Newbie Questions for a 97 F250 7.3L

[rowekmr]

Hello
I have decided to finally go diesel and found a clean 97 F250 4x4 crew cab with 158K one owner miles. Its use will be mainly to occassionally tow my 9K travel trailer. I have had 2 V-10's and 2 7.4L engined tow vehicles and wanted to have some more fuel efficiency and enjoy the low end torque and plentiful mods for hp/tq that I have read diesels have. He says he has all maintenance receipts from when it was new. I really wanted a Super Duty but neither the diesel or the V-10 are in my budget range. Any comments on the 97 F250 body and drivetrain for my use? It is completely stock will it be okay for my use (for now)? What are some mods that would give me the most bang for the buck?

Thanks

[ridiculously_necessary]

1. get rid of the stock flat cobra looking down pipe. about $90 if DIY
2. DIY 6637 intake, about $50 between fleetfilter.com and home depot
3. straight pipe exhaust. either cheap exhaust pipe or get a system $40 to $300
4. gauges, for you EGT and tranny temp are a must. boost is fun, but good to have to know where your boost stands. $300 give or take depending on brand. ISSPro and Autometer are good quality favorites around here.
5. IDM mod, about $100 through Beans Diesel (i think) i dont have any expirience with this one, will have to get others opinion on whether its worth it.
5. FPR mod. need a BB or small machine screw - increases fuel pressure. i did not do this.
6. custom tune chip, $250 - $500. DP, PHP, TW, Beans, etc. stay away from edge, superships and other canned tunes.

after that plan on more $$ for additional mods.

FWIW, check the turbo compressor wheel on that truck for damage. it will give you an idea on whether or not its ingested any foreign objects.

[rowekmr]

Also since I am trading what do you think is the approximate value range of this truck? It has some rust on the tailgate, wheel wells and a dent from a blow out and the engine leaks oil.

[ridiculously_necessary]

whats the location? is it a 4x4?

i would say between 5k and 7k without knowing the above...

[rowekmr]

Its located in MI and it is 4x4. That range you stated sounds good to me compared to my trade. Sorry earlier I meant to say thanks a lot for that comprehensive list. After doing countless searching on the web your list really summarizes the best bang for the buck simple improvements. I saw the IDM mod on Bean's website but haven't ran across anyone who gives their experience on the IDM or the FPR improvement yet. I am definitely going to do the others and will check into my state's emission requirement for the catalytic convertor because many take it off for the replacement exhaust or gut it out. I have read that the down pipe takes some cutting and bending of the firewall to fit I was hoping I could find one that doesn't. I am also going to look into a shift kit for the trans to decrease the heat build up if its worth it and maybe a 2nd trans cooler some suggest for towing.

[ridiculously_necessary]

good luck finding a dp that doest need firewall adjustments. i would just get a hammer and do it. JMHO.

IDM mod is probably a tossup. if you get a shift kit you will have to tell your tuner that you have one, as the custom tunes make adjustments to your shifts. if you go with a chip i would skip the shift kit. again, IMHO. but would definitly get a cooler.