5.9 Cummins in a 90 ford

[rodymartin]

Can a 5.9 Cummins be put in a 90 ford F250 that had a 7.3?

 

[Darrin Tosh]

Yup,..

 

[rodymartin]

Yup,..

OK then what does it take to do this?

I might have one to replace my broken 7.3.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

OK then what does it take to do this?

I might have one to replace my broken 7.3.

Wrenches and patience, a little common sense, and some good imagination.


Once you get the old engine out of the way, it is not nearly so bad as it looks.


It is easier to install a mechanical Cummins that it is to replace the IDI that came in it; there is so much more working room in the engine compartment with an inline engine, than a V-eight.

 

[rodymartin]

Can it be done with a zf manual tranny?

 

[Rot Box]

My brother has a 5.9 in his crew cab 86 F350. His has the Ford C6 with a gear vendors OD, but the belhousing is NOT the same as the ones Ford used. I'd have to assume that the ZF would also require a different one, but I don't claim to be an expert

I do know that you could get a ZF or an NV4500 behind the 4BT's in some bread trucks... Hope this helps.

 

[punkmechanic]

destroked.com or advanced adapters. destroked has everything you need to do it and then some. I looked into it and decided I wanted more power band than the cummins gives. great motor, dont get me wrong. Its not gonna be cheap to get it in there. dont let anyone tell you it is either.

 

[Exekiel69]

Yep You can do it and like said before You'll need time and patience. The results are worth it

Autoworld sells destroked products, problem is both want too much for them. I got MY engine mounts from ford cummins and they cost less but I don't really like the way they work.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Its not gonna be cheap to get it in there. dont let anyone tell you it is either.

That all depends on how and where one shops, and just how smart one is.

If one orders/buys all the little simple brackets, mounts, adapters, and such, from some specialized "conversion" company, then YES, a lot of money can be spent.

Better results can be had by designing and fabricating what is needed from commonly available materials.


In my opinion, where Ford completely missed the boat when choosing a diesel engine for these trucks, was going and staying with the Indirect-injected V-8.

Had Ford went with a smaller version of the proven DT466, or a Perkins, or even the Cummins, Dodge wouldn't hold such a big chunk of the light truck market.

 

[dairieman36]

u can use the zf5 tranny i am in the mist of doing this myself definatly take time and imagination,,, i got all the adapter parts from fordcummins their customer service was great but i dont like how the motor mouts work either everthing else is awsome



p.s. in does cost some but if you do it all your self it is less than replacing the idi with a good reman. one,,, at least from the prices i found on a remaned one

 

[Black Horse]

This one has a lot of info and parts.
http://www.fordcummins.com/

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

if you do it all your self it is less than replacing the idi with a good reman. one,,, at least from the prices i found on a remaned one

Prior to doing mine, I researched the possibility of completely rebuilding/over-hauling my old 6.9.

I bought the Cummins/transmission complete from fan to transmission yoke, had the transmission completely over-hauled with several new parts, and put the whole mess in my truck, including all the little odds and ends such as drive-shaft work and hoses, etc.; my whole bill of expenses, engine and all, came to less money than the parts to rebuild the old 6.9.

 

[fellro86]

I too did one that was done on the cheap, but only because I did all the fab work myself rather than paying the big bucks fro motor mounts and all the brackets. That will be the determining factor on pricetag, how much can you do yourself. I swapped out a 460 and put a 92 Cummins in mine, used the Dodge trans and made it all work. If you are doing a 4wd, it can be a bit more of a challenge, 2wd's are much simpler to do, no concerns about t-case, front and rear driveshafts and the like. I got extremely lucky on my swap. The Dodge that I got had a Gear Vendor's overdrive unit, and the front shaft worked out perfectly with the Ford rear shaft to position the GV unit to where I didn't cut a single shaft. Turns out the u-joints were even the same, so swapping the yoke from the GV unit onto the Ford shaft made it even easier, no custom at all.

 

[Agnem]

Just remember, spending money to put a USED Cummins of higher milage into a truck, versus getting a remaned engine that is essentially a new engine, is NOT the same thing. If you replace your IDI, with a reman you have a truck with a new motor. If you replace your IDI with a used Cummins, you have a truck with a different motor. If that motor has trouble down the line, now you have the original expense of replacing it. I wouldn't use cost as a justification for doing this EVER. You put the Cummins in because you want to, and don't care what it costs. That is the only justification for doing it.

The bitter taste of poor quality is remembered long after monetary savings are forgotten.

 

[rodymartin]

Well got to look at the 5.9 I was looking at. It has 350K on it and looks like hell. No sense going this route. Back to rebuild the 6.9.