Yeah I made sure when I pulled the 390 to scribe the center line of the old motor just before I pulled it and the Motor Mount Plates. The last swap I had to do I had to actually move the center line of the engine to clear the Valve Cover to the Booster (Owner wanted to still use Vacuum brakes over Hydroboost) but other than that one occasion that was the only time I had to go off and away from the center line. I've seen a few trucks where they didn't have to cut for the trans to clear but most of those looked to have body lifts or were 4wd trucks where the motor was mounted low.

The issue I'm starting to see will be entrancing my oil pan to the 2wd Crossmember while also keeping the the pan far enough away from the steering arms in the back of the Crossmember. I've been considering seeing if I can use 2wd outer Kingpin spindles from an 80s Van to try and move the Tie Rods to the front of the Crossmember so it's not so much of an issue, but I don't know if that's ever been done before and will have to find a day to go play around with that in the scrap yard.

Yeah my truck came with a C6 originally, so the trans access plate was never punched out, with another C6 I don't see an issue with leaving that alone, but now that I'm going from a C6 to the T19 I will have to cut that access out and put in the plate I picked up the other day. Another Mod I'll be doing is getting rid of that original 2wd Trans Crossmember and swapping it for a later-style Married T-case 4x4 K-member since the T19 is a 4wd variant with the OD married on back. Not too much of an issue until I go to do the exhaust...

I saw a few Cummins swaps, I like em but I don't like how the 70s trucks dont really fit the motor, alot of the time you have to clerence out the firewall or mess around with the radiator support to get them to fit. I love the Cummins but the IDI just feels like a better fit, and it's still kinda Keeping it Ford in a sense. that and I can now run Farmall or IH emblems

Here's that Trans plate I will be swapping to:

 

Sure thing, here it is: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-pictures.html

I'm keeping it N/A for now. I have thought about a turbo, but as is in a short bed half ton, it has plenty of power for my needs. Yeah I'd love a turbo, but I have a lot of other stuff on my plate right now (mainly finishing the restoration). Enjoy that overdrive though, I really wish I had one so I could go over 60 on the highway without making it scream. But yeah, what you've heard about the late 86/87 6.9's is true, they're pretty much the cream of the crop 6.9 from my understanding. I'm lucky I got one too, other things you'll notice is the injection pump gear cover/oil filler is different from earlier 6.9's and you should have the 7.3 style bullet connector glow plugs as well as the 7.3 glow plug controller. I forget what the other things are, but you made a good choice. And a good choice going IDI

 

Ok, so harsh reality now...

I came back home from work today and decided to finally bust out the Tape Measure and get some idea on how everythin will fit in the frame of the Super Cab... it doesn't look good. Here's where I'm at (A Photo Journey lol):


So far it looks like the clearances I need aren't going to be impossible. we'll start from the first measurement, so from the engine side of the Belhousing Adapter to the bolts to the Transmission side of the trans mount I show a measurement of 64", I measured out 64" from the Trans Mount at the Crossmember and it looks like the 2wd Crossmember will sit in a great position to do the swap (it may be a little high, but I will get to that later). I then measured the Trans Mount to the end of the OD unit, to the end of the yoke I'm looking at 18" in length, but it looks like the Transmission crossmember to the K-member (the one that goes near the Driveshaft pictured below) only has 15" clearance, so I will need to put it 3-4" back. Normally this wouldn't be an issue past the fact that's right where my Saddle Tank is located, normally I would just move the Saddle tank back but after already having gone through my tank and cleaning it out and having issues finding a properly fitting pickup (even tried a new LMC unit, it sicked and the filter kept coming off) I think scrapping the tank would be a good choice anyways ( I will get to the solution in a minute).












Ok so next I measured the height from the top of the Transmission mount to the bottom of the floor pan/Trans Access and then from the top of the floor to the top of the Transmission access plate, From Mount to Floor I measure 8", from the floor to the Trans Plate I have a little over 3". That makes for 10.5-11" total, the Transmission is about 10" so that looks good. I'm thinking I may need to grind the rivets of the Transmission Crossmember to the frame off and maybe flip it upside down to drop the Transmission down a few inches to allow me to drop down the Motor a bit. We will see what that looks like with it in the Factory Location first. I am a bit concerned with the Radius Arm Support Crossmember clearance to the Transmission though so that will tell in good time. Here are some more photos:








So my original though of using a Married T-Case type of K-member in this project is pretty much dumped, mosto of which is where I'm going to have to put the Crossmember in this 2wd frame in order to work is not the same contour as the as a 4x4 frame, in the 2wd Variant there is a arch in the frame later (from front to back) than in the 4x4 variant. so the K-Member would be too far back to use. Not a Huge loss but after looking at what I have from the 1987 truck it looks as if that Crossmember had a K-Member configuration, so what I am throwing around Ideas of is thaking the K supports and cutting them to size and then welding them to the 2wd Member I have now in order to add some extra support. This may or may not happen. I have the intent (if I do make my own K-Member) to have the tops of the Member bolt into the frame as opposed to welding them permanently. I may still get another 4x4 Crossmember and see if I can get it to fit anyways, we shall see. Here's a few photos between my 1979 Standard Cab 4x4 and the 1976 2wd Super cab:









Now for the Tank issue, I have no problem with dumping the front Saddle Tank, I have no particular love for it anyways. As for the rear Tank I don't much care for it either, and I would just run a Super Camper Special tank but every one that I find is punctured by the Scrapyard per CA laws (Dumb as hell but I wont get into that) and I don't see the point in only holding 35 Gallons of Fuel, especially since I'm looking to move back into the Boonies of the North West so I need to hold at least 60 Gallons so I'm not always filling up. So I have another solution... Diesel Semi Truck Saddle Tanks...

I've been toying around with the Idea of converting the Bed (which has some rust underneath from a harsh life in Amador County but is far from wasted) to a Full Steel Flatbed. And instead of running Tool Boxes between the Cab and Rear Tires why not run a Stainless Diesel Truck Fuel Tank on either side and call it done? I can run the left side Tank as the primary, make the passenger side the secondary and instead or running a switch-over with a Return Line Built In, I can just set up a one-way Fuel Pump to transfer the fuel from the Aux Tank to the Main Tank. Problem solved... A Self-Filling tank, Magic

I've been considering On-Board Air and a Transfer Tank anyways, so this could be a solve-all solution for this truck, my Buget will decide this in the end. I'll put a photo of Bronco78IDI's Chassis Cab Flatbed up and point to the location of where I would place a tank below:


So for now I'm going to sit down and do some planing and thinking about exactly what I want to do and plan my attack for tomorrow. While I'm posting this I'm going to shift into Low Gear and drink myself a Beer... Here's to you FTE!

 

Awesome! I took a look earlier and it looks pretty sharp... how'd using the factory 351M/400 mounts work out? I take it you had to move them back? It looks like it sat the motor up pretty high... care if I ask you if you could take some front or rear profile shots of how you mounted the engine to your mounts?


I could see that, the Turbo is a great option and I will be going that route in some time, but first I need to Fab up and fit everything in the Super Cab. I've considered using the spaded Earlier Plugs and ends for the 6.9L style harness... mostly because they are all rotten out on my harness and I've seen that alot on other 7.3L plugs, I much prefer the 6.9L style ends myself and have a few of those Harnesses sitting around the shop right now. I've always wanted to do the IDI swap for myself, I just never had the Budget and didn't want to do it to my 4x4 at all since I love the engine I built for it (425Hp 485Ft Lbs. 408 from a 400/6.6L base motor With Aussie Heads and Custom Grind Comp Cam and other goodies). So the Supercab here makes a great Canidate, and the Dog (Cabela) can use the back seat so I can have personal time with the Mrs. on long trips. lol

 

Thanks man! They're actually the towers and mounts from the 6.9. 351 mounts were cut out and the 6.9 towers were welded AND bolted in. That's why the motor sits pretty high in there, which was necessary since my truck is 4x4 and that oil pan would've been hitting on the front pumpkin if it was lower. Plus, I can get the oil pan off with the motor still mounted which is nice. I can try and get more pictures though, no problem.

I'd either get in mounted and then look at your turbo options, OR if you're decided on a turbo get the turbo all put on the motor and then mount it. That way you can move the engine forward as needed before mounting it in there. My firewall is going to need work if I ever decide to turbo it, but there isn't much room in front of the motor anyway. That should be great in a supercab, you should see some decent mileage too since it's 2wd and you have an O/D unit

 

Ok, so this may be a short post because after today I am exhausted...

I managed to figure out an attack plan, and as soon as I get an Air Saw in hand I will be cutting out the Floor Pan and installing the Transmission pan, just to see if I could I went ahead and tried to jam the OD adapter in annnnnnd it didn't fit lol. I knew it wouldn't but I just wanted an idea of what I was dealing with on that Crossmember, and after looking at the adapter jamed in there, I think I will be flipping those Crossmember Brackets and dropping the thing 2 inches in total to get some room to play with on that OD Unit. I'm really hoping that the K-member will allow for the clearance of the Driveshaft, if not I may be having to completely change what I'm doing here...


So I went about my day and gave the Transmission a Bath in Diesel (Best solvent EVER) and it cleaned up pretty decently... though I have a few spots I need to detail before I split it all apart and then paint and gasket it.

Now one more minor thing that I did today that kept my mind off what I found next was putting the Bumper Tusks on that I found at the Scrap Yard the other day. They look pretty sharp...


Now for the nightmare part... I finally removed the Rubber floor, and I knew there was some surface rust under the cab from 20 years of salt and Snow in Amador County (This Truck started life out in the San Francisco Bay Area) but when I pulled the Rubber Carpet, I found the worst thing I could, it looks like the Windshield has been leaking from a few years of living under Pine Trees. Then the Floor Insulator acted as a sponge and just made a 1 2 punch and just killed the Floor. So I will be out in the scrap yard cutting a panel out of a good Cab and making a patch panel out of it and patching this mess... Just one more thing. In the Meantime I will be getting ready to Mark out and cut the hole for the Transmission Pan.

I will update with more tomorrow...

 

I was thinking more about the vertical height and angle of the engine. If the front of the engine is raised to clear the crossmember and suspension and keep the tail at the stock height, then you run in to the firewall and tranny tunnel.

 

Yeah I had much the same thought, I have a 400 2wd truck of which I have to compare, so I'm setting as close as I can to that, I
m not to concerned about firewall or trans clearance as much as I am trying to get the OD cleared to the floor and Trans Pan, and then also clearing enough for a turbo later on... Time will tell

 

Alright, so I said I would Post last Thursday, but I never got the chance, but here is where I got this week then I will post about toady,

So I attacked the Rust on the Floorboard with some White Vinegar for 3 days, then scrubbed off what I could, I then Wire brushed the floor and got to this point, it looks as if a Patch Panel is needed, so I'm going to the local Pick-N-Pull Discount day this week and I'll be cutting out a Full Floor with any luck, then I will probably try to replace the entire floor just because I'm **** like that lol. I really wish I could find a complete Cab, but I don''t know if that will happen or not yet...

 

I finally got around to getting the Transmission Crossmember fitted, it took quite a bit of grinding, chiseling, and drilling to remove the Factory Rivets from the Mounting Brackets on the Frame. I have not yet decided on what Bolt to use on the Brackets in order to re-secure them to the frame, but I've been thinking of SAE Grade 8 and am not even considering SAE Grade 5 as an option. I think the Grade 8 will be overkill but I like overkill.

So far I flipped both the Mounting brackets and it looks as if the flip will work without a Hitch... there may be some issues with clearing Bolt Heads next to the Crossmember with the flip but it will only require grinding a small amount of metal from the Crossmember in order to clear the Bolts. Not a huge issue since Ford left more clearance than what I intend on doing when the Crossmember was mounted on top of the angle brackets. Here are some photos of the process:

 

So today I finally got around to taking the photos of how this Transmission Crossmember flip is going to work (Measurement photos),

So to start with I had looked at where the C6 Perch for the Transmission Mount sat in comparison to the Driveline center. With the C6 transmission that measurement is 3" on the dot (pictured below) and the measurement for the Driveline Center of the OD Unit is approximately 5" from Perch to the Driveline Center at the Adapter Housing (also pictured below). Now without flipping the Transmission Crossmember I'm sitting at 2" short of what I need, with the Crossmember flip I am at a nearly perfect 2" drop which brings me right back to where I need to be.

Safe to say I'm happy with the flip and can't wait to test fit the Transmission and engine.

 

Looks good, seems like its coming right along, please keep posting.

 

So Bronco78IDI/Robert Maguire and I were cruising around the local Scrapyards today, and I came across a 1988 Ford F250 with a 7.3 in it, and to my surprise I found this Gale Banks "Power Pack" Ram Air Cleaner Top and Filter sitting on top. Pretty cool find, so I pulled it apart and found a K&N Air Filter underneath, so I decided to puchase it and see if I could save it from a certain demise and re-birth as a Chinese Toaster... And to my surprise it seems pretty rare...

I have more details I will be posting in THIS THREAD tomorrow when I get around to it... I managed to find out a few new things about it, but totally cool find and something to play with until I figure out how I'm going to afford my Turbo setup.

So I cleaned up the top, cleaned the filter out, and decided to see if I could fit it all to my Air Cleaner Base that came with the Air Boss and Tapered Stud from the Raywell Power Plus MKII Ram Air Top... and to my suprise it all fits up just fine... Photos below:

 

Alright, well I left off last time with toying around with the Banks Air Cleaner... and after doing that I started throwing around an idea for an On-Board Air system for the IDI (Since I have a Heater only truck I don't see much of the need to just have wasted space on the engine) so I went about modifying some plate and a bracket and got this slapped together... it works pretty good so far, but I will see when I get the motor going and my better pump on it what it will do...

So far it's just a plate made from 1/4" steel and welded together, a few Factory IH and Ford bolts, the York Style Compressor, some angle iron (for the Tensioner) and a bolt to adjust the tension. I don't know if I can get away with having the Compressor at this angle but I've seen the pumps both flat mounted and standing up so I don't think it should have any oiling issues at all.

In the photos I don't have the right piece of Angle Iron for the Tensioner... I did that just for Mock-up, i;ll be making a better piece and making it so the Tensioner is a All-thread stud and sitting at a better angle...

 

This Morning I managed to get some photos of the Transmission Crossmember Flip that I did, I did have to grind down a little bit of metal on the Crossmember itself in order to get it to clear the Grade 8 bolts but honestly it was pretty painless to do. Here a photo of the end product of the flip...