Upgrades vs reliability

[jflaig]

Hey,

I have had my truck now for over 2 years. It is a 2000 F350 Crew 4x4 with the 7.3 and the 6sp. I have replaced the intake with a Napa 6637 mod and did the ccv delete kit. I also have the resistor mod and grandrock dual 6" stacks with a stock downpipe. Other than that, I recently replaced the glowplugs and the undervalve cover harnesses. The truck has a 2.5" Rough Country leveling kit and 35" tires.

Now I am interested in doing some upgrades, but want to maintain my reliability and driveability, or should I focus on replacing factory parts. I bought the truck completely stock from a single owner with all original parts. It now has over 220k miles and i want it to last many more years.

I currently have about $1000 to spend on the truck, but will probabily have more in the spring. What do you recommend for good upgrades that will maintain my reliability and not break my budget? I am not all about performance, but rather having a good all around truck that I can trust everyday.

I am open to any and all suggestions. I apoligize if any of this information has been talked about in another thread, I try to search before posting anything. Let me know what everyone thinks I should do. Thanks.

Joe

 

[Bdons SD]

I would start with the 3 gauges, EGT pyrometer, trans temp (the auto tranny is the weak link on these) and boost gauge. Look up dp tuner and their custom tunes and go with a 4"+ down pipe to your stacks. That will help keep the Egts down. I have almost the same truck as you except mines an auto, I have 01 7.3 4x4 with a 3.5 inch leveling kit on 35s and it was a dog driving it stock, I did all the upgrades I just mentioned, with the economy tune it drives like a stock truck would drive (referring to tire size), the towing tunes help keep the tranny alive and the race tune is just for fun when I'm feeling naughty ha ha. But it really woke my motor up and made the truck fun to drive, but not to the point where I'm going to blow stuff up.


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[BIG JOE]

From another Joe ?

Just take a look at the 2 signatures you see at this point. More will follow i'm sure.

ALL of the [engine] Mods on mine are Mods done for Reliability & Towing.. and are all DIY, in yer driveway or garage.... with common tools. They REALLY Woke my 7.3 up.. and have kept it awake.. for almost 12 years now.

I'd say.. look at specific mods, post up, or PM any of us with any questions you might have about'm.. and we'd be more than happy to guide you along ? You can also do searches on Each mod.. and go to the WIKI/DIY, at the top right of this page.

It's What SDD.com is all about.

Joe

 

[Stroked68]

Ok now you have 3 sigs to look at haha. Good thing on the 7.3s is they are hard to kill. Go with a DP chip. I've heard the most and best things from them. One thing you might overlook on yer truck since its lifted and has 35's is a dynatrak hub conversion kit. The stock unit bearing assemblies dont like bigger tires and just one assembly is well over $300. The kit is more than your said budget but def something to think about. One of the many things on my list to do to mine even though I dont have a lift or big tires.

 

[jflaig]

Thanks everyone for the quick response and advise. I forgot to mention that I currently have three gauges too. I have an egt gauge, boost gauge, and a oil pressure gauge. When I bought my truck those were the first thing that everyone mentioned.

I did a little research on the dp tuner, is it worth the cost for the f6 chip with the usb reprograming or is the f5 the best option. Also what tunes do you use all the time/would recommend? Thanks guys, I always know where to go for help and one day hope to be able to give some.

Joe