If you put this thread in the 6.4 section I guarantee the poll would be a landslide in favor of buying the 6.4. I bet most of the people who voted in favor of you keeping the 7.3 have either never ridden in a tuned & deleted 6.4, or are die-hard to the grave 7.3 enthusiasts blinded by commitment. Almost all of the 6.4 owners at one point or another have owned at least one 7.3, and probably a 6.0 or two. I've personally had 7 different 7.3's, and 6 different 6.0's, and now my 6.4. I wouldn't trade my 6.4 for a parking lot full of 7.3's or 6.0's. Are they great trucks? Yes, but not by comparison. I don't regret trading up to the 6.4 where I am now, even a little bit. Perhaps it would be more helpful to have a poll of who has a 6.4, and would rather go back to the 7.3 for any realistic reason? I bet there would be 0.
Let's compare a 500 hp 7.3 to a 500 hp 6.4.
7.3: leaf sprung Dana 50 front axle, 6.4: coil sprung Dana super 60 with much tighter turning radius.
7.3: Good 4 wheel disc brakes- clears 16" wheels, 6.4: great , but requires specific 17's or 18" wheels. 6.4's also have much longer & softer rear leaf springs.
to get 500 reliable HP out of a 7.3, including the purchase price is about a wash if not more money than a 500 hp 6.4. Add up the cost of parts, and it all makes sense.
7.3 interior, bells, whistles, creature comforts etc.: way nicer than your gramps' '73 power wagon, but NO WHERE NEAR as nice as a 6.4. 7.3 has significantly more engine noise as well.
7.3 fuel mileage at 500 hp: 12-15ish. 6.4 at 500: 16-20ish
7.3: no worries with the EPA. 6.4: everybody knows a guy at a local emissions shop with bad vision/memory, and accepts tips., so no worries either.
I guarantee that a properly set up 500 hp 6.4 would outlast a properly set up 500 hp 7.3 doing equal tasks any day for reliability and longevity, all while doing it more quietly and efficiently, with greater comfort. There's also the instant throttle response of a stock turboed 6.4 compared to the lag of a single configured 500 hp 7.3. Go 7.3 compounds, and you're in it way more money than a 6.4.
The way I see it, you have 3 realistic options. Either you (1) maintain, and enjoy the 7.3 as-is, (2) throw money into a black hole trying to get it reliably to 500 hp, all while working on it every spare moment you've got, OR, (3) trade in the 7.3 on the 6.4 that has all the benefits listed above, do your $2000 worth of mods, and spend less on your payment than you would on parts for your 7.3, let alone all the time working on it. It's really not a tough decision the way I see it.
oke:
