Maybe she'll run another 20 years

I'd been checking CL now and then lately looking for an F250 gas 4x4 longbox regular cab to put my flatbed on from my old 85 diesel. It was warm today,so for the heck of it,I started the old thing. It started better than it had in a couple of years,so I drove it up by the shop and ran a piece of wire from the cab corner to the frame and tightened it up. The door closes and latches again now. Might as well keep it I guess.

Randy:

Now days it's Duct Tape & Gorilla Glue, but the good old stand-by's of Bubble Gum & Baling Wire still work wonders. LOL !

Doc :>)

I had that fiberglass cloth stuff holding it together for several years. The cab twisted when I was hauling hay with it about six weeks ago and the cab corner popped back so far that the latch wouldn't even hit the pin. Maybe if I take a wire wheel to the paint and rust I can put a new patch on it and make it hold again. Where there's a will there's an epoxy.

Got just what you need 86 f250 4x4 auto 460 v8 needs attention engine runs rough,goose neck plate and all

Roger when I was watching a You Tube tutorial on how to replace a cab corner this one guy was using an epoxy glue to stick the new one on. Looks like it works in a regular caulking gun but it has two parts that mix together in the nozzle as the gun is squeezed. Maybe you could just glue a piece of sheet metal around the cab corner? Maybe I should have done that too. LOL A few pop rivets wouldn't hurt. Jim

At this point it probably doesn't owe you a thing, right?
Its money in the bank to keep it and use it I would think.
If it gets used that is. We all know setting around is hard on
any equipment. Especially that over-powered diesel!

Well, not quite exactly. I've got a '96 Cummins Dodge that I WILL get 1,000,000 miles out of. I WILL get 1,000,000 miles out of unless I die first or diesel goes away. I've got a new bed, doors, and fenders waiting to go into use. I could use a new cab, and will get one of those too. They go for about $3,000 though and I'm not real keen on paying that, but compaired to new. I happened to be at a huge Ford dealer about a year ago, and were a couple of real nice brand spanking new 2013 or 2014 F350 crew cabs, diesel, two tone paint, 4x4, fully loaded...$64,000 each. And like a nitwit, I'm worried about a $3,000 replacement cab on my old beater Dodge? How stupid am I? Anyway, a few weeks ago I'm on the interstate, stop off to use the john and get something to eat, get out and close the door, and it doesn't latch, so I slam it a few times, and it still doesn't latch. I go in, take care of business, head back out, open and close the door, doesn't latch. I open the door, look at the latch, and where it physically mounts inside of the door...is torn, ripped. The door where the three screws mount for the latch...ripped, latch not angled right to catch. Sunday evening on the interstate, now I've got a problem. I've got a bag of GOOD tie wraps made by Panduit, so I tie the door shut through the seatbelt loop and window, and drive home with the window down a bit cause it won't close like that, and my arm is outside the window holding the door shut as best I can, bear hugging the door down the interstate until I nurse it home. Next day, I take a look, the door is toast but I don't want to change it out yet in the winter cause the new doors are primered from the manufaturer and need some good paint that won't set in the cold. Now what? Of all my trucks, my '96 beater is Ol' Reliable, and my favorite like a Timex watch, it keeps ticking and going. Now what? Thick metal from Menards, a drill, pop rivet gun, hack saw, pair of metal sheers, ball peaned hammer to sheet metal around the corner...and now the door works just fine, clearances more than enough. A little lubricant on the latch too...door works just fine. Only problem is the inside plastic door cover, broke a few brittle holders, but other than that, my favorite truck of all time, still taking a beating and still going. Next spring or summer, a frame off rebuild and retire it other than Sunday drives. No duct tape or Gorilla glue.

Happy New Year.

Mark

Ya,that darned thing was in the garage every night for the first 23 years that I had it. I started leaving it out when I got that other one in September and it just kinda dissolved. lol
I can't figure out why it started so good though. For three years or more,it would start right up then die and I'd have to crank the crap out of it to get it primed back up and started again. This time it started right up and kept running. Needed a rest I guess.

Randy, there is an easy cure for that starting problem. My dad has had about 5 of those old 6.9 and early 7.3 direct injection diesels and they all did the same thing. There are check valves in the mechanical transfer pump on the bottom of the block that go bad and allow the fuel to bleed back out of the filters. John Deere had an inline check valve one the 30 and 40 series that will screw right into the primary filter head on your pickup and keep that fuel up in the filter. It takes about 10 minutes to put in.

Do you have a part number or anything on that? If I walk in to Deeremart and just ask for something vague like that,I'm going to get a blank stare and I'll leave real aggravated.

ar73888

Thanks.

Randy, the part number I found for it is AR73888

I did some checking. Summit and other aftermarket places like that have them too.

I picked up a 89 3/4 ton last year at an auction for $225 with almost no rust.One of the big advantages of not living in the 'salt belt'(LOL)