Ok guys, found a totaled 95-96 F-250 4x4 for barely nothing to speak of. Now the frame is perfect, rear axle is mosterous, and the front end is TTB.. But I popped the hood and guess what, 7.3 liter. At first I thought it was a 6.9 Diesel because it didnt have a turbo. But it's the original motor with vvery very low miles. I didnt know it was a 7.3 until I saw the original sticker saying it was a 7.3 belt diagram. How hard would it be to switch it over? It might be a dog without the turbo but hey a diesel is a diesel, and black smoke never gets old. I was either thinking put the diesel/rear axle over to my truck and putting a dana 60 in front, or just mounting my body to the frame. Although its an extended cab and mines a reg cab. But I also thought about just tubing and mounting the radiator back their and everything.
Which leads me to my question: Swap the motor and axle to my truck and find a front 60 or just put my body on the 3/4 ton?
Just kicking around the idea ya know.
Thanks, Taylor
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1980 F-150 Custom : MILD 351M 4 speed granny low, 4x4 , 35 inch Regul Trailblazers, open headers.
1981 F-100 Custom : Stock 300-6
1995 Chevy C1500 2x4. 350TBI Headers, Cutouts and Flows. 18in rims 2 12's. DD and even better it gets 22mpg! BEST NEVER REST
The easiest way to do it would be to swap the body of your truck onto it.
Reason i say this is because the transmission is a diesel only transmission so you have driveline issues to worry about. also to do the engine swap you would need to swap the engine, radiator, fuel tank and lines, ecu (if there is one), gauge cluster, fuel lines and drier, and engine mounts. On top of other odds and ends i'm sure. So what i would do is either A.) repair the damage and drive it. or B.) swap your cab and front clip onto it (assuming it's front end damage.) yes you will have issues with dash mounting in the older cab and stuff but it can be done. probably easier than doing the full driveline swap.
Just remember to check local laws regarding vin identification. More than likely you will have to take both titles to your DMV and have it retitled under the VIN that the cab shows as a reconstructed or Custom Built/Kit vehicle.
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Mike: PA Chapter Member.
83 F150 300CID AOD (the DD project)
97 Escort Sedan (POS/DD)
2005 Focus zx3 (RIP)
An IDI is essentially a one wire engine, just swap the engine over. Putting a reg cab on an ex cab is not exactly a a project I'd tackle without shortening the frame, it's 22" longer between the transmission crossmember and the kick up to the cab mount crossmember.
If it's an E4OD auto, you'll have to add the wiring and computer to your truck, any other and there are no electronics involved at all.
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96 F250 XLT PSD/5 speed/4x4... Freebie!
92 W250 LE, 4x4/CTD/G360/D60/D70U
86 F250 HD 4x4, 6.9/T19/broken D44 TTB junk/10.25.
86 F350 4x4 Mild 460/T19 D60/welded 10.25/44 Boggers, Warn 8200 up front, M12000 out back... It's not what you BUY, It's what you BUILD
I'm not real sure how well an 80/81 "Swiss cheese" frame would hold up to the stress of the diesel. They're rather heavy, and make plenty of torque.....
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Quote:
Originally Posted by f100jim
Short bed pickups are like boobs on your ex-wife: if they are dressed up they may LOOK nice, but that's all they are good for!
1980 F-150 300 I6, C6 & 9" rearend. The workhorse. 310K
1990 Nissan Kingcab 2.4L I4 5 speed. The commuter. 222K
1983 Mazda RX7 1.1L Rotary. The show/autocross/toy. 211K
An IDI is essentially a one wire engine, just swap the engine over. Putting a reg cab on an ex cab is not exactly a a project I'd tackle without shortening the frame, it's 22" longer between the transmission crossmember and the kick up to the cab mount crossmember.
If it's an E4OD auto, you'll have to add the wiring and computer to your truck, any other and there are no electronics involved at all.
Their wasnt much electrical underneath the hood that i noticed, also the "fuel bowl" wasnt in the front where it is on the PowerStrokes. It didnt have the front end of the old style, 87-91?, and it was the same as my Aunts just w/o the turbo. I would say its a pretty good project but nothing that will be street legal. Just something to drive around the farm with, it's actually a buddies truck and he wants to join mine and his truck somehow, but the cab top was so smashed in we just cut the top off and drove it around like that, cause you coulndt fit your head with a helmet on in the truck! It's not gonna be hard to me, well cause workin on a farm comes with plasma, more metal than you can shove a stick at, and welder cutting torch etc. And plenty of room and heavy lifting is done by the skytracs. It is an automatic transmission though.
Cut off the old motor mounts put them on my truck along with the transmission mounts and transfer case? Or would the transfer case bolt up?
I'm thinking swap everything to the 80 truck.
Taylor
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1980 F-150 Custom : MILD 351M 4 speed granny low, 4x4 , 35 inch Regul Trailblazers, open headers.
1981 F-100 Custom : Stock 300-6
1995 Chevy C1500 2x4. 350TBI Headers, Cutouts and Flows. 18in rims 2 12's. DD and even better it gets 22mpg! BEST NEVER REST
I'm not real sure how well an 80/81 "Swiss cheese" frame would hold up to the stress of the diesel. They're rather heavy, and make plenty of torque.....
I didnt figure it would make more than 400 ft/lbs w/o the turbo, and im thinking its gonna be considerably less than that. The stock 460 is only running around 335-385. (just a guess). The "swiss cheese" holes I have already cut out on the plasma machine, (IF you do this make sure to let the computer cut, cause i cut 2 circles and said the heck with it!) and their just waiting for me to start tearing down the truck. The frame will probably back halfed cause I dont see the dana 60 in the rear holding up to the stock leafs (9 in). And in the swap it would probably be best to switch them anyways.. And weight, im figuring 351M around 350-450, and the diesel around 650?
Taylor
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1980 F-150 Custom : MILD 351M 4 speed granny low, 4x4 , 35 inch Regul Trailblazers, open headers.
1981 F-100 Custom : Stock 300-6
1995 Chevy C1500 2x4. 350TBI Headers, Cutouts and Flows. 18in rims 2 12's. DD and even better it gets 22mpg! BEST NEVER REST
Put it in there. The engine is the best thing about my 89 diesel.
Is it non turbo? How much grunt does it have? The pumpkin on the truck is a MONSTER! With a 1/2 ton, I'm not looking to pull but the cool factor would be their, and hey black smoke is a plus!
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1980 F-150 Custom : MILD 351M 4 speed granny low, 4x4 , 35 inch Regul Trailblazers, open headers.
1981 F-100 Custom : Stock 300-6
1995 Chevy C1500 2x4. 350TBI Headers, Cutouts and Flows. 18in rims 2 12's. DD and even better it gets 22mpg! BEST NEVER REST
Black smoke is hard on the engine(will melt the pistons) and it's the reason more and more areas are passing laws where even the older diesels have to pass emissions.
It won't have much power unless you have a turbo, I don't have a turbo on mine but it has enough power for my needs. What does the turbo do? It adds more air that gets rid of the black smoke so it gives it more power. Black smoke is just wasted fuel going out the tailpipe.
Yep. In fact, most of the time adding a turbo includes turning up the fuel a bit. A NA diesel will see higher EGT than a turbo diesel under mild to moderate boost. Turn up the fuel and boost too much and EGT can again start to get way too high.
One thing about a diesel, you cannot run it too lean. You can run them way too rich though, and that will cause an early demise.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by f100jim
Short bed pickups are like boobs on your ex-wife: if they are dressed up they may LOOK nice, but that's all they are good for!
1980 F-150 300 I6, C6 & 9" rearend. The workhorse. 310K
1990 Nissan Kingcab 2.4L I4 5 speed. The commuter. 222K
1983 Mazda RX7 1.1L Rotary. The show/autocross/toy. 211K
Yes, you can do it; in your case, it will not be that hard since you already have a late model truck that did come with a diesel option. I did it in a 77 Supercab. You already have the steering in place and the frame is already correct assuming you have an F250 or better. The engine weighs 900 pounds and is rated at 185HP, so the power will not overwhelm the truck---assuming, once again, that yours is on at least the frame of an F-250 or better. Don't do it on the 150 unless you are prepared to do major work to beef it up. You will need the suspension from the wrecked truck and you MUST use the transmission that it on the diesel; there is NO interchangeability between the diesel and gas versions. If you have 4WD on your truck, you can use either XFR case, but I would opt for the one that came with the diesel unless you have an NP205 and you want to stick with it---it will survive with no problem. The driveline on the wrecked truck has a Sterling 10.25" rear end; that is an excellent axle. Just be sure to measure the distance from spring pad to spring pad as frame dimensions change from time to time. BTW, the wrecked truck has to have been built between 1988 and 1993 since it is a NA 7.3 IDI. The early 94 units had an ATS turbo from the factory with a mere 5 PSI boost, and the later 94 units came with the Powerstroke engine. For a farm truck, it will be a lot of fun to do this project, just be prepared to gain a whole new appreciation for the factory engineers when you start putting it together! You will need to swap the fuel tank and ALL associated parts---you will have to run a return fuel line back to the tank for the bypass circuit. No problem though; you can buy it or pull it off the other truck. If your truck is already 4WD, things will work out fine. If you are converting from 2WD, that is another project in itself! If you keep your rear axle, just swap the yokes---the Sterling (Ford's corporate version of the Dana 70) yoke will fit Dana 60 & 70 axles. Have fun---if you get stumped, repost! Good luck from on who's "been there--done that"!
Oh yea, don't forget that the diesel may require you to use the hydro-boost brake system as the vacuum booster may not clear the engine; if the diesel has the hydro-boost in it, swap it as well. Fortunately, you have the late model steering box so it should be an easy swap. And if you want to clean up the air and add a little power, install a turbo and turn up the pump just a little.
Last edited by gary_mcclenny; 07-18-2010 at 10:33 PM.
Reason: more info
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) and their just waiting for me to start tearing down the truck. The frame will probably back halfed cause I dont see the dana 60 in the rear holding up to the stock leafs (9 in). And in the swap it would probably be best to switch them anyways.. And weight, im figuring 351M around 350-450, and the diesel around 650? 
And who wants to knock everything outta the park!? Anybody else?
