acefuture

13 hours ago, Air450 said:

I have a brand new trans cooler for 7.3 if you're interested.

I already did the upgrade. Thanks though!

1 hour ago, ANGRYBUTTCRACK said:

I'm with you,.. saw a high end Ford 350 dually on FB for $129k. I can't believe the prices for trucks... inflation.

The used market has come down a tad. I bought my 2000 7.3 because I couldn't swallow the pill of paying $50k for a truck that had 125k miles on it 2 years ago til last year. Now that same truck can be had around $35-38k and $50k can get you an unmolested, clean 6.7 under 5 years old with 75k or less miles. So that's why I'm back in the market

Plus the value of my 7.3 continues to go up

1 hour ago, URCLEVER said:

Damn I just traded in my 2020 Tremor for 55K, would of been a great truck for somebody. good luck I waited 10 months for my F450

DAMN! That would've been perfect. In due time I'll find one

Saw that one, but out of budget. Thanks 

Putting some feelers out there. I've been looking pretty far and wide for a truck and haven't found what I'm looking for. In search of a shortbed 17 - 22 alumiduty with a 6.7. Sub 75k miles preferably. MUST have stock emissions, completely stock truck preferred. A level kit is fine, but no lifted trucks. Budget of $60k. White in color, and lariat trim would be nice, but beggers can't be choosers. Let me know if you have one or know of one that fits the bill. I think I've seen every truck on marketplace, offerup, autotrader, carmax, etc.

11 minutes ago, wesinls said:

What, no picture of me getting towed back to camp? Damnit! :).  Great trip and nice to meet you all.

I think Reece might have one haha

5 minutes ago, lincster said:

Where do you guys camp?

Might have to try and maybe get with you guys next season.

Holiday weekends are usually Gordon's. We try to sneak in a few glamis trips too, but only got 1 this season. 7 trips were Gordon's. Seems every trip though we spent a lot of time duning in Glamis. Just pack up the coolers and ride all day from Gordon's to Glamis, all over Glamis and back

Anytime. Would like to do every 3 weeks next season from October to May

Kept checking conditions over the last few weeks to sneak in another trip before it closed out. Forecast looked warm, but nice for April 18-21 so myself, @Reece Pettersen, and @Skyler McCurdy said let's go for it. @wesinls came to join us as well, my first time meeting him in person and was a great addition to the group. Weather was warm during the day, but in the shade it was comfortable. I have still been working through these issues on my car and brought new injector plugs to wire thinking that may be the fix to my issues. Went for an afternoon ride on Thursday and had a good time. Not a single track in the dunes but it was hard to read. Sharp edges and giant witches eyes. The blue car of Skyler's was running great. On the way back to camp my car started sputtering again. Wasn't fixed. Friday morning Wyatt, Reece, and Sky went for a ride while my dad and I tore into my car. Last trip a buddy of ours suggested to check the ignition switch, and I got another but didn't check it. The guys got back from the ride and Reece came over and smacked my dash while the car was idling and sure enough the car sputtered. Replaced the ignition switch and bam, car ran like a top. FINALLY got the issue worked out on the last trip of the season. Rode the rest of Friday and Saturday with out any issues. We had a few other issues in the camp including a voltage issue for Wyatt, fan fuse issue for Shea, Fan ground issue for Skyler, but most was worked through for the most part. Had an absolute blast, great way to finish off the season. Closed out with about 1100 dune miles. Which is an average of about 140 miles per trip. Need to get those numbers up next season. Looking forward to it already

1 hour ago, Realbadlarry said:

Did you check the plug....look at the backside...

IMG_7118.MOV

I have not yet. I'll take a look thanks

1 minute ago, parker@gearone said:

2018 f250 diesel, hands down my favorite vehicle I've ever owned. Got a good deal used with only 12,000 Miles, Its about to crack 190,000 miles. Truck Has run flawless so far... But I can feel the trans shifting harder and harder for the past 10,000 miles... I've been talking with my tuner and we will be rebuilding the trans sooner than later.

Truck was deleted and  tuned at 100k

leveled on 37s at 40k

Its not a show truck, its a truck. I haul material with it for work  and I occasionally will send it through "Jeep trails" at lake pleasant to find some shoreline away from everyone else.

I have thought about getting a new one, but I've seen so many problems with new trucks. I call my truck "the last good one"

 

Thanks Parker, glad you like it. What issues have you seen with the newer trucks that have you questioning?

2 minutes ago, Realbadlarry said:

did it just "shut off"... check the IPR plug...they melt then will kill it like a switch going off....they sell pigtails for it.... for cheap... Wires and Diesel don't go together well. 

 

Yep, it's the IPR, have a new one on order from Ford that i'm picking up tomorrow. All in all it's a good truck, but I don't have the time to maintain it anymore. Need something I can get in and drive every day without having to constantly think about what next maintenance item it needs. First time it left me stranded was injector O-rings. Burned 8 quarts of oil on the way out to the dunes. Had to get it towed to Yuma from the dunes to get it fixed. Second time the battery cables internally corroded and cooked a battery. Third time was a CPS, now 4th time (and the most scary) was the IPR and it was while driving. Lost power steering too. 

17 minutes ago, Yfzkevin said:

Trust me I totally understand. I was a little worried about this as well. I came from an LML that had the cp4 blow and the TCM take a crap on me at different times. Was around $13-14k to fix. Last thing I wanted to do was jump into another problem child. I did alot of research and read alot of reviews. It seems like the motors are good to go, the 10 speed trans seems to be much better in the 22's over the 20 and 21 model years. One thing I did was I bought my truck from a dealer and bought a ford certified warranty that covers everything till 2030 or 100k miles for $3k. Worse case warranty covers it best case I spend $3k to make sure my truck was covered for 7 years.

Are these new trucks running the CP4 still? Do they have a lift pump as well?

12 minutes ago, Realbadlarry said:

Might want to weigh that beast....you could be surprised.... my 30 ft extreme bumper pull was 13k with a rzr and a quad and no water.... 

Yea I'm going to. It's stickered at 7500 uvgw, but we all know about WW and their "sticker weights" Im guessing closer to 9500, then with my car, water, and garbarge another 5k. I think it'll land around 15k. The guy im buying it from has owned it and towed it for many many years with his 2014 6.7 

6 minutes ago, Yfzkevin said:

I have a 2022 f-350 short bed with 35's and 3.55 gears that I pick up about a year ago. I bought it used with 20k miles. I now have 30k miles on the truck. I absolutely love the truck with the new updated dash, 10 speed and extra power over the 17-19' model years 450hp 925tq to 20-22 model years 475hp 1050tq. I tow a WW LE3505 with my rzr pro r from san diego to glamis through the mountains on the 8 freeway. The first time I pulled my trailer I could believe how much power the truck has. Even when slower big rigs slow me down on the hills, I can move over when it is safe and get right back up to speed on the hill. Coming down the mountain the exhaust brake and all the gears really let you keep the truck at the speed you want it at. I had a 2011 LML before this that I owned for 7 years towing this trailer. I was always amazed out how well it did towing my trailer coming for my 2005 f-250. My duramax had a 4" lift with 35"s and stock gearing deleted and tuned. The truck ran great. But it isnt even close to the power or comfortable feeling towing the trailer as my new ford. Feels more planted(not lifted yet) so that makes sense, better brakes by far. But the biggest plus is the power and gears. The truck is always in the right spot for cruising or powering up the hill.

Only thing I will say is I think these new trucks use a bit more DEF, which is understandable with the higher hp and tq of the newer trucks. I have gone through about 10 gallons of DEF in 10K miles. I do also do alot of city driving which doesnt help. But I get about 13mpg around town and about 19-20mpg at 75-80mph. Much over 80 it goes down to 18mpg and closer to 70mph its closer to 21-22mpg. Let me know if you have any more question about the 22' that I can answer for you.

Kevin

Awesome, really appreciate the feedback. It's selling me on it even more. 

The main thing I'm trying to wrap my head around is what potential issues am I looking at with these newer truck and what have owners experienced? Seems like majority of guys I've talked to have been more than happy. But I have heard a few horror stories of trans going out at very low miles.

23 minutes ago, Shiggins37 said:

I have had a 2002 7.3, 2004.5 GMC 2500, and currently have a 2019 F250 with 6.7. That gives me a bit of experience with a couple of different views on it. I have owned the f250 since early 2020. I put a level kit and 35’s on it right away along with icon reservoir shocks 2.5’s in the front and 2.0’s in the back. Unfortunately it came stock with a 3.31 rear end instead of the 3.55. I was shocked how easily it towed our 36’ 5th wheel toy hauler that is about 14k-15k lbs loaded depending on what we have in it. I verified weights on the scale since I am particular about knowing exactly where I’m at. It tows like a dream with no area where I felt a need to regear it to the 3.55’s or 3.73’s . Mileage wise I get about 13-14 mpg town driving and about 17-18 freeway. I do have a light right foot and keep it pretty mellow though. Engine is completely stock and no tuning either. I recently went with 37’s and it still has tons of power to spare. I haven’t towed yet with the bigger tires but no longer have my trailer so towing wise I’ll probably only be occasionally towing a 14k lb bumper pull enclosed and the flatbed with rzr on it. I have loved the truck since the day it showed up. The shocks made a huge difference in handling over the crappy fabtech shocks I had initially. It uses very little DEF. I probably use 5 or 6 gallons a year. I don’t drive a ton though….. I’ve put 40k miles on it since April 2020. I wouldn’t hesitate buying a 17-19 super duty. I know tons of guys that have that year range and not one has had an issue with theirs. One friend has a deleted one and said it’s insane and gets well over 20mpg freeway if he keeps it at 70 or below. Please let me know if you have any more questions. 
 

no idea why I can’t rotate the photo…. Sorry

That is great real world experience. Thanks for sharing. I am picking up a new-to-me Weekend Warrior 3505 in June and fully loaded i'd imagine ill be somewhere around 14-15k lbs. So I need a truck that i'm confident in to pull that. Sounds like your 19 would be a great fit. I would more than likely do a 2.5" up front and put it on 37s as well

22 minutes ago, Dockmaster said:

I have a 2017 F350 with the 6.7 and the 6 speed. I love the truck and it has been very reliable. But it is not a daily driver and only has 55k on it. I tow a lot with loads varying from light to heavy. I really appreciate the 21k rating for bumper pull. Only issue I’ve had other than maintenance is a small radiator weep (knock wood).  I stuck some Bars stop leak in it about 5k ago and no issue since. I’ll replace the rad when I get some free time.  I went from an 02 withe 7.3 to this 2017. Night and day difference on power, ride quality, creature comforts, etc. 

I know my lady will be happy with the ride quality. She thinks the 7.3 is like driving a pogo stick and shes not wrong

Just now, tjZ06 said:

That's a ~24 year old truck now.  @acefuture didn't mention the miles on it, but it could be 30,000 or 3,000,000... 

 

-TJ
 

230k miles and sat for the last 5 years until I bought it. Just needed everything done. I've spent a lot of money on it 

1 hour ago, Realbadlarry said:

I have heard the transmission stuff.....the 6 speed is still really nice. They all have their issues.....  but stranded in a 2000?  was it abused as a child? 

Unfortunately it sounds like all trucks do. 

I assumed all of the maintenance that was never done. Turbo, EBPV, Oil Coolers, Injectors, CPS, IPV, ICP, All new front end steering, tires, alignment, Ball joints, brakes, new seat covers, head unit, speakers, the list goes on. I've done almost everything. And yesterday it died in the middle of a busy street at 5pm on my way home from work. Absolute nightmare.

1 hour ago, Sand Shark said:

If looking used I would probably avoid the covid built years when Ford was scrambling for parts and to produce the trucks.   This would go for all the other truck manufactures.  End of 2022 build should be fine.  

End of 22 would be my #1 pick or a 2019 would be the next.

50 minutes ago, Rorschach said:

How much for the 7.3?

I have over $24k into it including what I bought it for. It won't be cheap once I get it finished and posted. It will have all major 7.3 issues dialed once I sell. Bummer that I spent a year working all the issues out just to sell, but I'm throwing in the towel

About a year ago I was in the market for a truck and posted a thread on here. I was looking to go from my old half ton to a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. I ended up buying a 2000 F350 7.3 and it has been an interesting experience. Now I'm looking for something new(er). I've done a TON of upgrades to the 7.3 and it's left me stranded several times now. And with my business getting busier, shorter turn arounds in the dunes, and hopefully more frequent trips to baja, I can't afford to be left stranded. At this point i've been paying almost double what a payment would be on a new truck, in just upgrades to the 7.3 every month. Time to move on.

So here's my question. I'm doing the deep dive on new(er) trucks, specifically Fords. Since ive been in a Ford family, it's what I'm familiar with. Ford owners: what do you like and dislike about your truck? I do not care for the new front ends on the 23-24s. The 20-22s are my favorite, with the 22 being the standout with the upgraded dash screen. But I've heard a couple people mention the 6 speeds in the 17-19s were a stronger trans than the new 10 speeds. Interested to hear what experiences you guys have had with your newer powerstrokes. How do they pull? Daily Drive? MPGs? Etc.

This is awesome, I'd love to that section soon

Throw a cube of yellow fuel cell foam as a baffle inside the PS reservoir, no more leaky cap

14 minutes ago, Tonyd said:

Here is a friends 2000 mid-engine dual sport.

This was Cooley's premier car at the SSSS that year.

Way ahead of its time....... 1st full-body (Jeff Davis), 2" hollows, 4 wheel bypasses, Fortin mid-boards, windshield...

That car is one of my favorites. 

1 hour ago, HP.Habits said:

Alumicraft is on my list of cars to drive, older and newer. Anyone can tell me the main differences/improvements they have made? Any info would be appreciated. Id love to do a write up on one

 

Really depends on the models we are talking about. Cooley was pretty adamant about building race cars and not dune cars from my understanding. They did build a few types of cars in the early 2000s. One was a light weight "dune focused" car and the others were built for desert/racing. A good example is the two cars I have in the garage right now. My car was originally built in 05 (rebuilt in 2015) but weighs 3200 lbs and has a TON of overbuilt parts on it. Albins, LS, full floater hubs, etc. Then the other car is a same gen 2 seat that probably weighs 1500lbs. 2D, J35, midboards, all lightweight parts. 

Since then there has been a ton of updates to their chassis into modern day. But one thing has always remained with Alumicraft is that they are built well, and for safety. And they are some of the best handling cars in the dunes and the desert hands down. I don't think there's been another most winning buggy company in desert racing as of recent.

I'm still hungover from Sunday night

Just messaged him, thanks

Update: No paperwork

2 hours ago, Pennywise said:

I have a brand new in the crate factory short block, if interested message me an offer. 

With how locked up this motor is I think it's gonna need heads too, probably better to just replace the whole shebang. Appreciate the offer though