> I just pulled the f600 truck up on the truck trader site,
>and the cabs are the same as the f150 to f350 cabs. Which
>means all I would have to do is find a truck with a 3208
>motor with A/C and swap front clips and put on a 1-ton front
>axle. I pulled up a crew cab f600 picture also. That is what
>I really would like to find. By the looks of that truck I
>saw the other day I already know I will need 5 inch blocks
>for the front clip body mount. Would that cat 3208 pull a
>heavy load better than the powerstroke????
>
> Thanks, kyle

No you wiil need a whole new transmission probably a 5 or 6 speed fuller, which will have to be custom fabbed in, also remember you will need a whole new way of attaching your belt driven accessories and a new radiator, a large one, I dont think the older 3208's are even turbo charged, so no I think the new powerstroke 6.0 can outpull it in a F-350, trade that 460 in on a new 6.0 powerstroke with a 5 speed automatic, now thats a pullin machine

 

why dont you just buy a truck designed to pull the load instead, you can buy an old county truck or work truck with a dumper and a big deisels for under 3 grand prolly

 

That is my intentions but I want the look of my 70;s ford truck, by means of putting a regular front end on one of these trucks. But I refuse to spend 40000 on a new one. What little money I do make I spend on real estate hoping to get rich like all you guys and someday retire young and rich. But I'll still be driving my old fords. kyle

 

 

Hello, I'd like to tell you a little about my experience with the Cat 3208 in a 1980 L7000 commercial mobile home mover.

This thing is a hill climber, it simply is not bogged down by hills period. It does not seem to matter how much weight is being pulled, the engine is just loads of power.

The cat 3208 is not a high rpm engine though, maybe the following numbers will help you a little. Now this is with a 5 speed with a 2 speed rear end, but at 48 miles per hour I'm right at 2000 rpm, to hit 55 miles per hour, I have to run 2300-2500 rpm. She'll go 60, but in 1980, they just weren't geared for it.

Now on the other hand, I just recently got rid of a 40' Bounder Z which ran a 460 gas. It didn't have that unstoppable hill climbing power, it needed to be ridden at higher rpms in lower gears to clobber the big passes, a big difference from the Cat. Although when I wanted to run that motorhome at 65 or 70+ miles per hour, that 460 gas would love the higher rpm's and I'd go as far as to say even hit a powerband in the higher rpm ranges.

A cat 3208 is overkill for most situations, but if you aren't racing anywhere, and you want to know that no matter what you'll have enough power to get'er done no matter the load (in my case mobile homes, yachts, house-boats etc).

Cheers!

Jason

 

Not anymore,they were for a short time.

 

Brother is putting one in a '70 f-250 right now. Had to give it a 2" body lift for the turbo to clear the fire wall. Hope to be done soon!

 

So I guess you are going for an International CXT-type truck...that would be pretty cool, but you have to consider the extra weight on the front end...

Since a 3208 Cat (earlier known as the 1170?) weighs about 1850 pounds, you will be putting a lot more stress on a one-ton front axle, not to mention your other suspension components!

Other diesel V8 possibles-

-POWERSTROKE or late model 7.3 non-powerstroke...you can get an older U-haul lo pro International for pretty cheap...pretty heavy frame, low stance, much higher GVWR than a pickup

-Detroit 8.2- underpowered throw-away motor

-Cummins 555- makes the 3208 look like a jet turbine- went out of use in trucks by '76- pretty much marine use only since then

-International 9.0 liter- NOISY, underpowered, out of use since the late 80s?

-Navistar DT 360- should be readily available in an older (slightly) school bus- from what I hear, this is a good motor

Sorry, I know this is long, but I like to talk about this stuff! Plus, I have nothing better to do on a Friday night.

 

BTW- the 3208 is a parent bore motor, which classifies it as a "throw-away." The Detroit 8.2 is also, but the ones that I drove were dogs...even the turbo'ed ones.

You can get a remanufactured one for about $6K in the crate around here, but I would be cautious about buying one. I have heard that some of these are on their 2nd reman, which would probably leave the cylinders a little thin.

I saw a video on YouTube where a guy dropped a Detroit 6V53 into a Ford pickup...now THAT was unique!

 

What are the HP and torque ratings for the 3208 turbo and what injectors do they use? How much can you pull out of a 3208 safely?

 

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