I'm looking at picking up my favorite Bronco 78 or 79 I have a few to go look at tomorrow that are rust free. So here's the plan, I'm going to pull the motor and transmission and strip it down and re-finish the body and frame. Sell the motor and pick up a 7.3L Turbo diesel from a 2000 f series with a 6 speed manual transmission. There's going to be a lot of fabrication needed to pull this off. If you have any thoughts besides I'm going to need to re wire the whole truck and change out the radiator with the trans and engine it would be helpful. I'm probly going to have to make my own motor mounts and trans mounts. Should I fit the motor and trans before replacing the body or after I get most of the body back on? can anyone give me some measurments on this?? is the manual going to fit in the right place in the cab? little closer to the seats would not bother me, my arms arn't that long. Thanks

 

alright picked up the bronco today, its a 79 with a 351 and a c6, ill be pulling the motor and trans here quick if anyone is interested. yes it runs very well if i didnt buy it for a diesel swap i would keep it but this is the project.

Ok, so at first glance im thinking that i might be able to get away with using the 79 radiator instead of swapping out for the super duty. there seems to be enough room for the 7.3 to fit with just a few quick measurements of the engine compartment.

 

I wouldn't. The radiator in the truck is designed to keep an engine with a 351 CID cool while the diesel 7.3 is more like 445 CID. Just an opinion. Others may disagree.

 

I would use the diesel rad. They are a lot larger and these diesels need the extra cooling. You may also want to swap out the front suspension. diesels wiegh in alot heavier than a small block does.

 

alright that's what i was thinking on the suspension, problem on that is im not pulling the diesel out of a truck I'm planning order a crate. but I'm sure i can find those parts. My new concern is wiring.......... where can i get a wiring diagram for the 7.3L ? the 79 is easy to figure out...

 

Painless wiring....

 

Haynes diagrams are pretty accurate and you could get the main engine harness out of any truck that was equipped with a 7.3 along with the computer. The rest is a matter of supplying power (positive and negative) at the proper points.

 

red and black i know them really well lol red hurts.... but good i needed a good reason to get a Haynes book. The other half hates when I buy random truck goodies

 

I used the stock 351 radiator with my Cummins, and I don't even have the shroud made yet. It runs at a stable temp. Diesels don't require as much cooling as gas motors do. The radiator that came with the truck had just been rebuilt, all I had to do was have a guy replace the inlet and outlet, it cost me 75 bucks. You can see in my sig pic how far the fan is from the radiator. It still cools fine, even sitting still.

I'm also using the standard skyjacker 6" lift coils up front, without any weight issues. On the other hand, I did mount the drivetrain 4 inches rearward of the stock position, so it offset the weight increase. Even so, the Cummins weighs in at 1000 lbs wet, while the 351/400 weighs about 700 lbs wet. So the difference is only 300 lbs. I'm not certain of the Powerstroke's weight, but it's likely fairly close to the Cummins. Ever seen a stock Bronco or 1/2 ton pickup with a snow plow on the front? What's a complete plow setup weigh? Probably at least 300 lbs? And it's mounted all the way up in front of the bumper.

One thing about moving the drivetrain back, though, be certain not to go too far back, especially with a 6 speed, because you'll end up with a rear drive shaft that's too short and breaks a lot.

Will the Bronco NP205 bolt up to the 6 speed? I think it will? That would be nice. The motor mounts I'm sure you can buy somewhere if you search around the internet, but making them isn't a big deal either. I bought the Cummins mounts for my truck from Fordcummins, and the C6/E4OD adapter plate and billet flexplate from Destroked.

 

american thunder,

thanks!!! that was all great news and input. someone that has done something like I'm trying, i thought i was alone and crazy for a while here lol. ya the radiator is brand new in my bronco its a giant 4 core.

I'm really hoping that the np205 will bolt on cause i hate electric shift, id rather not put a np273 or np271 in.... i like manual everything. less crap that can go wrong on the trail thanks, its still raining here so i cant get out to clean the garage out for the bronco so..... looks like im gonna have to wait for next weekend before i can start taking her apart..... thanks!!!

 

Oh, you ARE crazy for doing this, but at least you're not alone.. haha
But seriously, after driving my truck for the last 4 months, it's definitely worth the time it took to build it. I've never had a truck so fun. (or as fast) From a seat of the pants guestimation, it feels like a mid 13 second vehicle.
The radiator in my truck is the smaller one, I think it's only a 3 row. 4 row will be overkill, but nice, especially if you tow stuff.
If you find my project thread a page or two back in the list, there's a couple vids I uploaded, and lots of pictures of the build.

P.S. This isn't a truck for the quiet types; it's loud, obnoxious, fast and smoky if you turn up the diesel. And you will rarely be able to go anywhere without getting into a conversation with somebody about why your Bronco is rattling. But if you don't mind BSing with people about trucks, then it's great.

 

If you don't plan to use it to pull the small rad may be fine. But as I do occassionaly full some hefty loads I wanted to make sure that mine would stay cool. I have seen plows on stock 1/2 ton front ends and they drop like a stone when they are up. A 351 cleveland comes in at about 550# dry and a 7.3 is about 900#. It is not just the suspension you need to worry about but the bearings and spindles as well. They were never intended for that much wieght and if you ask guys that run the extra wieght of a plow alot they will tell you that they go thru more parts. Just a thought for you.

 

thats a good point, was out looking at the bronco today....(cant work raining) and it looks like im gona have to do a frame off..... oh well its gona be so so so worth it. so thats a good idea, i think ill find some heavy duty bearings, maybe some different ball joints.

Yes, i cant wait to be driving around with 5" dual exhaust and clouds of black smoke blowing at foreign crap cars.... or just makin some noise too hehe... I'm not sure whats going to be louder though, my system that I have (JL audio) or the truck.

 

Just wondering, but have you considered useing an idi (6.9 or 7.3) instead of the powerstroke? The parts are way cheaper and they are so much easier to work on. You could use a zf5 and still have overdrive. They have no computer unless you use an e4od auto and only need a single wire to the injection pump to run. There is also a lot of things that can be done to them to make some serious power.

 

i have given it some thought but i just don't know much about them. i really like the 7.3l its pretty much bullet proof in my option. ever scene my uncle bought one in like 90?? ive just been in love with them. Ive driven many different diesels, i liked the cummins, hated the duramax but just absolutely fell in love with the power stroke. i also once i finish the project and save up some money want to get a banks power pack 6 for it...... hehehe, i love that black smoke its just awesome. but im always up for some good reasoning, thats why i started this thread is so that i can get some feed back. this will be my first really big project. Ive restored my grand prix, gone through everything in it no problem. now its time to work on something that i actually want and care about. i have a while before i have the frame and body ready for a motor and tranny i have a bit of work ahead of me still....... so, the floor is open for input..... lets hear it guys....