Some guy is selling a 6.9L diesel (the old non-direct injected one?) for $200 with trans(c6) and tcase.. this engine would almost drop right into my bronco, wouldn't it? minus maybe frame perches and mounts of course?

tell me if I'm missing anything.. frame to mount, engine mount, rear output of tcase (wont work, will it?).. is that it? how about cooling and accessories?

also, I'm seeing this thing is only 320ft lbs of torque at 1400rpms, that's not much better than a carbed 400 and at twice the weight.. would I have a major mileage improvement over the 400?

bronco currently has a 302 and a c6.. 302 has a cracked head or head gasket, not sure if I'm going to keep the 302, drop in a 400 or maybe even this diesel I just found.. been thinking about a diesel for a while, just didnt wanna spend $1500 on the drivetrain, then another 1000 trying to figure out how to get it to fit.

 

No where near twice the weight. The 400 weighs in at about 700-750 lbs. My 6BT Cummins weighs 1000 lbs wet, and if I recall, the 6.9 is slightly less than the 6BT. It might be 200 lbs more than the stock motor. A Cummins 8.3 would be twice the weight..
Now a snowplow, that's a lot of weight on the frontend, and people use F150s and Broncos for plowing all the time.
If the front end settles a bit too much over time, call up PST or a similar company and order some heavier coils, is all.
Personally, I wouldn't go through the hassle of the swap unless the diesel was turbocharged, or you plan on installing a turbo kit for it. A n/a diesel would still give you a huge increase in fuel mileage; probably twice what the 400 would get on average. My brother had a brand new at the time (1991?) n/a 7.3 F250, and it got over 20 mpg, but wasn't very powerful compared to the more modern turbo diesels or a 460. The 6.9 has even less power than that n/a 7.3.. ugh. But turbo kits are fairly cheap if you do all the work yourself. If you're not concerned with power and want excellent fuel mileage, then the 6.9 would be awesome in the Bronco.
That entire drivetrain you have is a very nice way of doing the swap. The C6 is already setup correctly and all.

 

I dunno about every other 400 in the world, but the one in my F150 was 570lbs or so with oil and aluminum intake.

the more I'm reading nad hearing from people, the more I'm thinking the diesel is a stupid idea. It sounds like a 400 with 4-5mpg better, a few hundred pounds heavier.. but I bet better reliability? Just something I have to read and think about more.

but then again.. I never toyed with a diesel in my life, this would be a good oppurtunity.

 

The book lists the 400 at 700-750 lbs, wet, if I recall. Regardless, a snowplow mounted way up under the front bumper adds a lot more weight to the springs than a diesel will, as I mentioned. Who did you hear from that didn't like a diesel in a truck?? I spent about 8 months doing my diesel Bronco project, and it's my favorite truck I've ever owned, including the '99 F350 7.3L that I had years ago. I average a little over 20 mpg and it accelerates faster than most light performance cars. It makes nearly twice the torque of a stock 400, and it does it at half the rpm. The extra weight isn't an issue. A performance gas engine that would move the truck like that you'd be lucky to get 5 mpg.
Your 6.9 idea is good for fuel mileage, it would double the mileage you'd get from any V8 gas motor. Durability would be ridiculous, as is typical of diesels. A turbo kit for the 6.9 would turn it into an animal, with zero trade-off in fuel economy, because diesels are cool like that.

 

You'll be ahead at the end if you keep the 302.

 

I just talked to some guy that said it's almost a bolt in swap.. I was told even the frame towers are the same, all I need are mounts?

apparently my old t-case will even bolt up, so I don't have to worry about the driveshaft?

that's too good to be true.. someone please tell me it's true, if it is, I'll have a diesel Bronco in a week

 

Do the diesel swap for sure. it may be slightly difficult but not THAT bad. There is a guy in so cal that put in a 7.3 psd and either a 6.0 or a 6.4 psd in two early 90's broncos with the computer and dash and everything and he said it wasn't too bad. after i do the cummins 4bt swap i have planned for the 66 f100 i am in the process of buying I'm gonna put a 12v cummins 6bt in my 83 bronco. diesel is the way to go if you want an efficient powerful motor in my opinion.

-Seth

 

For that price you can't go wrong. You will need the motor mount brackets from the diesel. I have some pics of those put on a Bronco I will scare up for you. The diesel takes quite a bit bigger radiator so you will need the proper core support to fit your Bronco and then there is the 2 batteries deal, so get the battery boxes with your core support and radiator. You don't HAVE to have the 2 batteries, just one big one will do, unless it gets really cold where you are, then you will need the extra batt to run the glow plugs.

 

OK here are the pics of diesel motor mount brackets set in a 1983 Bronco:





It's been done many times, it's not that big of a deal what you are proposing. If you search on here under "diesel bronco" I bet you will find some examples.

 

Slow day at work:

moosestang's photos and albums on webshots

FullSizeBronco.com - 78 - 96 Ford Bronco offroad club, forums, tech, installs

 

As for the dual battery question; I have a single battery in my truck which powers the grid heater on the Cummins that I use on cold days. I'm not sure how much amperage the glow plugs on the IH motors draw, but my grid heater pulls 190 amps. I used the grid heater every morning last winter and the single battery never failed. (We have pretty cold winters here)