Then a 1986 Ford E350 4x4 van with a 7.3L IDI entered the picture. This was a major project (non-running) that hadn't been on the road since 1993. A succession of misadventures with various "mechanics" has gotten it to the point where we were able to bump the engine over at least. We are close enough to getting it running I bought all fresh fluids and filters in anticipation.
And then...
everything changed for me yet again.
I was wandering thru Craigslist and found this...

A 1991 Ford E350 type 3 ambulance with a 7.3 IDI engine. Had a hundred thousand miles on it. New rearend, transmission, brakes, injectors, radiator, and water pump. The seller was going to use it as a tailgate party rig but it was too big for the stadium parking space he considers his.
He had it listed for only $2500 but he was honest enough to admit that he thought it had a developing head gasket problem, and that's why it hadn't sold yet. It kept wanting to overheat even after a couple of new thermostat changes and a new water pump. Folks didn't want to take a gamble on it and wanted the seller to fix the head gasket problem and THEN they might be interested.
We went to look at it up in Washington, took it for a test drive and yup, it overheated some. Didn't want to charge like it should have either. The ambo box was also very filthy inside. My mechanic guy quietly told me that he didn't think it was a head gasket issue. I asked for some wiggle room on price and the seller came down to $2200. I rolled the dice on it and paid the man. We headed for home and made it maybe two miles before it started spewing antifreeze everywhere.
I limped into a parking lot and set my car guy onto it. He pulled the old thermostat, which is a pain to get to, and I dashed to the nearest parts store for a new one. He put it on, we tried it again and sho nuff, it overheated again. I threw in the towel and contacted AAA for a tow home to Oregon. As soon as they found out the weight and that it was a former emergency vehicle? Screw you you Uncle Urban, you are on your own! Hahaha, what a sad joke on me. So much for 21 years of renewals. Now we are stuck on Fourth plain in Vancouver WA and it's getting dark. Finally had to take a chance and leave it until the next day.
Came back in the morning and thankfully it was unmolested. We might have gotten a bum thermostat, so I bought a different one from a different store. Put it on, and of course it still overheats. I went and bought a new water pump out of desperation. I pulled the Ambo up on the curb to tilt the engine so any trapped air bubbles could escape(we were spitballing here!), and while eating lunch I started checking the web about this problem.
A couple folks who run 7.3 diesels had the same overheating issues and solved it by using a genuine Ford Motorcraft thermostat, not a knock-off. The knock-offs don't flow well enough and so it eventually overheats. After a bit of a struggle I found one, dashed it back to my guy and it worked like a charm! We made a run for home. Got here right before it got dark, so the weak charging issue was a problem.
So now I have THREE vans and the wife sez enough. To get the okay from her for the Ambo I had to promise to sell the GMC van I currently drive AND the Ford 4x4 van project. Fair enough.
Okay, my fingers hurt so I'm out for now. I'll post more pics soon and updates as well.
Cheers.
-urban