Good years for Ford AND Chevy truck.

donbrown · Jun 15, 2019

After 980K miles sold 97 F350 crew cab 7.3 Diesel truck.

Still have a 96 F250 crew with F350 undercarriage. Dana 60 and think Sterling 10.25 with 350K

Lookin around and asking what to get.

1. Some tell me 06 Duramax LTZ crew 4wd.

2. Others say a 06 Ford F350 6.0 diesel crew with Head bolt / oil cooler and filter upgrade.

3. Some old school buddies say go with a 95-97 Ford F350 Centurian / or Fummins.

What say you sledders ?

rdr99 · Jun 16, 2019

None of them are really all that stellar. Do you need get smogged? I own three diesels and I would buy the newest gas truck that I could afford.

Big10inch · Jun 16, 2019

Well 2006 is the last year before the EPA ruined diesel trucks for us. That is getting to be a 15 yr old vehicle soon. Sounds like you are used to fixing them to keep them going so I do not see one as any better than the other. I don't do Chevy trucks due to the horrible car front suspension. I wouldn't buy a Ford 6.0 or 6.4 diesel on a bet. I am with rd99, get a gasser. I have had a '15 Ram 6.4 gas and now have a '12 F250 with the 6.2 gas. The Ram got 15 mpg empty, the Ford gets 12-13 but gas is cheaper than diesel and the maint costs are way lower. To me light duty diesel trucks just do not pencil. I want a 2020 F250 with the 7.3 gas, sounds like the holy grail, big block gas baby! I second the newest gasser you can afford.

05rmksteve · Jun 16, 2019

I have a 06 chevy hd lbz since new. Its been a great truck. I've kicked around the idea of buying a gasser but after riding and driving around in a gassers and towing an enclosed trailer in the mountains it reminds me why I like my diesel. You couldn't give me a dodge with the 6.4. One of my riding buddies has a 15 2500 6.4 and that thing has been a pos. It's on its 2nd motor 2nd tranny rebuild and the transmission still has issues gas mileage while towing sucks. I know a hand full of people who have bought newer dodges and absolutely hate them mostly diesel's. They turned around and sold them and bought Chevy diesels.

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donbrown · Jun 16, 2019

WOW … been out of the market on trucks and did not know the extent how much the newer diesels deteriorated their reliability.

Maybe go back to the 1995 to 2003 7.3 diesel?

Have a buddy with a 6.0
BUT had to do the bolts on the heads ,
replace the oil cooler for the HPOP,
flush the factory coolant cause it gels
AND get a dual filter for the oil for
preventive maintenance.

Even then has to watch the temp change on the EGR cause it still clogs up!

donbrown · Jun 16, 2019

05rmksteve said:
I have a 06 chevy hd lbz since new. Its been a great truck. I've kicked around the idea of buying a gasser but after riding and driving around in a gassers and towing an enclosed trailer in the mountains it reminds me why I like my diesel. You couldn't give me a dodge with the 6.4. One of my riding buddies has a 15 2500 6.4 and that thing has been a pos. It's on its 2nd motor 2nd tranny rebuild and the transmission still has issues gas mileage while towing sucks. I know a hand full of people who have bought newer dodges and absolutely hate them mostly diesel's. They turned around and sold them and bought Chevy diesels.

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Ive been told a Duramax with the Allison transmission pre DEF is a great combination.

donbrown · Jun 16, 2019

rdr99 said:
None of them are really all that stellar. Do you need get smogged? I own three diesels and I would buy the newest gas truck that I could afford.

In California gas is smog exempt 1975 or older.

No smog Diesel 1997 or older.

See a few 1997 and older Ford trucks with a 5.9 straight six cummins. Very nice BUT pricey.

05rmksteve · Jun 16, 2019

donbrown said:
Ive been told a Duramax with the Allison transmission pre DEF is a great combination.

Yes. 06-7.5 classic was the best years. 06 is the first year with the 6 speed allison. 01-
05s had the 5 speed allison and injector issue 7.5 and up have def.

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slyrydr · Jun 16, 2019

i've had mostly Ford and Dodge diesels for over 30 years, mostly good results from both of them, but the Fords have been more reliable as to the the chassis and the rest of the truck....because i sold my boat (16k lbs), i don't have the towing requirements i used to...most i pull these days is about 11k lbs and last year bought a 17 f-250 with the 6.2 engine, doesn't pull as hard as a diesel obviously, but does the job i need very well...it gets 1-2 mpg less than the diesel, both empty and pulling my 11k load...i like the gasser better for day to day driving and overall use, and it was $9k less money to buy....if i was looking for a new truck, i would wait until the 7.3 has been out a few months and if things looked good, would go that way....:face-icon-small-hap

Reg2view · Jun 16, 2019

Duramax 2006 is called the LLY with the 6 speed Allison, no DPF. DEF wasn't intro'ed until 2012, mandated by the EPA. Body style is called the GMT 800, or "Classic". There were some late releases in 06 with the LBZ designation.

Duramax 2007 "Classic" is the LBZ. Same motor/tranny as the 2006 LLY, but with a hotter tune, larger radiator. No DPF. GMT 800 Classic chassis. There are also 2007.5's, with the newer GMT 900 body, stock with DPF. Same tranny as the 07 Classic.

All the issues, and I mean all, have been worked out with these trucks, and all the weak points hardened. There is virtually nothing you will run into that doesn't have a better than stock fix, motor, drivetrain, chassis. From the front ends, CP4 injector pump, PTO cover, transfer case pump rub, all solved and won't kill you to fix if necessary. But unless you have very high confidence that the truck hadn't been run with a hot tune, anything over 500hp at the crank, be prepared for a tranny build/update. The Allison can take 500hp stock, but needs to be hardened above 500. Stock with good body these trucks are gold. GM haters will argue, but close to stock these truck were the best motor/drivetrain/ride/mileage/durability on the road. Truck of choice for hotshots sums it up.

Frankly, I wouldn't hesitate buying a GMT 900 07.5-11 if it was DPF deleted but not hot tuned, or I had a good delete kit waiting for me. These deleted trucks are solid, just as reliable as the LLY/LBZ. GM haters gonna hate, they all made some good trucks and problem trucks, all with weakpoints. I'm a fan of the Cummins motor, and the Super Duty 6.7s are solid, just pricey. You know the diesel vs. gas game over the long haul already. Good luck.

IDspud · Jun 16, 2019

Duramax!!!

2005, owned for 12 years always hooked to welding trailer, pack rat in bed loaded to overflowing with pipe fitter tools, irrigation specific rig. Still going strong.
2006. Bought brand new, edge tuner since day one with turbo back exhaust.
6 yrs as sled trailer, gooseneck puller, go to tower, been farm truck since.
2007 suburban with 2009 duramax chassis under, owned 6 years.
Family rig. Pulls 8 sleds, 8 kids, gear in v nose trailer. Runs 80 with ease, gvw loaded for wknd is 22,900 lbs.
2012 trailer tower for 6 yrs, tuned, deleted by moonlight diesel, matched tune and exhaust with suburban above. Sold to neighbor last year.
2018 current trailer tower, 34,000 miles.

All ran the hell out of. All original drive train. All seen more off pavement 4wd miles than paved. Anybody claiming junk car front end on them is flat stupid.
I’ve blown my share of axles and leaf springs, (not on above mentioned rigs) much easier to do than the hd ifs.

2006 wins simplicity award, max comfort without excess bells, whistles.
Burb is killer cool factor, huge head turner.
2012 was hard to part with. Tire shredder.
Love the 18, super plush does worry me with extensive electronics, will likely sell before warranty end. Love the perks until then.

Only trips to shop on any of them was tire store or add ons.
Simple service and they’ll run firever.

05rmksteve · Jun 17, 2019

IDspud said:
Duramax!!!

2005, owned for 12 years always hooked to welding trailer, pack rat in bed loaded to overflowing with pipe fitter tools, irrigation specific rig. Still going strong.
2006. Bought brand new, edge tuner since day one with turbo back exhaust.
6 yrs as sled trailer, gooseneck puller, go to tower, been farm truck since.
2007 suburban with 2009 duramax chassis under, owned 6 years.
Family rig. Pulls 8 sleds, 8 kids, gear in v nose trailer. Runs 80 with ease, gvw loaded for wknd is 22,900 lbs.
2012 trailer tower for 6 yrs, tuned, deleted by moonlight diesel, matched tune and exhaust with suburban above. Sold to neighbor last year.
2018 current trailer tower, 34,000 miles.

All ran the hell out of. All original drive train. All seen more off pavement 4wd miles than paved. Anybody claiming junk car front end on them is flat stupid.
I’ve blown my share of axles and leaf springs, (not on above mentioned rigs) much easier to do than the hd ifs.

2006 wins simplicity award, max comfort without excess bells, whistles.
Burb is killer cool factor, huge head turner.
2012 was hard to part with. Tire shredder.
Love the 18, super plush does worry me with extensive electronics, will likely sell before warranty end. Love the perks until then.

Only trips to shop on any of them was tire store or add ons.
Simple service and they’ll run firever.

Got any pics of the dmax sub. That set up would be awesome for our 12-16+ hr drive to get to the goods. Hows it handle towing an enclosed trailer with strong cross winds?

IDspud · Jun 17, 2019

I have pics if you’ll pm your cell. I hate loading pics to snowest.

It tows like a dream. 2009 duramax chassis is fully intact, burb is bolt on, no hacking. Ltz burb and everything fully functional. Only thing not factory is rear wiper is tied to front wiper since the trucks have none.

If I back down for wind most drivers already have... but it will wag when the wind warnings are issued in southern id.

donbrown · Jun 18, 2019

$12000 all day for an 06 Ford F350 Crew Cab Long Bed 4WD 6.0 diesel high end model like Lariat / SLT King Amarillo Harley with mileage around 150k.
Many had headbolts redone / newer coolant and oil cooler upgrade with sct tuners inside. use the tuner to watch EGR temps change less than 25F and it is good to go?

Difficult to find under $26000 for a 06 Chevy Duramax Allison Crew Cab LTZ 2500HD Long Bed 4WD 6.0 diesel with 150000 miles. Guess it is good to go … cant find any issues on chat sites.

So is it really worth double?

IDspud · Jun 18, 2019

When you’re trucks halfway there, you’re there but three days late and in a rental, yes, it is.

It’s nice to worry about when to buy the next set of tires rather than the next motor or tranny.

boondocker97 · Jun 18, 2019

I'm a Ford guy, but the only way I'd own a 2003-2007 6.0 Powerstroke truck is if I could pick it up for cheap with a blown motor. Then I would do a Cummins swap on it. It's a shame because there are a lot of nice trucks out there from those years, but a 6.0 is still a gamble even if it has had some improvements. Kind of like a 2011-2012 Polaris 800! Haha

The motor swap can require a pretty big investment by the time you get all the parts and a good donor, but you can make it what you want. A guy I work with went this route with a really nice 2006 Lariat. He has the time, space, and knowledge to do the swap himself though. Took him a couple years to get the truck finished (including a full rebuild of the donor motor), but it's like brand new and a head turner now. You can end up $20-40k deep in the project though depending on how you build it. It better be what you really want to put that much into a 15 year old truck. And $40K will get you into a newer 6.7 Ford without all the effort.

That being said for Fords I'd look for an early 2000s 7.3 (good luck finding one for a reasonable price that's got 150k or less and not beat up), or Jump to a 2008 or newer. Plan on deleting the 6.4s so they can breath to make mileage. 6.7s in the 2011 and newer trucks run smoother than the 6.4s.

donbrown · Jun 18, 2019

boondocker97 said:
I'm a Ford guy, but the only way I'd own a 2003-2007 6.0 Powerstroke truck is if I could pick it up for cheap with a blown motor. Then I would do a Cummins swap on it. It's a shame because there are a lot of nice trucks out there from those years, but a 6.0 is still a gamble even if it has had some improvements. Kind of like a 2011-2012 Polaris 800! Haha

The motor swap can require a pretty big investment by the time you get all the parts and a good donor, but you can make it what you want. A guy I work with went this route with a really nice 2006 Lariat. He has the time, space, and knowledge to do the swap himself though. Took him a couple years to get the truck finished (including a full rebuild of the donor motor), but it's like brand new and a head turner now. You can end up $20-40k deep in the project though depending on how you build it. It better be what you really want to put that much into a 15 year old truck. And $40K will get you into a newer 6.7 Ford without all the effort.

That being said for Fords I'd look for an early 2000s 7.3 (good luck finding one for a reasonable price that's got 150k or less and not beat up), or Jump to a 2008 or newer. Plan on deleting the 6.4s so they can breath to make mileage. 6.7s in the 2011 and newer trucks run smoother than the 6.4s.

With the newer trucks you gotta deal with DEF ? Seems like a big hassle and I read DEF REDUCES mileage and performance.

Ive owned a 2006 RMK 99 1666 …. now that's some maintenance and upgrades IMHO !!!

I see a couple Centurians and duallies pre 97 with a 12v cummins. Guess they call them FUMMINS. But they are pricey … north of 15 grand.

If any modifications are done on these trucks I'd have to get a 97 or earlier to keep the great state of Cali happy.

Blk88GT · Jun 18, 2019

I had a 2006 LBZ.... did all the injectors and a turbo between 90k and 200k. It needed a transmission when I sold it.

It was a good truck, but the transmission was it's glass jaw. I did the entire front end at 90k when I bought it and it was still tight at 200k when I sold it. The trans might be good with stock power, but anything over that and kiss your lockup clutch goodbye.

What's your budget and intended use of the truck?

donbrown · Jun 18, 2019

Blk88GT said:
I had a 2006 LBZ.... did all the injectors and a turbo between 90k and 200k. It needed a transmission when I sold it.

It was a good truck, but the transmission was it's glass jaw. I did the entire front end at 90k when I bought it and it was still tight at 200k when I sold it. The trans might be good with stock power, but anything over that and kiss your lockup clutch goodbye.

What's your budget and intended use of the truck?

I will use the truck to pull a sled trailer and other trailers around from sea level to 9000 feet on remote roads.

Jeeps to the sand/mountains , jetskis , 24 foot boat. The large pull behind utility trailer is a beast up in the mountains … the old 7.3 was in 4WD low dragging that thing up some steep grades.

Biggest trailer is 34 feet pull behind … a little over 8500 pounds loaded

Ultimately would like to get a goose neck utility trailer to use for everything except for the ole monster truck.

Right now just drive the monster truck "to go fish" when the lake is low.

Short trips are 200 miles to snow and long trips are 500-700 each way to groomed trails.

I also have a flatbed trailer for the monster truck and a Bobcat.

Budget WAS 15K for a F350 but now not sure.

IDspud · Jun 18, 2019

I’d suspect the programming more than the Allison.

I’ve personally got 500,000 plus miles on HOT tuned stock Allison’s pulling trailers more often than empty.

I understand they’re mechanical and things break. I’ve blown a dozen General Motors gas trannys, but not been my experience with the Allison. Especially compared to other brands auto trannys.
We do spend extra time tuning shift points proper, thus my suspicion of the programming.

Good years for Ford AND Chevy truck.

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