5.9 12V's were rated from 160 hp to 185 hp in stock form. Sound familiar? NA IDI's carried similar power and torque ratings, add the Turbo and you have an easy 250 hp motor.
The
only advantage to the 5.9 is the P-Pump, which has a much higher fueling capacity than the IDI's DB2, however places like CDD are narrowing that gap. If IH had chosen to use a P-Pump on the 6.9/7.3 like they did on the 9.0L's, we would all be talking about IDI swaps today instead of Cummins, the extra displacement speaks for itself.
Engine swaps can Nickle and Dime you to death. I doubt very much you can pull it off for $5K, even if you had a 5.9 sitting on the ground ready to go. Most people forget about the long list of items that go into engine swaps. Things like Motor mounts, exhaust, transmission adaptors, fuel lines, radiator relocation and hoses, steering clearance, oil pan clearance, air intake reconfiguration, and on and on and on all deepen a budget quickly.
P-Pump equipped IH 9.0 Liter Marine engine.
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