Strictly Diesel
Active member
A few years ago I purchased John Woods 2002 7.3L CC/SB/DRW/4x4 truck and sold my 2004 6.0L CC/LB/DRW/2x4 truck. You can see them both in the picture below:
This is the second 4x4 truck that I've owned and never used the 4WD in...me owning a 4x4 is just pointless!
We have done all of the service and repair on my old 6.0L for the new owner, and after 60k miles he brought it in for some problems that turned out to be over $3000 worth of work (in addition to work he'd already done). He asked us to do the "bare minimum necessary" to make it run and said he was going to sell it...so I asked what he wanted for it (if we did no repairs). I couldn't pass up the price so I bought it back and now have 2 dually trucks to play with.
We fixed what it needed (the right way, not skimping) and I drove it for a little bit and was reminded why I loved that truck so much (no, not the 6.0L engine!). The difference in how a 2WD drives, corners, steers, rides...SOOOO much better than my 4WD! I put the engine and transmission up for sale, found a buyer and this weekend the teardown begins.
Once the engine and transmission are out of the truck, we will be removing the cab and bed and stripping the frame...time to build a new truck. The frame will be cleaned, blasted and powdercoated, along with all of the stock suspension parts that will be kept. We've already test fitted my 19.5" wheels and tires and decided how much it's getting lowered...just need to order the I-Beams and blast and powdercoat the old rear lowering kit that I still have from when I owned the truck the first time.
Once the frame and suspension are all done, we'll start on the new engine. It will be a 7.3L, but the level of modification is up in the air right now. It will probably land in the 450hp range. This is a driver and a tow rig first and foremost. Already have a girdle and Hypermax rods, it will certainly have cylinder head work, valvetrain upgrades, etc.
The plan is to eventually move the cab and front clip from my 2002 dually over to the 2004 2WD frame. This will give me a 7.3L VIN on a CC/LB/2WD frame, with all of the upgrade work I've already put into my current cab (sound deadening, stereo, etc). I will do additional work to the cab and bed while they are off, like shooting bedliner material or "undercoat" on the bottom to help protect and add more sound deadening. I'm transferring the interior from the 2004 truck over to the 2002 because it's in much better shape (and isn't crappy ford faux leather). Basically, I will be keeping the best of both trucks, upgrading whatever needs it, etc...and when it's done I will have what is essentially a new truck built exactly how I want it.
Since I've already got a built John Wood trans, that will obviously be kept. I've decided to keep the transfer case as well, so I will have 2WD LOW RANGE capability if I want/need it (great for backing a trailer, etc). Lots of "little things" will be addressed in this build as well...the kind of details that I hope will make it a really cool build when it's done.
This should be an interesting project. I'm open to suggestions (other than "Stick a 6.4L or 6.7L in it") as I'm sure that many people have had "it would be cool if these trucks had..." type thoughts that I've never had. Being able to build this truck over time, while still having something to drive every day, presents a cool opportunity to make a truly perfect (for me anyway) truck. Pictures will follow once we get going...and there will probably be a bunch of FOR SALE posts as I remove parts I won't be needing.
This is the second 4x4 truck that I've owned and never used the 4WD in...me owning a 4x4 is just pointless!
We have done all of the service and repair on my old 6.0L for the new owner, and after 60k miles he brought it in for some problems that turned out to be over $3000 worth of work (in addition to work he'd already done). He asked us to do the "bare minimum necessary" to make it run and said he was going to sell it...so I asked what he wanted for it (if we did no repairs). I couldn't pass up the price so I bought it back and now have 2 dually trucks to play with.
We fixed what it needed (the right way, not skimping) and I drove it for a little bit and was reminded why I loved that truck so much (no, not the 6.0L engine!). The difference in how a 2WD drives, corners, steers, rides...SOOOO much better than my 4WD! I put the engine and transmission up for sale, found a buyer and this weekend the teardown begins.
Once the engine and transmission are out of the truck, we will be removing the cab and bed and stripping the frame...time to build a new truck. The frame will be cleaned, blasted and powdercoated, along with all of the stock suspension parts that will be kept. We've already test fitted my 19.5" wheels and tires and decided how much it's getting lowered...just need to order the I-Beams and blast and powdercoat the old rear lowering kit that I still have from when I owned the truck the first time.
Once the frame and suspension are all done, we'll start on the new engine. It will be a 7.3L, but the level of modification is up in the air right now. It will probably land in the 450hp range. This is a driver and a tow rig first and foremost. Already have a girdle and Hypermax rods, it will certainly have cylinder head work, valvetrain upgrades, etc.
The plan is to eventually move the cab and front clip from my 2002 dually over to the 2004 2WD frame. This will give me a 7.3L VIN on a CC/LB/2WD frame, with all of the upgrade work I've already put into my current cab (sound deadening, stereo, etc). I will do additional work to the cab and bed while they are off, like shooting bedliner material or "undercoat" on the bottom to help protect and add more sound deadening. I'm transferring the interior from the 2004 truck over to the 2002 because it's in much better shape (and isn't crappy ford faux leather). Basically, I will be keeping the best of both trucks, upgrading whatever needs it, etc...and when it's done I will have what is essentially a new truck built exactly how I want it.
Since I've already got a built John Wood trans, that will obviously be kept. I've decided to keep the transfer case as well, so I will have 2WD LOW RANGE capability if I want/need it (great for backing a trailer, etc). Lots of "little things" will be addressed in this build as well...the kind of details that I hope will make it a really cool build when it's done.
This should be an interesting project. I'm open to suggestions (other than "Stick a 6.4L or 6.7L in it") as I'm sure that many people have had "it would be cool if these trucks had..." type thoughts that I've never had. Being able to build this truck over time, while still having something to drive every day, presents a cool opportunity to make a truly perfect (for me anyway) truck. Pictures will follow once we get going...and there will probably be a bunch of FOR SALE posts as I remove parts I won't be needing.
