I learned how to drive in one of these rigs. Dad said if you can figure out this stick, anything should be easy to drive. It was such a good farm truck. We could leave it in first gear and it would crawl through a field pulling a hay wagon as we walked along chucking bales on it.
not true. We had one and it was the easiest manual shifting and clutch I've ever driven. Almost impossible to stall. My 2000 ford ranger 2.5L 5 speed was 100 times harder to drive. It was super easy to greenhorn or stall. I used to laugh at my friends when I let them try it out. My cousin had a 96 f350 dually 5 speed and he couldn't hardly drive my ranger. Loved that little truck though and miss it.
yeah the problem with learning on a big torquey engine is you rely too much on the torque to get you going. with smaller 4 cylinder gas/petrol engines you needs to start with 1500 revs or so in order to smoothly get going. @@chadmiller2224
@@chadmiller2224 So funny you say that, I learned in a 97 powerstroke and the next manual I tried driving was a little 4 cyl ranger. Totally accurate, I was awful at manual without torque.
I always admire your consideration and respect to other road users. It’s nice to see another enthusiast out there having some nice clean fun while being mindful to others doing the same in their own way. Whether in a classic car, on a bicycle, or just out for a stroll, we’re all just taking in the scenery and trying to enjoy our afternoons.
This ol' tank reminds me of the C-10s and F-150s that I knew growing up 35-40 years ago. Pure utilitarian. This Powerstroke is a big tractor! BTW 110,000 miles on a diesel is just it getting warmed up.
@@mauricemotors8207the 7.3 is designed and built by International. It's based on a million mile engine used in bigger vehicles (like medium duty trucks)
My dad had an 88 ford f350 dually manual with red interior and white outside, it was his favorite truck and we used to pull horse trailers, boats, 5th wheel travel trailer, flat bed trailer with hay bails, you name it this truck did everything we asked of it on our small 14 acre horse ranch. I miss the truck but miss my dad even more. RIP
I've always described the 5 cylinder turbodiesel in my '79 300SD as making a "soothing agricultural whirr". There's something so satisfying about that rock steady big chunky idle. My uncle had an '87 with the old 6.9 IDI and the same 5-speed manual... that truck's impression on me is a big part of why I drive diesels today.
@@42N8K9 Thanks! It’s a great story… bought it from the original owner’s son with 121,116km on it in March 2020. Mint inside and out. Needed a ton of mechanical refresh after sitting in a garage for almost 20 years, but it’s all done. Will have this one for the rest of my life. Up to 153,000km and lots more to come! I know all the OM617 cars really well… W116 is by far my favourite. Daily “beater” is a nice ‘98 E300 Turbodiesel with 172,000km :D
Ironically, I have the same set up. I have a 1987, 6.9 IDI disel 4 speed and it’s very reliable truck, love the sound . I also have a 99 f350 dually 7.3 power stroke. Imo from the 6.9-7.3 power stroke those years for ford were the best.
@@jeffcullen6573 wow what a gem, not many 116 300SDs left in good shape. I have an 83 300SD and as much as I appreciate the quality of the W126 design, I feel like the W116 was an even more solid car. I had the opportunity to buy a 1980 with 130k miles that needed paint and not much else (that I knew of) and I should have bought it but the owner lied about taking it on a long trip the day before to get me to think it was reliable but the odometer was working and showed a 5 mile drive, not the almost 500 miles he described so I walked, and he was not happy. That was the best one I've seen but yours sounds like it's on another level.
@@jeffcullen6573 also your daily is another underappreciated model, I had a 1997 non turbo which was a great car other than being a slug in traffic. Yeah those are great cars too!
I past my driver license test in basically the same truck, I had to help the instructor get in it had no steps and she collapsed reach the floorboards. she was completely floored that I was able to parallel park it without being able to see the cones they had setup 😂. I grew up with Big Red, will never forget that truck! Plowing snow and spending time with my dad.
Oh lord, this is my dream truck. Edit: and finally a good quality video of somebody driving one! I hope Ted gets a Ford Excursion next, haha. He should also put some copyright free music onto a cassette so we can hear how these old stereos sound 😂😅
@@krafgeetar4013 Last year I swapped a junkyard cassette stereo into my 98 ZJ Grand Cherokee. It actually worked and considering I had never heard or used cassette before, it was just about the coolest thing ever.
Dream truck status right here, oh man. Not a fan of the bed personally, but a OBS with a 7.3 and a 5 speed is a truck you can keep for generations if you take care of it right. Also, these are like the perfect combination of just modern enough to be livable but old enough to be simple and reliable. It's a shame we can't have trucks like these again...
i’m gonna say it. these trucks are not modern enough to be livable. i believe the super duty 7.3 is that. these are archaic. the drivetrain is okay, yes. hence why i say super duty 7.3. the chassis was designed in 1979 with minimal modifications besides cosmetic. the engineering is far more impressive with a super duty and the quality shows. as someone who owns one, they’re fun but the novelty QUICKLY wears off when you’re towing a trailer 400 miles each way and you cant do more than ~68mph, your wrists are sore from the steering, your ears ring from the exhaust sound coming through the shift boot(my truck has dynamat and brand new boots trust me) and when you service it you realize this body style was never designed for turbos and up pipes. they’re good trucks but they’re archaic.
@@MCatwar If you run a tune they can be made into some pretty sweet haul trucks. And yes the sound does get old if your going on a 800 mile trip, but who doesn’t love there obs. And as far as serviceable. I promise you a new 6.7 is gonna be harder then a 7.3 even with down and up pipes
@@GodFollowingCattleLoving i have a tune and i have all the updates tech in mine. and i may be biased here as a mechanic but with a proper shop these new trucks are designed for cab off or cab slightly removed services. this is a WILD opinion, i know, but for the benefit of the comfort, power, reliability and cleanliness/efficiency, a new truck’s more temperamental nature and inconvenience of pulling a cab(when you do a ton it’s not horrible) becomes insignificant. this is under the lens that if you own a diesel truck you are working it and actively using its benefits. if you’re like me and you bought an obs 7.3 as a toy, obviously it won’t be worth it. these trucks are too archaic to make into reliable trucks that make money. parts will wear out. whether that be your input shaft bearing, brake drum hardware, transfer case seals, a baked on oil cooler, these expenses and down time add up to drastically more than pulling a cab to service a motor imo. i know there’s exceptions but for thr vast majority of people needing a diesel truck i think this applies. for me, it’s a toy. i pull single car trailers and drive in the mountains with it. it’s never seen more than 8000lb with my ownership. i drive it a lot but i don’t work it hard or to make money, and its okay ish. still have lots of problems even just using it as a toy. gotta go fix another weird issue today even
@@MCatwar I agree 100% there’s definitely always going to be parts warn out. And yes sir that’s why I don’t like the new trucks, and yes sir just a fun toy lol I would probably go for a nbs 7.3 if I was gonna tow for a living but for the price of new trucks it just makes more sense to me to get a old truck. And do you have the IDI? Cause I know a idi’s with major upgrades towing will definitely not hit 70😂 but a powerstroke should🤷🏻
my friend bought one of these the day we graduated high school.. i've had a ton of cars, his f350 has 600k on the clock and still runs new.. this truly was when ford built tough trucks..
my dad had a 7.3 excursion and i loved that thing, stage two on basically everything. poor truck was rusting away and was slow because of the 4 speed auto, but i still miss it, got rid of it a few months now, when i heard that cold start in almost made me cry.
Just the sound of that motor turning over brings back memories of my first summer job at a country tire shop. We had two of these that we used as service trucks and they were absolute tanks.
This is the best vehicle to learn to drive manual on because the hardest part of driving a manual is getting the car rolling. These things make monstrous torque at idle so unless you're pulling a big load, they don't stall if you give them no throttle.
just last friday i started mine in third gear lol. my clutch chatters but the 7.3s have so much angular momentum it’s hilarious. i wouldn’t say its the best to learn though. sure gettin started is easy but shifting is quite hard. big gearbox, lots of mass. timing gear shifts, uneven ratios, one of the harder vehicles i’ve driven.
I was coming here to say the same thing! I learned on my best friends out around his small town. I absolutely loved that truck! If I had the use for one or the space I'd get one in a heartbeat.
The longevity of these old diesels are insane, my dad had an 01 dually (I think it was a 6.7 or a 7.3 I dont completely remember) but that thing had 550k miles on it when he sold it, original motor and trans from ford
I drive a 99 7.3 F250 and I love it. Hearing the turbo whistle is the greatest sound. Really awesome to see you driving one of these! Definitely unexpected haha but appreciated Edit: also forgot to mention those hydra tuners can give you as much as 120 horsepower depending on what tunes they have installed on it. Those trucks can be upgraded to make 400-500 hp with a better turbo, injectors and a high pressure oil pump and a few other things. They can be really fun platforms to mess around with
Love the variety you bring us, Ted. That startup at 4:37 is so nostalgic, international used the 7.3 in the 3800 bus chassis that many of us rode to and from school back in the olden days
they were also used in small public transit buses. Either way, the sound of this engine is the sound of many childhood adventures, and I’m as suburban as it gets
People might disagree but I really like the sound of the 6 and 8 cylinder diesel! At low rev, sounds like it is at a higher RPM. And this was even more evident in the indirect injected diesels. This one, being a V8 direct injected, is very refined and smooth.
I went from a E39 M5 to a R53 Cooper S to a ‘96 7.3 powerstroke with a ZF5, absolutely love my truck and drive it every chance I can. They’re a riot with bigger injectors too. 😂
You sound like me. I went from an e39 M5 to an R56 Cooper S JCW to an 88 Jeep Comanche with a 4.0L and. 5 speed. Now I own both a 90 Comanche and an e36 M3. I don't care what the vehicle is, if it has a manual I'm interested in it.
I’ve owned 12 of these trucks and still daily drive a 96 CC PSD ZF5. I hate how expensive they’ve become. In reality they’re not all that great to drive, but they get the job done. They can develop electrical gremlins. 99% of people don’t know that the PSD has electrically driven injection and is drive by wire. So there can be some failures there albeit rare. Fuel and oil leaks are common, they eat batteries if you live in a cold climate, but if you can put up with the maintenance and don’t expect it to be as capable as a new truck. You’ll enjoy driving it. Now if you’re a guy who pays $20,000+ for one of these, well…you already know so I don’t need to rub it in
My favorite manual driving is when I have a heavy trailer on the back of my Jeep Comanche with a 4.0L and a 5 speed. You just slowly wait for the revs to drop and slot it into the next gear smooth as butter. It's just so satisfying and feels like I imagine driving a big rig would be like, though on a much smaller scale.
I had an F250 back in the day, it was before the PSD was available. Normally you would want to start in 2nd gear unless you're carrying or towing >50% of rated capacity. My pickup could carry about 4100 lbs, tow about 12k lbs. The F350's of that era were even more capable. The best fuel economy I ever got was about 22 mpg but I was VERY light on the throttle. I'd average about 18 mpg if unloaded. It also had a stiff ride. I can only imagine how stiff the F350s were. Those were great trucks.
This was so enjoyable, thank you. Thanks for the memories. The biggest takeaway is I love seeing the fact that you actually enjoyed driving. Especially a manual. Paying attention, the sound of the engine, which is the correct gear, Went to upshift, went to downshift, the tire noise, the road noise, paying attention to traffic around you, that is such a lost art. Especially with the younger generation. And something I miss myself. One of my first standards was a 78 K5 Chevy Blazer back in the 1980s. Creeper gear first gear plus three more. And yes unless you want to pull stumps you never used first gear. But you are absolutely correct, there is something so soothing about just listening to the engine sound, going through the gears, and enjoying the act of actually driving the vehicle. As I said, younger generation today is totally lost when it comes to this. Most of them just know there's this button I push, it turns this thing on, I put this other lever here in D, those things with my feet one makes it go one makes it stop, oh that's right where's my phone. I have to check and see if my buddy sent me a text. Where is it again, oh wait, I'm actually on the highway, oh never mind I'll just look down at my phone again I'm sure he sent me that text, where is it now. Yeah... I don't think it'll ever happen but I do hope that someday things turned around. For myself personally, I think I miss driving a standard more than anything else. Long story short, I had a car accident about 30 years ago, ended up in a wheelchair, so even though I had no problem driving with hand controls up until the last couple years, I still miss driving a standard since obviously I have to have an automatic. Take care my friend, and hope everything stays safe on the highway for you.
I drove a U-Haul equipped with basically the same engine for 1100 miles over 2 mountain passes. While the performance of the engine was great, the sound proofing or should I say the lack of any sound deadening made it impossible to hear the radio even at full volume. I bought several sets of ear plugs so I wouldn’t lose my hearing!
Wow, that's some serious nostalgia I never expected to receive from a video like this. That audio, so distinct, reminded me of many childhood drives with my dad.
Next to the pushrod 5.0.. in my opinion the 7.3 is one of the best sounding engines, even in stock form...Soothing is a perfect description...Thanks for the video, nostalgia overload.
The fuel switch actually selects which tank you feed from. If you are careless and forget to change tanks before running out of fuel in a tank, you switch the tank and if you can keep rolling down the road the engine will restart once the fuel supply is replenished. (DAMHIK😥). Had I been stuck in traffic I'm not sure I'd have enough battery to get it going again. I am driving a '95 F-Super Duty (later a 450) 1-1/2 ton truck set up exactly like this one except mine is 2WD. Great truck and I drive mine very frequently but with a 5.13:1 rear gear I don't have to change gears very often.
I’m a light duty diesel mechanic and these trucks are my favorite. The transmission is just perfect in my opinion. First gear is super tall with that 5 speed so you can start in 2nd no problem and use first as a lo gear or a granny gear. And that 7.3 is probably my favorite out of the powerstroke lineup. The 6.7 is close on the list though.
I have the same truck. It's the best truck I've ever had because it's the only truck I've ever had. Been driving it for 20 years and it's still my daily driver and work truck with 336K miles.@@DesarRec
Being an OBS Ford guy myself my dream is a Aeronose CCLB F350 7.3 Powerstroke ZF5 but this one looks great as well, the ZF5s imo are bulletproof transmissions
This is oddly relatable. My co-worker's girlfriend's daily driver is a restored crew-cab, long bed F150 of the era, and I can see why. These are simplistically beautiful trucks.
I bought my first 7.3 PSD in 99. It was such a dependable and powerful truck for towing. Like you said it ran and ran and ran. Had several of them since but the 7.3 was my favorite. Great video. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Learned how to drive stick in one of these. You could shift into first and just slowly let the clutch out without hitting the gas pedal and it would slide right in to gear.
Here is one fun fact for you.If you were to own this truck in Serbia you would have to pay 2.5k$ each year in order to keep it road legal.Evry vehicle has to pass techical inspection(Serbian version of MOT)and the biger your engine is the more you have to pay.That's why VW and his 1.9 TDI are very popular.
And in brazil to drive anything above 3,5tons max payload you have to have a special license. So F-250s, Ram 2500 and up your regular drivers license is out
I drive a '99 450 with the 7.3 for work ; love how it sounds and how loud the thing is. Funny thing is, all that noise is from the engine itself. Ford hadn't figured out how do quiet down the injectors quite yet. It might be the slowest thing I've ever driven, but I love the old diesels.
Step up to a 6.7 HO powerstroke and have more than twice as much of torque than that little 7.3. with as good as fuel mileage. Diesel motors have come a long way. Me I prefer cummins for good design. Depending on what you need a truck for. This is great for starting out with a new buissness.
Great to see some unique variety on the channel! Keep it up! Did you know, it's technically not legal to drive around in MA with a tow hitch attached when you aren't towing? How do I know this? Well, someone rear ended me once, while I had a drop with a ball attached. Went straight through their radiator, zero damage to my truck. Police not happy. :)
Down here in the great state of Florida, not only is it legal to drive with your receiver hitch on, if a person rear ends you, it is 100% their fault. The receiver just adds another layer of protection and teaches the careless driver and important lesson on proper distancing.
I had the same truck, 2 tone red and white, had a built 460, thing was mint, completely restored it, and lost it because some asshole whipped a u turn in front of me. Miss the hell out of that truck
Loved this video. This generation of truck with this motor is near and dear to me, because I grew up around a family friend that had one. It always worked, always did the job, and it sure sounded great. This one being a manual is so cool!
The views, the sounds, the conversation....I can fantasize being in the passenger seat.. A true classic! A '97... simple. heavy. durable. reliable What happened car makers, huh??
And the tanks do switch, had the valve go bad and dumped fuel from the front tank to the rear tank, and the rear fuel pump didn’t work so fuel would push out past the rear gas cap and leak onto the road, we’d have to siphon the fuel back into a can and dump it back into the front tank.
My dad never owned a Ford, but he put that same Ford radio in our Caravan when I was a kid. It was probably stolen because I was 7 in '97 and out of the blue we had a new radio in our van haha.
11:18 those old 7.3’s were actually capable of 18-20 mpg unladen. That was part of why they were so loved, while the gas variant was lucky to see double digits that 7.3 could eke out close to 20 mpg just lugging along.
For me I've grown up in northern Michigan where everyone drives diesel trucks and they all do that exact same mod it's usually jumping the fuel pressure and the boost pressure to the turbo at the same time
Hi from Germany, I really love these american trucks with big engines so much. 7.3 l Diesel is just amazing. And great video as always btw. I just looked up how much car tax you had to pay per year here is insane. 1200€!!!
I have the same year F-350 reg cab white. Funny enough the regular cabs were hard to find. Mine was ordered when I was a kid. Mine is white with the brown interior. I have 127k on it.
My first vehicle was my dad's old 1982 Chevy Silverado C-10, single cab, step side, sky light blue. After driving that thing throughout high school and moving on to other vehicles, I have yet to find a vehicle that gave me that same feeling.
You are correct, 1st gear is just a crawl or heavy load gear, they're meant to be started in 2nd in normal driving. I had a 1990 Chevy 1500 many years ago (it's what i learned to drive manual on) with just the 4.3L V6 and very similar 5 speed and you normally started in 2nd, even with the base V6. The power strokes actually aren't that thirsty, they're way more efficient than any gas engine you could get on that truck, and a tuner will help the fuel economy if it's tuned correctly (and not just tuned to make tons of black smoke). The tuner is likely just upping the boost on the turbo, and adding a little extra fuel to match, it's well tuned, you could tell in the rearview since it wasn't rolling coal (black smoke = unburned fuel i.e. power you're not making)
Re: 5th gear being overdrive, on my Ecoboost Mustang with the 6 speed manual, 5th is the 1:1 gear and 6th is overdrive 😉 It's a performance package car, so the rear end is 3.55:1, but I believe that all Ecoboosts with the manual have the same gear ratios, irregardless of the rear end axle ratio.
Its not "bare boned"....its an XLT. Power windows, A/C and cruise control are luxury features in a rugged work truck like this.
The sound of the engine settling to a steady idle just after starting is heavenly
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Yes. Nothing beats a diesel V8 at idle.
4:34 that chime love it❤
I learned how to drive in one of these rigs. Dad said if you can figure out this stick, anything should be easy to drive. It was such a good farm truck. We could leave it in first gear and it would crawl through a field pulling a hay wagon as we walked along chucking bales on it.
not true. We had one and it was the easiest manual shifting and clutch I've ever driven. Almost impossible to stall. My 2000 ford ranger 2.5L 5 speed was 100 times harder to drive. It was super easy to greenhorn or stall. I used to laugh at my friends when I let them try it out. My cousin had a 96 f350 dually 5 speed and he couldn't hardly drive my ranger. Loved that little truck though and miss it.
yeah the problem with learning on a big torquey engine is you rely too much on the torque to get you going. with smaller 4 cylinder gas/petrol engines you needs to start with 1500 revs or so in order to smoothly get going. @@chadmiller2224
@@chadmiller2224what they are saying is if you know how to drive a manual you can drive anything
@@chadmiller2224 So funny you say that, I learned in a 97 powerstroke and the next manual I tried driving was a little 4 cyl ranger. Totally accurate, I was awful at manual without torque.
I been in some old macks and deuce and a half that would throw you for a loop.
Country roads, fall foliage, quaint country style homes and a big honkin' diesel. This video is a treat.
Well said.
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The sound of a 7.3 starting is music to my ears. It snarls to life
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I always admire your consideration and respect to other road users. It’s nice to see another enthusiast out there having some nice clean fun while being mindful to others doing the same in their own way. Whether in a classic car, on a bicycle, or just out for a stroll, we’re all just taking in the scenery and trying to enjoy our afternoons.
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This ol' tank reminds me of the C-10s and F-150s that I knew growing up 35-40 years ago. Pure utilitarian. This Powerstroke is a big tractor!
BTW 110,000 miles on a diesel is just it getting warmed up.
Careful, they don't break in til 150K
@@TheoHawk3167.3s are plenty reliable
@@mauricemotors8207the 7.3 is designed and built by International. It's based on a million mile engine used in bigger vehicles (like medium duty trucks)
@@brentboswell1294 -obi won...- Interrnational... now thats a name I've not heard in a long time.
@@AnotherMotorist almost called them International Harvester...I'm that old 😂😱
My dad had an 88 ford f350 dually manual with red interior and white outside, it was his favorite truck and we used to pull horse trailers, boats, 5th wheel travel trailer, flat bed trailer with hay bails, you name it this truck did everything we asked of it on our small 14 acre horse ranch. I miss the truck but miss my dad even more. RIP
FLATBED*
HAYBALES*!!😪😪
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18:20 the tanks are switching when you flip the rocker! These old diesels are awesome to drive with a manual, close to nothing can beat a 7.3 idle.
Yup, a beautiful sound indeed. I close second is an old Detroit Diesel, something about that Two-Stroke sound. 🥰🥰
Yep /\
That truck being basically a long bed, it has 19.5 gallons in the front tank and 18.2 gallons in the rear.
That doesn't sound like a lot for this truck, my 78 Mercedes 300SD has a 23 gallon tank. @@coopershistorygarage2804
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I've always described the 5 cylinder turbodiesel in my '79 300SD as making a "soothing agricultural whirr". There's something so satisfying about that rock steady big chunky idle.
My uncle had an '87 with the old 6.9 IDI and the same 5-speed manual... that truck's impression on me is a big part of why I drive diesels today.
79 is a great year for an SD. Congrats for having one!
@@42N8K9 Thanks! It’s a great story… bought it from the original owner’s son with 121,116km on it in March 2020. Mint inside and out. Needed a ton of mechanical refresh after sitting in a garage for almost 20 years, but it’s all done. Will have this one for the rest of my life. Up to 153,000km and lots more to come! I know all the OM617 cars really well… W116 is by far my favourite.
Daily “beater” is a nice ‘98 E300 Turbodiesel with 172,000km :D
Ironically, I have the same set up. I have a 1987, 6.9 IDI disel 4 speed and it’s very reliable truck, love the sound . I also have a 99 f350 dually 7.3 power stroke. Imo from the 6.9-7.3 power stroke those years for ford were the best.
@@jeffcullen6573 wow what a gem, not many 116 300SDs left in good shape. I have an 83 300SD and as much as I appreciate the quality of the W126 design, I feel like the W116 was an even more solid car. I had the opportunity to buy a 1980 with 130k miles that needed paint and not much else (that I knew of) and I should have bought it but the owner lied about taking it on a long trip the day before to get me to think it was reliable but the odometer was working and showed a 5 mile drive, not the almost 500 miles he described so I walked, and he was not happy. That was the best one I've seen but yours sounds like it's on another level.
@@jeffcullen6573 also your daily is another underappreciated model, I had a 1997 non turbo which was a great car other than being a slug in traffic. Yeah those are great cars too!
Watching Tedward row gears in a 7.3 OBS is the best way to start off the week :)
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That 7.3 powerstroke makes nostalgic school bus noises for anyone that grew up in the 90s.
So true. Reminds me of an old International S-1800. Not sure if the one I rode in had a 7.3 or a 9L though.
This!
Same with the IDI.
Oh, I loved those sounds. Mmmmm..
It’s used in the IC CE200
I past my driver license test in basically the same truck, I had to help the instructor get in it had no steps and she collapsed reach the floorboards. she was completely floored that I was able to parallel park it without being able to see the cones they had setup 😂. I grew up with Big Red, will never forget that truck! Plowing snow and spending time with my dad.
Oh lord, this is my dream truck.
Edit: and finally a good quality video of somebody driving one! I hope Ted gets a Ford Excursion next, haha.
He should also put some copyright free music onto a cassette so we can hear how these old stereos sound 😂😅
yes please i’d love to hear those nice stereo speakers!
Mine too, but they're as much now as a new truck was during peak COVID
Same man. There so expensive tho unfortunately. Really nice examples can be up to 20k even 30k or more.
OG Stereo in my OBS is actually pretty nice. Speakers weren’t terrible. Added kicker subs but still stock stereo. Sounds fantastic!
@@krafgeetar4013 Last year I swapped a junkyard cassette stereo into my 98 ZJ Grand Cherokee. It actually worked and considering I had never heard or used cassette before, it was just about the coolest thing ever.
That combo is absolutely insane, what an awesome (now considered classic) truck!
No 80k luxury cruiser here. I really miss how trucks used to be. Affordable beasts.
Dream truck status right here, oh man. Not a fan of the bed personally, but a OBS with a 7.3 and a 5 speed is a truck you can keep for generations if you take care of it right. Also, these are like the perfect combination of just modern enough to be livable but old enough to be simple and reliable. It's a shame we can't have trucks like these again...
Same here, I have my obs f150 and I absolutely LOVE it but my dream just like you is the 7.3 but I want a crew cab 5speed 4wd
i’m gonna say it. these trucks are not modern enough to be livable. i believe the super duty 7.3 is that. these are archaic. the drivetrain is okay, yes. hence why i say super duty 7.3. the chassis was designed in 1979 with minimal modifications besides cosmetic. the engineering is far more impressive with a super duty and the quality shows. as someone who owns one, they’re fun but the novelty QUICKLY wears off when you’re towing a trailer 400 miles each way and you cant do more than ~68mph, your wrists are sore from the steering, your ears ring from the exhaust sound coming through the shift boot(my truck has dynamat and brand new boots trust me) and when you service it you realize this body style was never designed for turbos and up pipes. they’re good trucks but they’re archaic.
@@MCatwar If you run a tune they can be made into some pretty sweet haul trucks. And yes the sound does get old if your going on a 800 mile trip, but who doesn’t love there obs. And as far as serviceable. I promise you a new 6.7 is gonna be harder then a 7.3 even with down and up pipes
@@GodFollowingCattleLoving i have a tune and i have all the updates tech in mine. and i may be biased here as a mechanic but with a proper shop these new trucks are designed for cab off or cab slightly removed services. this is a WILD opinion, i know, but for the benefit of the comfort, power, reliability and cleanliness/efficiency, a new truck’s more temperamental nature and inconvenience of pulling a cab(when you do a ton it’s not horrible) becomes insignificant.
this is under the lens that if you own a diesel truck you are working it and actively using its benefits. if you’re like me and you bought an obs 7.3 as a toy, obviously it won’t be worth it. these trucks are too archaic to make into reliable trucks that make money. parts will wear out. whether that be your input shaft bearing, brake drum hardware, transfer case seals, a baked on oil cooler, these expenses and down time add up to drastically more than pulling a cab to service a motor imo. i know there’s exceptions but for thr vast majority of people needing a diesel truck i think this applies.
for me, it’s a toy. i pull single car trailers and drive in the mountains with it. it’s never seen more than 8000lb with my ownership. i drive it a lot but i don’t work it hard or to make money, and its okay ish. still have lots of problems even just using it as a toy. gotta go fix another weird issue today even
@@MCatwar I agree 100% there’s definitely always going to be parts warn out. And yes sir that’s why I don’t like the new trucks, and yes sir just a fun toy lol I would probably go for a nbs 7.3 if I was gonna tow for a living but for the price of new trucks it just makes more sense to me to get a old truck. And do you have the IDI? Cause I know a idi’s with major upgrades towing will definitely not hit 70😂 but a powerstroke should🤷🏻
my friend bought one of these the day we graduated high school.. i've had a ton of cars, his f350 has 600k on the clock and still runs new.. this truly was when ford built tough trucks..
Something about a big turbo diesel starting up is just so satisfying to hear.
It's that "I'm ready to work, boss" sound 😍
my dad had a 7.3 excursion and i loved that thing, stage two on basically everything. poor truck was rusting away and was slow because of the 4 speed auto, but i still miss it, got rid of it a few months now, when i heard that cold start in almost made me cry.
Peg should be enjoying this fine machine !! Get this little dude a Prius!!
Just the sound of that motor turning over brings back memories of my first summer job at a country tire shop. We had two of these that we used as service trucks and they were absolute tanks.
This is the best vehicle to learn to drive manual on because the hardest part of driving a manual is getting the car rolling. These things make monstrous torque at idle so unless you're pulling a big load, they don't stall if you give them no throttle.
Damn right. I learned driving on an Isuzu D-Max. When I switched to a gasoline car, I had to press on the gas pedal way more to avoid stalling it.
just last friday i started mine in third gear lol. my clutch chatters but the 7.3s have so much angular momentum it’s hilarious. i wouldn’t say its the best to learn though. sure gettin started is easy but shifting is quite hard. big gearbox, lots of mass. timing gear shifts, uneven ratios, one of the harder vehicles i’ve driven.
I was coming here to say the same thing! I learned on my best friends out around his small town. I absolutely loved that truck! If I had the use for one or the space I'd get one in a heartbeat.
@@Aug08 hey I see you're a coloradan. you want one? located on the western slope, 1997 5 speed ;)
4:38 the start up sound absolutely beautiful
BUILT TOUGH 🇺🇸❤️
Thank you for reviewing this 👍🏻 That’s what’s up 🤗
Thank you Sarah!!!
The longevity of these old diesels are insane, my dad had an 01 dually (I think it was a 6.7 or a 7.3 I dont completely remember) but that thing had 550k miles on it when he sold it, original motor and trans from ford
It would be 7.3, 6.7 didn’t come out till 2011
That video truly captures the analog driving experience of this truck
Omg this brings me back. My dad had one of these when I was 16.
I drive a 99 7.3 F250 and I love it. Hearing the turbo whistle is the greatest sound. Really awesome to see you driving one of these! Definitely unexpected haha but appreciated
Edit: also forgot to mention those hydra tuners can give you as much as 120 horsepower depending on what tunes they have installed on it. Those trucks can be upgraded to make 400-500 hp with a better turbo, injectors and a high pressure oil pump and a few other things. They can be really fun platforms to mess around with
Didn't think Tom would show a lubed up knob in one of his videos but here we are
Love the variety you bring us, Ted. That startup at 4:37 is so nostalgic, international used the 7.3 in the 3800 bus chassis that many of us rode to and from school back in the olden days
they were also used in small public transit buses. Either way, the sound of this engine is the sound of many childhood adventures, and I’m as suburban as it gets
Even into today they’re still using em. I still
People might disagree but I really like the sound of the 6 and 8 cylinder diesel! At low rev, sounds like it is at a higher RPM. And this was even more evident in the indirect injected diesels. This one, being a V8 direct injected, is very refined and smooth.
When I was 16 I test drove a new 5sp powerstroke in dec 94, was the first one ever in my town back then, I’ve been obsessed for a long time lol
I went from a E39 M5 to a R53 Cooper S to a ‘96 7.3 powerstroke with a ZF5, absolutely love my truck and drive it every chance I can. They’re a riot with bigger injectors too. 😂
You sound like me. I went from an e39 M5 to an R56 Cooper S JCW to an 88 Jeep Comanche with a 4.0L and. 5 speed.
Now I own both a 90 Comanche and an e36 M3. I don't care what the vehicle is, if it has a manual I'm interested in it.
I grew up in these 1984-1997 fords. Never a diesel, mostly 300s and 302s but still. Many memories
I’ve owned 12 of these trucks and still daily drive a 96 CC PSD ZF5. I hate how expensive they’ve become. In reality they’re not all that great to drive, but they get the job done. They can develop electrical gremlins. 99% of people don’t know that the PSD has electrically driven injection and is drive by wire. So there can be some failures there albeit rare. Fuel and oil leaks are common, they eat batteries if you live in a cold climate, but if you can put up with the maintenance and don’t expect it to be as capable as a new truck. You’ll enjoy driving it. Now if you’re a guy who pays $20,000+ for one of these, well…you already know so I don’t need to rub it in
Totally agree about big diesels being relaxing. PoV drives of big trucks are like ASMR to me.
My favorite manual driving is when I have a heavy trailer on the back of my Jeep Comanche with a 4.0L and a 5 speed. You just slowly wait for the revs to drop and slot it into the next gear smooth as butter. It's just so satisfying and feels like I imagine driving a big rig would be like, though on a much smaller scale.
That truck is a beast. Single cab, manual trans, gooseneck. That's all I need right there!
I found a 1996 F250 manual with the 7.3L on eBay and man. It had 180,000 miles and I’ve still never wanted a truck so badly in my life
What's the seller's price?
@@tylerbuck9347 that truck is long gone but I think the seller wanted around $17K in late 2020
I had an F250 back in the day, it was before the PSD was available. Normally you would want to start in 2nd gear unless you're carrying or towing >50% of rated capacity. My pickup could carry about 4100 lbs, tow about 12k lbs. The F350's of that era were even more capable. The best fuel economy I ever got was about 22 mpg but I was VERY light on the throttle. I'd average about 18 mpg if unloaded. It also had a stiff ride. I can only imagine how stiff the F350s were. Those were great trucks.
THAT DRIVE IS/WAS LEGITIMATELY THERAPY FOR MY SOUL!!! So much deep childhood nostalgia! I'm gunna start shopping for one.
This was so enjoyable, thank you. Thanks for the memories. The biggest takeaway is I love seeing the fact that you actually enjoyed driving. Especially a manual. Paying attention, the sound of the engine, which is the correct gear, Went to upshift, went to downshift, the tire noise, the road noise, paying attention to traffic around you, that is such a lost art. Especially with the younger generation. And something I miss myself. One of my first standards was a 78 K5 Chevy Blazer back in the 1980s. Creeper gear first gear plus three more. And yes unless you want to pull stumps you never used first gear. But you are absolutely correct, there is something so soothing about just listening to the engine sound, going through the gears, and enjoying the act of actually driving the vehicle.
As I said, younger generation today is totally lost when it comes to this. Most of them just know there's this button I push, it turns this thing on, I put this other lever here in D, those things with my feet one makes it go one makes it stop, oh that's right where's my phone. I have to check and see if my buddy sent me a text. Where is it again, oh wait, I'm actually on the highway, oh never mind I'll just look down at my phone again I'm sure he sent me that text, where is it now. Yeah...
I don't think it'll ever happen but I do hope that someday things turned around. For myself personally, I think I miss driving a standard more than anything else. Long story short, I had a car accident about 30 years ago, ended up in a wheelchair, so even though I had no problem driving with hand controls up until the last couple years, I still miss driving a standard since obviously I have to have an automatic. Take care my friend, and hope everything stays safe on the highway for you.
Probably one of the coolest vehicles you've had on the channel 🙌🙌
I drove a U-Haul equipped with basically the same engine for 1100 miles over 2 mountain passes. While the performance of the engine was great, the sound proofing or should I say the lack of any sound deadening made it impossible to hear the radio even at full volume. I bought several sets of ear plugs so I wouldn’t lose my hearing!
The sound of this truck made my day. Totally understand and agree with what you meant when you've talked about the comforting sound of a diesel.
Wow, that's some serious nostalgia I never expected to receive from a video like this. That audio, so distinct, reminded me of many childhood drives with my dad.
I used a 02’ 7.3 as a daily/race car hauler and those cold starts and sound never got old. Even the auto was pretty good.
Next to the pushrod 5.0.. in my opinion the 7.3 is one of the best sounding engines, even in stock form...Soothing is a perfect description...Thanks for the video, nostalgia overload.
The fuel switch actually selects which tank you feed from. If you are careless and forget to change tanks before running out of fuel in a tank, you switch the tank and if you can keep rolling down the road the engine will restart once the fuel supply is replenished. (DAMHIK😥). Had I been stuck in traffic I'm not sure I'd have enough battery to get it going again. I am driving a '95 F-Super Duty (later a 450) 1-1/2 ton truck set up exactly like this one except mine is 2WD. Great truck and I drive mine very frequently but with a 5.13:1 rear gear I don't have to change gears very often.
I’m a light duty diesel mechanic and these trucks are my favorite. The transmission is just perfect in my opinion. First gear is super tall with that 5 speed so you can start in 2nd no problem and use first as a lo gear or a granny gear. And that 7.3 is probably my favorite out of the powerstroke lineup. The 6.7 is close on the list though.
I have a 99 7.3 with the zf6 and it’s the best truck I’ve ever had. Gonna redo all the body soon, interior is already perfect
I have the same truck. It's the best truck I've ever had because it's the only truck I've ever had. Been driving it for 20 years and it's still my daily driver and work truck with 336K miles.@@DesarRec
@@DesarRecI wish I had the 6 speed in my 1997. I have the 5.
Being an OBS Ford guy myself my dream is a Aeronose CCLB F350 7.3 Powerstroke ZF5 but this one looks great as well, the ZF5s imo are bulletproof transmissions
This is oddly relatable. My co-worker's girlfriend's daily driver is a restored crew-cab, long bed F150 of the era, and I can see why. These are simplistically beautiful trucks.
Them gals really enjoy the idle of a 7.3...
These trays are often seen as more practical for trades and farm life as they can take a wider load, so cool to see it on a big truck!
I bought my first 7.3 PSD in 99. It was such a dependable and powerful truck for towing. Like you said it ran and ran and ran. Had several of them since but the 7.3 was my favorite. Great video. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Learned how to drive stick in one of these. You could shift into first and just slowly let the clutch out without hitting the gas pedal and it would slide right in to gear.
Honestly nothing like the sound of a 7.3 starting up
That sound brings back memories
Here is one fun fact for you.If you were to own this truck in Serbia you would have to pay 2.5k$ each year in order to keep it road legal.Evry vehicle has to pass techical inspection(Serbian version of MOT)and the biger your engine is the more you have to pay.That's why VW and his 1.9 TDI are very popular.
How much would a Mazda rx8 cost? That’s only a 1.3 liter
And in brazil to drive anything above 3,5tons max payload you have to have a special license. So F-250s, Ram 2500 and up your regular drivers license is out
@@igormac88 same here
@@joetz1 aprox 270$
I have a 99 with a 7.3 and a stick shift but mine is reverse, low, 1 2 3 4 OD, it’s the most satisfying vehicle I’ve ever drove.
Miss my 7.3 right now. Its sittin half a state away, needing a transmission.
i learned to drive manual in one of these. i'm glad you're driving one. brings back memories
450 ft. pounds of torque doesn't sound like much in a truck that big.
That is my dream truck.
Im a gm guy but I can’t stop drooling over this truck, it would be the ideal farm truck
I drive a '99 450 with the 7.3 for work ; love how it sounds and how loud the thing is. Funny thing is, all that noise is from the engine itself. Ford hadn't figured out how do quiet down the injectors quite yet. It might be the slowest thing I've ever driven, but I love the old diesels.
Step up to a 6.7 HO powerstroke and have more than twice as much of torque than that little 7.3. with as good as fuel mileage. Diesel motors have come a long way. Me I prefer cummins for good design. Depending on what you need a truck for. This is great for starting out with a new buissness.
Love my 7.3. I like listening to it more than the radio
Great to see some unique variety on the channel! Keep it up! Did you know, it's technically not legal to drive around in MA with a tow hitch attached when you aren't towing? How do I know this? Well, someone rear ended me once, while I had a drop with a ball attached. Went straight through their radiator, zero damage to my truck. Police not happy. :)
I would wager that’s one of the least illegal things I’ve done 😆
Down here in the great state of Florida, not only is it legal to drive with your receiver hitch on, if a person rear ends you, it is 100% their fault. The receiver just adds another layer of protection and teaches the careless driver and important lesson on proper distancing.
man when these 90s trucks are mint they are like time machines
4:37 Best sounding diesel startup of all time
Love these trucks I daily a ford 6.0 powerstroke the sound of these heui injection systems are unbeatable
The 6.0 spills from idle. I love the sound of them.
I had the same truck, 2 tone red and white, had a built 460, thing was mint, completely restored it, and lost it because some asshole whipped a u turn in front of me. Miss the hell out of that truck
Love this thing.
Never a problem seeing downstream traffic from the Captains chair of this beast...👍🏁
I absolutely love the enthusiasm in all your videos, and for all kinds of different vehicles. Never change!
Loved this video. This generation of truck with this motor is near and dear to me, because I grew up around a family friend that had one. It always worked, always did the job, and it sure sounded great. This one being a manual is so cool!
7.3s are absolutely legendary. Definitely the best diesel truck ever made by Ford.
OBS Fords are hot right now. I miss my 93 rcsb with the 4.9 straight 6. This gave me nostalgia!
LOVE the fact you're reviewing something like this!
i drove one of these for construction and it had a custom bed. i can’t say it was very stable but it definitely got us to the site and back.
The views, the sounds, the conversation....I can fantasize being in the passenger seat.. A true classic! A '97... simple. heavy. durable. reliable What happened car makers, huh??
Man that is an beautiful workhorse us farmers love manual pick up trucks more fun rowing through the gears
I love these old Fords brings back memories.
this is the most badass thing you've driven and i need it now
And the tanks do switch, had the valve go bad and dumped fuel from the front tank to the rear tank, and the rear fuel pump didn’t work so fuel would push out past the rear gas cap and leak onto the road, we’d have to siphon the fuel back into a can and dump it back into the front tank.
Probably the best looking truck ever made
My dad never owned a Ford, but he put that same Ford radio in our Caravan when I was a kid. It was probably stolen because I was 7 in '97 and out of the blue we had a new radio in our van haha.
4:38 the sound of the 7.3
My father's GMC Sonoma is also a 5 speed manual
11:18 those old 7.3’s were actually capable of 18-20 mpg unladen. That was part of why they were so loved, while the gas variant was lucky to see double digits that 7.3 could eke out close to 20 mpg just lugging along.
For me I've grown up in northern Michigan where everyone drives diesel trucks and they all do that exact same mod it's usually jumping the fuel pressure and the boost pressure to the turbo at the same time
Now that Truck sounds nice I love diesel trucks the way those engines purr
I’ve definitely seen that exact truck around when I used to live in Waltham.
So sick
I'm absolutely in love with diesel big block V8s!
Hi from Germany, I really love these american trucks with big engines so much. 7.3 l Diesel is just amazing.
And great video as always btw.
I just looked up how much car tax you had to pay per year here is insane.
1200€!!!
I have the same year F-350 reg cab white. Funny enough the regular cabs were hard to find. Mine was ordered when I was a kid. Mine is white with the brown interior. I have 127k on it.
Always surprising us with vehicles we’d thought we never see on the channel. Thanks Tedward.
that thing makes all the right sounds
Hey that green coolant causes cavitation of the coolant side of the cylinder walls FYI
Also, the reason it says overdrive and not fifth gear is because it’s not a gear. It’s a lockout that locks the engine speed out with the axle speed.
My first vehicle was my dad's old 1982 Chevy Silverado C-10, single cab, step side, sky light blue. After driving that thing throughout high school and moving on to other vehicles, I have yet to find a vehicle that gave me that same feeling.
I love seeing Truckward on the channel!
You are correct, 1st gear is just a crawl or heavy load gear, they're meant to be started in 2nd in normal driving. I had a 1990 Chevy 1500 many years ago (it's what i learned to drive manual on) with just the 4.3L V6 and very similar 5 speed and you normally started in 2nd, even with the base V6. The power strokes actually aren't that thirsty, they're way more efficient than any gas engine you could get on that truck, and a tuner will help the fuel economy if it's tuned correctly (and not just tuned to make tons of black smoke). The tuner is likely just upping the boost on the turbo, and adding a little extra fuel to match, it's well tuned, you could tell in the rearview since it wasn't rolling coal (black smoke = unburned fuel i.e. power you're not making)
Re: 5th gear being overdrive, on my Ecoboost Mustang with the 6 speed manual, 5th is the 1:1 gear and 6th is overdrive 😉 It's a performance package car, so the rear end is 3.55:1, but I believe that all Ecoboosts with the manual have the same gear ratios, irregardless of the rear end axle ratio.