1993 E150 van 5.8L to 7.3 swap worth it

[philadelphia]

Thinking out loud here..My new to me E150 has 170k on it..I know the pushrod 5.8 is tired, rods like to rattle when I decelerate and while between 4rd and 4th gear.

Im thinking of building a very mild 393 stroker and have at it but i know the mileage will stink.Im not seeking a powerhouse or a killer tow rig as i have an MDT international for that.

The cost of building a new gas motor is upwards of 2800 bucks and i have seen a few powerstroke shuttle buses for less..So im thinking of getting one, hopefully good enough shape for just some bottom end freshening and running it..Most have 150k or so on them.

Id have all or most of the nickle and dime parts as id have a complete van.Plan on cutting at the windshield posts and floor behind the tranny mount then junk the rest.

My questions are how different are the electrical harnesses on the vans, Is the power train harness separate from the van harness like some gm products?Id like to pulls out the engine/tranny combo, make up what ever ac lines id need and hopefully the rest would be bolt in.

Not being familiar with newer diesels and the electronics id like to know if its just a plug and play or would i live with solder and heat shrink in my hands for a month.

My van is a e150 excalibur conv and im looking at two shuttle busses of the same vintage.
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/1688078463.html is one that im looking into for the power train

 

[u2slow]

I wouldn't run the diesel with the E150 suspension and axle.

Keep an eye out for a smaller mini-bus... a SRW one... and just pimp that out

(Maybe I'm a little biased because I have a small mini-bus)

 

[philadelphia]

My current concern is the engine swap..I could go on and on about why i can run the 1/2 suspension with its current mods and argue gvw and gcvw with real world applications.But 3 extra lug nuts and marginally larger brakes and ball joints isnt much just for a non work application such as this.
Thanks for the tip, if it was for a work van application then i would go with a 1 ton..I will never carry more than 7 people and whats currently in the van now....

For long distance travels and having 300hp 450+ ft lbs of torque in the end and still keeping mileage in the double digits is my goal.Diesel is far more easy to reach that goal in a van than gas.

 

[Mike]

The PSD needs all the sensors and electronics from the donor chassis. None of your 'old' wiring harness is going to be of much use to you anymore. You'll need a dash out of a PSD van as well. Its all doable but its a helluva lotta work but you sound like you are bent on it..go for it.

 

[philadelphia]

Yeah id love to have it diesel..I will look harder in finding a donor van..Id hate to put in a cummis and the gas engine will take great care in cam selection and head work to get good milage

 

[Fishin76]

You would have an easier time putting in an IDI 7.3 turbo engine and auto trans, rather than the much more complex PSD.