tire to back tire and they are very strong- I weigh a solid 300lb and they hold me easy. So here's some pics....

The day I bought it.

Today.

The side steps.

Inside the bed- custom shelving, spare tire, and my tool box.
I added a set of factory can lights today started thinking about what's next....

Should I permanently mount my basket on the topper? Or just put it on when I need it?

Also spent better part of an afternoon scraping and brushing rust off the frame and giving a few thick coats of gloss black Rustoleum paint to ALL the chassis and axels and cab seams- its like new now.

So what's next? On board air- leveling kit- air bags (or rear add-a-leaves) larger tires next time- finish transferring tools and all the gear from the Dodge- and start looking for a good used slide in pop up camper for the bed. As always I love any and all input.

 

[Raul B]

Congratulations on your new rig... here is what i suggest as far as mods.
Ditch the superchip and get a custom tuned chip like a TW. www.tonywildmanchip.com
as far as the clutch goes also look into valair. but SB makes good clutches as well.
where is your egt probe installed? it should be mounted on the driverside manifold. if its on your downpipe then your egt readings are not very accurate.

-Raul

 

[Seabass]

Congratulations on your new rig... here is what i suggest as far as mods.
Ditch the superchip and get a custom tuned chip like a TW. www.tonywildmanchip.com
as far as the clutch goes also look into valair. but SB makes good clutches as well.
where is your egt probe installed? it should be mounted on the driverside manifold. if its on your downpipe then your egt readings are not very accurate.

-Raul

Thanks for the info- the probe is in the manifold. I've never really been a super chip fan- but the old truck does run out pretty good. I've been thinking I would be happier with a six position chip or a higher end tuner. But hey, it came with the truck and it works. I hope the clutch holds a while- I want to do some traveling before I spend all my money on mods.

 

[Raul B]

Thanks for the info- the probe is in the manifold. I've never really been a super chip fan- but the old truck does run out pretty good. I've been thinking I would be happier with a six position chip or a higher end tuner. But hey, it came with the truck and it works. I hope the clutch holds a while- I want to do some traveling before I spend all my money on mods.

sounds good... you can also visit other ford forums for more info like www.fordtrucknetwork.com or powerstrokearmy.com

 

[east_tn_81]

That is a nice rig. I am jealous of those Alcoa wheels.

 

[Seabass]

That is a nice rig. I am jealous of those Alcoa wheels.

I've got two of these trucks- the other is a gas burner and serves as my work/farm truck. They both have the same wheels. I assumed Ford made them. Here's a pic of the gas powered rig...

 

[Seabass]

That is a nice rig. I am jealous of those Alcoa wheels.

I forgot to say Thank You for the compliment.

 

[east_tn_81]

No these wheels were made by the Alcoa company. They make wheels for big rigs. Ford only offered these wheels for a few years. They are extremely tough any shine up really well.

 

[pappawheely]

I've got two of these trucks- the other is a gas burner and serves as my work/farm truck. They both have the same wheels. I assumed Ford made them. Here's a pic of the gas powered rig...

Now you're just showing off, lol.

 

[Seabass]

Pappa- I'm not trying to show off. But I'm sure blessed to have plenty if "stuff." Im also kinda proud of the the ole gas burner and it has almost 300,000 on it- I only have a few thousand dollars in it. That being said- it's a great truck and I'd drive it anywhere- if I had an extra cow to sell to pay for the gas it needs!

 

[Seabass]

I purchased my wife a gooseneck style horse trailer yesterday. So off came the topper on my new Ford and I began the process of prying the fold-over gooseneck ball..wow. It has never been used before- ever. But after a lot of prying and beating and fuss I got it up and securely locked in place. I have to admit I'm excited at this point to see the truck without the topper and something hooked to it. After all it is a one-ton diesel.

So we tore out after our new used trailer. It was about 130 miles from home- nothing too long but long enough to really see what the truck would be like on the highway and sitting in it for more than 30 minutes consecutive. Most of the trip was parkway/interstate with a 70mph speed limit followed up with 20 miles of two lane back roads. I really can't stress enough how much I like this truck- but 70 is all ill want to do since she's getting fairly tight. The truck is very different than the Dodge/cummins I had put a couple hundred thousand on previously. I'm learning that the PS likes higher RPM's to make power. So anyway, we purchased the trailer and hooked up so we could get back home as the sun was already setting. The truck performed flawlessly. I was impressed that I literally could hardly tell the trailer was there. Granted it was only a light weight 14' covered job- it's 7' tall and I was expecting at least a considerable amount of wind drag. But the truck accelerated hard and never lost any speed on any hills between southern KY and the central part of the state we call home. The only complaint I really have is that it only got 13 mpg. I never got over 70 and drove it gentle like. I wasn't expecting 20- but I was hoping for mid-upper teens anyway. I need to learn if there's a better tuner/chip that I should be using that would yield better mpg's....I wouldn't complain over a few more ponies either. That being said I'm excited about finding a pop-up and heading to the Rockies for a great adventure.

 

[east_tn_81]

A banks power kit would work great. It would allow better mpg and power

 

[Seabass]

A banks power kit would work great. It would allow better mpg and power

It's got a Banks inter cooler and 4" exhaust as well as a k&n air filter and a Super Chip tuner. It's also got gauges....I don't know banks tuners. Had a super chip on my old dodge once and hated it.

 

[east_tn_81]

Well getting 13mpg at 70mph wit a trailer with a four door one tune is nothing to be upset with. I wish my F150 could do that well. Again what a nice truck.

 

[Seabass]

Well getting 13mpg at 70mph wit a trailer with a four door one tune is nothing to be upset with. I wish my F150 could do that well. Again what a nice truck.

Thanks for the compliment East. I'm not really trying to complain- but half that trip was with an empty truck...it probably never got much over 14 or 15 even empty? I guess the cummins spoiled me a bit. It got about 19 empty and around 14/15 towing depending on load size. Now, it had a little more power and a 3.55 set of gears....that's a big difference. But, it was an extended cab dually with a small lift and over size tires. The Ford is great. If 14/15 mpg is all I can get then....I can live with it. But I'll be looking for better tunes or upgrades to help where I can. I here a LOT of power stroke guys rattling out 18/20 mpg with trucks like mine. Maybe they are, maybe not. Some people can't add well, others just say what sounds good. Either way I am proud to own this old truck and I plan to run it for a long time and travel lots of miles.