1996 Ford F-150 XL 4x4

[nfldfordltd]

First time I have seen this thread; I have a recently acquired '97 F-250 HD (XL, although it just says Heavy Duty on the =fender badges). I really like the 9th gen trucks, and primarily settled on the 8th/9th gen after getting rid of my 6th gen. A/C and OD are nice things to have, balanced with the affordability, simplicity, and reliability of a somewhat older truck.

I am not a fan of the TTB, and before my current truck needs any sort of attention in the front, it will get the 60 'Monobeam'. Possibly with a RSK, and SD springs, as I've heard the difference in ride quality is night and day. My truck is a 60K mile truck, and the front is nice and tight at this point. However, I am already on the hunt for a solid replacement; just tough finding one that isn't rusted to hell.

I've bought a few things from JBG, but never universals. I find Rock Auto is the cheapest for Dana Spicer joints; much cheaper than the local driveline shops. No0t sure how they are with Canadian shipping, though.

LMC Truck is pretty much garbage in my experience; can't go wrong with Dennis Carpenter if they have what you need. Even their re-pop stuff is very good quality. Best thing about a 9th gen is that dealerships still have a lot of parts, and you can find stuff on eBay relatively easily, for cheaper.

I really like the 8th and 9th generation OBS trucks as well. I love how durable the interiors are in the bricknoses, and I agree with you on the balance between being technologically advanced yet still simple. Also my favourite part about the '88 Town Car.
I'm starting to lose faith in Rock Auto, as I've had a few things come now that were totally incorrect parts. Problem is, the shipping to send them back and get your money back is worth more than the parts are. For example, I ordered BR-96 brake shoes for my '96 F150, what came were for a small, front-wheel drive car. I gave them to a guy up the road with a Tempo, hoping they were good for his car. I got a pair of new AC Delco U-joints for my truck, and turns out they didn't fit either. Had to go to the garage here and pay $61 for a single U-joint on Saturday.
My truck is getting kind of tender right now, it's still fairly solid in terms of rust, but it's getting to be a lot of work to keep it on the road. Almost 300k on it now, but it's hard to give up on because for the most part it's quite reliable and good all-around. But the maintenance is getting more intense, and I can't have it down for repairs for any significant amount of time as my GF daily-drives it. If she would get her own vehicle so I could tear the truck apart and fix it up good, I'd keep it for a while then with little issue. It needs a good going-over that I just can't do while it has to be on the road daily. It's a sin really, because it has potential to be a solid old truck for a few more years IMO. I would like to find a nice clean one like it to replace it with one of those days. Just can't do that yet until I start getting my house and stuff paid off a bit. One thing at a time...lol

[His Royal Ghostliness]

What year Dodges? ECM makes me think EFI...

On our Florida trip I might just have to include G-body GM's and such. Always liked those cars, never liked the carb or belts. Big fan of simplicity here. Prices are reasonable, a new Holley would cost at least that and you'd still have to tune it and change the linkage around.

The Dodges with VR built into the ECM would be the late-'80s-mid-'90s for sure, maybe the nex gen as well. IIRC you replace the whole thing, it's not a modular setup. The empty engine bay applies to both of them actually, as stupid as shoving the engine under the dash was for the '94-up models they still offer plenty of space on both sides.

Yes on the Q-jets, especially if they come mopstly pre-tuned for your engine. Add a nice HEI setup, and fuel/spark delivery doesn't get any simpler. You can still use the serpentine belts off the newer cars (or trucks), that generally has no bearing on how you feed and ignite the engine.

I am not a fan of the TTB, and before my current truck needs any sort of attention in the front, it will get the 60 'Monobeam'. Possibly with a RSK, and SD springs, as I've heard the difference in ride quality is night and day. My truck is a 60K mile truck, and the front is nice and tight at this point. However, I am already on the hunt for a solid replacement; just tough finding one that isn't rusted to hell.

The '86-'97 D60 setup has a number of design issues tho, some weren't fix all the way till the coil-spring D60s came out in '05. Yes it's strong and generally doesn't wear tires, but that's about all it's good for - it rides horrible, steering is all over the place, and it's quite prone to death wobble. The RSKs supposedly do make for a nicer ride, and it does allow for crossover steering which generally solves the lousy steering issue. But again that comes at the cost of increased altitude - lowest you can get AFAIK is the 2-1/4" lift from PMF, next would be Sky's 3", and it only goes up from there - if you want factory height (which on F350s is pretty darn high to begin with) you're pretty much SOL. BTW do look into Sky's rear shackle flip kits, the 6" one will allow you do bump the rear ride height up to match what the low PMF RSK will produce in the front, and you should be able to lose the factory lift blocks in the process too. Add Superduty leaves there as well for even better ride.

Almost 300k on it now, but it's hard to give up on because for the most part it's quite reliable and good all-around. But the maintenance is getting more intense, and I can't have it down for repairs for any significant amount of time as my GF daily-drives it. If she would get her own vehicle so I could tear the truck apart and fix it up good, I'd keep it for a while then with little issue. It needs a good going-over that I just can't do while it has to be on the road daily.

Well, sometimes you gotta put your foot down... See if she can maybe borrow a vehile for a week or so from somewhere else, cause eventually what will happen is that the truck will need some major work and you won't have time for it and it will become unsafe for her to drive it but she won't have much choice. Seen it plenty of times, be proactive about it, you really don't want it to happen to you.

[nfldfordltd]

Well, sometimes you gotta put your foot down... See if she can maybe borrow a vehile for a week or so from somewhere else, cause eventually what will happen is that the truck will need some major work and you won't have time for it and it will become unsafe for her to drive it but she won't have much choice. Seen it plenty of times, be proactive about it, you really don't want it to happen to you.

I know, I'm sure we'll figure something out. It's not that bad yet, and I do put my foot down when something safety-related needs attention. I don't compromise on that stuff. I want to go right through it and fix everything soon so as to extend it's life by a year or two, so as to give myself the chance to save some cash money toward the purchase of a pristine OBS Ford pickup.
It would just be a lot easier if she could get her own wheels so as I could have the truck out of service for a bit of time so I could get into it and do a good job with it. I've done a lot to it already in little bits and pieces here and there as time permits.

[nfldfordltd]

300,000 km last night. Better now than it was at 238,xxx when I got it over three years ago. Runs better than anything I've ever owned (including two brand new trucks).
Hopefully I'll get to 400k with no major problems.

[DerekTheGreat]

I can't remember, it be da 300ci six?

[nfldfordltd]

I can't remember, it be da 300ci six?

Noop, that one's a weirdo 5.0 with Explorer cam and 4R70W combo. Yay for no lopo knock!

[DerekTheGreat]

Ooo, automatic for the people I see.

Sent with my phonic while eating biscuits & mustard with French-fried taters mm-hmm.

[nfldfordltd]

Not much new is happening with the truck these days. It still runs and drives great, needs very little work to make it perfect. TTB axle is crying for attention, but that can be put off until later the fall, as I'll be using 4x2 almost exclusively until the snow flies again. Dual tanks have developed the "filling the front tank when running on the rear tank" problem...I'll look into that one of those days. Just not today.
I mostly just use it for local truck stuff like yard work and dump runs on Saturdays this time of the year when the Lincoln is on the road.