ive seen a conversion for cummins into 70's model ford i was just wonderin if anyone has done a 6.0 or a 7.3 in a 70's body? i have a 70 f200 and was thinkin about restoring it and a diesel conversion in it would be nice. anyone have any info?

 

06 From all that I have read, I would move my 70 sheet metal to the diesel chassis. I think it would be much less trouble that way. IMHO

John

 

Most of the conversions being done seem to be Cummins. There are a couple of sites dedicated to doing diesel conversions. Search the internet and you'll find someone that's done it.

 

a couple months ago there was a 4x4 magazine that had an early 70s ford with a later model 7.3 turbodiesel. you might try and search the popular 4x4magazine websites for it.

 

That was on the Diesel chassis

 

hmm well thanks for all the comments ill check out 4x4magazine and see what i find thanks again

 

At $.20 or more increase in cost per gallon, why would you want to go to all the trouble?

just curious

John

 

Double the mileage or more over a 390. Similar horse power with more torque at much lower rpm's.

Peter

 

Peter, Interesting comment, most trucks that I hear of don't get much more than 20 mpg at best, and many not getting 20. Is that your finding as well?

John

 

My brother in law in Indiana has a 1972 F250 4x4 powered by a Cummins... The engine is a pre 92 B series ( meaning the turbo directly feeds the intake, no intercooler) He used an engine and 5speed tranny out of a two wheel drive truck. It was an easy swap due to the fact that it had a divorced transfer case. He just had the jackshaft between the tranny and transfer case modified to fit the yoke on the Getrag 5 speed. I helped him do the engine fit up... piece of cake really.. the B series Cummins is only about 4 inches longer than a 300 ford six and about the same amount taller. It's also about 400 lbs heavier than a FE engine... better beef the springs up! There is plenty of room in the engine bay for this swap.. just build the mount pads, throttle linkage and use the dodge hyd master cyl for clutch. The old 360 2bbl, 4spd with 4.10 gears got 8-9 mpg freeway on a good day and about 5-6mpg in town. Now, with the cummins and the five speed overdrive transmission it gets 20-21 mpg on the interstate and 17-18 mpg around town and it will outpull the old 360 any day of the week. The Cummins dataplate shows it at 160 hp and 400ftlbs torque. I turned it up some for him and if I had to guess, it makes somewhere around 190 to 205 now, with no change in fuel mileage... if he keeps his foot out of it. I think the old 360 was rated at 171 hp and something like 280 ftlbs torque... quite a change... 20 cents a gallon increase for twice the fuel mileage, plus the power increase and the reliability improvement... is a small price to pay! The only downside, is the huge torque increase will test the toughness of the Dana 24 transfer case and little Dana 60 and Dana 44 axles.

I'm gonna do the same swap to my 71 4x4 as soon as I can find a good donor engine and transmission... It will lighten the seat of my pants around 2500.00 or so at best... saving my chips.

I have some pic's that I'll try to get scanned and posted of brother in law's swap job.... gets a LOT of looks and dropped jaws when he stomps it and white smoke comes off the tires and all that jet black smoke pours out of the 4'' pipe at the back.

 

What RMPC said. The 360 and 390 are doing really great if they get 12. I get 8.5 on mine with the carb tuned as lean as I can get it. I'm going to put a 2003 or 2004 Cummins in my '68 Highboy this winter. Should get 18 to 22 mpg.

Peter

 

I'm getting 14 and change mpgs with my FE/C6 combo. Mine started out rated at 208 hp before it was rebuilt. I remember my dads car being rated at 250 hp and it had a 4 brl carb. My truck has 4 brl, headers, cam, etc. but I don't know what the hp is.

Comparing a diesel with an OD tranny to a 360 and 4.11 rears aint zackly red apples to red apples for mpg comparison either.

Don't want to take anything away from your ol comeapart, but I want us to stay a little more real with the comparisons here.

whattyasay?

John

 

I'm running 3.70's with my FE but I agree that the overdrive makes a difference, but not that much. Are you running the stock speedometer and odometer? Do you have bigger than stock tires?

Peter

 

Hi Peter, My setup runs 2050 @55mph FE/C6 3.00 rears on P235 75R 15 tires. That was with a 390cfm carb too.

John

 

That's the rear gears and the tall tires.
My bronco runs about 65 with 4.56s and 33s. AOD!