im lookin at buyin a 94 IDI, i dont know if its turbo or non turbo yet, but im wondering if i can swap a pstroke in there, if all the wiring will match up. the pstroke is a 96 engine. also, if i can swap a cummins in there. i know destroked has alot of adapter plates and whatnot but im just curious am i going to have to rewire the whole thing. i dont think i will with a 12 valve but im not sure. any help?
First of all,..Are you sure it is an IDI, because if it is a 5sp truck it may be a Powerstroke.
in 94 you could get the IDI non turbo, an IDI with a factory turbo, or a Powerstroke, but only with a 5sp trans.
If you wanted to do a Powerstroke conversion you would need a complete doner truck 95.5 to 97, You need to change out the complete dash, and all wiring, Radiator, gas pedal assembly, Computer, Etc. It will bolt in pretty easy.
For a Cummins, if you did a 12V, you could use all the stock wiring, and adapt it to the Cummins. You would need the adapters, and motor mounts, and depending on the trans you use, you may need an aftermarket 700.00 computer to run the E4OD. You will need to move the trans back and shorten the rear drive shaft, if it is a 4x4 you need to lengthen the front one as well.
I don't want to turn this into a Cummins VS IDI Debate, but I feel that I can defend your decision since I have had a lot of experience with BOTH setups, and most of the naysayers do not.
As far as Why you would want a Cummins instead of an IDI,... Well if you want to haul a 5th wheel camper 65 to 70, with the AC on, through the mountains, with no stress of overheating, or fuel temp issues, getting 30% Better fuel mileage, and having a motor that is known to go 500K miles, then it is a no brainer. But if you have a small camper, or don't haul a lot of stuff, and keep it under 60 MPH when you do haul, don't mind slowing down to 40 through he mountains, and want to do head gaskets every 150K miles, then keep the IDI.
I have said it before and I will say it again (toung in cheak) "The Cummins conversion saved my marriage!" Our trips are way less stressful!
Said it was not needed... I really think they felt I would be back in a year to replace it because I tow heavy and the Banks sidewinder is set for 13 lbs of boost... Well they lost that money big time... They also feel the head bolts are enough to hold the heads in place... I don't and for the low cost I feel the added insurance is worth the issues on the install. ARP studs can be used almost forever. Once you torque them down and loosen them 5 times the friction is normalized and the torque will be as close as you can get it across all the 17 nuts per head. Thats a very important thing most fail to understand... That and having a torque wrench thats been claibrated yearly... The only wrench that does not need to be calibrated is the spring bar torque wrench but... Have you ever used one of those... Its usually a two man job... Studs are an added type of insurance for these engines... I believe they are a needed item on any 6.9 because of the 7/16 bolt diameter. Our 7.3 bolts are 1/2 inch and I had a new one tested to failure at a know testing lab that does lots of work for NASA around here... They broke at 153,000 psi..... ARP breaks at 200 or 220 thousand psi... DPS first sets broke at 270 thousands lbs... I had the first set but.... They didn't hold up in my second build. I found one in the driveway and another one on the motor mount... ARP saw them and had no idea why they broke... They were H13 material... I really like having 270,000 psi of added insurance but if they let go then they wont work for me. I really hope Ken at DPS has the stud issues worked out. Way back then he said they had a heat treat issue and thats why these studs failed....
