Do I understand correctly the 2010 are all automatic? My 1997 was involved in a pretty good accident and it may be totalled. I guess I'll have to go Dodge as never again on an automatic. Been there, done that for 13 yrs of agony.
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1997 F350CC, 4x4, PSD Tipper pro kleenex open filter. Roggen 6" lift kit with 26" ratflex 12" offset tires. Downpipe cut and welded to adapt 3" into a 12" outlet. 12" muffler cut and adapted to 2", then a special turbo manifold from a volkswagon modified to flank out to 3" to the tail pipe. Interior from a Corvair modified by cutting 6" off the padding. Snize and snide 32gallon aux tank mounted in rear seat, rear seat relocated to bed. Bed shortened to 4ft.
I think you can get it on certain models with certain options. I know some guys are just partial to manuals but the new autos are holding alot of power with very few issues.
Building one online you can still get it.
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08 F250 CC SB 4x4 New baby.
03 F250 SC LB 4x4 sold
In SO-CAL?
Check out Southern California Powerstrokes.(SOCAPS).
Last edited by desertwheeler; 07-25-2009 at 02:10 PM.
2006 F350 CC LWB Dually XLT Oxford white manual 4x4 6.0 PSD 6 speed. 4.10 LS front and rear, Built May05. 4" turbo back, 55 gal aux fuel tank. A real pig from a stop, give me 15' and she'll slowly come to life, then watch out!
165K miles, 12 injectors, EGR cooler, Fuel pump, 8 glow plugs, GPCM, FICM rebuilt FoMoCo engine at 150K under 7/200 warranty.
There is a good reason semis dont use automatics.. They simply dont work as well. Unless you are busy with coffee in one hand, navigation in the other, a phone on your ear, ipod in the center console, whatever else drivers are distracted by these days. The good old days of a real truck with a real manual tranny and non computerized powertrain are gone. What a shame. Everything has become too darn soft and civilized...
You can still order a ZF 6-speed manual transmission in a SuperDuty pickup with diesel engine, but only with XL or XLT trim, and not with any fancy options. Not available with Lariat or Cabella's trim, or with any fancier trim that requires Lariat trim, such as the KingRanch or Harley Davidson pkg. And even on an XLT, some of the nice options, such as the reverse aide sensor, require automagic tranny.
So if you want a manual tranny, you'd better order soon. Because I suspect 2010 may be the last model year you can get one unless a bunch of folks order the 2010 model with stick shifter.
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My Sierra Blanca in the sig pic was a great pickup for 11.5 years. I sold it last year. Replacement is a 2012 F-150 EcoBoost SuperCrew Lariat.
I figure having that automatic in my 1997 has cost me an additional $5000 in fuel wasting costs alone. The EPA can do any test they want and have the automatics get the same or better MPG than a manual, but bullsheet, any vehical sise by side identical manual vs auto, the manual will get 10-20% better economy. Add to that feeling like a complete moron every second I drive it, also of course your steep downhill grades no engine braking because it's always in overdrive on grades, so brakes need replacing more frequently, conversely uphill grades always right at the speed where overdrive is too high, so shift up/down. I'm sure as mentioned automatics are better now, but still even if they are rock reliable they will still have the same problems I've complained of for years.
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1997 F350CC, 4x4, PSD Tipper pro kleenex open filter. Roggen 6" lift kit with 26" ratflex 12" offset tires. Downpipe cut and welded to adapt 3" into a 12" outlet. 12" muffler cut and adapted to 2", then a special turbo manifold from a volkswagon modified to flank out to 3" to the tail pipe. Interior from a Corvair modified by cutting 6" off the padding. Snize and snide 32gallon aux tank mounted in rear seat, rear seat relocated to bed. Bed shortened to 4ft.
It's a shame they don't allow you to order the 6sp in more combinations. While I understand that dealers don't want to order a 6sp on spec, to pinch down the availability simply causes potential buyers to look elsewhere.
When I bought my 99.5 Ford boasted they had one of the longest option lists which allowed you to build almost any truck you desired. Certain combinations were unavailable, but usually because they didn't make sense.
While I'm not a business only user, I do tow both gooseneck and tag-along, and have enough dings and scratches in the bed to qualify as a "work" truck. At the same time, I like a fair level of creature comforts. I was willing to pay almost $35K in 1999 to get what I wanted.
Today, a comparable F350 would be closer to $55K, and can't get it configured the way I want, and I'm forced to take a lot of frou-frou which I'm paying for either explicitly or implicity.
I also have another bone to pick with horsepower ratings and fuel economy:
When I bought my 99.5, Ford had the most horsepower at 235 auto/manual and Calif/49 state. Dodge was 215/180 in 1998 and 235/215 in 1999. GM wasn't even in the mix with the 6.5L. Since I lived in Calif at the time, I would have had to order auto rating (180hp) from Dodge, even with the 5sp. 99% of the time, 235hp was all I needed, and that 1% of the time was when I was towing a 6 place slant load with 4 horses.
Today, Ford is at 350hp and mileage is down as much as 25%. The new 6.7L goes to 390hp, and is supposed to get better mpg, but remains to be proven. I realize some of the mileage penalty is due to emissions requirements, but some is due to the factory "turning up the screw".
Why not offer an engine variation tuned for economy, producing maybe 250-275hp. In the medium and heavy truck market, this is commonly done. If I could get 250hp with a 6sp in a Lariat, and pay maybe a 10% penalty in fuel economy relative to my 99.5, a Ford dealer would have my deposit tomorrow.
Until then, I'll keep my 7.3 rolling until I think there is more sanity in the product offerings from Ford, Chrysler, and GMC. Thanks for letting me rant.
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