The Saga continues

[NewLeafca]

Well got the news on my truck today. It is as I feared, a blown head gasket. It will cost around $2100.00 to fix it. My old truck is a 1992 Ford Ranger. It is not a bad truck but I think the towing has put more of a toll on it. The body is in great shape and I have been the only owner of the truck. I was thinking of getting something else before my ordeal happened and now am thinking maybe to do just that. So have been looking at some used trucks that are more of work trucks. Just wanted some opinions from you guys. First up is 1980 GMC TRUCK with utility bed. It has a 350 engine in it and is 4 wheel drive. haven't looked at it closely but will on Monday so don't know much more about it. They are asking $900 for it. Here are some pics of it: Next up is a 1993 Ford F-350 that has a V8 GAS (460 ci) engine. It has a manual 4 speed transmission and is 4x4. It has brand new tires (under 200 miles)saw the receipt from Firestone don't know if the warranty will transfer, rebuilt carb. It use to belong to the fire department so I am thinking that all the maintenance was taken care of. This truck only has 64,000 original miles. They are asking $2600 for it. I did a test drive and it ran great my mechanic did an inspection on it and he said it looks solid. Not crazy about the color but here are some pics of it: The other one I was looking at is a Ford F150 1997. It has a V8 in with 190K miles on it. They are asking $2000 for it. Again my mechanic did an inspection on it and said it was in good shape. He thought the 93 Ford above was in better shape engine wise. Here are some pic of it: What I was thinking was that if I could get a decent truck at a lower price I could use more money to get better commercial equipment to replace my stolen equipment. I can probably sell my Ranger for $700-$900 here in this area even with the blown head gasket. I was looking into getting a truck with some tool boxes and the sides to store some of the equipment in. However with the recent theft of my stuff I am wondering how secure these boxes are on the side of trucks. Is there anyway to beef up the locks on the side cabinets on these trucks? Just wanted some thoughts on all of this. Talked to the John Deere dealer today and he is putting together a package for me of some good used equipment. He asked how much I had to spend on getting my equipment replaced right away. So I told him and he said by Monday he would give me 3-5 package options to get me back out there and making money. So will see what happens.

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Replacing a head gasket isnt too difficult. I bet you could get it done for a lot cheaper by a local out of work mechanic. Have you considered putting an ad in craigslist to see if someone local can fix it for you? Would that help your current situation?

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[Jack Rabbit]

I'm sure a pro would get your truck going faster but you could probably replace the gasket yourself. Even if you have to buy some tools it could still be cheap compared to mechanics. Just get a tech manual for your truck and read up first.

What does your mechanic say about the condition of your current truck's engine vs. the ones you might buy? If fixed would it be better than them?

I'd buy, or fix, the truck that gets you the most reliable engine.

[MAKLawnCutter]

Personally

I love the idea of buying new toys lol.

If your truck is fairly beat (is it he 3.0v6 or the 4.0v6?) and is the transmission giving you any issues?

If you are going to get one of those three, i would go with the old FORD with the 460ci and 4speed transmission. I drive a 1987 FOrd F150, I6 motor with the 4speed (granny low) in it... It runs like a dream and they are cheap as all get out to replace parts on if you need to. The 460 motor is stock with about 220Hp and right around 380ft.lbs/trq. They can pull 15000lbs+ with NO issue at all. I had one in Kansas registered as commercial for 26Klbs and was pulling a 5 horse trailer behind it with 5 - 6 full grown maires. IT pulled it like NO other! 5th wheel dually -damned i misses that truck (-

Matt

[NewLeafca]

Originally Posted by Jack Rabbit

I'm sure a pro would get your truck going faster but you could probably replace the gasket yourself. Even if you have to buy some tools it could still be cheap compared to mechanics. Just get a tech manual for your truck and read up first.

What does your mechanic say about the condition of your current truck's engine vs. the ones you might buy? If fixed would it be better than them?

I'd buy, or fix, the truck that gets you the most reliable engine.

Replacing a head gasket is not all that hard I agree. However it was leaking antifreeze through plugs 1 and 3. This usually means that there is machine work to be done and possibly valve problems with the truck. So just replacing the head gasket may not work. That is why the price quote is high from the mechanic.

Originally Posted by MAKLawnCutter

Personally

I love the idea of buying new toys lol.

If your truck is fairly beat (is it he 3.0v6 or the 4.0v6?) and is the transmission giving you any issues?

If you are going to get one of those three, i would go with the old FORD with the 460ci and 4speed transmission. I drive a 1987 FOrd F150, I6 motor with the 4speed (granny low) in it... It runs like a dream and they are cheap as all get out to replace parts on if you need to. The 460 motor is stock with about 220Hp and right around 380ft.lbs/trq. They can pull 15000lbs+ with NO issue at all. I had one in Kansas registered as commercial for 26Klbs and was pulling a 5 horse trailer behind it with 5 - 6 full grown maires. IT pulled it like NO other! 5th wheel dually -damned i misses that truck (-

Matt

The Ranger has the 4.0 in it. I went with the biggest engine they had at the time for that model. It has run fine for years. However with now using it to haul everything everyday I think it maybe a little to much for the truck. I was leaning towards the 460ci just for that reason. More tow power and easier for me to fix myself.

I am thinking that if I am going to put money into a truck to get something that will work for me no matter what I do. I can sell the Ranger around here for $500-$700 with the blown gasket no problem so it maybe better in the long run to get something different.