ArdWrknTrk Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 The transfer case yoke, front drive shaft, pitman arm, panhard bar and mount, springs, sway bars, hubs, Where does the list end??? Who wants to $#&@* with all this, just to get the truck it should have been? It's not worth it to most of us. That list is pretty much complete. And given that it's only missing one thing (the lift blocks between the rear springs and rear axle) and has an extra thing (F-250HD and F-350 use the same hubs, at least if it's an F-250 HD with a Dana 50) arguably it had already ended! Oh, I guess you need the longer U-bolts for the taller lift blocks too. And the "F-350" badges for the fenders, but you don't really need those. But otherwise, the parts list is the same. As far as who wants to (expletive deleted) with all of that, it's all bolt-on stuff, and it's a whale of a lot less than what most of us do on our project trucks anyway. And in a lot of cases you can't buy just what you want. Before the '99 SuperDuties there were no F-350 SuperCabs except for dualies (and maybe only 2WD, I'm not sure of that). And there were no short box F-350s. Yes long boxes are better if you need more room. But for carrying a family and towing a big trailer a crew cab short box is hard to beat. And a short box SuperCab is a really nice package for a lot of use as well, but was only available in F-250 (and F-150 of course). Plus when you are looking at 22+ year old trucks, a lot of the time you have to take what you can find. Even if you are looking for a long box regular cab you might find a rust-free F-250HD before you find a good F-350. Now personally I kind of like the leaf-sprung TTB and I have no plans to do a solid axle swap on my truck ('97 crew cab short bed). It rides WAY better than the '85 F-250HD I had, and can't be much worse than an F-350 (likely not significant). And I really don't want the ~2" lift that a Dana 60 swap provides (my wife and my 86 year old dad have enough trouble getting in it now). But there are good arguments for a Dana 60 swap, so if someone found the right F-250, it's not that hard to find a clapped out F-350 to provide the rest of the parts needed if you want that F-250 to have a solid axle. Bob, it's only supercabs that were stock with D50's. (You could option them for plowing) I can see a crew cab for family. The tiny jump seats just won't cut it for most of us. My point is, I've NEVER bought an axle that came with ANY of that. You get it from hub to hub. Maybe the junkies cut the u-bolts and drive shaft off with a torch. Springs will set you back... Bits and pieces add up quickly. And today, how many people want to bother with that for a 30+ year old truck? Nuts! Crazy people! Fanatics! Yes, that's us... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 And today, how many people want to bother with that for a 30+ year old truck? Nuts! Crazy people! Fanatics! Yes, that's us... Yep, that's an apt description of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 I DID just stumble upon this And while it's not a Bullnose, it sure is pristine.. They're nuts if they think that truck is in high demand. There are only two aeronose trucks that are in high demand. Regular Cab F350 4x4 w/Flowerstroke, and Crew Cab F350 4x4 w/Flowerstroke. Everything else is worth significantly less, even if people try to sell them for more. This includes any extended cab, all F250 4x4's (because of TTB), etc. Because Flowerstroke 4x4 F350's are so expensive these days, you're starting to see people swap either 86-97 D60's or Super Duty axles into F250's. And anybody who can't even afford an F250 Flowerstroke 4x4 is SD axle swapping 4x2's. The problem with that is everybody who does this, thinks their truck is now worth F350 Flowerstroke 4x4 money, and that's just not the case. It's like buying an original 69-70 Charger Daytona versus buying a 68 Charger with a reproduction wing and nose. At the end of the day, the rear window is still wrong, it's still a 68, and it will never be worth as much as the real deal. Buy hey, as long as somebody is du...(less than educated) enough to pay it, people will keep trying to sell at those prices. Around here the Aeronose F250 Powerstrokes with 4x4 are going for $15,000 to $25,000, with 150,000 to 250,000 miles on them. And for a hacked up, beat up one they ask $8,000 to $10,000. Several years ago I commented to my friend who sells cars that I saw a Powerstroke with 165,000 miles on it and they’re asking 17,500, I said that’s crazy, he said and they’ll get it, I can’t find enough to sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Around here the Aeronose F250 Powerstrokes with 4x4 are going for $15,000 to $25,000, with 150,000 to 250,000 miles on them. And for a hacked up, beat up one they ask $8,000 to $10,000. Several years ago I commented to my friend who sells cars that I saw a Powerstroke with 165,000 miles on it and they’re asking 17,500, I said that’s crazy, he said and they’ll get it, I can’t find enough to sell. When a comparable new truck is $60k & up you bet they will. Our friend Steve was saying that his friend paid $106 or something like that for his new Ford pu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Well said, Bob. But I was holding my breath when you got into the TTB vs D60. I was sure glad you said that your '97 "rides WAY better than the '85 F-250HD". I should have said "I kind of like the leaf-sprung TTB, at least on my '97". I did have an '85 and it rode pretty terrible. I don't know if my '97 is an aberration or if they got a lot better. Or maybe the crew cab and 460 smooth things out a lot. Bob, it's only supercabs that were stock with D50's. (You could option them for plowing) I don't think anyone can give a definitive answer on what trucks Ford put what parts on. Ford didn't really seem to have any hard and fast rules. I've heard of regular cab F-250HDs with D50s, but it is probably mostly the SuperCabs (and crew cabs). My point is, I've NEVER bought an axle that came with ANY of that. You get it from hub to hub. Maybe the junkies cut the u-bolts and drive shaft off with a torch. Springs will set you back... Bits and pieces add up quickly.... Yes, bits and pieces add up, but there really aren't very many. You had pretty much listed them all. I'm not saying it's free. But as projects go it's really not that big. I can see a crew cab for family. The tiny jump seats just won't cut it for most of us. A SuperCab isn't a very good family truck. But it's great for some things. There's a retired couple in my church that loves their Club Cab Dodge for towing their fifth wheel. They want room to put some stuff in the cab but don't need or want a really long truck. And I loved mine for taking my dogs hunting. I always thought I'd go back to one after my kids moved out, but with the possibility of grand kids in my future I think I'll stay with a crew cab (so I definitely see your point). But i don't want the length of a crew cab long box, so if I do get a "new" truck I want it to be an F-250 for the short box (although if I want an IDI diesel I'll need to get an F-350 and shorten it, that's a lot harder than putting a Dana 60 under an F-250 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Well said, Bob.But I was holding my breath when you got into the TTB vs D60. I was sure glad you said that your '97 "rides WAY better than the '85 F-250HD". I should have said "I kind of like the leaf-sprung TTB, at least on my '97". I did have an '85 and it rode pretty terrible. I don't know if my '97 is an aberration or if they got a lot better. Or maybe the crew cab and 460 smooth things out a lot.Bob, it's only supercabs that were stock with D50's.(You could option them for plowing)I don't think anyone can give a definitive answer on what trucks Ford put what parts on. Ford didn't really seem to have any hard and fast rules. I've heard of regular cab F-250HDs with D50s, but it is probably mostly the SuperCabs (and crew cabs). My point is, I've NEVER bought an axle that came with ANY of that.You get it from hub to hub. Maybe the junkies cut the u-bolts and drive shaft off with a torch.Springs will set you back...Bits and pieces add up quickly....Yes, bits and pieces add up, but there really aren't very many. You had pretty much listed them all. I'm not saying it's free. But as projects go it's really not that big.I can see a crew cab for family.The tiny jump seats just won't cut it for most of us.A SuperCab isn't a very good family truck. But it's great for some things. There's a retired couple in my church that loves their Club Cab Dodge for towing their fifth wheel. They want room to put some stuff in the cab but don't need or want a really long truck. And I loved mine for taking my dogs hunting. I always thought I'd go back to one after my kids moved out, but with the possibility of grand kids in my future I think I'll stay with a crew cab (so I definitely see your point). But i don't want the length of a crew cab long box, so if I do get a "new" truck I want it to be an F-250 for the short box (although if I want an IDI diesel I'll need to get an F-350 and shorten it, that's a lot harder than putting a Dana 60 under an F-250And now for something completely different...Lee Iacocca's personal K-car is up for sale: https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25718/lot/64/It's a 20,000 mile 1986 LeBaron Town & Country convertible, complete with fake wood paneling. I never thought I'd say it about a K-car, but it looks GREAT. Someone around here had one very similar to this, and drove it daily. I loved seeing it go by, until he got t-boned at an intersection by a cretin and it was damaged beyond repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 And now for something completely different...Lee Iacocca's personal K-car is up for sale: https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25718/lot/64/It's a 20,000 mile 1986 LeBaron Town & Country convertible, complete with fake wood paneling. I never thought I'd say it about a K-car, but it looks GREAT. Someone around here had one very similar to this, and drove it daily. I loved seeing it go by, until he got t-boned at an intersection by a cretin and it was damaged beyond repair. Do we have a future "most expensive K-Car ever sold"? Or do we have a no-sale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 Do we have a future "most expensive K-Car ever sold"? Or do we have a no-sale? I like Bill's better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 I like Bill's better. On another subject, this web page has an interesting story about the lions on the hood ornaments on many Ford vehicles, including some of the trucks since the the ornament was an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 On another subject, this web page has an interesting story about the lions on the hood ornaments on many Ford vehicles, including some of the trucks since the the ornament was an option. I remember my grandmother's '76 or '77 Country Squire wagon had these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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