Hey all. First post here on FTE

I'm looking to swap a diesel engine for the old worn out 390 that currently sits in the engine bay of my 1970 F250.

I've done lots of basic maintenance on many vehicles starting when I was 12 years old, but have yet to do anything this in-depth.

Initially I was thinking I would end up putting a 7.3 PS in there. Any suggestions as to why I should/shouldn't put that particular motor in?

Anyways, I guess my question is what do I need to do before hand to the frame/suspension to accommodate that? What's a good transmission to put in? As far as performance goes, is there a better diesel engine to drop in there? (one of my friends suggested a cummins, I told him I would think about it since he said cummins instead of duramax).

(Am I allowed to say that C word here?)

 

A 12 -valve Cummins is the no-brainer choice.

 

Ok....why? (details?)
What about the new 6.7 PS?

 

A couple of reasons why the Cummins 12V is more popular
1 Although heavier than the 390 by about 300lbs, the IDI and PS are heavier still
2 The 12V is mechanically controlled, like the IDI. No computer to add and wire
3 The oil pan sump on the IDI and PS are both at the rear of the engine, right where the steering crosses (Note that Muddy74Ford is looking into using van I Beams and steering to change to a front steer setup in his IDI swap https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-idi-swap.html )

 

Thanks rokittsled for the link.

 

If I do go for a diesel, that is what I am weighing against the Cummins swap. Besides, anybody that goes for a Cummins swap now, well, they have some big footprints to compare themselves to with co425's swap in


https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...il-burner.html


That does appear to be the class valedictorian in the completed and running class

 

Check out HIO Silver's LBB and consider keeping the 390


https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ide-build.html


One of my favs and he is doing fuel mileage checks soon, he just got it running with a T56 tranny behind his 390 with Edelbrock's fuel injection set up on his

 

Musicman909, Welcome to and the Bumpside Forum.

Can you take a blow for a minute and share with us how you use the truck and how you want to use the truck in years ahead? What kind of realistic budget (funds on hand) do you have to work with in the next 3 months? I do not know what a diesel swap will run but with both engine and trans, fuel feed system, and all other necessery parts, but I can imagine easily over $10,000.00 and a couple three months without the truck.

You can on the other hand easily rebuild the FE for under $2000.00, and the FE is a damn good truck engine. It doesn't matter how big your intentions are if you don't have the funds to complete the job. just sayin



John

 

Also consider a 4BT cummins. You can find them with a Ford 4 speed tranny behind them, or manny others for that matter. Only 750lbs compared to the 1200lbs 6bt. Get a 3200 governor spring along with a 40hp (100ftlb) fuel pin($175 for both)with a little tweaking to the pump(free) and it will probably perform beyond your expectations. It will be a little easier on the install. AND!!!! You can get any oil pan for them.......Front sump, center sump, or rear sump. ONE wire to make it start and run. Finally, it will get the best fuel mileage of all of them. one and only drawback is; they are LOUD and vibrate. That can be overcome with lots of sound deadener, AKA fat mat or dyna mat, along with a well sealed cab. The vibration can be overcome with the proper liquid filled motor mounts and a aftermarket fluid dampener. Oh, and I guess I should mention they can run on damn near any properly filtered fuel you put in them.....Say, vegetable oil or USED transmission and engine oil! Yeah, you can say it; FREE FUEL! They come in many many configurations so if you get serious about getting one I HIGHLY recommend you visit 4BTswaps.com and do a lot of research. Or PM me with any questions and I can get you going in the right direction.

 

I'd like to see more 7.3 engine swaps. There's not really to many that are talked about. Keeps the engine in the ford category they are great engines and there's just to many cummins swaps lately. they are all flowibg into one big build thread can't tell one from the other.

 

2x... the the beauty of a 12v Cummins is its relative simplicity without electronic controllers. It's also more responsive to power upgrades than the PS or IDI which require the input of cubic dollars to get the same results.

Thanks Mr. 'Sled... btw, it's a 360 with a Tremec TKO-500.

 

It's just too simple with the cummins. No computer and all that sensor mess. 40% less parts than the 7.3 and better fuel mileage. Don't get me wrong; my daily driver is a 97 7.3 and I really like it. Just too much stuff to mess with for a swap. The 7.3 is made by Navistar; ford simply contracted to buy them.

 

Yea the 12v is the easy way out since it takes nothing other then 12 volts to run. I have one in my 71 F250 but now I've been debating to rip that sucker out and go with an oddball diesel that you won't see so often . I'm one of those types that rather have something out of the ordinary can't stand seeing so many of the same builds only thing that sets them apart is the paint color. I know the 7.3 isn't exactly in the ford family it got contracted in but I'd like to see more 7.3 swaps. If you can swap in a different engine then you most likely have the ability to do the wiring that comes with it. So what's alittle more time to do the wiring going to hurt?

 

I'm sooooo jealous!^^^^^^ Maybe I should swap a 67-72 long bed onto my 97 chassis?

 

my bad for overselling your truck.