First things first, the contestants:
A 1997 F-350 crew cab automatic, stock first generation Power Stroke with 122,000 miles vs…
A 1996 Ford Bronco automatic, stock 351 Windsor with equal mileage
A lot of us out there have to put our trucks on tight budgets, so we were thinking a $3,000 budget would relate to many of you, and would also be plenty of cash to really put the hurts on the gasser! Just remember, as this budget-build is intended for getting good power gains from respectable aftermarket companies, we still want our F-350 to be reliable. In fact, reliable enough to still be daily driven.
So, what should we do to our Power Stroke? Should we start with Stage 1 injectors and a good chip? Should we upgrade the stock turbo or replace it? Since the first gen’s aren’t intercooled, should we put a PDR, Banks or ATS intercooler on it, or is that a budget-blower? What type of 4-inch exhaust should we go with? Should we install boost, pyro and tranny gauges? In addition, should we do something to save our tranny’s life, like a torque converter or shift kit?
Let us know what you think is the best bang-for-the-buck. We might just build the truck you’ve always wanted!