Toss the air operated hubs and put on manual hubs for plowing, much stronger, and RELIABLE. The ford hubs can take a dump at any time, they are totally reliant on a single o-ring to maintain the vaccum to keep them locked. They're also cast rather than machined like a real set of hubs would be.

The intake idea is always good, look up Tymar intake and for under 60 you can easily build your intake.

The oil x-over and regulated gas lines will eliminate the dead head issues and make the truck run a little smoother and every cylinder will receive the same oil and fuel pressures.

Eliminating the fuel bowl with a in-line filter is a good idea, but it can be interesting when eliminating the fuel heater in the stock bowl and it gets really cold out.

Clean out the intercooler tubes every once in a while, the doghouse on the drivers valve cover "pumps" oil vapor into the system and it will collect in the tubes and IC

Get a TS chip! arguably the best chip for these trucks, there are a few other really good ones, but the ts is the easiest to get, tunable by a ton of good tuners, and the majority of people choose it. Many dealers will reprogram the chip for free after you add items that require a reprogram (fuel system, injectors, turbo)

Injectors help the truck alot, skip stage 1's, stage 2 minimum, hybrids can be used without a expensive HPOP upgrade.

Add a coolant filter to aid in longevity. Removes sand from the casting process.

 

awesome thanks great info and the hubs are already aftermarket and its the floor lever shift for the 4 wheel drive and i think im gonna do the chip in a while. whats the oil xover???

 

A simple hose that connects the oil rails together again toward the back of the motor. Just makes the oil pressure more even across all the injectors rather than just injecting it from the front of the head and causing dead ends and stagnant oil at the back of the rails

 

ahh gotcha thanks

 

The oil X-over I installed, KCM S.S. HPX Line (99-03), very easy to put in. I picked up a set of SuperWinch locking hubs for $150, factory ones literally fell apart.

 

yeah thats whats on it now and thanks for the link

 

I've got a general question. I would like to buy now a used engine for my truck from a '99 Eco. The engine is complet in the van, unmolested, but it wasn't running since at least 2 years. I would like to start it before buying.

Are there any tips what I can use for starting easy a long time not used 7.3 td engine? May I check some special things perhaps? 70 k miles is in the engine.

thanks, oliver

 

Fresh oil wouldn't hurt and maybe fresh fuel... All systems in check and no rats eating the wires and it should start...

Also, Just a suggestion is to start a new thread in the 99-03 Powerstroke forum instead of just posting in this thread. It might get better responses.

 

i think i'll have to get one of those xover lines. and 95powersmoker. i have a 94 stroker and just got a 99. the OBS strokers fire right up and the NBS strokers take a few seconds to start up.

 

Why would there be a difference?