Rebuild vs New Truck

[drewfromtexas]

So I bought my 7.3l 350 in January. It has 362,5xx miles on it. I didn't need the power, but for the price and the fact that I drive in Dallas with a lot of idiots and could use a tank, I decided to buy it. The Ranger I had before was awesome in terms of reliability, but I could never do anything fun in it. And then the 350 came into the picture. I've really bonded with this truck, and I love the body style, the capabilities. Anywho, the man I bought it from did a lot of highway driving and took very good care of the truck (he had all the records to prove it). As with anything, there will be an end to this truck. When that time comes, I guess I'll have to decide whether to write it off or rebuild it. I just have a couple questions about rebuilds vs new trucks.

When you rebuild the engine, is it essentially a brand new engine? Can I expect to go another 400k+ miles? I figure other stuff will go out but do they replace the hoses and belts on a rebuild?

Is the 7.3 worth holding onto? I've heard good things about the new 6.7, but is it worth the price considering you have what a lot of people say is the best engine ford put in their trucks?

[INFRNL]

I personally do not like the new trucks, and plan to rebuild my motor with forged rods or find a block and have it built. In theory, rebuilding will be like new motor with more power cause they are typically bore over stock specs on pistons. other upgrades can be added in as well. I imagine if done right, you would see the same from the rebuilt motor.

[7.3HeavyHauler]

The 7.3 is no joke personally I'd run it till it dies, there's a guy I used to work with haulin trailers he had a 99 with well over 900k miles, had to replace this and that. It he took care of it. But to answer your question.... Do you want a Truck payment or no truck payment there's your answer

[Flatbedcowboy]

My plan for when mine dies is to tear it to the ground and rebuild it adding whatever performance deals I want repaint and replace most everything and still be cheaper than a new truck plus Ill have all the upgrades for a better truck anyways

[ttyR2]

Personally, I'd rebuild my 2000 F-350 before I bought anything newer. I don't care for the styling on the newer trucks as well as the huge amount of electronics in them that makes DIY troubleshooting much more difficult. The 7.3 in our trucks is the perfect balance of sophistication yet still fixable by an owner who can turn a wrench, imho.

[Turbostang500]

Originally Posted by ttyR2

Personally, I'd rebuild my 2000 F-350 before I bought anything newer. I don't care for the styling on the newer trucks as well as the huge amount of electronics in them that makes DIY troubleshooting much more difficult. The 7.3 in our trucks is the perfect balance of sophistication yet still fixable by an owner who can turn a wrench, imho.

X2!!

[colo_dually]

Rebuild that truck, hands down that's what I'd do with any 7.3L or 6.0L on the road before I took ownership of a new emissions compliant, too many electronic sensors the average guy can't work on it anymore, with a bank note to boot new truck.

There are a few 7.3L's out there raking up over a million miles. 400K out of your motor is a great start. It may not be fully 'new' when you do a rebuild, but you should be able to get another 250K out of it maybe more. All depends on the condition of that block when you tear it down. There is also the create motor option, if you don't want to mess with the whole process of the rebuild.