hey everyone welcome! I don’t normally get in front of the camera, mostly because my mug isn’t exactly what you’re tune in for right. Trucks, tractors, maybe some playing off-road at you know some periods of time equipment. That kind of thing. Little more interesting than me right!
Well, I wanted to make a an intro that was a little bit more personal. I want to thank everyone we’re up to like 622 subscribers. I really appreciate it. Thank you. I I started the channel for fun and I’m still having fun.
I hope you guys are having fun and I hope that we can learn together, grow together and become better people at the same time have some fun. So that’s what we’re going to keep doing on the channel we’re going to keep trying to have more fun the summertime we’re going to hopefully get out on to Trails more I’ve been neged ing the off-roader in me for a very long time been doing a lot Of work to get where I am and to get my family where they need to be and it’s time to start enjoying ourselves, so that’s what we have to look look forward to the summertime and I wanted to start the spring. I suppose here it’s April, it’s things are growing, not really it’s looking a little jewy right. It’S like 37 de here blowing a little bit supposed to get snow tomorrow. Michigan never really knows what it wants.
We’Re going to do a video on 10,000 miles of owning this sweet thing. Well here I am I’m too tall for this. What’S going on here and I put a really cool nice little Farmall deal Bop on here I like that who likes farmal, uhoh John Deere, guys out there. That’S okay, you’re you’re. Welcome here too we’re going to talk about 10,000 Mi with the 7.
Ford V8 engine that I will not call by its horrible name. We all know the R35 Nissan is Godzilla. We all know that we all know the GTR is Godzilla. So without F, without further do the 7.3, who loves LS engines.
I do lq4 is one of my favorite engines. The lm7 is also a really great engine. We’Ve had really good luck. Working with you know, maybe the truck it’s in might be a little bit challenging. Sometimes it’s not like third gen Dodgers aren’t a little challenging too, but GMT 800s are really nice trucks and, and you can really make them work for you extremely extremely well.
What you’re looking at right now is the 7.3 Ford gas engine 445 cubic in of Excellence. Now, why did I start talking about the ls? Well, take a look at this thing. We have individual coil packs that are not coil on plug.
We do have a plug wire. We have a front mounted throttle body. We have a what, however, you want to call it a covered Valley, I.E, uh uh, you don’t have an intake manifold that is sealing up the Valley from debris. It’S completely sealed.
Within the cast iron block. We have aluminum heads, we have a cast iron block. I think this engine is 10 half to one compression. I mean I’m not. I know a lot about vehicles, but sometimes I can’t always be a walking encyclopedia for all the specs.
I think it’s 10 and half to one. Let’S just say it is decent compression ratio. Nice intake manifold um, push rod engine similar to an LS uh does have sixbolt Mains with a long or a deep skirted block again. Ls uh, some of the best parts of the ls architecture, you’re sort of seeing in the 7
3, why is that? Well, if you look at a lot of the specs, the bolt locations, the bolting designs as in what is bolted to the engine in the engine, whatever the LS engine draws a lot from Fe Motors, Ford fees, Windor and uh.
Some quite a few other older Ford power plants that go back even older than the Fe, so the ls actually draws on a lot of greatness, a lot of good engine design and put it all into one and that’s why the ls is so good. The ls may have some shortcomings with the displacement on demand or yeah. That’S how that’s what they call it your stupid cylinder deactivation. I am proud to say that the 7.3 L does not have cylinder deact deactivation happy to say that one thing that the ls misses is displacement.
Now it’s not a bad thing in a car. Maybe you don’t need to have all the bottom end, torque whatever in a truck I’m going to share with you guys what my dream truck was many years ago when I bought my 2002 6. I wanted a 6 LS, a built transmission, a solid axle. Well, the Dana 60. I mean that’s kind of implied in a four-door.
Now my 60 happens to be a long bed. I had some history with the truck and uh, so I chose to get the truck that I got because well, I liked it and I had a solid R of history with the the powertrain with tuning it and whatnot uh, this truck more or less is mimicking. My dream truck, except it’s not a 60, it’s 7.3 L so compared to 364 cubic in which is what a 60 is a 6.2 2 L which has never been put into an HD truck uh.
It’S only been in/ ton, trucks and most of them are going to be higher trim Denali the vortek max that kind of thing um that is 376 cubic in. If you have a 6.2 7
3 L is 445 cubic inch. Now, let’s go back in time. A little bit who likes the 460 big block.
460 big block is a good engine. The 385 series is a a wonderful engine. There’S tons of power potential there’s tons of aftermarket support. What has it? Never been built with aluminum heads, it’s never really been built to spin more than about 5,500 RPM from the factory ever how about the 454 going back into the early’ 7s, as in very early 70s like 70 and 71, was a pretty healthy motor in the late 60S, it was the 396 was a pretty pretty hot little toy the 427 again hot little toy uh great heads on those guys, and then it got to be a little bit of a um smog motor it.
Just like many of the other Motors again 454 was never built with aluminum heads, except for a couple. I think the L88 was aluminum heads and then there was some racing applications for the big block Chevy to have aluminum heads never was put into a truck with it. Aluminum heads even the 454 SS half ton, pickup truck, which is just two wheel, drive uh. That is like a 210 horsepower turd, so cool, yes, big Ines are cool, sounds cool whatever it would get gapped by a 53 every day of the week. So what else are we missing?
The 8.1 8.1 was in Chevy pickup trucks in gmt800 platform, good engine iron heads, not aluminum, heads never built with iron heads um. You know 5200 RPM Red Line. I think it was.
I think the maximum came in a truck was 325 horse uh they bumped it down. As the years went on to 315 horse. I don’t really know why they did that. So this 2023 is rated at 430 horsepower and 485 foot pounds of torque. We are what is that uh?
You know 115 over the majority of 8.1’s built horsepower and a like 25 more foot, pons of torque. I think they came with 455. Didn’T they 4 55 sound about right. So we have more horsepower by a lot.
We have more torque by a good bit and we have a nice wide. I mean this truck shifts at 5500, 5500 RPM, you get a big wide power band. So what am I saying to you guys after talking about numbers, all the time dream truck with a warranty brand new? I even have an oil service plan that sounds really cool if, instead of building something that I’m going to say cuz, I like tinkering with things. I’Ve been working and the reason why I made this video I’ve been working on my square body, a whole bunch.
I’Ve been working on 12 valve and, of course, 12 Val is not the problem. It’S the Dodge around it. I’Ve been tinkering on other people’s Vehicles. Lately a lot, it is really nice to jump up into my truck that has 445 cubic inches to work with hit the key take off and go. There is nothing quite like that, and the performance that you’re getting here is so far in excess of any production.
Gas engine ever this thing absolutely blows away. I can’t think of one and I’m you know, I don’t think, there’s one I don’t think, there’s one production, gas, 3/4 ton or one ton truck that has the powertrain that this thing comes with. I’M not talking about the 10 speed. Forget that I I I’d hook a 40100 to that all day. Long, I’m talking to talking about the 7.
that engine has great torque great mid-range, great top end horsepower, and I’m going to call it good topend horsepower. I I think it could use a tune and it would wake up a little bit more above 5,000 RPM. It sort of lays down a little bit at 5,000 RPM. I think it’s in the tune, um, and I think that this engine is capable a lot more than 430 horsepower. And if you ever looked at any tunes on newer vehicles that have electronic throttle bodies, they literally close your electronic throttle body to limit the amount of power the engine makes at higher RPM so that they perhaps they could me emissions with.
Let’S just say the engine was take a uh vortek Max, let’s just say, and didn’t they come with 3. What the heck were they 325 horsepower in the you know, the early 2000s Vortech Max, I think, is what they were 325. I think um. Maybe it was 330. I don’t know something like that that engine is capable of a whole heck of a lot more.
When you just open up the throttle blade more the 6o in a um like an ly6 in a newer truck a newer Chevy pickup truck. They don’t open up that throttle body all the way and when you just do that makes a big difference. I’M sure they’re doing some some buffoonery over here with shutting off the throttle body and whatever had to meet missions had to meet durability. When they’re beating the tar out of it uh, you know when they’re 10,000 hour durability, test and everything else. He can’t really Vault Vault them too much now there.
I I I’ve seen some comments from some people that may or may not know what they’re talking about 430 horsepower from 4 45 cubic in. It’S not one horsepower per cubic inch, but it passes durability and it has what is it 60,000 M power train warranty, um, which, if any OEM automakers are listening or any? You know what I mean Ram Dodge Ford. Whatever happened to those 100,000 mile powertrain warranties, I think we need to get back to those, because when people spend you know, 60 $ 70,000 $ 80,000 or God forbid $ 90,000 on a new truck, I I think they want to have ,000 M warranty and I Really think you guys can be confident enough in your powertrains to give them that 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. So if any of you guys are listening, I think you should consider that so one could go out and buy.
Let’S just say you want to buy a toy right, you want to get a toy and I’ve actually talked to people who are like. I don’t know whether I should get a new truck or I should go, get my dream: 460 power. 95. F350 with the zf5. Well, the zf5 is pretty freaking cool, you should definitely go buy the zf5 um um or they want to buy.
You know a 454 with an MV 4500 or they want to buy a 454 just with a 48 just because or maybe they really want an 8
1, one of the things you need to consider is that all these trucks now are over 15 years old or approaching 15 years old or they’re in excess of 15 years old. And if we’re talking about a 460 we’re talking, you know 25 plus years old, that truck’s been through some stuff. I just saw a um a very clean Ford. Uh F250, the guy said, came from Colorado. He was getting gas with me at.
I was getting gas. He was getting diesel, it was 73 uh at the local, Meer and uh nice guy said he bought in Colorado. I’M sure he paid a lot of money for it, beautiful truck suff, for it still had some rust on it and I I could see it and the bumper was bent in and like not nitpicking, but I’m sure he paid 15 or 20 grand for that thing, And you know, maybe he didn’t, maybe he paid 12 or 13 or 14 or whatever it’s a heck of a lot of money. When you be taking that 12 or 13 Grand and put it down on a new truck and pay, you know what is it $ 650 or something like that if you don’t get a high level truck um per month for 60 months with a you know, granted I’M making this video when financing rates are still ridiculously high and you’re lucky to get a auto loan for less than like 7 %, you’re really lucky to get one for less for 7 % and for most people, you’re lucky to get one with even great credit. You know less than 7 and a half 7.
% they’re kind of high – I’m not going to Li. Why? But you are still getting a a new truck that is going to out tow outperform off-road. It has a factory e-locker um. You know it’s already sitting up this height of this truck.
It’S sitting on the factory tires are 34s, it’s already up as high as you would probably lift a 90s truck a good 6 in, like a 90 Chevy you’re, going to be up probably six yeah I’d, say about 6 Ines to match the ride height of this Boy um, you know in a 90s Ford you’re, probably talking you know, four to six inches Superduty you’re, probably talking three to four inches to match this. It may even be a spinon, more um on the Super Duties cuz, those some of those Super Duties – man, they were short, the you know the earlier ones, man they. Those guys are really really short, but we’re s factory tires are 34s stock, Locker uh, good four-wheel, drive system. Strong transfer case is what I’m getting at uh and an engine that is going to put away an eight or an 8 1, a 7.4 which is a 454, but a 454 vorte uh.
Obviously a 454 TBI. It’S going to just put away these motors and we’re not even going to bring up the Dodge. You know I would like to Tinker with one of those 8 L Dodge truck engines, the v10s. I’M sure that that thing’s got some potential probably need to have a custom tuning platform to really get the most out of it. I would love to Ticker with one of those.
So if anyone would like to see a Dodge on here with a V10, I happen to to be a V10 lover and that brings up Ford v10s. I’Ve neglected a little bit because I am a big Ford. V10 lover. This engine destroys the Ford V10. Now it’s going to have to run my V10 has almost almost 200,000 Mi doesn’t burn, a lick of oil runs better than the day.
It was new because it’s tuned and has some exhaust work and whatever um it’s a great truck. This thing’s going to have to reach 200,000 miles before we start talking about better. But let’s talk about performance. This thing kicks his butt way more torque way, broader Power Band tons of top end, where the V10 doesn’t really have that much above, say: 3800 RPM. This thing’s still trucking at 3800 RPM and it pulls hard.
Those of you may have seen the 0 to 60 video that I posted came out to about 6 seconds. Now I was four-wheel, drive launching it with the you know, torter spooled up, that’s pretty quick. I am you know, there’s not that many production trucks that are going to be in that 6sec territory other than these newest breed. You know if you got to say 6.6 Chevy: maybe you can get it up close to that you’re not going to get a 60 Chevy a stock one up there um without a tune and even with a tune.
I’M pretty sure this thing would still truck it. My buddy’s got to get his 6 back in the rad, because I’d like to see his tune 60, I tuned it. It is pretty pretty pesky I’d like to see how many lengths this truck beats it by, because I’m going to bet it’s not as much as you think, but it’s going to be links, but that truck definitely moves out pretty decently. So the 7.3 is a very surprising motor because it gives you that um, when you turn the key you fire it up.
The truck gives it a little wiggle, and you know that you’re driving, something that is actually really really cool so, instead of just having to buy a new vehicle for the sake of it being a new vehicle you’re buying a new vehicle that is actually super. Duper cool: I don’t care what anybody says, those steps I use them all the time I really like them, and they actually look really good in the truck they kind of flow nicely, and also too that’s just kind of a boring part of the truck you just Don’T have paint there what there’s paint on the whole dang truck. Why I need Paint, so the whole truck looks good. The engine is awesome. If anybody owns a 6
8, let me know how how it does the 6.
L V8. The smaller version of this, my buddy has one for a work. Truck he’s got a uh service bed and uh, I’m sure full of tools. Uh he’s in uh uh he’s in um cement work, doing cement at a major corporation like big time, parking, lots and uh parking structures and all that kind of stuff. So he’s Mr bigwig driving around his his new fancy truck.
Now he doesn’t really like 6.8, not that it isn’t a bad motor. It just isn’t py enough for him, and he said especially when he hooks on to a trailer at work. It just isn’t super super ballsy. Now he’s got a service bed on there.
So he’s probably got 2,000 lb of crap or 2,000 lb of just service bed, let alone the crap, that’s in the service bed, so perhaps you may have a little bit of of uh performance loss there. I know when I put some weight behind this thing. It flat outperforms and it performs better than any other gas engine I’ve ever towed with and I’ve towed with. Basically, all of them that are going to matter 543 valve 542 valve two valve V10, three valve V10 uh 44 V attack um. I don’t really know that.
I towed heavy with the TBI 350 or TBI 454 um. I’Ve definitely ridden in them, not Towing, and I know what they’re going to do when they tow, which isn’t good but they’re. You know they’re still cool trucks. We and when you look at the cost, I have a 350 TBI. Actually I have two cuz.
My square body has a 350 TBI, God forbid, so definitely a decent truck and I had a 6.4 Hemi for a good. While I never owned a 6.2 Ford and I’ve never towed with a 6
2 Ford, I’ve never driven a 6.2 Ford.
I would like to that was a cool motor, but this thing is way: cooler look at the footprint in here. No wonder the aftermarket has really glommed on to swapping these things. When I edit this video Al together, I will make sure to add dimensions of said block. I couldn’t imagine this truck, or this motor in a Mustang or in an old car or in an old Crown. Vic this engine and Crown Vic would probably be the coolest thing on four-wheels.
In my opinion, you’d have to do something with the end. Maybe, like you know, 4 10 gears in a locker it’d, be awesome, it’d be sweet, so I maybe Cletus has already put a. I you know a lot of these YouTube channels that I started off watching Greg Al Barella and I’m sure I pronounced that wrong. I watched Cletus a time ago when he was first starting out street speed 717 great Channel as they get bigger. Maybe the content isn’t always made toward me and I guess I haven’t really watched a lot of these guys in a while um.
So I guess I don’t really know what they’re doing dmax Rhino. Whatever happened to him. He was cool. I um. I haven’t watched him in a very long time.
I don’t know what how that Channel’s doing, I’m sure it’s doing great um, you know so anyway. So what I’m getting at with that whole thing is, I don’t actually know if Cletus has put a 7.3 gaster in a uh in a Crown Vic. Yet because I don’t watch his channel avidly like I used to back in the day. That’S what I was getting at my ADHD brain just went down the tracks, so the only thing I wish I would have done different or had a choice of is.
I wish I would have dual Alternators on this truck, because when I do eventually put a winch on it, uh from experience having dual batteries with a winch is nice and having dual alternators with a winch is even nicer. You use a lot of power when you’re using a 12,000 pound winch, so something to consider if you’re putting this in something to off-road with potentially a dual alternator setup might be a very, very nice thing to have um. You know I would love to put this thing in a rock crawler in a Jeep in a’90s Ford would be pretty sweet in a in an old school Ford. Definitely in a Crown Vic a Crown Vic Pursuit car with this thing in it that’d be Wicked. Be super cool, so perhaps some of those things may happen on the channel and going back to the way I opened up the channel.
If you want to see cool things happen where we take. I am in love with this motor I’d like to find a way to put this in everything. Just like everyone says: Ella slap swap the world, I’m wondering if we need to 7.3 swap the world. I would love to try, because I think that this engine is kickass, we’re going to we’re going to go away from the normal trying to keep this channel clean, even though that was fairly clean, this motor rocks.
I really really like this truck every time I get in this truck. I feel at home. That’S probably a good way to end it. So if you’re looking for a 7.3 powered Ford highly recommended, I love my truck.
I wish they hadn’t gone to the m235 axle that that pisses me off a little bit. I really like the new rear end. I haven’t had any with the new rear end at all. We have 10,000 Mi on it. I have heard of some having some failures.
I don’t really know how that has happened with the new Sterling. I think it was the new Sterling, but then again the people could have mistook it for the m275. I don’t know I wasn’t there, so I have no idea, but the the STX is an awesome package, so I’m kind of trying to reel all one thing. So, if you guys are watching this all the way through, I have made more videos on my truck to cover everything we’re at 10,000 Mi and we’ve had been Problem free beside power Problem free on everything else. Besides, this Hub is a little sluggish, sometimes locking in and be, and besides I don’t like that.
They switch to this new axle, which is more or less somewhere in between a Dana 50 and a Dana 60 pre2, 2005 Dana 60. So it’s a little bit bigger ringer than a Dana 50, but it’s not quite as strong as a um, an OG Dana 60. So why do they do that Ford, why’! You do that! Please, please!
Please don’t do that! Go back! The m256 was the way. Please! Please go back.
Thank you all for tuning in thank you for watching. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you learn something, and I hope that you’re, along for the ride with me as we keep trying to grow the channel into something where we can start putting 7
3 and everything I think we should make a 7.3 powered airplane that’d, be sweet and I can get my pilot’s license and have a bush plane have a 7.3 powered short takeoff.
