I have a 1994 7.3 IDI Turbo that i am looking to do some upgrades to, on my list is possibly a banks sidewinder turbo kit, head studs, exhaust manifold, new glow plug harness, (i will probably make that myself, the only ones i can find online are way too much for what they are) and a gauge set up. My budget is around 7-9k. i have done some research but don't have a lot of experience with these motors. any advice would be great. it is in a 1994 F-250 4x4 with a ZF5. i also recently converted over to a solid flywheel. (the dual mass one came out in about 10-15 pieces)

 

With a budget like that, you can have some serious fun. What kind of power are you looking for? Forget the banks, get a turbo from justin at R&D

 

^^^ This... check out R&D Performance for sure! With that budget you could easily hit 400hp in an idi and Justin has all the fuel and air mods you would need to accomplish that.

 

the banks turbo is about equal to the current turbo, so there will be no noticeable gains with it.
more important is the down pipe. the factory pipe is crushed causing a major restriction.

just be replacing the downpipe and adjusting the wastegate you will see a dramatic improvement.

 

i put the banks turbos on both of my trucks and iv been very satisfied with the performance.iv also installed intercoolers and was then able to turn up the fuel screws all the way without getting any serious amount of smoke out of the tailpipe.just very decent power for bolt ons without any need to dig into the engine.of course if you want to do that,there are larger gains to be had.im not trying to convince you either way for that.iv no experience.all i can do is show and share what has been working great for me.keeping in mind 45 mph speed limits isn't exactly a hard feat.so not a whole lot is required for my personal use.not that it can't easily brake the speed limits too lmao.n/a will do that with ease in good tune too of course.





here i install the banks sidewinder kit your inquiring about here with full detailed pics.you'll find this handy,should you decide on the kit;
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...iled-pics.html

here i install a FMIC:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...gen-truck.html


so here were my results and my first hand experience.keep in mind however this was from N/A to sidewinder.not from a factory turbo to sidewinder.iv no experience between any differences there.one big difference of course is that banks is still fully supporting our trucks with grade A+ customer service.i ordered parts each time for used kits and i was treated with full respect by them as if i needed parts for a new kit.they were just as happy to sell me parts as they were a whole kit.just a great co. to deal with.very professional.
anyway,here is my experience after first installing the kit on chip truck:

i was so satisfied with the outcome,when i got my larger truck (log truck) i copied the same exact setup.i drove it home as n/a and didn't use the truck until it was turbocharged with another sidewinder and FMIC.this ones very tractor like w/ the 5.13 gearing and just goes like a monster.hauls a real nice load of logs with ease.im not saying you can't pull your engine,do internal mods and blow this setup out of the water if want/need.just sharing my experiences is all.

since your new to the engine,these are a couple helpful links to look over as well;

Maintaining Coolant

IDI Tuneup

hope this helps.welcome to FTE & good luck.

 

I would like to do the best balanced build that i can (HP and torque increases to match what the drive train can handle, with or without drive train upgrades) for the budget that i have. if i can get 400 hp without destroying the transmission/rear-end or upgrading them within that budget that would be great. i have been looking into what the zf5 is rated for, but i am sure they were fairly conservative. i am going to look into the R&D turbo and equipment.

I am not sure which direction i will be going yet, but when i start the build i want to have at least 90% of what i am going to need on hand and the rest at least on order. so it may be a while before i start the build, but that is why i am doing the research now. Thanks for all the help so far!!

 

Sounds like you want what i want. Stage 1 injectors and cam, 110cc pump, studs, S363 or S366 turbo and an intercooler. If ive done my math right, thats about 300whp and 650wtq or around to 375hp/ 825tq at the crank.

Bigger than that will take some doing with the clutch or auto trans. Your SMF should hold the 110 just fine.

 

that is exactly what i was thinking after checking out the R&D site(using the S366). i also need to figure out what to do for the remainder of the exhaust and i want to rebuild my heads with better components. (if any are available, at the minimum do a rebuild; the truck has around 185k on it, so i figured it would be a good time to take care of that.)

 

The Zf5 is a pretty strong transmission. With a clutch that can guild the power, they are pretty bulletproof. Iirc, to upgrade the clutch, you need one from an OBS Powerstroke. Others who have upgraded will be able to tell you what is one of the better ones though...

 

these are medium duty truck diesel engines from international.they are rated (and can last far surpassed) for much higher than gas engines.at 185k she shouldn't need anything in the way of internal ware items.reman/build her by all means. just fyi,she probably has lots of life in her yet.
(but if you bought her used from outside of family/friends i suppose ya never know though just how she was treated.)

 

At the least have the heads rebuilt and upgrade valves (inconnel), valve stem seals and such will wear sooner than the rest of it and you're already upgrading the valve train (910 springs).

 

Hell the motor I just got from my wife's uncle was in great condition except he didn't do proper coolant maintenance no holes in the cylinders from cavitation but electrolysis did a number on the aluminum heads on the oil cooler with crystallized coolant blocking some of the tubes if you have the money/time/desire it can't hurt as far as durability I went ahead and replace the rod bearings with the std ones he had already purchased and had .003"-.002" on the plastigauge after 190,xxx and the cylinder walls still had the original cross hatching in them so it is up to you