Manual or Auto?

[MrJohnWayne]

The clutch i'm not sure, but ford offers the slave/master cylinder with new line in a kit pre bled so all you have to do is install and go. was like 250 but that was 2 years ago when I changed one.

[WantaDies]

Also...the trucks I have been looking at in the affordable price range is 99-00.
So that is good info on the forged rods. You say late 99? was there a 99 1/2 model year? So the early 99 model did not have the forged rods? And I'm guessing the way to tell is the date on the sticker somewhere in the truck, like inside the door, which gives the year and month? Thanks Maintain.

Stories like yours Tylerp are what have pushed me to look for a manual...

[WantaDies]

250 is not bad for an easy install. I like the idea of the 'pre' bled lines. Thanks for the price.

[Marty]

Originally Posted by WantaDies

I am definitly looking for a 4 wheel drive truck, which is another reason that I like these diesels with the bullet proof Dana 60 and 10.50 sterling. The front end is another maintainence problem though on these trucks with the ball joints and rotors giving out.

If you get any 99-03 F250 or F350 SRW it will have a Sterling 10.25 rear. If you get an F350 DRW it will be a Dana 80 rear with a Dana 60 front.

If you get a 99-01 F250 or F350 with the exception of the dually it will have a Dana 50 Front axle (some F350 SRW may have come with D60 fronts but the majority are NOT). The 02+ have Dana 60 fronts.


The ball joints ARE a problems as well as the rotors and wheel bearings on these trucks. Both are at-home fixes. Powerslot rotors with LTB Hawk Pads will run you a few pennies over OEM but will last alot longer and increase your trucks ability to brake.

Hope this helps.

[Marty]

Originally Posted by WantaDies

Also...the trucks I have been looking at in the affordable price range is 99-00.
So that is good info on the forged rods. You say late 99? was there a 99 1/2 model year? So the early 99 model did not have the forged rods? And I'm guessing the way to tell is the date on the sticker somewhere in the truck, like inside the door, which gives the year and month? Thanks Maintain.

Stories like yours Tylerp are what have pushed me to look for a manual...

The early 99 had Forged rods as well as the 94-98 7.3's. The 'early' 99's have smaller turbo's, smaller cc injectors as well as a few other things. The late 99 and 00 model year truck is the same as the 03 7.3 with the exception of forged rods which is a plus. If I were to do it all over again I'd get a 2000 Lariat instead of a 2001 platinum. Also, in 2001 for 1/2 of a year they had a mechanical diode that was basically a one way clutch that usually broke within the first 50-70k miles. You can tell by the outward appearances usually if the truck is a 00 or 01 but you can't be 100% sure without checking the door sticker. My Door sticker is different then my underhood imprint. My door sticker says 01/01 but my underhood imprint says 08/00. I don't think I have forged rods, only 2,000 platinums were made and I think they all came with PMR's.

---

Last edited by Marty : 11-21-2006 at 12:44 PM.

[WantaDies]

Thanks for the inputs.

Is the Dana 50 in the 99 a straight axle?...
It is not the TTB (Twin Traction Beam) front axle is it?

That alone will make me not buy on of the 99-00 trucks. I am pretty sure it is a straight axle.

So if it is a Dana 50 front, are they pretty strong axles? i.e., could they handle 800 ftlbs and 40" tires without breaking ring and pinion? I know the 10.25 Sterling is ample. But the dana 50 is kinda scaring me.

The bigger turbo of the later 99's and 00's is definitely some good information.

[nathan]

Reman converter $200.00 Heavy duty $300.00 A&Reds transmission parts 8164837337. Dont tell me you cant get them under $1000.00! You aint looking.

[Clay Henry]

Originally Posted by nathan

Reman converter $200.00 Heavy duty $300.00 A&Reds transmission parts 8164837337. Dont tell me you cant get them under $1000.00! You aint looking.

Thats great...I never seen em that cheap before....
I can buy a hamburger for 59 cents too but I wouldn't eat something that cost that little...just the principle of the matter - you get what you pay for most of the time.
I don't know anything about a reman converters at A&Reds but i suppose if they have a warranty, then I would probably give it a shot.

[99Smokin73Stroker]

Originally Posted by CHenry

If you plan to race, sled pull or any of that, i would imagine you would be best off with an auto.

For drags, auto. Sled pulls Manual.

I would say if you like the ease of maintenance with a transmission go with the manual. A good single disk clutch can be as much as 800 bucks or more. But if you ever get power hungry and start burning up single disk clutches and have to go to dual disk you could have had a good converter and valve body upgrade for the same if not less $

[WantaDies]

I think it would be a kick in the a$$ to sled pull. So many guys around here dominant with the Cummins. It would be nice to pull past em', but that prolly won't happen. The last guy that won here I heard was using a big block chevy corvette, late 70's or something...pretty crazy.