late 80's early 90's ford f250 4x4

[Jeep or Tacoma]

Was sitting at a high and this guy pulls up next to me in an old f-250 4x4 extended cab he was looking at my jeep and I at his truck and it hit me that magic be a really good platform for a exploration build. the positives that I could see were solid front axles locking hubs decent size wheel wells, but pretty long

so inform me about these trucks what are the pros and cons and has anyone built one? they come in a 7.3 lt. diesel I think Is that a good engine
so ford experts enlighten me,.

 

[toddz69]

If it had a solid front axle, it's an F350. The F250s have the Twin-Traction Beam Dana 50s -not my favorite front end in 4WD trucks.

Todd Z.

 

[IdaSHO]

If it had a solid front axle, it's an F350.

Not all that true

MANY have been swapped.

its a direct bolt on swap/upgrade, and done in an afternoon once all the parts are sourced.


That said, IMO they are some of THE best trucks ever built.

 

[Rot Box]

I love mine. It has been needy at times but overall it's been a great rig for me over the years.

Late 80's / early 90's (87-91) were known as the brick nose. For the most part the F series pickups were all fairly similar from 80-97. 85.5-97 F350's came standard with the solid D60 front axle but as mentioned above it is an easy swap so it's not uncommon to see F250's with them.

Imo the IDI diesel is great. They're simple, decent power when turbocharged (NOWHERE near as powerful as the new diesels....), relatively cheap to own/fix/maintain and very reliable. A turbocharger was optional from 93-94 but aftermarket kits were very popular on earlier models.

I'm not a big fan of the four speed A4OD automatic or the TTB front ends.

 

[greenz71]

My 2002 f250 had a solid front axle and no twin beam thing.

 

[toddz69]

My 2002 f250 had a solid front axle and no twin beam thing.

As it should. The TTB front ends went away after the 1997 model year in the F250s.

Todd Z.

 

[pappawheely]

I drove a 79 chevy blazer for years; loved that truck. When I was looking for a larger platform for a camper I wanted another solid axle truck. I went with a '92 F350. Custom leaf springs and a shackle reversal make my truck ride very nice. There is nothing like a big solid truck under you. If you take care of it, a good truck will last you forever. I am so happy with my choice.

 

[Seabass]

Yeah....I'm gonna have nothing but good to say about the big older fords. Freakin tanks!

 

[east_tn_81]

The 7.3 wasn't until the later 90s. These models came with a 6.9. These are the diesels that you can work on your self and run for ever. They are nothing like the current diesels. If you find one in good shape they are cheap to work on and are strong trucks I have been searching for one every since I let my 89 bronco go.

 

[IdaSHO]

The 7.3 wasn't until the later 90s.

Wrong.

The IDI 7.3 was introduced in 1988 and lasted until mid year 1994.

Starting mid year 1994 the 7.3 Powerstroke was introduced

 

[east_tn_81]

Your right. I think he is referring to the power stroke and that may be beyond the years he is looking at.

 

[Viggen]

I have been thinking about finding a clean example of one of these a lot lately. An extended cab, short bed would be right up my alley I think.

Enough room inside for my family and dog, and room for things in the back. I would love to build something similar to what ORD built for the ultimate adventure, but using an extended cab instead of a regular.

 

[TooTall'sTruck]

1986 F250 D50 C6 351W with Edelbrock intake and Motorcraft carb, net 11.4 mpg highway and around 5 in town or while working hard. ECLB helps me considerably when entering a road at a 45* angle. This box was on a SCLB truck and I could not see weak side for beans when merging at 45*.

These are like Honda cars, any part from 1980 thru 1998.5 IIRC, will interchange with a die grinder and a little thought. Buy one and then replace the broken parts that you used to your advantage when purchasing the truck, ie: dented bumper, creased bed...bad parts are easy to swap around and very cheap to buy XLT trim stuff and fancy up an old XL truck.

My 1992 is a Natural Aspirated 7.3L diesel that should net me 20 mpg while being around 8,000 lbs all the time, it was a 8ft bed and was damaged, so I bought another 1885 F150 and turned the truck into a trailer and swapped the bed and canopy over to my 8ft frame, now my welder rides between the cab and the 6.5ft bed!!




The Dana 50 Twin Traction Beam front axle will handle 35: tires with a reasonable throttle pedal, but when you get there you will know all about the virtues of the D60.....ehh...

Have fun!!!

 

[toddz69]

I have been thinking about finding a clean example of one of these a lot lately. An extended cab, short bed would be right up my alley I think.

Enough room inside for my family and dog, and room for things in the back. I would love to build something similar to what ORD built for the ultimate adventure, but using an extended cab instead of a regular.

Those are great trucks and finding a nice clean example is getting harder and harder. Lots of great suspension options for them to make them very capable off road.

Todd Z.

 

[uncle]

I love mine. 89 7.3 IDI. I just need more time to enjoy it.