I stopped reading at "Since nobody gives two ***** about fleet trucks, they almost all get the **** beat out of them all day, every day"
What uhh. . . .what exactly are you expecting to happen again? Most of the people I know who disliked the 7.3 and 6.0 didn't know what the things known as "oil change interval" or "cooldown time" were. Now I ain't gonna say YOU don't, or that your co-workers don't. But they sure sound to me like guys who don't care a damn.

I know that on a vehicle to vehicle, 1 to 1 comparison, my 94.5 Ford had more things from a design perspective that I liked about it vs things I disliked when compared to my Dodge. That's why my dodge has Chevy seats, will soon be getting chevy mirrors if I can wrangle a way to work them, and a Ford front diff, suspension, and steering from the pitman on. Hell, if I coulda, I'da put my ZF-5 behind my truck, since I wouldn't have had to bother with 5th gear and it's notoriousness, or fluid that costs 25 bucks a friggin LITRE. And bet your *** I'm tempted to just shove a sterling into the back diff spot over the Dana 70. The transfer cases seem equal enough for my uses to me. The Borg 1356 and the NP241 aren't different enough for my uses, although the NP might be easier to get parts for? regardless, overall, I liked more things about my Ford than my Dodge. My Ford woulda stayed very close to stock. I haven't stopped pissing around with my Dodge since I bought it. And I paid. . .twice as much for it, with twice the mileage. Cause of the Big Red C on the side (that means nothing to me, since I don`t have a personal affinity for the Cummins).

Cause Dodge/the people who make s*** for them, can't seem to get certain things worked out compared to FoMoCo. I don't actually know how many times I've been working on my s***box and said "who DESIGNED this? How did this dumbass idea get through quality control?!". The only times I did that while working on my Ford were when I swapped out the dual mass flywheel, and when i fixed the fuel leaks. And Chevy, well, Chevy just knows how to make a comfortable seat. Not much else. Plus, auto dimming mirrors. I like dimming wing mirrors. My eyes thank me.

they're all s***, they all break, and all of em do certain things right and others poorly.

 

If you didn't read past the beginning, you aren't in a position to respond. Regardless, it's hard to argue with that last sentence, and it's just a matter of what's important to you. In your case, you seem to have gotten rid of a truck you liked and replaced it with one that was used hard and hung up wet by someone who liked it even less than you do and left you to clean up the mess. I'm not sure why you thought this was a good idea, or why you've continued to invest so much of yourself in something that will only ever leave a bad taste in your mouth after you realized it wasn't. I understand making the best of a bad situation, but there's also merit to quitting while you're behind.

And to think, this all started because I don't like how my 12V when I'm revving the **** out of it almost sounds as confidence uninspiring as a Powerstroke does all the time.
Damn, I never saw that coming...

 

All this because I disagreed with you about the sound of a 7.3. Lets be honest now, if I had come in and continued the laughter fest/circle jerk that was going on in here, none the more woulda been said. But now there's a point to prove. Dodge is better. . .or Ford is better. . .or something like that.

I don't like Dodge diesels as much as I thought I would, basiclly. they were sposed to be the cats ***, they ain't no better in my eyes. Always wanted one. I wouldn't say I'd be "quitting while I was behind" though. I've fixed plenty and made my truck better over the course of owning it. I've put blood and sweat and tears into it. I've learned lots and become a better weekend warrior mechanic. So no, I wouldn't say I'm behind.

I'd just say I haven't beaten it yet. It still leaks oil. It still has issues. It still has coils up front, and a CAD, for some reason only Dodge knows.
So, the goal isn't to quit while I'm ahead or behind, as you said. It's to make it into something I like. Something I want to drive. I've owned a 7.3 already. what's the point? No point in owning something newer, they're only more expensive. No point in owning another 6.5, had one of them too. Adding the manual to this truck was a good first step. The chev seats were another. Making it able to go into 4x4 like it should have from the giddy up was an excellent one.

getting rid of the godforsaken oil leaks that someone seemed to design INTO the engine (did, did Cummins hire a Hardley Ableson engineer or something?!) and then getting rid of the OEM front end will be good steps as well. It's odd, since my truck has no sign of death wobble and the entire front end is very tight and responsive. it seems to break the mold. and I want to go changing it all around.

In the end, guys who just HAAAATE on Ford cause "oh well our company trucks get raped and they break" gets on my nerves. Of course **** breaks when you beat on it.

 

Only our Powerstrokes blow up. My point was only that they sound like they're going to, but the fact is that they do. The Cummins don't. They take the same flogging and more, and they keep pulling. This isn't my experience with the one or two homeowner trucks I've had, or even the trucks all my friends had. It's the experience of watching a big construction company use dozens and dozens of examples from multiple generatations of work trucks as work trucks. They get serviced, they get repaired, sometimes they even get washed but most importantly, they get worked. Some hold up, some don't.

My point with saying you're behind is that you give every impression that for as long as you have that basket case you're going to bitch about what you have and lament what you lost. Some people just aren't happy unless they aren't, so to speak. That may not be you, but I'd bet that if you're still here next year and the year after that, you'll still be doing the same thing. I'd rather have what I want than try to make what I don't want be what it isn't, but to each their own. In the meantime I have way more miles on my 12V than you do, it doesn't leak, the CAD works fine pushing snow all winter, and the coils up front out-ride and out-handle every Ford in our fleet except the new ones which- BTW- have coils too. I never wanted Dodge until I got stuck in this one, and while there are things I don't like about it, it's outweighed by the things I don't like about everything else. Nothing's perfect, but it helps to have a good starting point.

 

Nope. Never will be happy. Always something else to tinker with. can't stop with my bike, won't stop with this. Always will miss my Ford due to the way it was taken from me.
Ride quality is the least of my worries. If you want well riding leafs you go get national spring 10 leaf progressive packs.

In the meantime, I'll fix this one and like it plenty once it doesn't leak oil and I've won.

And apparently I got the best starting point there is. Its just....the start don't mean much after 500,000km.
Don't you worry yourself. I'm sure in 2 years I'll be praising the big red C and hating on everything else. Like i'm supposed to. Or something.

 

LOL... I'd hate to see someone lose their moral compass like that. It doesn't sound like you got the best starting point there is, but I'm just inferring from your attitude where I've seen it. The whole paid twice as much for twice the miles and it ****ed me six ways to Sunday thing and all that jazz. What you've accomplished with it in spite of all the crappy luck is pretty outstanding though. You know how to step up, no denying it. I just think you might be a bit of a glutton for punishment.

 

I missed one hell of a convo!
Can I still join? Lol

They all suck. I just happen to like my body style, and the engine is alright. But it may get a built 12v to replace the current engine when it explodes a 6k rpm.
I like my seats. And my windows are dark enough to not needing a dimming mirror.

They are all junk, it's all about which is your favorite junk

 

Which junk does what you want better than the others. Myself, I'm damn partial to the Ram turn radius. Especially when I'm trying to put a long trailer in a tight spot, which I usually am.

 

I don't get the luxury of tinted windows where I live. since it's a single cab truck, I cannot tint anything bu the back window. I also have some serious blue eye syndrome, as it's called.

Spent 5 hours on it today. front driveshaft Ujoint (which had to be a combination joint since the diff yoke has been changed at least once and was not the OEM style), 0w40 oil, axle seal, caliper bushings, diff fluid front and back, and the T case yoke seal that I didn't put in before.

note: Inside axle seals are evil. there has to be a better way.

Also, Jbear: I like being able to hit 2lo for backing things up slowly. The turning radius never bothered me, and likely never will. Luckily my truck has a cable lock for the CAD now (still not ideal to me, but it'll do for now) so I do get that luxury.