New truck on the way, not a Jeep. What have I done?

[Joe Jeep]

Hello everyone. As the title implies, I have a new truck on the way. :D

I inquired about shipping a truck back from VA to WI a week ago because my friend called me up and said, “Remember when we talked about you getting my truck when I am done with it? If you want it, you can have it for free. :eek: You just have to get it from VA to WI.” He has taken great care of the truck and used it as his daily driver and for work up to yesterday when my parents arrived to drive it home (I prefer this to an unknown shipping company and it is cheaper too 8) ).

So, what is it? It is a black, rust free 1997 Ford F-150 regular cab, long box. It has a 5 speed manual tranny, 4 wheel drive, air conditioning, cruise control, bed liner with a soft tonneau cover, chrome nerf bars and bed rails, two set of tires, etc. It is quite a step up from my MJ in the accessory department. So, what have I gotten myself into? Anyone know much about these trucks? I am a motorcycle nut so I don’t have a lot of knowledge about trucks in general or the good/weak points of this Ford.

Now, what to do with my MJ? :roll:

[JeepcoMJ]

that's a hell of a deal for free man...I'm jealous

[dfreeman616]

what engine does it have?

[KYMJ]

I just bought a 99 F-150 OFFROAD4X4 after only owning JEEPS for years. Nice truck, know nothing about them, except there not as easy to work on. I can't work on it like my JEEPS. Common problem(Iknow now), broken bolts on the exhaust manifold. Too much trouble for me, so it's already been to the shop. Changing the oil is a pain, not as easy as my JEEPS, the filter is right above the front pumpkin, oil everywhere. I've got the 5.4 Triton, however. Just my observations so far. Nice trucks, however, so good find for you.

[comancheon33]

KYMJ, Just wait till you need to put spark plugs in that 99. Whoever designed that truck needs to be shot in the head.

[KYMJ]

KYMJ, Just wait till you need to put spark plugs in that 99. Whoever designed that truck needs to be shot in the head.

 

Yeah, noticed that, among other things, Thanks a bunch. :eek:

[Joe Jeep]

The truck has the 4.2L V-6 in it. Not exactly the power house option, but 205HP, 260ftlbs of torque. A change from the ol' 4 banger in the MJ. Plus I don't tow anyting ever.

I think it has a couple inches of lift and he is running 285-75-16 on it. Not sure though, I don't want to badger him since he is giving me a used, clean truck.

This friend was the one who got me interested in Jeeps. He had a '88 Cherokee Pioneer with an auto, 4x4, 4.0L. We had a good time putting that to the test. Too bad his brothers set it on fire when they were off roading on his parents farm.

[comancheon33]

Yeah the spark plugs suck to replace but the altenator is easy to do though.

[a1awind]

as a Ford/Jeep guy, i can tell you the Fords are damn good trucks...and the V6 that is in the truck feels like its a V8 however it is no where near as reliable or long-lasting as the old 300ci in-line six in the 19xx-1996 150's. A word of advice, check/change the oil regularly and don't abuse it. By no means am i saying you got a bad truck, just that the V6 is a little more delicate.

[feerocknok]

Wait, how? How???

[a1awind]

abuse, meaning never change the oil, constantly run it a t high rpm, tow heavy loads, or wheel it.

 

 

when i worked at GMI our drilling foreman had a 1998 V6 4x4 f150 he put 50k on his trucks per year. By 160,000 it was blowing 1 1/2 quarts per day out the tailpipe. he only changed his oil every once in a while and treated the truck more like an atv. he thought it would hold up like his previous truck which was a 1994 with a 300ci inline 6. That truck left his hands at 450,000 miles and then became our lab truck until the ball joints went bad. The 300 is (imo) one of the top 4 engines ever made. I have heard stories of that engine being run with no oil, starting after being submerged etc.

 

that is not to say that there arent good parts to the motor.... like i said it has got balls. It is faster and torquier (sp) than the 302ci v8. but, treat it right and you have nothing to worry about.

[Joe Jeep]

This truck was purchased by my friend with 42000miles on the clock. The previous owner used it for a DD; I think the heaviest thing he hauled was groceries. I was with my friend when he bought the truck; very clean inside and out. My friend bought it and maintained it well. He never towed with it, only hauled tools and building materials (he owns his own timber framing company). Now he is moving and is buying a used F-350 diesel and enclosed trailer to move his family and to use for work. If it wasn't for the move, he would still be using the truck that he is giving me.

I had my dad look at the tag and it appears to have an open differential and 3.55 gears. This is my first 4x4 and it has a 8.8 up front and either an 8.8 or 9.75 out back. I know that the 8.8 is popular with the Jeep folks for an upgrade, but anyone know how they hold up under this truck?

Also, the 4 wheel drive is part-time like in the Comanches, why not full-time? Is it cost or does having full-time option cause trouble?

[Oizarod115]

Also, the 4 wheel drive is part-time like in the Comanches, why not full-time? Is it cost or does having full-time option cause trouble?

 

full-time is differentiated, which means that if you were truly stuck in full time one tire would spin as opposed to part-time would be spinning 2 (assuming you have open differentials) but since it is differentiated it can be driven on the road like AWD (basically what it is)

 

part-time the front d/shaft and rear d/shaft spin the same all the time so that one tire (again open dffs) is spinning on each axle at least.

 

full-time isnt great for truck use but is awesome for on road use but a bit pricier since they have to put a differential in the t-case so i think its mostly cost saving to put part-time in trucks instead of full-time and part-time