I know this is a odd place to post this, but it is related (somewhat) to the engine so i'll fire away!

I'm looking at possibly swapping a 1999 F250 7.3 into a 1959 chevrolet apache pickup.

Is this even remotely possible? if I took the transmission, engine, and rear end off a donor truck, could this possibly work? It will be a city/highway cruiser, nothing fancy/no wild upgrades planned... I basically want a almost stock truck, but with a more modern engine in it.

I'm guessing the hardest part would be the computer? how would that work? or are there "deletes" I can put into place to basically make it run? I'm assuming this isn't going to be a "one wire engine" (1st gen 5.9 cummins in dodge rams) but will be laden with lots of sensors tied to the onboard computer....

if I took the entire engine out, the computer and stuck it all into the 1959 chassis and hooked it all up, would it run or just laugh at me and not turn over?

Do you think it might be too heavy to fit in the chassis also? maybe the transmission/driveshaft/rear end wouldn't fit together properly either in it? It is a long bed truck if that helps any. Also a 3200, so I imagine it's got slightly more weight carrying ability in it!

I'm curious if this could work, and also if I am maybe missing any pit falls to it. This list I think could be the pitfalls/possible problems

engine weight
transmission weight
rear end not fitting properly
driveshaft too short/long
computer issues (IE wanting something that obviously "won't" be there, maybe tail lights? *shrugs* you get the idea that may have it refuse a start)

Would the donor matter? crew cab versus single cab? extended cab? I would try to find a 4X2 to make it easier. Some I have seen around have trashed frames, so a entire underpinning swap (while nice) is out of the equation and sounds like alot of body work is needed....

I'm game for a education on how to go about possibly doing this, any pitfalls that may exist, or to meet anyone who has maybe done a identical swap?

Thank you so much for your attention and time!

edit: some more info!

truck doesn't have to be smogged, so that is fine if stuff has to be deleted off (as long as it doesn't compromise the engine to run properly)

what is the deal with the CPS I see? some complain about the grey ones cause problems, and the black ones work fine, etc. Is this something to avoid? Searching around just seems to be a whole list of yay or nay to having them...

and what about the OBDII flashing issues? Bone stock is fine with me, and all I really want. does this mean only wildly customized trucks (IE aftermarket turbos, huge amounts of boost etc etc are only effected with a dealership flash upgrade?)

as long as it runs as good as the 1959 has been around for, i'm a happy camper. don't need anything wild and fancy to cruise around in!

 

The engine will be waaaaay heavier than the original, but you might be able to replace springs to get it back to a somewhat normal suspension. Your biggest challenge will be to get the truck wired up. If you have the complete wiring harness you might be able to do it. When I bought my engine to replace my original, it was in a truck that had burned (cab, not engine compartment). To get it running so that I could hear it, the guy that had it took the steering column out of another truck and wired it up (the column was hanging by the drivers side tire). It looked very strange to see someone start the truck by the front tire. My suggestion would be to get the entire wiring harness (under the hood and inside the cab), engine and transmission. If you do that, you should be able to wire it up to work, but installing the drive train into the truck will be the easy part.

 

I would definitely go for that, and avoid a burned out cab so I could get the complete works for it!

my question would be also if it's possible to swap sensors for another system? obviously a diesel is a different beast then a gasser. Dakota Digital makes a new digital gauge cluster for the 59, any idea if sensors could be swapped to function with that? I'm assuming the transmission, etc could possibly get changed to function with it. Or are the ford/international systems quirky with something like that?

What truck did you swap the donor engine into?

 

Have you considered using the engine and power train from a Chevy bread van? Many came with 4BT Cummins engines and 350 automatic transmissions, so there would be not need for a transmission adapter, etc.

The 4BT is fairly light, compact (short enough to avoid modifying the firewall), affordable, bulletproof, and can be pumped up to a very respectable power for a half ton pickup. The older ones don't have a computer, which will make the project easier. Google Cummins 4BT and start researching!

 

I would think that you would need the sensors from the 7.3, but they will be part of the drive train that you get. I am not sure about the instrument cluster. The accelerator is fly by wire, so you would need to get that as well. The speedo is also electronic, so you would have to get something that would work if you were not using the Ford instrument cluster. Gauges and lights should not be a problem, but might be a challenge to wire up. Of course the chevy fuel pump would need to be replaced, but should not be too much of a challenge. If you are going to get an engine that is new enough, then you might have problems with things like ABS sensors and such that really don't have anything to do with the engine running, but are controlled by the CPM. All in all, it would be doable if you want to spend the time, effort and money to make it happen.

In response to your last question, I was merely replacing the engine in my truck that had too many years of neglect to continue to run well. When I get time, I am going to re-build my original and add some after-market parts to it.