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Ford F550 - What are your opinions on it

24K views 38 replies 25 participants last post by  K-TRON 
#1 ·
I was looking to purchase a 1990-1999 Ford F550 with the 7.3L powerstroke diesel engine. I was looking into the crewcab models, with an 8 or so foot bed on it.
I drive my Dads 2004 6.0L F250 which is a crewcab and has an 8ft bed, so I cant imagine the 550 being any harder to drive. They would be the same length. I really like how the F-250 handles in town and on the highway. It is comfortable and handles exceptionally well for an 8400lb rig

To those who own the F550, is it a comfortable rig, how does it handle towing, at highway speeds?

What are the main differences between the F-250 and the F-550?
I imagine the 550 has heavier springs/chassis.
I know the 550 has Dana 135's rather than the D70/80's found on the 250/350

I was hoping to pick one up, and eventually swap my Detroit Diesel 6v53T into it. It should fit, I plan on making the hood tilt forward.
I do not know what the powerstroke 7.3L weighs, but my 320hp Detroit Screamer weighs 1540lbs dry

What kind of spring availability is there for the front end of these?
I imagine I would need to stiffen them up a bit to handle the extra weight.

I hope that the Dana 135 (4.88:1) axles will handle the 775lb/ft of torque my engine produces. The 7.3L powerstroke cant put down anywhere near as much torque, so I had my concerns.
A heady duty Eaton Fuller 10/13 speed is planned with heavy duty driveshafts.

Chris
 
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#2 ·
The pre-99 trucks are straight axle front with leaf springs on the 2wds. They are stiffly sprung and will have zero in common with your dad's newer F250. I don't think the big axles came until recently, we have a few new-ish trucks at work that have the 80 rear. You also won't be getting a powerstroke in a pre-94 truck either, it will be a 460 gas, or 7.3 IDI.
Travis..
 
#3 ·
Pre 99 they were just called F-Superduty trucks and the closes equivalent would be an F450 today. They're nowhere near as heavy duty as the 99+ trucks are. They were also available only in 2wd, but there are a few conversions floating around. We have a 95 and 96 in our work fleet. They are some of the ROUGHEST riding trucks I've ever ridden in. I drove one down to Maryland last fall (about a 4hr round trip) and my lower back was killing me by the time I got back. I took our 99 F250 on the same trip a few days later and you didn't feel a thing. I would in no way try and take one on a long distance trip. If it had a full air ride rear and a coil spring suspension up front it might be ok.


I looked breifly at getting an F-Superduty to put my Cummins in, but crew cabs can be hard to find, and 90%+ of these trucks were ordered as XL work trucks which were all worked to death (ie really crappy condition).
 
#4 ·
I used to drive an '06 F550 and it was the shit. It would turn circles around any F250 or F350, would haul quite a bit of weight and towed awesome. It was the most stable non semi I have ever towed with. I used to tow in upwards of 15,000 lbs. with a bumper pull and it wasn't an issue. I think a 7.3 weighs just under 1000 lbs.
 
#6 ·
So the consensus says that 1998 and older 550's ride worse than the 1999 and newer rigs. That is good to know.

powerstroke73, what is it that causes the ride to be so ROUGH?
Is it just that the chassis/suspension is alot tighter/heavier to withstand larger loads, or is it partly due to poorly designed seats/cab?

You said that it COULD be comfortable with air bag suspension, so I guess it is more of a chassis issue. Couldnt you also add air bags to each corner of the cab to make for a comfortable ride?
Please excuse me if it is a stupid question, I do not have much experience with vehicle altering/modification


My goal is to buy a vehicle which can get me from point A to B safely, while maintaining decent mileage (15 or greater), with the possibility to allow me to install my Detroit Diesel in it, in the future.
I am a 3rd year student in college, so I would like to start with a vehicle which will last me 5yr or so, until I get a job which will allow my dreams to become a reality. Once I save up enough, I would like to have a nice powerful rig, with my screaming jimmy in it, yet comfortable to sit in and drive.


A future problem I saw with the F550 is that the Dana 135's offered on 1999 and newer trucks have 4.88:1 gears at best.
That would really limit the Detroit Diesel I have. I wanted to go the 550 route so that I had a strong drivetrain to begin with. I know people who have 6v53's in there 250's/350's and the stock driveshaft/D80's do not stand a chance to the torque of these things. That is why i wanted to go the F-550 route - to get those stronger components.

The transmission of choice was the Eaton Fuller RTO-6610 with a 0.8 overdrive. The tranny weighs 375lbs, and is rated for 650lb/ft of torque. My engine puts down 775lb/ft, but the eaton should handle it without a problem.

That being said, my engine produces peak torque at 1600rpm, so I wanted to gear it so that 60mph would be 1700rpm and 70mph would be closer to 1900rpm. 2600rpm is the peak rpm, but I would rather stay low on the rpm and keep mileage up

In order to do that I would need to change the rear gears to 3.73 D-135's.
Dana Spicer released the D135 with 17 different gearing ratio's between 2.81:1 and 7.17:1
There are three kits of parts I would need to change the gears to 3.73:1 are:
360KG104-X ~ The 3.73gears $768.75
360DU103 ~Differential Case Flange Half" $156.68
360KQ101-X ~Differential Case With Bolts $379.43

I have never taken a rear diff apart before, so I imagine it requires specific tools and quite a bit of time. In the end, that should give the vehicle long legs and maintain a decent fuel economy as well.


Sorry for all of the questions, I am 20yrs old, and an architecture student. I plan to use the truck to build my house after I graduate and get my architecture license.
I should probably go out and find some F-550's to test drive and see if I even like them. I drove one only for a short period of time and it seemed a little stiffer than my dads F-250, but not uncomfortable. Then again, I wasnt driving fast.

Chris
 
#9 ·
So the consensus says that 1998 and older 550's ride worse than the 1999 and newer rigs. That is good to know.

powerstroke73, what is it that causes the ride to be so ROUGH?
You've obviously not noted the arch on the front spring packs of these. Pic is best I could do on short notice

As already stated these were avail only in 2wd
 

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#7 ·
The reason the older F-superdutys ride rough is because they were designed to be work trucks, not mommy-mobiles. They have serious spring packs. People weren't buying medium duty type trucks/pick-ups for commuting back then. They were designed to be tough and reliable work trucks. Most of them you find will be over-worked rags. If you do find a nice one, you could make it ride however you want by swapping in softer springs (kinda defeats the point though). If you want something you can DD for the next 5 years or so before you build your super duper truck, get something practical to drive and wait on a giant truck. Anything that will support your engine/trans combo will be miserable to drive daily for half a decade.
Travis..
 
#8 · (Edited)
it doesn't take much to get a powerstroke to the 700lbft+ mark (factory trucks now are 650, and they still use the sterling 10.5 and dana 80's), the rear diff will be fine, the 350hp is fawk all, that said the only concern i would have is axle wrap and tranny strength.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I have a 99 F-550 sitting outside it rides rough to be polite. The truck gets 9mpg at best and doesnt compare to the ride on my f-350s. If your looking at getting 15mpg out of one dream on because it isnt happening without alot of time and money and the d135 requires a crap ton of specific tools and specialty sockets just to change the rear disc. However that being said I still love the F-550 it doesnt matter what ive put behind it, it has towed it from Kodiaks and topkicks to 50ft + toyhaulers and its been reliable doing it. The single best upgrade is either a reflashed ecm or one out of a 350 and a tuner the 550s come detuned from the factory. The other thing with a F550 is if you find one with high miles you will probably end up replacing every bit of wiring on the truck i know of 3 that had to be entirely rewired do to fatigue and chaffing on chassis components.
 
#11 ·
Interesting,
maybe I am better off starting off with a 350/450 and upgrading certain components.
My friend gets 18mpg continuous out of the 286hp 6v53T in his 11,000lb F250. Its coupled to an Allison 3000 series. He had to upgrade the rear differential and driveshafts, to stand up to the torque of these motors.

It sounds like the 550 is a work truck and that is all. I was hoping that it would be comfortable, but having never driven one, it doesnt shock me that they ride terrible.

Thank you all for your opinions, maybe I need to go back to the drawing board to find a better chassis to start out with.
I do want to use the engine I have, and I want to be able to drive it everyday in a rig which does not require a CDL, and something I can get by the emissions people in New York State with

Chris
 
#13 ·
The reason these trucks get terrible mileage is the gearing. If you are gonna re-gear it for your engines sweet spot, you will be fine. Our newer body style (99 up type truck) 450s and 550 at work with leaf springs front/rear ride ok, not great, but ok. If you got one of those, it'd be liveable I think. BUT, if you want to DD it for a while I would regear it first thing right off the bat. That would give you some cruising speed and mileage. As long as you don't intend to need all of the rated capacity you'll be fine.
Travis..
 
#14 · (Edited)
The reason these trucks get terrible mileage is the gearing. If you are gonna re-gear it for your engines sweet spot, you will be fine. Travis..
Yes, I was planning on changing the rear differential from 4.88:1 to 3.73:1
That would really increase the driveability of these things.
I looked on alot of other forums, and it sounded like the biggest complaint with the F550 was the fact that it was geared so low, you had to rev the shit out of the 7.3 to get any kind of highway speed. Which resulted in such poor mileage.
Only three kits need to be purchased to change the rear gearing. Yeah it is $1300 of parts, but it would probably make a night/day difference
I wasnt planning on hauling much with it until I graduate/get a good job/start building my house. It would be running empty for the majority of the time until then.

I was talking with one of my friends earlier today. He mentioned that if I go with a 1999, I may have quite some difficulty getting it legal if I were to swap a big old diesel into it. I havent looked much into New York State ruling, but from what I understand you can repower a diesel with a diesel, but if you want to repower a gasoline vehicle with a diesel it needs to be a pre 1984 vehicle. I am not 100% sure I will need to find that information out.

I am sure the F550 could be made comfortable, it would just take some effort and probably lots of money.

I drive a 1989 Jeep Cherokee/Pioneer, it isnt exactly comfortable or smooth driving. It handles pretty poorly at speeds over 60mph. Yeah is it old and has had nearly 400,000 miles between the two engines, but man when my dad bought the F250 that thing is like a Cadillac at 70mph. You barely feel anything. Some happy medium between the two would be nice.

Thanks for all of your great ideas/comments so far. I was hesitant to post on this board, because of my lack of vehicle hardware knowledge. It is much better of a community than I thought.

Chris
 
#15 ·
Here's my 2000 F550:





My current goals are to add a roll off hoist and air ride the rear suspension. There are companies that sell kits for $3k and $4.5k, although one could make them for far cheaper, it's not terribly complicated.

I would also like an auxilary OD to reduce engine rpm. FWIW the 7.3 puts out a healthy amount of torque with just a chip.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Good luck getting NY to pass a diesel engine from the 70s in your FSeries Super Duty. I know in my state, if converting gas to diesel in my '95 the diesel must be from a '95+ truck. Whatever generation Ford truck you buy, make sure you take some measurements to see if you can even fit that in 87-96 or Super Duty trucks without having to use a 20" hood scoop to clear the turbo on that obselete engine.

Id stick with a lightly modded 7.3L, it'd be much cheaper than putting that engine in and tuning everything around it perfectly to work.

-Tyler
 
#19 ·
What he said is actually right on the money^^ If you want something cool to put that Detroit into, look for a funky old '60s or early '70s Chevy C60 or something similar. That would be a cool build and damn reasonable too. I think the packaging alone in a newer small truck would stop me from doing a project like you speak of.
Travis..
 
#20 ·
I was wondering that exact same thing when I came across this thread the other night... hell our poor 2000 3/4 ton powerstroke has hauled shit all over the place and had quite a few 21,000 lb loads on it with the gooseneck trailer... It is rarely ever unhooked actually!

Here it is as it sit's in my yard right now...

 
#23 ·
Yeah it's draggin ass right now cause the tires are in a bit of a soft spot... It only lacked about an inch anyways! That rear axle is catching hell because of the overhang. :laughing:

Only had to move it about 3 miles to get it here. It's gonna be my new storage/garden shed in the yard after a bit of fixin' up! :D
 
#25 ·
Thanks Guys for your inputs

the only reason I wanted to go for the 550 over a 350 was that the 550 had a stronger drivetrain which would hold up to the engine I have.
If I bought a 350, yes it would handle better, but how much would I need to change on it to hold up to the Detroit I wanted to install into it?
I would think that it would end up being smarter starting with a 550, rather than building a 350 to 550 strength.

Yes, I could use the 7.3L, but it will never be a two stroke screamer.
You can find a 6v53 in a 2.5-3 ton GMC 6500/7000, but they are not your daily kind of truck, they are old and handle as such.

The 550 is the same physical size as the 250 my dad has, that isnt something which bothers me. You guys say that the handling will be different, and that is something I will need to find out for myself.
The topkicks and such are on another scale of big, which I do not want to venture into

If there are better alternatives, from Chevy, Dodge, or even Ford I am all ears. Its just gotta have that ability to get my Detroit in it :D

Chris
 
#27 ·
It doesnt take much to make that 7.3L outperform your detroit... shit mine puts out 1000 ft/lbs, theres a pro-sled puller who has a 1200 hp 2400 ft/lbs 7.3L.
Size wize that 550 is basically just a 250/350/450 body style/size only changes when you get into the 650.
If I were to swap in an engine it wouldnt be some two-stroke, itd be a 5.9L cummins or 8.3L just because they are strong engines an parts are much easier to source
 
#28 ·
New 2011 powerstroke power numbers I seen are 390hp and 735 torque. Its a 6.7. Ford is putting this in front of dana 80s and 10.5 rears. You can buy some good shafts for the Dana 80. It will take that power. Seen alot of dana 80's in diesel pulling trucks and gas ones for that matter. Do what makes you happy.
 
#29 · (Edited)
So you are saying that a Dana 80 should handle the job.

With that considered, Maybe a F350 or 450 would be a better start

The semester at RPI ends May 20th, so sometimes afterwards I will need to testdrive a bunch of different fords to see what I like.
I also have to figure out the NYS emissions rules, that will probably restrict me to vehicles which I can register as historic, (20yrs, or is it 25?)

Chris
 
#35 ·
You've either got more money than you know what to do with, or there's something seriously special about this motor. You can make as much power with the PSD, and being a lighter engine it will be faster than your "screamer" even with a little less power. A vehicle registered with vintage plates can't be driven daily, which is why they don't have to be tabbed.

Honestly, unless that detroit came out of your dad's first logging truck, sell it and put the money towards upgrades on a 7.3 or the new 6.7. Not trying to flame you right now, that's seriously just more work than you'll want to do, and by the time you see what I'm saying you'll be shoulder-deep in the engine bay of a $30k+ truck.
 
#30 ·
You realize a 6.4L PSD with the only addition of a tuner puts out more power than your Detroit. Ford actually got rid of the Dana 135 and went back to the Dana 80 because it was too much rear end for the power the trucks are putting out. I definitely would not swap a turd Detroit in place of a 7.3.

You can easily accomplish everything you ask with a newer F-250, no need for a 450 or 550. Have you even checked the weight fees on something like that anyway? I know in CA guys with F-450s and 550s are getting rheamed with weight fees over and above those of us with 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. Since you are in the People's Republic of New York, I would assume you have equally absurd registration costs.
 
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