I'm thinking of rebuilding the N/A 7.3 in my 1993 f250 and I want to know how much power I can safely get out of it. It has 13X,XXX miles, an E4od that will get rebuilt with updates (TQ, shift kit, ect..) and a 10.25 open rear with 3.55's that will be swapped to a posi with 3.73's. I drive it daily, occasionally pull trailers with it, and plan on running it on veggie fuel. I know I want a Banks kit for starters, and plan on upgrading the internals (head gaskets, valves, ect..) to factory turbo specs, factory turbo injectors, turn up the pump, bigger Melling cam, hypereutectic pistons, ect... Is there anything I'm missing? Would it hurt to add a homemade intercooler setup? What hp/tq numbers/mpg can I expect?

 

Find a 6.9 to rebuild.
You want a late 85, 86 or 87 block.

7.3 blocks are already to thin around the cylinder area.
If you bore the block, you need to sleeve it back to stock bore sizes.

A 6.9 can be bored without using sleeves.

 

I know a guy with a 6.9block that would be a perfect candidate and was pulled from a running ford if interested

 

I'd like to keep my original engine if I could, there's nothing really wrong with it. Besides, I don't plan on overboring it, just replacing the gaskets and bearings and so forth (more of a refresh than a rebuild). I just thought that if I'm gonna go thru the trouble of taking it out and taking it apart I might as well make some improvements. I realise these aren't good for huge numbers or anything, but that's not what I'm after. I just want to see what I can get out of mine.

 

I just posted a responce to "performance rebuild"....you might want to read it.

My advice is to use a machine shop that is well respected and knows and has worked on IDI's

From what I have gathered, not all have had the same "bad" experience as Dave S's with sleeved motors.

 

I would follow dave's advice then go back & search what he did since dave seems to have one of the better running & harder working every day rigs around.

 

And I smile a lot while driving it.


Given the cost of a rebuild, if I were looking to do this again without knowing what I know now.
I would look for people that have had engines rebuilt by the shop in question.
Find out how many miles on the rebuild and how they drive their truck.

Read the hype here and see if you think you would buy an engine there.

www.reviva.com


As you read the website, I can also say that they have not done any diesels for Ford for several years in my part of the country.

Dealers Diesel, the old company name did do remans for Ford.
I just happened to get an engine about the time they switched company names, for what reason I do not know.
The engine had Reviva stickers on it, the air cleaner however had the Dealers Diesel logo on it.
Dealers Diesel engines were black, my first engine was black.
Reviva engines are grey, the three warranty replacements were grey.

This is a national company that remans thousands of engines every year.
If you do a search for a reman diesel engine, at least 50% of the sites that come up resell their engines.

I know several of the old timers here have heard that name for me before.
This is for all the new users.
Stay away from the R word when engine shopping.

 

Dave S is right when he says not many shops are doing IDI's.....they are far & few between, but that doesn't mean you can't find a machinest who knows these IDI's.

I wish you luck, the cost for me [IDI simular to Dave S's] was just too high....
with a new turbo, I was looking at over $10,000.00...not installed!!

 

I sure do appreciate all of the advice from everyone on this board. I have a friend that used to work as a machinist for Sterling (unrelated) who has a lot of experience rebuilding IDI's (probably close to a dozen at this point) who is going to rebuild it for me at a price low enough that I can't refuse it. All of the 6.9/7.3's he has rebuilt are still going that I know of, so I have complete faith in him. I'll look thru past threads and see what all Dave has done. once again, I appreciate all of the help.