I want to remove my gas engine and drop a diesel engine. I'm not site what will fit in. I have a 86 f250 7.5 460 big block 2wd. Just want see what I can do and have more info and do more research. Thanks for the help.

 

Find a wrecked or rusted donor truck...

The 6.9 would be easiest to swap in and was available in that era, or 7.3 IDI is a simple engine.

In addition to the engine itself, you're going to need the diesel radiator -and- the radiator support.
Front springs to support the extra weight.
The engine 'perches' and mounts from the front crossmember.
The transmission with a diesel bellhousing pattern, and the exhaust system.
The wiring harness, second battery tray and dashboard.
Glow plug controller, a vacuum pump or hydroboost master cylinder and associated brake parts.
Gas tanks that aren't galvanized inside.

I've never done a diesel swap.
Perhaps 'DieselBrad' from PA will weigh in here.

 

No diesel is a simple swap, you have to either buy an adapter plate and custom mounts, or as mentioned, pick up the motor, trans and everything needed to make it all work. The mounts on diesels go straight onto the crossmember, so there is a couple plates that bolt on there, and the perches for the 460 have to come off. The factory exhaust was only 2.5 on the IDI trucks. The only thing in the dash was the water in fuel and glow plug lights, which could either be added independent or ignored, your choice. The diesel radiator typically was deeper, and had a special rad support to accommodate it. There was a version that just used a longer radiator but the same rad support as the gas motors. The controller for the glow plugs typically was mounted on the motor, the earlier versions tended to fail, so the glow plugs were commonly converted to manual, just using a switch and operate the relay that way.

 

Thanks for the info

 

Mine was originally a gasser. I found and bought a 89 F250 ECLB with a 7.3 ZF5 that had caught on fire in the interior due to a shorted out headlight switch. I HIGHLY recommend getting a whole truck for a donor. I t gurantees you'll have at least most of the pieces you won't think of (like the battery trays), and you can sell off the leftovers afterwards. I ended up using every piece of the drive train out of the donor, and continued on with the fuel tanks, steering column, and a bunch of other odds and ends. I pretty much have the body and frame rails from an 84; the rest is from the 89. The swap is a lot of work, but it's worth it if you're really attached to your truck, or you just can't find the truck you really want (like a CCLB SRW bullnose with a diesel and 5 speed).
I swapped the diesel in and drove it for about a week prior to changing out the front suspension; the stock 460 springs seemed to handle the extra weight just fine.
The engine mounts for the 460 were riveted in place. Easy removal with a cuttin' torch. The diesel mounts then bolt in place.
My stock fuel tanks had the electric fuel pumps built into them. I could have just removed the fuel pump, but since I had to remove the tanks to do that anyway, I just used the tanks out of the 89 (which have a different ohm rating and make your fuel gauge work backwards).
I cut both core supports apart and welded the outsides of the 84 support onto the inner of the 89 support so I could use the bigger radiator. Just cause that's what I had.
Wiring is pretty simple, especially if you run manual glow plugs on a push button.

 

Don't they sell something like a 10 second timed switch for glow plugs?

 

I used an electrical timer on mine. You put 12 volts to one terminal, then it goes through a resistor that you can change to modify the amount of time for it to send that 12 volts out the other side. I ran that wire to a little LED next to the push button for the glow plugs. So you push the button, which powers up the glow plugs, and about 12 seconds later the LED lights up. Just keeps me from having to count in my head.

 

Easy enough circuit to build yourself with a 555

 

I grew up with push button glow plugs factory on the tractors, so I am quite familiar with the count to ten...

 

Most people don't know how useful a 555 timer is, Jim. I have a battery charger that I designed way before Battery Tenders, that uses a 555. It is my favorite IC.

 

Don't want to hijack but have a quick question.
What kind of fuel mileage can you expect on one of the IDI's? Been thinking real hard about swapping out my 300 in the F150 for either a Ford or 4BT.