02 Ford F350 - The "last" truck?

jscusmcvet

jscusmcvet

Adventurist
Hello Gentlemen... apply that term as appropriate to your current state...

I have been through a plethora of vehicles since joining AAV...
  • 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Great vehicle, just had needs changing... camping style, work around the farm, etc
  • 1991 Suburban 2500. Had to decide to keep that or the Jeep. Asa lifelong jeep guy I kept the jeep, sold the burb... one of my few vehicle regrets. What an awesome truck.
  • 2003 Tundra. Bought on the cheap since it has a salvage title. Put about 150k on it and sold it with about 280k miles. This was a great truck. Did pretty much all I asked of it. Had a bunch of smaller repairs that were expensive and yet had to be done.
  • 2010 Dodge Dakota TRX4. Had this one about 18 months. Actually a great truck. Great drivetrain. Not very comfortable and I had to do a lot to get it to do the camper duty and the farm duty. There is zero aftermarket support, so very hard to modify. She will be going up for sale as soon as I get her all cleaned up.

And now, I have picked up what may be a unicorn from our local fire dept.

2002 Ford F350 Super Cab, 7.3 diesel (my first diesel), 4wd, some nice fire service related enhancements, as a brush truck it is truly fully skid plated across the bottom, Warn Transformer brush guard, Warn 16,500 pound winch and a flashy paint job... best part.. 40k miles. It has been serviced regularly at our locally owned Ford dealership. I have an appointment there on Thursday so the guy who has been servicing it can bring me up to speed and give the service records for the truck. Since I bought it, the light bar up top has been removed, although wiring still in place, and I have debadged it from the department's name, etc... might leave some of the graphics, cause I think it is cool. In theory this may be my "last" truck purchase...
02 F350 side.jpg
02 F350 front.jpg
02 F350 inside.jpg
02F350 mileage.jpg
 
Nice. That’s incredibly low miles for that vintage. And a 2002 diesel doesn’t have all the electronics or need DEF like newer ones so that’s a huge plus. Looks like an 8 ft bed too which will be useful on your property!

You should paint it black ;)
 
Dave said:
Nice. That’s incredibly low miles for that vintage. And a 2002 diesel doesn’t have all the electronics or need DEF like newer ones so that’s a huge plus. Looks like an 8 ft bed too which will be useful on your property!

You should paint it black ;)
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Eventually, when it ain't quite as shiny as it is now, I may go with a flat USMC green... You know what I mean Doc?
 
Headed to the dealer in the morning. They have taken care of this truck for 22 years. Hoping the mechanic can get me to a baseline as far as scheduled maintenance (whether that means things are documented or have to be done) and answer some questions for me. Will update after the visit with them.

IMG_20240207_180641907.jpg
 
Well... Excuse my language but fuck me. The dealer had nothing. My gut is saying screw it and now I need to do a baseline myself... Meani g according to the scheduled maintenance what should have been done already.... Does that make sense or should I just run it an pick up from here?
 
jscusmcvet said:
Well... Excuse my language but fuck me. The dealer had nothing. My gut is saying screw it and now I need to do a baseline myself... Meani g according to the scheduled maintenance what should have been done already.... Does that make sense or should I just run it an pick up from here?
Click to expand...

My only concerns would be primary fluids - engine oil and trans/transfer case. With the low mileage on it, I would change those and hit any zerk fittings you can find and call it good!
 
At some point, I’d do differentials, brake fluid and coolant just because of their potential age but that’s it. Looks like a nice runner.
 
A quick update. I have completed my first oil change on this truck. simple, though expensive. Messy because there is a huge skid plate that reaches from the oil filter to well behind the transfer case. I will get pics up at some point.

One problem identified is that the passenger rear "suicide" door did not open. the dealer wanted $486 to repair. For $9.99 I ordered new cable stops from amazon. The old stops were plastic and after 22 years had essentially crumbled. I showed my son Joe what I was working on... and he eventually took over. It was great to see him noodle his way through the whole thing. Several times I laughed out loud because he talks out loud to himself as he works through the problem. The top latch gave us some trouble and Joe fixed that with his Dremel, modifying the new aluminum cable stop to fit that section.

He was so happy when done over figuring it out. I gave him a $20 for his help, and he hooted and hollered.... so I told him he just saved me $450. Sometimes good to have a kid who turns a wrench for fun :wrench
 
As promised a couple crappy pics of the skid plated underbelly of this beast. You can see the long skinny one is the fuel tank. The bigger one towards the front/middle begins right behind the oil filter,covering the oil pan, transmission and transfer case...
IMG_20240304_160148153.jpg
 
So using the truck this afternoon as God intended. Pulled up some small invasive trees Ann wanted gone. As we unspoiled the Warm 16000# winch, the steel cable is doubled back about 15 feet into it. It is under many layers. Any suggestions on how to get it to release?
 
jscusmcvet said:
So using the truck this afternoon as God intended. Pulled up some small invasive trees Ann wanted gone. As we unspoiled the Warm 16000# winch, the steel cable is doubled back about 15 feet into it. It is under many layers. Any suggestions on how to get it to release?
Click to expand...

Pictures will help
 
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