92 3500 or 90 350

[Soundguy]

I'm still stumping for a cheap 1-ton just to haul a trailer / hay for my farm use.. not a daily driver.

have come across a 92 chevy 3500 96k miles, 6.5td standard cab that I can probably snag for 3500$ has been well cared for sat a couple years after 'grampa' died.. inheritor/ new owner has driven it for about a year and wants to get rid of it for something cheaper / easier to drive.

I'm not thrilled about gm.. or the standard cab.. but.. heck.. it's not a daily driver.. and would be cheap enough.

other one I found down the road is a 90 350 with the 7.3d has a topper I'll need to set off. also good condition.. odom's flipped so it's got either a lil over 100K or a lil over 200K.. truck looks more like 100k.. etc. has crew cab pretty sure 5500$ will sell her.

both have auto trans, air / radio.. etc., etc.

I'm more preferable to ford.. though it is older.. etc.

I assume neither of these trucks will be setup with the nice adapter plug for e-brakes.

f350 has a 4 wire trailer plug int he back meaning I'd need to run the ebrake power, plus a fused power line for a 6 or 7 pin plug.. I think same setup on the chevy.

Question onthe brake line sense wire .. on the brake switch.. I remember reading that some vehicles have an odd setup that you have to be carefull about.

anyone up to date on that? I've never had to tap a brake switch.. have always been lucky and had an option plug on my 98+ trucks.

just wanting to know what I'm getting into either way, or if I should be looking out for a problem on the wireing.

any comments?

soundguy

 

[Dmace]

Personally, I wouldn't tell my enemies to buy an old GM 6.5l diesel let alone my friends. They must be the least reliable diesel engine ever made. I am sure a handful of people on here will chime in that they have never had a problem with the GM 6.5l but that is a select few compared to the hundreds of thousands of happy Ford 7.3l owners. That non-turbo Ford 7.3l IDI engine was not very powerful but was incredibly reliable and you could add a little more power with a turn of the allen head screw on the fuel pump. Their auto trannys are weak in that time frame so plan on a rebuild or upgrade for towing.

The weird brake wiring system is the one with a "positive ground", there is an extra module you need before plugging in a brake controller or you will fry it.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would stay away from the 6.5 and personally GM all together. My uncle has a 6.5 in a 3/4 ton Suburban and while its ok its expensive to fix. He has had the injector pump go out a few times and its $3500 or atleast that is what he has told me. The issue for him is he only drives it 4-5K a year and the truck has less than 80K on it plus its paid for so he keeps it.

I would take a 7.3 with 3 times the miles for twice the money any day of the week. They are very common and plenty of good aftermarket and oem parts for them. Like Dmace said they have a weak tranny as did all trucks from that era but a fluid change, larger pan, and a larger cooler will be $400 well spent to extend the life of it.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

good comments to hear, as i was leaning toward the f350 anyway.

as for the brake controller wireing.

is that f350 one of the weird ones that needs the extra module or standard that you can tap into one side of the switch?

thanks

soundguy

 

[Diamondpilot]

good comments to hear, as i was leaning toward the f350 anyway.

as for the brake controller wireing.

is that f350 one of the weird ones that needs the extra module or standard that you can tap into one side of the switch?

thanks

soundguy

Its not a big deal. Any good trailer dealer or ETRAILER.COM can give you what you need in the way of wiring and a controller module. I would not let that sway your decision.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

Soundguy

Here is a video I had book marked for the older Fords. It says F-150 but its mislabeled because its a diesel so it has to be a F-250 or F-350. Anyway it shows you all that is needed for the install.

etrailer.com | Brake Controller Installation - 1990 Ford F-150 Video

Chris

 

[tractorsanmore]

Should be same as my 1989 f250 , just tap into brake light switch .
You'll like the 7.3 as far as simple to work on , pretty much the same as your diesel farm tractors with a few more cylinders of course .

 

[Soundguy]

thanks for the link.. can't waint till I get home from work to check it out.

all the comments are much appreciated.

I'm pulling a long double.. working till 4am tonight!

on break now..

soundguy

 

[Dmace]

I don't think they have made a "positive ground" vehicle since the 50's so you should be all right. To check the vehicle your looking at just look at the battery cables. If the red "positive" cable goes to the alternator and fuse box then it's negative ground. If that red "positive" cable goes to a ground on the truck frame then it's a "positive ground".

 

[crashz]

Go with the Ford. This is from a GM guy.

1st, you won't really be able to tell the difference in power, both will be pretty tame compared to a modern diesel. But the 7.3L is hands down a more reliable engine.

The 6.5 is plagued with boost control issues, weak castings for the blocks and heads, cooling issues that make the casting issues worse, weak cranks, glow plug issues and in later models fueling issue.

The only issue I know of with the 7.3L is cavitation problems in the coolant passages. Ford has an additive that should be used to avoid these issues.

I think that Ford may have still used the C6 transmission in 1990, so if its got D, 2, 1 on the column you may be lucky. That C6 was a wonderful transmission.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Go with the Ford. This is from a GM guy.


The only issue I know of with the 7.3L is cavitation problems in the coolant passages. Ford has an additive that should be used to avoid these issues.

Do not forget the Cam Position Sensor. Not a big deal. Think its 2 10mm bolts and $50 but most guys who run 7.3's carry a extra one. I only had 1 go in my 99 7.3 and the replacement I got at Napa seemed to be much better made but I still carried another. Never needed it but early on guys would change them once a year.

That is coming from a Ford Guy!

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

I don't think they have made a "positive ground" vehicle since the 50's so you should be all right. To check the vehicle your looking at just look at the battery cables. If the red "positive" cable goes to the alternator and fuse box then it's negative ground. If that red "positive" cable goes to a ground on the truck frame then it's a "positive ground".

I'm quite awae of what a positive ground battery setup is.. I have 15 antique tractors from the 40's theru the 70's.. just about 85% of them are 6v and positive ground.

What I was refering to was a warning I saw on some brake controller paperwork saying some brake switch setups are not compatible.. and to be aware of it. Iw as trying to determine .. well.. how to determine if one was compatible or not.

i understand the brake sense line will also be powered via the controller to turn on the vehicles brak lamps if you hit the panic button on the controller.. etc..

soundguy

 

[JESSE1]

Do not forget the Cam Position Sensor. Not a big deal. Think its 2 10mm bolts and $50 but most guys who run 7.3's carry a extra one. I only had 1 go in my 99 7.3 and the replacement I got at Napa seemed to be much better made but I still carried another. Never needed it but early on guys would change them once a year.

That is coming from a Ford Guy!

Chris

I don't think this engine has a CPS. If it's a '90 it won't have a Powerstroke, it'll be an IDI 7.3 NA with a mechanical fuel injector pump.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I don't think this engine has a CPS. If it's a '90 it won't have a Powerstroke, it'll be an IDI 7.3 NA with a mechanical fuel injector pump.

Good point. I think 7.3 I think PowerStroke. I forget some times the IDI 7.3 and 6.9 came first.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

is 5500 too much for the 90 f350 with a bed topper and good paint? any comments appreciated... havn't priced trucks in quite a few years.. my dodge is a 98 ?

soundguy

 

[JESSE1]

I think I'd try to get them down a little more. You don't know the condition of the trans or rear axle. It winds up being how bad you want it and how bad they want to sell it. I had an '89 F-350 dually regular cab. It was a good truck, the 7.3 is low on power compared to the new engines but it's dead reliable and much easier to repair.

 

[flusher]

is 5500 too much for the 90 f350 with a bed topper and good paint? any comments appreciated... havn't priced trucks in quite a few years.. my dodge is a 98 ?

soundguy

SG:
Here's what the diesel truck guy in Roseville wants for a roughly comparable F350

Car Systems Inventory Detail

It's a manual tranny instead of an automatic.
I'd say he'd probably go for $6K on that truck.

Hope this helps

 

[Dmace]

Maybe it's a regional thing but I think $5500 is a little steep for a 20yr old truck even in good shape. If it were closer to $4000 then it would be more in line around here.

 

[Soundguy]

i'm in no rush to buy so I don't have any pressure.

thanks for the info so far.

strange deal down here with teh 1 tons. you can find used ones as old as 06 on most big dealer lots. as old as o4 on most secondary dealer lots... then nothing untill you are in the 90's big gap from like 92-03 guess all those are still privately owned

The rare 99 or 01 I see almost always end up having some huge flaw .. or are a manual trans which I'm not looking for.

the 04 and newer ones are just to spendy for what I want to use them for.. will probably keep looking. the f350 was more and 5500 was what it was negotiated down to.. he won't budge lower.

the 92 chevy 3500 is less.. like 3500 or so.. but from what I've heard here.. it's not a good option to buy...

soundguy

 

[Dmace]

Here is another nice looking 90 Ford F350 in Florida. I am not sure how far from you it is but it looks in nice shape. 1990 F-350 CREW CAB DIESEL

Also, don't be afraid to look for a Dodge Ram of that era. It had the best diesel available and even though it was the older style, it still was a good truck.