Ford Vs. Chevy. Gasser duallys
 

I am between two trucks.

First truck. A 1997 Chevy 3500. Crew cab, 4x4, 75k orig miles. 454 with 4L80E. Good shape.

Second truck is a 2000 F350. Crew cab, 4x4, V10, 110k miles. Also in good shape.

Kinda stuck between the two. The Ford is about 3000 more price wise.

I think the Ford wins in looks. Just not so sure about the longevity of the V10, and cost to replace should it take a dump. Only for towing a 38 Fountain around.

Why would you want to do this??? Besides the low prices of course. Gas motors don't last long pulling heavy loads.

Mainly because the trucks in the price range im in that are diesel have 150k+miles. I have a powerstroke ford now, (non dually). My buddy has a 2000 V10 dually that he been towing his 35 and 42 fountain around for years trouble free.

Every time mine or my buddies diesel trucks went in for a engine issue, whether it be a egr cooler, injectors, etc, it was a job that cost almost as much if not as much as a complete long block 454 from GM.

As for the mpg, i dont care about that much. Its not a daily driver, and considering my boat gets less than 1mpg, and the mack gets 6mpg, a truck im gonna put maybe 5k miles on for the year is no biggie.

The diesel power is nice, but not looking to win any races. As long as the truck can tow 65mph comfortably, im happy. I doubt a mid-late 90s 7.3 ford or 6.5 gm diesel is gonna blow away a 454 or v10 gasser anyhow when it comes to acceleration.

I just got off the phone with Jay/Gizmo from here on OSO. He bought a 7.3L PSD and is selling his GM Gasser Dually. Anything Jay has is in great shape.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/members/gizmo.html

If you can't contact him via the link above to his profile, let me know and I will get you his cell number.

I have a 2006 Dodge quad cab diesel dually for sale. 69,300 miles $20,000

Hey I know that guy..and it's an 2001 90K on still rocking!!!

I've had a Ford F350 7.3PSD and presently have the V10. The V10 pulled my 33' PowerPlay well but lacked the torque on the highway for acceleration and hills (not mountains, just hills), it was ok on the flats. There definitely was a difference between the two. You might want to check Ford-Trucks.com on the vintage V10 you're looking at. The 2 valve which is what I think your 2000 would have had some issues with plug blow-out and doesn't have the power of the newer three valve. There's tons of info on that site regarding the V10 and they even have a forum dedicated to it...check it out and all of your questions will be found.

In all, I'm glad I have the V10, I'll not be pulling a boat the size of my 33 again so I'm happy to be rid of the 7.3. I'm with ya on the diesel repairs, big bucks no doubt. The V10 is great for what I need it for because the other gasser option is the 5.4 which I'm not crazy about in a truck the size of a Super Duty. Good luck.

Mild Thunder - I had a 1997 Chevy Dually 3500, and now own a 2000 F350.

BOTH were Diesels - BUT, the ford was MUCH more capable of handling the load, particularly STOPPING it. It was truely a world of difference the first time I hooked up the boat to the FORD.

I had the 8.1 in my other Chevy truck. VERY good motor.
Pulled my 29 outlaw fine.

Mild Thunder - Go diesel without a doubt!!!

how about a diesel at gasser price?! Best of both worlds!!!

'97 GMC turbo diesel with about $8500 in new parts. I'll take $7500. White, crew cab, 4x4, auto, etc. Great option for what you are looking to do.

While some knock the 6.5 in comparison to the duramax like you stated the newer diesels are pricey to repair while the 6.5 is cheap and simple. If you can work on a 454 you will be right at home

This truck has all the goodies like SS diesel heads, marine injectors, rebuilt turbo, performance filter, newer trans rebuild, etc. etc. Let me know if you want more details on it.

I can't complain about the 6.5 - Mine had 280+k on it when I bought it off the side of the road on the way up to Connecticut to buy my Cafe Racer, and I sold it with 296k I believe. Mine was in rough shape when I sold it had the metal showing on 4 tires, was teal green, had a hole in the exhaust and the synchros in 2nd gear were NON-existant and i got 4500 for it so i would think yours sounds like a decent deal.

This is a good thread... I'm in a bit of a predicament and feel I need a truck...

I have an 01' Suburban 2500 6.0L and need something that can/will pull the Apache.

here's the problem, my Burban only has 92K miles on it and it's an 01'. Everything I see that's diesel in that year range has well over 150K miles and the prices are much higher...

I want to do an even swap, I'm not looking to spend money. I'm not even sure if this is possible but hey, we can try can't we...

So I'm looking for a Chevy/Ford in a similar year range that I can flip my Suburban and buy the new truck.... minimal cash out of pocket, like less than $1K. ;)

any suggestions?

Frank

I have a powerstroke ford now, (non dually).


If the truck and powertrain are still in good shape I advise you to keep it rather than buy a gas motor truck. The 7.3 is a great motor and easily repaired. And you can always put a dually axle on it...

Mines a 2004 6.0 crew cab short bed. I did have the same truck with the 5.4 gasser, and towed 7500 lbs with it. I admit is was underpowered. 5k rpms up hills in loto.

The 6.0 powerstroke has tons of power, which is nice to have. But i am more into the stability and brake part of towing. Driving the big rig at 80k lbs is what im used to. Heavy as hell, but stable. Coming from a stop light or merging on to the highway or going up grades at 80k lbs is SLOOOOOOOOOW going. Im sure if BZ pulled up next to my semi when im loaded, and him in his V10 ford loaded with his 42 Fountain, would pull away like im standing still. I think we have all gotten spoiled with the power of the new diesels, especially when chipped up and stuff.

Wanna line em up bz? You win and I'll return your Fountain jacket lol

This is exactly the info im looking for. I have heard the mid-late 90's GM's had sub par braking systems. That I do not like.

Yep.

Obviously the 7.3 Ford out accelerated the 6.5 Diesel - but again this isn't of importance for 2 reasons - 1-You aren't looking at diesels so it is moot. 2-acceleration is the least important piece of towing in my mind.

The chevy fell WELL short in the braking category. It was an incredible difference, and now I would be scared to go back.

FYI - the 7.3 diesels are very easy to work on, and 150k miles on a dedicated tow vehicle probably shouldn't scare you. Lots of them floating around with several hundred thousand miles that have never had any major work done, and some of which have never had anythign other than oil and filters. They are rough on front suspension parts though.

MT - One thing that makes people think that are "sub-par" is if you are coming from a gasser they have a much different feel as they are hydraulic assisted off the power steering pump (no vacum on a diesel). While the dually stopped just fine it did have a "weird" feel to it until you get used to it. I just put on a new master cylinder as I found a small leak where it mounted. Already has newer pads, rotors, etc so curious to see how it will do now.

Front suspension/steering is a good point on the 1-ton. All new as well

And I won't even charge ya extra for the Chicago Powerboat Club sticker in the back window :drink:

Well the 6.0 is a POS, not worth hopping up IMO but it can be done. And when(not if) it blows up you can drop a Cummins in. For stability you can use an equalizer hitch and upgrade your brakes for stopping, plus a trailer brake controller.

I'm saying all this because IMO trading a diesel for a gas motor is a step backward, even if the diesel is a 6.0. It's better to upgrade what you have. Think about it.

Keep it. I tow a 11.660lbs boat with my Yukon 2500 and have towed it coast to coast. Awesome towing vehicle. I do have the 8.1 and love the power despite being a gasser. Your 6.0 won't win any races towing the Apache but all you have to do is to leave home a tod earlier....

the 5.4s had this problem too..my ex girlfriend had an 02 expedition and on a trip from DE to TX (empty) it blew one of the spark plugs out, taking the threads from the head with it. Thus, needing a new head. Its a VERY common problem, which is probably why you can find them for 4500 in good shape. I have heard of the V10s having this problem also...not a good thing to have when the engine is under load pulling your boat.

this is on two valves not the 3 valves 5.4 and V10's...which came out in 04

my 01 GMC has an 8.1 with Allison trans, tows like a dream...150k miles on it. took the Tiger from fla to home and back again, been to Ohio a few times, lake Champlain, 3 runs to Richmond etc etc . towing about 12.5K lbs.

ok, cool. Thanks for the clarification. :coolcowboy:

Do you have the 3.83 or the 4:11 gear?

The pulling power hasn't really been an issue, I'm not trying to win any races. I only tow with it to and from the ramp once or twice a year. If I had a capable truck I'd probably travel more. It just doesn't feel worthy above 60-65 mph as I would like. The braking believe it or not is phenomenal IMHO!! With the boat (10,500), trailer (3500?) and fuel/gear, I'm guessing I'm upwards of15K lbs... :eek:

The other reason I want a P/U is I'm tired of bothering my friends and calling around to borrow a P/U every time I need to move an engine or pick up large loads at the stores etc. :coolcowboy: