These pictures start on the day I bough her (4/11/11) and work through the latest pictures I have.
(4/12/11)
I picked up a '97 F-250 Powerstroke 4x4 extended cab, automatic yesterday. It has 110,xxx original miles on it. The original owner only ever towed his 16' pontoon boat with it. He bought it new in '97.
This is going to be my tow rig and daily driver.
Plans:
- 3" Down pipe to 4" exhaust (getting done on 4/13/11)
- Chip
- Intake
- 2" front leveling kit
- Line-X bed
- Line-X rocker panels
I don't want to do a whole lot to this. Just keep her maintained so she last me a while.
Pictures:
(4/19/11)
I got the rear tank replaced. It was a pain in the ass.
I got a new stainless steel exhaust put on. It removed the factory cat and muffler. It also replaced the restrictive down pipe with a 3" round down pipe. I can't decide if I like the muffler or if I want to take it off completely.
Exhaust kit in the box.
On the Rack.
Factory Down pipe and cat.
I got a new Westin bumper from Summit. Finding a good used one was a pain in the ass. The weight rating on the bumper is 8,000# load and 800# tongue weight. I don't trust a bumper for that, so I put a Class IV hitch on it as well that has a rating of 7,500# trailer (10,000# with weight distribution) and a 1000# tongue weight.
Hitch Installed.
The hardest part was deciding where to put the factory 7 pin trailer plug after the bumper and hitch was installed. Since the truck was ordered from the factory without a bumper, the factory location wouldn't work. I decided to drill the hole in the bumper instead of letting the plug hang down. It was nerve racking, but I think it looks a ton better.
(4/21/11)
I filled up the front tank last night from 1/2 full. It was mainly in town driving and I got 16.9 mpg with it. I drove the truck on the interstate to my dads and back today (185 mile round trip) and I filled up when I got back from 1/2 tank (front tank only). I got 18.9 mpg on the interstate. Both mileage readings is unloaded. The in town number includes some heavy foot action too. I was quite amazed by the fuel mileage. It is much better than the 8-9 mpg my Dodge was getting.
I hooked the trailer up and towed with it the "new" truck for the first time. It pulls amazing. I need to find out if it will hurt the transmission hauling the XJ like below in OD. The XJ and trailer combined weight is about 5,500#.
Truck and trailer only.
Truck, trailer, and XJ.
I also can't decide if I want to put on a leveling kit. The front sits a tad bit lower than the rear with a load. I don't want it to look sagged when I load the truck.
(4/29/11)
I took the bed off on Wednesday to fix the fuel tank venting problem (now holding 42 gallons of fuel). When I had it off, I found a little typical Ford rust that needed immediate attention.
I also undercoated everything that wasn't the body color with rubberized undercoating. Hopefully this solves the rust issue.
"Hey, why ain't we moving?!"
(4/12/11)
I picked up a '97 F-250 Powerstroke 4x4 extended cab, automatic yesterday. It has 110,xxx original miles on it. The original owner only ever towed his 16' pontoon boat with it. He bought it new in '97.
This is going to be my tow rig and daily driver.
Plans:
- 3" Down pipe to 4" exhaust (getting done on 4/13/11)
- Chip
- Intake
- 2" front leveling kit
- Line-X bed
- Line-X rocker panels
I don't want to do a whole lot to this. Just keep her maintained so she last me a while.
Pictures:
(4/19/11)
I got the rear tank replaced. It was a pain in the ass.
I got a new stainless steel exhaust put on. It removed the factory cat and muffler. It also replaced the restrictive down pipe with a 3" round down pipe. I can't decide if I like the muffler or if I want to take it off completely.
Exhaust kit in the box.
On the Rack.
Factory Down pipe and cat.
I got a new Westin bumper from Summit. Finding a good used one was a pain in the ass. The weight rating on the bumper is 8,000# load and 800# tongue weight. I don't trust a bumper for that, so I put a Class IV hitch on it as well that has a rating of 7,500# trailer (10,000# with weight distribution) and a 1000# tongue weight.
Hitch Installed.
The hardest part was deciding where to put the factory 7 pin trailer plug after the bumper and hitch was installed. Since the truck was ordered from the factory without a bumper, the factory location wouldn't work. I decided to drill the hole in the bumper instead of letting the plug hang down. It was nerve racking, but I think it looks a ton better.
(4/21/11)
I filled up the front tank last night from 1/2 full. It was mainly in town driving and I got 16.9 mpg with it. I drove the truck on the interstate to my dads and back today (185 mile round trip) and I filled up when I got back from 1/2 tank (front tank only). I got 18.9 mpg on the interstate. Both mileage readings is unloaded. The in town number includes some heavy foot action too. I was quite amazed by the fuel mileage. It is much better than the 8-9 mpg my Dodge was getting.
I hooked the trailer up and towed with it the "new" truck for the first time. It pulls amazing. I need to find out if it will hurt the transmission hauling the XJ like below in OD. The XJ and trailer combined weight is about 5,500#.
Truck and trailer only.
Truck, trailer, and XJ.
I also can't decide if I want to put on a leveling kit. The front sits a tad bit lower than the rear with a load. I don't want it to look sagged when I load the truck.
(4/29/11)
I took the bed off on Wednesday to fix the fuel tank venting problem (now holding 42 gallons of fuel). When I had it off, I found a little typical Ford rust that needed immediate attention.
I also undercoated everything that wasn't the body color with rubberized undercoating. Hopefully this solves the rust issue.
"Hey, why ain't we moving?!"
