Has anyone on here put a 7.3l powerstroke out of a 90's model Ford into there 65 F250? If so, let me know.






Also, does anyone know how to adjust a clutch on a 65 F250, my pickup is hard to get into gear in every gear, again thanks. New to this forum

 

Welcome to FTE, it has a great deal of good information.

As to a 7.3 in a Slick, my answer is No, but not because I tried. I'll try to remember the basic reasons, but it ended up requiring too many changes.

I started with an '88 F-250, 7.3 IDI and a C-6 - a perfect donor.

Essentially, the engine is too tall and too wide.
It was not too heavy, because a fully loaded 7.3 is only about 150 pounds or so heavier than a 352, so that problem never surfaced.

Too wide: The oil cooler on the driver's side interfered with the frame rail. At the same time, the starter on the passenger side was inserted into the frame rail itself, which meant that to change the starter, one would have to just about relocate the engine. When the engine was lifted to eliminate these problems, the cab had to be raised to allow the bell housing to fit - note, the actual bell housing, not the transmission hump. I lifted the cab up nearly 4 inches, and it was just barely enough.

Too tall: To set the engine properly, the oil pan rested right onto the steering linkage. Raising the engine enough to clear the steering linkage resulted in the oil cooler and the starter not being properly situated. Too high for the radiator fan to pull air through the radiator, and too high for the cab's transmission tunnel.

In essence, the truck frame is too narrow for that engine, and the engine is just too tall for the truck.

If you want to read some of the posts I made as I attempted this project, search for my other user name "Confederate Diesel", and mostly in the 7.3/6.9 IDI Diesel forum.

I did see some posts from a guy that tried to install one in a '72, and he ran into the same problems. (The '72 has the same frame dimensions, and very similar body dimensions.) His solution to the height problem was to shorten the height of the oil pan by cutting a portion out of the sump and re-welding it back together. Additionally he had to cut out a good section of the firewall instead of raising the cab in order to avoid lifting or raising the entire truck.

I reckon that lifting the body might work, but that's a lot of lift.

I am not sure a body swap of a '66 onto frames after '79 is a good idea, but that is just my opinion.

There is nothing that cannot be accomplished with enough money and time.

These were not all the problems, as I recall something possibly interfering with the oil filter. I didn't get far enough to figure out solutions, as I never really got the engine to fit.

Just my opinions and experience.
Hope this helps.

 

Thank you very much. You were very useful. Another question, ive heard that the disc brakes and power steering from a 72-79 F-250 will go into my 65, is this true?

 

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You are quite welcome, that's what this board is for.

As for power disc brakes and power steering, yes, those are very popular swaps - but the brakes are best from '73 - '79.

There are several issues that you need to be aware of in these swaps, but all of them have been covered extensively here at FTE.

Best of luck to you!

 

Can you point me in a direction on where to find the answers to those questions on here? Like I said, new to this forum thing lol.

 

Please feel free to ask all the questions you want! The disc brake and power steering swaps can be daunting when you run into a conflict of parts, but you can prepare ahead of time by reading.

I strongly recommend you use the search function to accumulate the details you'll need to do it successfully. Search inside this forum, as it will have the details you need.

Many years ago when I did the power steering and brake swaps, I did one at a time, and it took less than a weekend to do each one, mostly because I had read everything I could about the swaps.

I'll start off with saying that the best way to do this is to find a donor truck. Look for a '73 - '79 F-250 that has power disc brakes and power steering.
For power steering: You will need the complete set of brackets and pulleys for the engine you have. You will also need to change your steering column, as the power steering gearbox is longer than the manual one. For this, I recommend a '70- '72 steering column, out of a truck with power steering.

For power disc brakes, look for a complete truck, and don't worry about parts that wear out. For example, don't look at the condition of the calipers or master cylinder, but use the donor parts for cores. One decision you will need to make is whether to R&R the entire front suspension from the donor truck, or just change the spindles. (I just changed my spindles, but others have done the entire suspension swap. I'll let their words explain why they made their choice.)

Then, when you have harvested everything, sell the rest of the parts on E-bay, and then scrap the truck.

These are just some of the details that will help you make these upgrades easily successful.

You will find the time spent trying to search and read a good investment in your truck - and your sanity, too! Nothing worse than running into a problem that could have been solved ahead of time with knowledge.

Best of luck, and let the questions begin!

 

1968/72 F250 2WD available with optional dual piston caliper disc brakes.

1973: Disc brakes became standard equipment in F250 2WD's, but two different types were available as it depended on the GVWR:

Single piston caliper and dual piston caliper.

Ford/Saginaw P/S: 1969 F100/250 2WD & F350 from serial number D96,001 / 1970/79 F100/250 2WD & F350.

1966/77 Ford-Thompson P/S pump has a steel reservoir, P/S pressure hose threads on.

Beginning in 1978: Ford C-II P/S pump has a plastic reservoir, P/S pressure hose attaches to the pump w/a qwik connect fitting.

Because this C-II P/S pump is a different shape that the 1966/77 pump, the P/S pump mounting brackets from 1966/77 will not fit.

 

Notice that Number Dummy just posted some details that could cause interference with the project if you had not planned for them in advance. The engine and transmission combination can make a difference in your plans as well.

By the way, what is your current drivetrain?
Do you plan on changing it (as if the engine is shot, for example)?
A donor truck with the engine and transmission combination you want makes a drivetrain swap very easy.

Also, I would like to request that when you get started on your disc brake and power steering upgrade questions, that you start a new thread. For example, this thread is labeled "Diesel" instead of something like "Disc Brakes Questions" (or similar)
Would you mind?
Thanks!

 

Ask specific questions and we can probably come up with an answer.

 

I put a 7.3 idi in my truck. Had to remove the stock crossmember, built an engine cross member out of 2x3 3/16. Used a zf5 tranny and crossmember small notch in frame to clear one of the exhaust manifolds planing on putting a gusset in here for insurance. The biggest problem is the steering box it is almost against the exhaust manifold, the manifold flange is actually in the frame. I've decided to swap on a 78-79 p/s box and column to make More room and the p/s will be nice. Couldn't find my pictures but if you need them I can take a few more.

 

Also the cross member that is rivet to the frame just behind the steering box this is the one that I removed in order to get the zf5 to fit, the frame flexes something fierce when steering now especially with the weight of the diesel. I'm hoping the forward mounted steering box with help with this and maybe a tube cross member.

 

The individual who started this thread has a 1965 truck. It is radically different than a 1964 (or earlier) truck under the skin. The suspension, steering, frame crossmembers and dimensions as well as engine mounting design are not the same.
It is these differences that prevent installing the 7.3 into a '65/'66 truck without radical and potentially dangerous modifications - such as removing the frame stiffening components.

The '64 frame and suspension designs appear to me to better lend themselves to a 7.3 swap, at least as far as physical dimensions are concerned.

There are other things I would be concerned with, but I wanted to point out why the '65/'66 trucks are much less suited to a 6.9/7.3 swap.

Just my opinions.

 

What is the current drive train in the truck? 352, 3 speed? 4 speed? If you invest what a power choke swap (pun intended) would cost into your current drive train, you may be much happier in the long run. I am a diesel lover and owner, but agree with the other guys on this one....beware...!!