Looking at getting a 1 St gen. problem tho
 

I'm lookin at pickin up a 89 d250. For only 2500 bucks it's a good deal but the front suspension is shot. The seller says it just wobbles at certain speeds, he uses it as a daily driver tho so it can't be too bad. What would anyone recommend to so about fixin it? Could I just pull the front suspension off another 89 or would it be better in the long run to just put after market on it ? Also any pointers to look for when buying a 1st gen

Auto or Manual?Is the suspension the only "major" thing wrong?:c:

Ya seems to be. It has a new injection pump and a vacuum pump well doesn't have ac or heat but that isn't a concern to me.

Just rebuild the front end. Unless the A frames are worn through it's just bushings and ball joints. A whole lot easier job than doing king pins on a 4X4.

+1

Check the steering links and idler arm for play. All cheap stuff to replace.

I have 0 experience with trucks mechanic

al wise. IV worked on bobcat front loaders and mini track hoes but never trucks. Are 1st gens hard for beginners ? Both suspension and motor wise i.e tinkering with the VE pump and all. And I do know a lot about 12 valves as far as upgrades and pump tweaking just never been hands on with one

You could handle it, it's all easy old technology.. get you a manual if you're that worried about it.

Iv been looking at the sticky thread and found some good videos so hopefully I'll be alright lol. It'll be my only vehicle so whatever I do it'll have to be done quick. I'm always working and never have personal time so I couldn't take on any high time projects just yet

You could do what I did and rip the motor out ans put if in a Ford. Great running gear, more can room and a fairly easy project if you're mechanically inclined. I've done 3 now and can have them back on the road in 2 days.

Funny you said that cause my original plan for this truck is to fully restore it some with me doing the work and some with a shop, then I'll be getting a 7.3 to restore next. Undecided on a obs or 99 and up

I never did well restoring... even though that's all I wanted to do to something from the age of 15. Trouble for me is I have no patience for body work, and need to be able to drive my toys asap.

If money hadn't been tight, I would have kept my 95 F350 PSD crewcab and cummins'ed it instead of replacing it with a W250. Really miss the 4 full doors. That PSD treated me okay - minimal problems - although they are expensive to mod. I had a '97 E350 PSD that was a nightmare enginewise :argh::dang::s::ouch: Life's too short for complicated diesels. :w2:

Well one way or another, you are gonna have to work on it. One way, you have a front end to rebuild, the other, a Cummins to swap

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would it be possible to just install a lift or leveling kit instead of fixing the front suspension ? What are good brands that sell like 3 or 4 inch kits

The only thing for a little extra height is the Moog severe-duty coil springs. 1-2" depending on how much yours have sagged. The rest of the 2wd suspension would need to be fixed regardless.

It is not hard stuff to work on. Done two of my D250s. I suggest a fullsize floorjack, 6-ton axle stands for height, a c-clamp press for balljoints as the lower arms usually will not unbolt from truck because the bushing through-bolts are seized (although bushing usually okay).

Try not to snap off shock bolts in the lower arms. Lots of lube, and 2 steps forward one step back procedure for loosening seems to help. Or snap them off immediately and use a small pipe wrench from the other side.

Make sure any parts you buy are for the 4000# front end. All cummins D250s have this (even though your door jamb tag probably says 3800#) All the balljoints and TREs are bigger. Coils and shocks are longer. Rockauto has everything for decent prices. I bought the springs local because they were $$$ to ship due to size/weight.

I've seem upper arms badly rusted, and/or cracked. I'm pretty sure they are the same on the light and heavy front ends except for the balljoint. I welded a piece of rebar into one of mine because it was rusted thin and cracked. Seen a buddy of mine collapse his on a bad bounce due to being thin from rust (only a gas truck too).

Well shoot. Looks like getting suspension dome in 1 day would be out of my league. How much would a shop charge you think k for it ? Also any info on getting the a/c heat to work

How do you figure? First, spend an hour one day figuring out what parts are shot. Pump some grease into the joints... that usually gives you a better clue.

I changed an idler arm in 30 mins one day.

Installed one spring, shock, and a upper control arm bushing in 2-3 hours another day.

A few days later, did the coil and shock on the other side in about an hour.

All on my back in the driveway. Not a big deal. Rome wasn't built in a day. :c:

Any idea on were a person with 0 suspension work knowledge could find a video or thread on doing that?

You probably wont just find a video for it.... but when it comes down to it its all just nuts and bolts.... a shop would charge an outrageous price no matter what and im sure they wouldnt do it as fast as you would like. If you want to learn baisic mecanics, get a 1st gen and work on it yourself

Next week I'll be picking it up :) I'll post picks and what not when I get it. It's the all blue d250. Real clean body too

Well I look forward to seeing the blue beauty.... whenever you have problems just post some pictures of your front end and I'm sure we can all help :)

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* And anywhere else you may have problems at*

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I was fresh to these Dodges 4 years ago while holding down an on-call 7days/week job. The only time I could count on not needing to drive the truck was right after a shift. So I had to learn on the fly and not bite off more than a few hours' job at once.

I think if you can work on bobcats and mini-excavators, you have the knack already. Biggest trick will be learning to smack all the taper-fit joints so they pop apart :tu:

Chevy truck 2wd and 4wd IFS steering and suspension is very similar, and there's videos on youtube for that.

Ya It's gunna be hard to have free time I'm a pipeline inspector so I work alot. I'ma give it a shot doing it myself but if it takes me to long I'll have to have a shop do it sadly

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Oh and I appreciate all the help already guys :)

Wow the guy that was gunna sell me that 89 said 2 people are coming today to look at it. Wtf

Lame... unfortunately not seeing much seller loyalty these days. People just want their cash and want it gone. On the bright side, maybe he's feeding you a line to make you pull the trigger faster

Nooooo!!!!! I not another "the one that got away" story!!!!!

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Yall know any sites or places in Houston that have 1st or 2nd gen 12 valves for sale

If you have the time, Craigslist in Dallas/Ft Worth has the largest selection of diesels, mainly 12v's I've ever seen. I picked my D350 up off CL for $2500. Mechanically sound but had a trashed pass side bed and duality fender. Worth a shot. As for front suspension it seems like a task if you just look at it but if you dive in with all the parts you need you can get it done with just a socket set and a large hammer. :) I just tore out all my front IFS stuff.

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http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/cto/4317698905.html
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4326261660.html
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4306681656.html
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4317497482.html
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4315471230.html
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4301333174.html

And about 100 more.

Well guys no luck in finding a 1st gen for my cash price range of 3000, so I went and found a 01 7.3L today. Beat the dealer down and got a pretty good deal so I took it. I know iv changed sides but I couldn't pass up the deal lol.

Hey... as long as it burns diesel it's all good!!:)

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Ya lol the 7.3 in my opinion is the best ford. All but 1 of my company's pipeline trucks are 7.3s and if you've been down a right a way you know it beats the hell out of 6 our truck lol. I drive the only chevy -.-

You should upload some pics so we can at least see whatcha got! :)

Is it possible to upload pics on mobile?

Found out how lol but here she is.



Attachment 28895

Nice!.... i like em.... just hate working on them!

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Man seeing those old 7.3's bring back memories. I remember my old man bought a cab and chassis brand spankin new the month they came out with these round front body styles. I was one proud ass kid riding up front in that thing.


Annnnnnd cue instant love for diesels.

At least you have a solid truck you can put a 6BT in if the PSD gives your trouble :c:

I like it but the transmission, if I'm going slow, kicks into first, but if I half throttle it'll shift fine, any suggestions?? And the fuel gauge is stuck on full -.-

Put some Lucas stop slip transmission treatment in it and see if it helps...... the stuck gauge is probably gonna involve pulling the tank:(

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Ya :( I filled it up this morning and did 30 plus over some speed bumps so if it hasn't gone down tomorrow I'll pull the bed and tank