Just got my first ever diesel a few months back and have really liked the idi so far, I just picked up a 99 dodge 2500 for $1500. The body is not too good and even if it was I need a crew cab for the family trips. I did however tow the truck home and was not overly impressed with the way my truck pulled the load. I bought my truck with the intentions of buying a fifth wheel camper for family vacations which would be somewhat lighter in load but I want to travel to the mountains on our trips and defiantly want the power to climb those steep hills. My only concerns parting with a totally good motor and having something that costs more to maintain or repair. My truck is a 94 with a factory turbo only 110,000 miles. Give me some feedback please.

 

Well I first wanted to respond with: Anything dodge can do Ford can do better, but its all about what suits you best, i mean if its something you can work on it as easily as your 94 Ford (I DOUBT IT) If its something you can buy parts for as cheap and easily as the old Ford, , and if you think Dodge is better than Ford then by all means hahaha do whats best for you.

 

First, where do you live? I want that turbo engine. If not close to me, well in that case, there is alot that can be done to wake up an IDI for free, and even more for cheap. If thats still not enough theres more to do with money, and more coming. A little tuning by someone that knows how and that IDI will outrun / outpull that stock 24v

 

x2 Wish it was mine

A Cummins swap is in my opinion cool, but you'll probably find it faster, easier, maybe cheaper, and overall less stressfull buying a dodge with a cummins in it already. If you really want to do a swap google "ford cummins swap" and start reading. Lots of people have done it.

What's probably more practical is to spend some time looking into what you can do to get your current running diesel running better. That's a sweet truck you have actually. It'll pull trailers up hills until hell freezes over, although you might get passed by some newer trucks while you're doing it. Don't worry, those trucks will break down and your IDI will still be pulling like a mule.

 

I have hauled loaded horse trailers up the mountains in West Virginia with my NA 6.9. If your turbo'd 7.3 doesn't do it, then you need to get it set up right is all. Sure, they aren't going to fly up the mountains like it wasn't there, but neither will the Cummins. I have a Cummins swapped 2wd, and a 4wd makes it much harder. I also swapped from a worn out 460 to the Cummins. I don't see the point in swapping out a perfectly good diesel for another diesel. I had to do a bit to make the Cummins run good as well, it seemed to have some issues at first, especially with the POS Dodge auto box. It now has a 5 speed back into the truck, since the autos couldn't seem to hold up to the towing detail it was being put through. There are a number of pitfalls to the conversion, it is nowhere near a bolt in procedure, and you will have to either be good at fabbing things up or have plenty of cash, as the conversion parts are not cheap.

 

I live in Missouri for those interested in my idi motor if I do the swap. I would like to do some things to the idi first to wake it up a bit. I just got a hold of a down pipe and plan on installing a pyro so that I can turn the fuel up a bit. What are these free power enhancements you speak of?

 

The plan is to part out everything on the truck I bought besides the motor and tranny, then decide what to do. I might just hold onto the motor until something major goes wrong with mine. Which hopefully is a long time but you never know and I just love the way that cummins sounds.

 

I had misread your initial post, so you have a common rail Cummins? That requires some wiring work too that the P-pumped units of 94-98 don't need. The Common rail units are like Powerstrokes in that they are electronic injected. That adds more complexity to the swap. It certainly can be done, but just requires either spending more or figuring out the wiring better. Getting the intercooler in the truck is an interesting trick as well that no conversion companies help you out with. If you want to keep the a/c working, it adds more fun.

 

From what I have read and understand which may be two different things, this is not the common rail but just the 24 valve. The 12 valve seems to be the most simple but plenty of people have done these. My neighbor has performed the 12 valve swap and sounds interested in helping me with the project. I would like to see what this idi will do before I go through with the swap and don't have the time right now for that big of a project. Let me get this truck parted out first. From some post I read last night it might be time for an IP and injectors. To my knowledge they are the original.

 

This is not a question of ford verses dodge, but IH v8 verses Cummins 6. Your loyalty to a manufacturer, no matter how deluded they may be has nothing to do with his question.

Skates, Cummins swap is doable or you can can do some work on the 7.3 for half the cost and pull a little more power out of it. Should I blow my 7.3 and the truck itself is still in good shape, I would be looking at dropping a Cummins 12 valve in it,s place. Why do it any sooner?

 

24 valve by default is electronic, I stand corrected on the common rails not coming in until 03.

 

Crank the fuel, adjust wastegate. Nothing but time. Ive never driven a factory turbo idi, but if they really are only 185 at the crank, then those two are good for probably 40rwhp. Should put around 180-190 to the wheels.

As far as cheap, if its due for pump and injectors, get ahold of NMB2 and racinNdrummin. If the turbo is a little sloppy get ahold of typefour for a rebuild and comp. wheel upgrade. Racin / NMB2 also sell a cam that helps em out.

Downpipe is a great place to start, i would open up the exhaust housing as well, but that requires pulling the turbo, up to you, i say its worth it. After that a full 4" DP back system.

That about does it for the easy / common / cheap stuff, but that will get you to where the 24v sits in stock form, if not a little over. After that, youre looking at building a turbo "kit", fabbing up IC, upgrading fuel delivery, studs, etc.

24v is definately doable, however nowhere as simple as a 12v. Both 24v fords i have seen used the dodge firewall and dash to simplify things. Literally swapped the engine compartment into the ford, along with computer wiring and guages. It would be easiest to swap all the dodge wiring, and wire your truck to the engine basically, instead of trying to wire the 24v into the pickup.

 

I actually found that my 6.9L sounds a little like a cummins, yet still has that V8 diesel sound that can be heard on the Strokers. I guess each engine has their own different sounds.