IDI swap into my dually.

I've decided that by spring my F250 is going up for sale as a down payment on a new 2010 4 banger ranger for a commuter rig....Having said that I've decided to put an IDI in my dually ASAP with Goofy's help and leave my Cummins in the garage for a future build. I just can't use the F350 as much as I'd like thanks to the 460 fuel mileage (not good when your MPG can be shown with one hand).....I have a 6.9 here that I know is good so the swap cost is nil. It came out of my buddy's truck and I've heard it running....200,000km....I have everything needed including a flywheel, clutch, starter, motor mounts, rad, wiring and etc....I have 3 more donor 7.3's to rob for parts as well. I'll just re-drill the gasser ZF to fit the IDI. Pic's to come....I will also be moving the plow gear from the F250 to the F350....I think my uncle is going to buy my F250 - he wants it really bad on one condition - I do the repair work on it for him.....Otherwise it's going on Kijiji as soon as the snow stops or the plow is working on the dually. I just need one rig that I can drive without having to constantly pick at...The new 4cyl/spd Rangers are so cheap so it was an easy decision. I'll have my dually for working. Once it's painted and dumping this summer it will be a sweet rig.

with all you done to the f250, making that decision couldn't have been easy.
whoever buys it, is buying the truck Ford should have built.

It's not an easy decision....I just need one that I can just drive with a little maintenance. I have a 4yr old and 16 month old twins so my time is at a premium on a good day. The dually is a brute, I love it...With a good running IDI, new paint and the dump deck finished it can only get better.....I'm still riding the fence a bit, but if my uncle will meet me on a fair price I will let it go as it will only be 5 minutes down the road....He loves the F250's bulletproof drivetrain and how well it handles weight in the bed. Too bad Goofy doesn't have the dough, good truck for him.

BigRigTech said:

I have a 4yr old and 16 month old twins

Click to expand...

AND a 26 year old yard ape!!!!

I'll trade you straight up for the Kenworth! lol

I wish I could get my hands on that truck, but with all the skin cells and blood drops I put into my old Ford so far, I am committed.

We'll have to completely take apart the F250 and paint/wet sand/buff and polich the WHOLE thing. Might as well paint the frame, springs, axles and bed like you said before. Make her REALLY shiny and make her last a LONG time.

Remember you also need to change the front suspension! The gasser suspension is not heavy duty enough to handle the diesel.

Being it's a 460 truck, the suspension is pretty much identical to an IDI, it might squat ¾" or so if at all, my buddy has been running the stock 460 springs in his 88 crew going on 7 years now and it still sits fine.

Maybe in a normal truck.....You wanna see leaf springs?m- then you need to see the springs in the front of the F350.....I've seen smaller stock in a FL60 freightliner........Ask Goofy, it needs the extra weight for a better ride...It has 13 leafs in the rear with air bags on all 4 corners. Kenworth rear shocks and adjustable front shocks....It's overkill at it's finest. My F250 has F350 front springs, the dually springs are over twice as thick.

One hand? I used to get six or seven but my bosses truck I could get down to three or four both ZF5

1/4 of the front tank per day right now to go 40km round trip....Sucks.........I sold off one parts truck tonight so with any luck the ranger I just bought goes fast too....Next week we should be ripping the 460 out. I'm going to bring the 6.9 home this weekend for a visual to see if it has any leaks or needs before it goes in. Goofy is going to assist....Lots of pics to come. I have a T19 SMF here with a mint clutch. The 460 clutch is new last year so I think I should be good to go there. I have a mint brass rad from a cube van, another from the 93 F350 4x4 we just junked and I also have the early "short and wide" diesel rad from a truck that came with the 6.9 and the motor mounts....Several gear reduction starters here, I have a brand new IDI engine harness here from the cube van....The dually already has two batteries so that is a plus. I have a plastic rear diesel tank for a cab and chassis truck to replace the gasser version...I'm ditching the steel front tank. I think I have all that I need so it's go time.

I can't remember if the front tank is 17 or 19 gallon, so I will use 18 gallon as a happy medium.

18 gallon/4 = 4.5 gallons of fuel

40 kilometers/1.61 = 24.8 miles

24.8 miles/4.5 gallons of fuel = 5.51 miles per gallon (or 6.6 miles per gallon imperial for us north of the border)

....and from what I can gather from the grey truck is about 12.8 MPG on the highway....roughly 15.3 MPG imperial. Not too shappy considering the aerodynamics, rolling resistance and the weight that is in it with the big tires, that's not too bad! Not a daily highway driver though!

Yep, she's not as fuel efficient as my new rig....2006 Mazda B2300 with 158,000KM....4 banger 5spd.....I got 34MPG imperial bringing it home....7.91L for 95.5km.....Had to squeeze $8 into it.......Nice little truck, has A/C, a cd player,new box liner, new brakes, new tires, new ventshades and a sliding rear window...I think I did ok at $7600 cash. It's getting rust checked this week. The parts I ordered for the 6.9 are in....I'm going to try and remove the deck tommorow morning and get the swap started. I'll hang on to the F250 until plowing season is over and then it's for sale.

http://www.autotrader.ca/used_cars_...51792944706&r=novascotia&ad-attributes=photos,,

few weeks ago i took a 460 zf and drilled it out for the idi at work. i swear it felt like it made that idi come to life. first second and third just felt like the idi has so much more power. story behind it is old 460 service trk has good tranny and bad body, while the idi has a bad tranny, but everything else good. i have been thinking about trading my idi zf for one out of a 460 trk.

dang, don't sell the truck, buy a $500 car, got plenty up here in good running condition

you'll regret getting rid of the truck
you know you will.....

I have two theory's on the 460 ZF - better for pulling from a stop but I wonder if first gear will be a pain when plowing - rev's too quick.......I guess I will find out next winter.

I won't regret selling the F250, I will still have my newly IDI powered F350 here. I have 3 little ones and I need to free up some time and money....The Mazda will do that....Don't get me wrong - I will miss the F250 but I've grown to like the versitility of the dually F350 4x4 and when it's all finished it can only be better...IDI power, plow gear and a 3 stage dump hoist....At the end of the day the F350 is more useful and for the $60/month it costs me for insurance it can sit in the driveway until it's needed....The Mazda is a daily commuter, the 350 is for bull work.....

My uncle has expressed interest in the 250 on the condition that I do all repair work to it so it may end up 5 minutes down the road. In the hands of a diehard Ford truck man that will put it to work as only he can.....He and my grandfather are the reasons I bleed Ford blue - working with them (both were fisherman) when I was young I saw how much weight a F150 could haul...Atleast 5 ton.......Wet, mossy nets that were so heavy a backhoe could hardly load them on the truck - too heavy to man handle.

What are you gonna do with that 460?