1997 Ford F-350

7.3 Power Stroke

Automatic

3FEKF38F5VMA18443

Hello, let me start by saying that I realize how stressful it can be to buy anything sight un-seen. I don't think a paragraph & 1 or 2 pictures is enough to accurately describe an item of any kind, let alone a motor vehicle. I understand that you may be in a different state or even a different Country & therefore are unable to come view this Ford in person. I want you to know everything I know about anything I offer for sale. For that reason, my postings tend to be a little on the long side. I also post 24 super sized pictures. Please take the time to read the item description & view the pictures. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. All will be answered promptly. I have sold diesel trucks to buyers all over the world. All members who have bought diesels from me have been extremely pleased with my performance & the items they have purchased from me, I'm sure you will be as well. Description- These days it seems like no one can build a new diesel pick-up that you can depend on. Every diesel from Ford, Chevrolet & Dodge have MAJOR problems that make the trucks unreliable & expensive to keep running. So those of us who have been through the headache of owning a late model truck are going back to the tried & trued, always ready to work, never let you down, run forever.... 7.3 liter PowerStroke Ford! The problem is, most of the 7.3's have a million miles on them & are nearing the end of their useful lives. Or they are beat all to pieces from years of hard work. Or rusted out from salt exposure. BUT THIS ONE IS NONE OF THOSE THINGS! This 4wd 1-ton is as straight as a string, has low miles & NO RUST! THIS IS A HARD TO FIND TRUCK.... WITH VERY RARE OPTIONS!!! Not many 7.3's like this anymore! This truck was special ordered with the right equipment.... Factory extended frame to allow for many bed options. You could easily install a rollback wrecker bed, a service body, a van/box, or countless other uses! or leave it with this nice flatbed / trailer hauler body! This truck was ordered the toughest parts Ford has to offer... Rubber Floor Mat... 4X4 stick in the floor... Straight front axle... Manual locking hubs... THIS TRUCK IS BUILT TO LAST & GET THE JOB DONE! But this vehicle was also ordered with options that provide the driver with comfort as they work. Like cloth bench seating with power lumbar & fold down center arm rest... Plus tilt steering and cruise control... Power windows & door locks... ICE COLD AIR CONDITIONING & TOASTY WARM HEAT!!!! This Ford was ordered with an XLT appearance package which gives you factory chrome front bumper & trim so it looks like a Lariat! Best of all... this is a true SOUTHERN vehicle which has spent it's entire life here in Georgia & as such, is TOTALLY RUST FREE!!!!!! This babydoll was leased to a local horse stable & for the last 12 years all they used it for was pulling a 2-horse trailer with living quarters to shows around the southeast. This was NOT a work truck & NOT a daily driver. The truck was kept in tip top mechanical & cosmetic condition so that when an event came up.... they were ready to hit the key & go in a super clean, great looking, dependable vehicle. The horse stable is going out of business & turned the truck back in to the leasing company, who then had this amazing 7.3 PowerStroke Hauler at a local auction. I was lucky enough to purchase it from the owner before they ever ran it through the auction lane. It would be a miracle to find another Square Bodied Stroke like this. This truck has NEVER BEEN WRECKED or had any rust. I really hate to sell it but I am being forced to move & need to free up some money & space. I recently sold my 2001 & 2002 Dodge Ram2500 Cummins 6-spd trucks here on eBay. You can look at those listings & the great feedbacks left for me by clicking on my feedback rating. I had planned to keep this SUPER NICE dually forever. But things change so here it is with NO RESERVE! Don't miss it! These trucks are extremely hard to find!!! DRIVETRAIN- This truck is powered by the legendary International 7.3 liter PowerStroke V8 turbo diesel. In my opinion, these are among the best engines ever put into a pickup truck. They have all the power you could ever want for all of your towing needs. They get extraordinarily good fuel mileage. They are low maintenance & are known for their longevity. It is not uncommon to see a 7.3 PowerStroke going strong after 700,000 miles. The Stroke in this F350 is strong. It starts easily. Just let the glow plug light go off & hit the key. The engine fires right up every time. This diesel will run all day without missing a beat. It does not skip, stumble, shake, shutter or smoke. It does not overheat & runs great oil pressure at operation temperature. There is absolutely no blow-by & I see no fluid leaks. With only 190,000 miles this diesel truly is just getting broken in. There have been NO performance modifications made to this vehicle. From the air cleaner box to the muffler, everything is BONE STOCK just as it was when it left the factory. The Super Duty 4 speed automatic overdrive transmission shifts just as it should. All shifts are crisp & on time. There is no slipping, chattering, delay between gear selection etc.. Ford also equipped this transmission with a lock-up torque converter. Once you are up to cruising speed the converter locks up & it is just as though you have a 5th gear. This lowers the engine RPM at cruising speed which increase your fuel mileage. The four wheel drive transfer case also works just as it should. You can shift between 4wd Hi, 4wd Lo, N & 2wd with ease. This Ford has the transfer case stick in the floor so you KNOW exactly which range you are in... (unlike the vacuum operated / switch on the dash models which always seem to let you down while you are in the mud, at night, in the pouring down rain!) This truck is also equipped with factory 1/4 turn manual locking hubs to insure that the front tires are pulling at 100%. I like the manual hubs much better than the auto locking hubs which never seem to be working right either! On this Ford, you know all 6 tires are pulling. You will have a hard time getting this truck stuck. Both the front & rear differentials feel nice & tight. They are both quiet & work as they should. This truck is equipped with the optional limited slip rear end that is completely smooth & quiet. This baby semi truck was also special ordered with a Camper Towing Package which gives you 10,000 lbs rated rear springs rather than the 8,500 standard F-350 springs. The steering & suspension components all feel nice & tight. The truck holds the road well. No dipping, darting or wondering around. The tires all have 70-80% tread life remaining! They have a nice straight road tread which provides you with a smooth, quiet ride. There is no feathering, cupping, cracking & all are wearing evenly. The brakes do not pulsate & stop this big truck straight & true. There is a nice trailer brake controller in the cab. Mechanically this entire truck seems to be in excellent condition. BODY & PAINT- The paint & body condition on this dually is amazing. This is by far the straightest, cleanest square bodied F-350 I have seen in years. To find a 1997 model this nice is un-heard of. 1st- it is obvious that this is a life long Southern truck as there is no rust or rust repair on anything anywhere. The undercarriage is as clean as the outer body. 2nd- the factory original paint was still nice when I bought the truck, however, I wanted this last year flat-nose to look like new. So I had the truck painted. I am a factory trained Toyota paint & body man & have been building streetrods for years. I could plainly see that this vehicle has never been wrecked or had any paint work before. All body panels were straight & wearing their factory original paint. Still nice, but I wanted it to look better. I did all of the body prep myself to insure that everything was done right & that this paint job will last. I had a well know custom painter actually spray the truck in his paint booth. He has done several high dollar street rods for me & has always done an amazing job. I had him spray the truck back to it's factory Frost White & it looks fantastic! No trash. No orange peel. No runs. The body is STRING STRAIGHT! Not one single door ding. The new paint looks every bit as good as the factory paint did when this rare Ford was sold new! This is a quality paint job done to make a very nice truck even nicer. This is NOT a Macco grade repaint! I also replaced all of the door & window weather stripping when I had the truck painted. 3rd- I replaced the original chrome front bumper with a BRAND SPANKING NEW factory chrome front bumper & added a BRAND NEW set of chrome plated stainless steel wheel simulators. Plus brand new stainless towing mirrors. This truck is nice & tight.... No door drop.... No play in the hinges.... Everything lines up straight.... INTERIOR & OPTIONS- This truck was built to work, but it was ordered with power options. It is equipped with power windows & locks. Tilt & cruise. Rubber floor covering. Gray cloth seat upholstery. Everything is VERY clean & shows little to no wear! There are NO rips or tears in the seats. Just a tiny amount of wear on the very edge of the cloth on the driver's side bottom. No worn spots or rips in the floor covering. No cracked plastic trim. There are no odors or unpleasant smells. The door panels are nice. The headliner is nice. The dash is nice. It is easy to tell that this truck has been cared. This Ford has WORKING dual fuel tanks. There are no cracks in the windsheild or any of the other glasses or mirrors. This vehicle has NOT been detailed. I did nothing more than hand wash the truck & dry it off. There is NO wax on the truck, it was totally dry when I took the pictures & just look how it shines! You can see the reflection of everything around the truck. Heck, you can even see me in several of the photos. This is just a clean truck that looks great everyday. But imagine how it would look with a pro-detail job! HAULER BODY- The hauler body on this Ford is VERY well built & VERY heavy duty! It is obviously pro-built but I am un-sure of the manufacturer. The deck & sides are nearly twice as thick as some of the hauler beds I have owned in the past. This body was built to last forever! The deck measures 7.5 feet wide by 11 feet long & is steel diamond plate. This bed has many very nice features such as, recessed gooseneck ball, lighted & louvered headache rack, large locking cabinet on each bed side, full length tie rails on either side, stake pockets to allow for easy side board installation, recessed rear tail lights, extra heavy duty rear bumper, clipped rear bed corners, rear receiver hitch, trailer brake/light plug. The bed does have a couple of tiny dings from use. There is no rust through but there were some shallow pits in the metal from previous surface rust due to a low quality paint job when the bed was originally installed. These are tiny & very minor. Nowhere near rusting through the super thick steel this bed was built from. I did sand blast the bed to prevent the tiny pits from getting deeper.... & gave it several coats of very tough, gloss black, tractor implement paint. It looks great & should last for many many years to come. This bed is ready for any kind of work you need to do! TITLE- I have a clean, clear, fully transferable title on this Ford. I own a small street rod shop & in order to purchase this truck on the spot, I had to buy it in my business name. This means that the sale is just like that on one of my streetrods & will be made through my dealership. If you are an out of state resident you will ONLY pay your winning eBay bid amount. You are exempt from GA state sales tax. However, if you are a GA resident I MUST COLLECT SALES TAX & pay it to the state on your behalf. The sales tax amount will be 7% of your winning bid amount. So if you are a GA bidder, you will have to pay 7% over your winning bid amount. If you are a non-Georgia bidder, you will not have to pay anything other than your winning bid amount. I DO NOT charge a doc fee or any other fees like most sellers on eBay do. What you bid is what you pay. * This is a TRUE auction! * NO RESERVE! * Low starting bid! * You set the final price! * Bid what you think the truck is worth to you! * If you are the high bidder at the end... YOU WIN! BIDDING- Please only bid what you are prepared to pay for this vehicle. Anyone wishing to inspect the truck or have the truck inspected is welcome to do so but inspections must be completed prior to bidding & prior to auction's end. If you have little or no feedback please contact me prior to bidding. I realize everyone has to start somewhere & welcome your business but I must verify that you are a serious buyer if you have little or no buying history. I have encountered a couple of crooks/ scammers here on eBay who have cost me both time & money. This will no longer be tolerated so if you are not a SERIOUS buyer, PLEASE MOVE ON. All members with a genuine interest in this vehicle are more than welcome to ask questions. All will be answered promptly. If you look at my feedback comments you will see that all of the REAL buyers have been very happy after dealing with me. Many of the comments are from people who have been very happy with diesel trucks they have bought from me. SHIPPING- Shipping costs & arrangements are the responsibility of the buyer. However, I have assisted buyers & their shippers in the pickup of several vehicles over the years. I can recommend several shippers who have performed well for buyers in the past but you will have to make your own arrangements with them. I will work with you & your shipper so that they can get this truck to you as fast & cost effectively as possible. However, no matter where you live or how you choose to pay, the point of sell will be here in GEORGIA as that is where I live & where the vehicle is located. As always, you are more than welcome to pick this vehicle up in person. I will be happy to pick you up at the Atlanta Airport or local Amtrac station, free of charge. Or rent a car, drive here, turn it in at the local rental car office & I will pick you up so you can drive this truck home. I was very fortunate to find this truck. I had planned to keep it forever but now need the money & space. This is one of those vehicles that doesn't come along very often. It is hard enough to find a clean 7.3 PowerStroke... but to find one equipped like this is nearly impossible! This extremely capable Ford was built to handle the toughest jobs & because it is a low mile, straight axle, 4X4, 7.3 PowerStroke..... You know it's going to get the job done & get you back home, day after day, without all the b/s that happens to the newer trucks! A new truck can't compete with this 97 model. But a similarly equipped, NEW F350, would cost you somewhere in the $50,000 range. This Ford is not new but it is in as close to new condition as you are likely to find with an F-Series diesel of this year.... & I am going to sell this amazing straight axle, flat nose, 7.3 powered, 4wd at a small fraction of new price. Whether you need to pull your Bobcat or other equipement to the job-site, or your camper cross country, or tow your boat to the lake, or your race car to the track, or classic car to the show, or your 1,2,3 or even 4 car trailer or livestock trailer to the auction...... this great looking PowerStroke Diesel will get the job done in comfort & style! This bed is versatile! Perfect for just about any job! It would make a fantastic welder rig or pipeline truck... Any kind of contractor or farmer would love this Ford! It's single cab & 4wd make this truck very maneuverable off-road. Throw your ramps on the side of the bed, quickly load 2 ATVs & you are ready to hit the woods! Plus the fact that it is an F-350 rather than a 450 or 550 means that this hauler still rides like a pickup on the freeway! Very smooth & comfortable! It's just a rare truck that is well suited for many tasks. I'm sure you will love it! Thanks for your interest in my truck. Please remember, this is a NO RESERVE sale. High bidder will win. I hope you get it! JD This vehicle is being sold as is, where is with no warranty, expressed written or implied. The seller shall not be responsible for the correct description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein, and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness, imperfection, defect or damage. Any descriptions or representations are for identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have thoroughly inspected the vehicle, and to have satisfied himself or herself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgement solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects associated with this vehicle at the buyer's request prior to the close of sale. Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle. Jurisdiction over this sale & any related matters is now & shall forever remain exclusive to Jackson County Georgia. By placing a bid you agree to all terms laid out in this contract.