Hi all,

As I mentioned in another thread ...

Stopped along side the road, left my 86 running, looked at an 88 350 crew, Jumped back in my truck and pulled out hit 3rd and kapow ... looked in my mirrors and could see other than smoke out the pipe.... WOOPS whats the **** happened, limped her the 1/4 mile or so home and she's a ticking somewhere around #6 up high.

Pulled the #8 GP and she came out ok, however it did not look ok, pulled #6 and cried a big ol'tear!

Them thar Bosch's I say I've had no problem with had no tip!

So I pull the rest on the L bank and they are all blown out the side and unfortunately I broke them off. (fresh clean breaks on 6, one (#6) had been run on after breaking (broke as I was pulling out), and one whole)

Yup, I know the TDC trick, didn't matter that head had to come off anyways, I won't do just one head, so I just went ahead and pulled the R banks, they are all blown out and of course, all broke off.

So 7 of the 8 Bosch's that have been in there about a year and not many starts or miles were blown all to ****!

So I pulled the ones out of the 91, all were perf, the 91 has thousands more starts and miles. WHAT THE FISUP!

So needless to say I started pulling the 86 motor, I don't function so well so it's going to be slow going.

I'm thinking on just stuffing the 7.3 out of the 91 in it for now, however for me it may be faster to pull the 6.9, pull the heads, ARP em with new gaskets and stuff it back in. Faster to swap of fix??

What are peoples opinions on the best head gaskets to use, this motor will get turbo'd with mucho poundage...

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

Felpro work good. Just make sure you torque the head studs down in the proper sequence and the right torque and do it like 4 times before final torque down. If you don't, guess what you WILL be doing again......i know from experience and I'm getting good at doing the heads in the truck. NOT FUN!!! When using studs, guys on here are getting some pretty high PSI's out of their turbo. Not sure exactly how much. I'll be turboing my truck later this summer when I save up the $$$. Good luck.

 

Crew dually I think has blown felpros twice (turboed) I think victor heinze is the best, and that is what most diesel manufacturers use. Sorry to hear this.

 

Thanks Star,

No apologies, I was warned many times!

Whats easier to pull, clip or core support??

Whats involved in doing the choice??

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

I have not pulled either one while swapping motors, but I have a heavier than most lift.

I think the core support might be less work, (maybe????)

 

If you are not pulling the tranny with the engine I don't see why you would need to pull either. With the rad out and the clutch fan off mine had plenty of room when I pulled it last fall to put new heads on it.

 

well the bright side Festus is that we now have another to suggest using Beru/motorcraft GP's to help others save $ and work pulling heads in the future.

 

No trans, plenty of lifting power, it's my physical inability to reach in and twist about or climb up on top and git'er done!

I need to get this truck back on the road ASAP so I can get back to the important project in our life at this moment, getting this cardboard box were living in thats costing us more than most pay for mortgage, out of our front yard.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

More ammo the better!

I'm the fool, I don't mind if it helps prevent another from being a fool, though unfortunately we humans typically need to learn for ourselves, I know I do!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

IM actually pulling my engine right now, i pulled the core support, i should have my engine out tommarow evening, and then get the other one out of the other truck in a couple days clean it a little and drop it into my truck

 

Now how could you be doing it right now, yur at the puter ...

I'd guess yur nearly a third my age and not all broke up.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

Well in that case I think pulling the core support is quiker. That is what i did when I did my diesel swap in this rig. I didn't even have to pull the hood of to get engine, tranny and t-case in that way.

 

My vote is to swap in the 7.3 rather than fixing up the 6.9 right now.
Since your truck is an '86, it should have the later style 6.9 block, the ideal candidate for the perfect IDI build. The later style blocks have a thicker casting around the block heater and bolt-in piston cooling oil jets.
I pulled the radiator support and both fenders off when I pulled my engine because I didn't have access to a good hoist. I timed myself, 10 hours to pull the front sheet metal off, tag and bag the parts, disconnect the transmission, and pull the motor by myself. I was 19 and crawling over things like a monkey. I'd plan on a full day to pull the motor, sleep for a few hours that night, and another full day to install the motor.
I understand you're looking for your truck ASAP, but if you take some extra time and pull the front body panels, your life will be easier. But be careful, don't get yourself in a bind by breaking off bolts trying to pull panels! If it comes easy, take it off. If it's stubborn, skip it.
I second Star's post on the Victor Reinz head gaskets. I replaced mine in January and used Victor Reinz. I got mine through my local Carquest. 87crewdually did head gaskets recently and I *think* he used Victor's this time around.
My rig is a daily driver with a 40 mile commute everyday. No turbo, but I have had it floored several times since the Head Gasket replacement. No issues so far. I haven't had any big loads or trailers, but have had some small loads on the bed and have had excellent results moving 8k pounds of truck at wide open throttle uphill. I like my Victor's so far.
For more proof I believe in Victor's, for several years my Dad worked for a gasket/seal production company that provided seals/gaskets/valve parts for submarines. He said the Victors gaskets were very well constructed, he was impressed. I also plan to give my spare 6.9 a build with a turbo and plan to use Victor's on the entire engine.
I also ordered a new Valley Pan when I did my head gaskets. Another Victor Reinz product with good results. Dave S. also recommended purchasing some "Permatex Copper Gasket Maker". It comes in an aerosol can and is available on the shelf at the local auto parts store. Spray two coats on the gasket surface of the valley pan. Allow each coat to dry between sprays. Be sure to spray both sides of the valley pan, engine side and intake manifold side. 2 coats on each surface. If you're planning on running a turbo, Dave S. made his own Intake Manifold studs using Grade 8 hardware. However, that;s only for large numbers because Dave is running a lot of boost, 25 psi last time I read. I can't remember what psi it was when the valley pan blew out on him, which lead him into Intake Manifold studs. I don't think you'll need to worry about intake studs though, unless you plan on doing an engine build like Dave's. I can't seem to read through one of Dave's posts without my jaw dropping, The guy amazes me!
Oh, and another detail! The Victor Reinz head gasket kit I used came with both Head Gaskets, both valve cover gaskets (and made of rubber also! The cork ones don't work well, rubber is best), CDR valve grommet for the valley pan, and the valve seals (which I didn't use for mine).

 

Sifted through my parts inventory and found my Victor Reinz Head Gasket box with a list of what's included and the part number. Sorry, I don't have my valley pan gasket box with that part number. I must have thrown that box away.
Here's the Head Gasket box label:

Ford-IHC: 420 (6.9L) "V-8 Diesel"

1 Crankcase Vent
2 Cylinder Head
1 Exhaust Manifold (although 2 were included, typo on label)
8 Injection Nozzle Washer
1 O-Ring (for what, I don't know, didn't use it)
16 Oil Shield (didn't use, unsure of what they were)
1 Valve Cover (label typo again, 2 were included, and they were rubber!)
8 Valve Stem Seal Cap (didn't use, unsure of what they were)
1 Water Outlet
1 Water Outlet (there ARE 2 water outlet gaskets, must be IHC apps. also)

Victor Heinz Part Number: HS3789
I also found my sales receipt in the box. On December 29, 2009 it cost me $187.46, with my "frequent customer" discount.

For anyone in the Western Mass./Northwestern CT area, I use Wholesale Auto Supply in Granby, CT. They are a Carquest parts store. Excellent people, Excellent parts, Excellent service. The guys know part numbers off the top of their head! If my parts aren't in stock, the other local Carquest stores have them and they get shipped into Wholesale within 3 hours. They've even had parts shipped in for me that were out of state. NAPA on the other hand charges a fee for shipping! On top of that, they further rape you by giving you an inferior product. Have I mentioned my 2-year old NAPA front calipers failed me this week? Yeah, the Carquest calipers are on now. They got my parts for me within 2 hours, and they're actually quality USA parts as well! My trucks are business tools, I can't afford down time! I just thought I would recommend an excellent resource for fellow FTE members in the Mass./CT area.

 

Holy cow! I just found an excellent link to the Victor Reinz gaskets. Turns out they're a division of Dana!
Dana - Sealing Products
You'll need to click on the link and download the PDF file. It lays out all the information as well as a cross-section of the gasket.
I think it's a link worth looking at. The headline says "Sealing the High Performance Diesel Engine".

By the way, good luck on your motor swap. All this gasket information will only be helpful after you're up and running again and ready to build the 6.9.