7.3 idi project

[Bowhunter7mm]

Hello, I recently bought a 93 f350 with a 7.3 idi turbo. I'm planing on putting the engine into my 84 f250 which has a much nicer body and frame. I would like to build this engine to do some pulling etc. and really wanna give the competition a run for their money but I'm not the most knowledgeable about these engines. Any input is greatly appreciated. Also has anyone tried the gear vendor 6 speed with splitter? Thank you for reading and any input. Have a great day.

 

[idi_econoline]

Well, welcome aboard, Bowhunter7mm. Guess I'll be the first to bid you welcome to THE place to find info on these old IDIs.

My beast is nearly stock, and I'm still learning a lot at my level of experience. But, surely some senior members will chime in shortly. Many, many years of experience speak here on this board, from bone-stock to high-performance. The GV units are well known here.

But, from my still-newbie perch, enjoy your new journey as an Oilburner!

 

[Bowhunter7mm]

Thanks. I was referred to this site for its idi knowledge.

 

[fordf350man]

you will find plenty of it on here, great place to learn about these engines and trucks

 

[riotwarrior]

Howdee, and Welcome to Oilburners

Nice to see you where referred here that's kewl.

Ya there are a few here that actually have some time with these trucks and such and know what they are talking about.

Please take some time, check out our FAQ section, along with the TECH articles and lastly and sadly the HALL of Shame! A place where vendors earned a reputation for what they have done! We don't like to have a section like that though hopefully it helps someone else not have a negative experience by reading first, along with asking questions.

In your post you mention you want to do "Some Pulling" Now what are you talking about? Sled pull or towing trailers like 5'rs and tongue tow?

It is sorta vague and before I would ever suggest anything I'd like to know more about intentions, how many miles on the engine, and what operating condition it's in, along with what condition the truck the engine is going into is in. Always good to have a good solid understanding right?

Please take a few minutes, and fill your signature in, it's quite simple...in the narrow blue bar at the top of screen, just above "SEARCH" there is My Profile, click that then on the left side of screen you should see a list and scroll down a bit till you see EDIT SIGNATURE then add in your info there and save! That's it!

The signature helps people know all the little details about your ride/s

Again Welcome to OB

Al

 

[Bowhunter7mm]

Thanks for the reply riot and I will. I plan on doing sled pulling and some trailer pulling. The engine is in the 150,000 mile range and is running good with the exception of a cross threaded fuel line on the injector which I will fix tomorrow. Just a side note, when i pull this engine ill overhaul it with new seals, gaskets, etc, and whatever mods i can afford at that time. As for my 84 that ill be putting the engine into it is in very good shape. I have done a lot of work to it already and have lift springs, heavier axles, etc that are all going into it. I live in central PA and have twisty up and down roads to drive and that extra torgue to pull the hills is one of the things im seeking, the truck will be a mild offroad buggy but still street legal and will have its fair share of heavy loads in the bed and or trailer. Around here it's not a full load of firewood unless its stacked 3 foot above the cab lol. Does that help with ideas? Again thanks for the reply.

 

[Bowhunter7mm]

Another thing I just remembered is that I'd like to eliminate the vacuum pump to make room for a belt drivin compressor. Could I put a hydraulic brake booster in from a super duty to help accomplish this?

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum. The best bang for the buck is adding a turbo to the engine. Running a straight pipe exhaust the another way to free up some hp. Installing a typ4 torquer cam is anothe great idea. As for the pump I would contact Mel at Conestoga diesel in Pa. He has created a high proformance injection pump that nobody else can touch. I have bought two of them and love it to death. They not only increase hp but they increase fuel mileegae. Thats unheard of in the hi pro world. For pulling my biggest suggestion is to install head studs from ARP. They actually sell two differant sets that work on our idi 7.3 ingines. As for getting rid of the vacuum pump you will need a small electric vacuum pump for the ac heater to operate correctly. Installing the hydroboost brakes system instead of the vacuum brake system will work fine. I did it as many other have.. When done you efectively have increased the brake pressure in the lines by more than double to about 2200 lbs. You can use the large 1 5/6 master cylinder too or the smaller 1 1/8 aluminum ms by opeing up the mounting holes some. When you get deep into the build ask questions before you buy anything.. Many come here asking questions after they broke, bought something or did something they shouldn't have. An example is never install the oil pan gasket that comes in the gasket kits.. They were not used from the factory and we still use rtv just like the factroy did without leaks. Many that tried the pan gasket had leaks shortly afterwards. Then you pull the engine to repair it. We can't easily drop the pan because the oil pump has a drop suction that reaches about 1/8 inch off the deep end of the pan. Some have tried it and hated the twist needed in the arms and hands to reach in and remove the oil pump... then it falls into the pan and is hard as hell to lift back into position to install. I hear three hands are needed for this.. One to hold it up. One to screw in the bolts and the other is to flip off the job...

 

[88 Ford]

If you want some really good sled pulling power check out R&D Performance. They have a pump that will easily push over 400hp/800tq. Here is their site.

http://idiperformance.com/

As for Moose pumps, they are pretty good injection pumps. They also make pretty decent power as well. I am not quite sure what your target power level is but for sled pulling you might look into a DB4 from R&D if you have hopes for more extreme power. As for slightly above stock, the Moose Pump from Conestoga and Turbo Cal from R&D are good pumps and will suffice.

Can you describe a bit more in depth what your goals are?

 

[HiHorse]

I believe the consensus here is to make sure you do it right the first time. And take you time to know what you are doing, such as rebuilding or replacing the oil cooler is very important. Proper timing is critical, as well as the parts you install. I know too many guys that have given up and thrown these engines away because they treat them like they are a 350 chevy. Anyone can build a 350 chevy, NOT everyone can rebuild an IDI (successfully). Can't wait to see your progess!!

 

[laserjock]

Bit of advice from years ago in my sled pulling days. Lift kits are generally a bad idea if you are serious about pulling. They tend to cause trucks to bounce and bunny hopping down the track is not a great way to pick up extra distance but is a great way to break stuff. Not saying it can't be done, but it generally is counter productive. Off road rigs typically don't make good pulling trucks because the suspension requirements are very different.
That said, I'll say welcome, one IDI noob to another.

 

[riotwarrior]

Well it's a little more clear of your goals now.

So lets look at a few things,

Since your pulling an engine to swap into another truck, now is the time to take care of stuff, not later.

You say you want more power for trailer and sled pulling ok that's doable with these trucks. How you go about it is whats key.

IMHO, or others may say Less than HO,

it's a short block rebuild to start!

Cam, either Typ4 from Russ here of the R&D cam, both are effective at more power, it's how and when that power cure takes place that is the difference.

Since your into pulling a cam, now is the time to STUD the heads, check around on prices, but since your studding heads, new HG too which means you get a LOOKSEE in the engine now! Well since your into it this far...drop the pan, inspect the bearings while at it right???

NO PAN GASKET EITHER, just a nice bead of RTV Permatex ultra copper or something good like that!

Ok so now we have the CORE looksee done

Heads, PORT n polish them and throw a valve job in while at it. of course the standard checks for flatness and such need be headed.

Ok so top end done, lets look at fuel,

There are a few options of which both are mentiond.

Mel at Conestoga Diesel makes a slightly better n stock Baby Moose, a good turbo cal pump MOOSE, and the illustrious SUPERMOOSE for some significant power increases.

R&D makes a decent pump too and then has their Hybrid DB4 setup for some wicked power too.

Any deceint turbo/pump/cam combo will indeed need the benefit of an Inter cooler to make use of the level of boost and fuel you'll run so you likely have to factor that in too!

Check with both, your call where you want to throw the $$$ too.

As for the Turbo, Russ again Typ4 makes some hot rod mods to the stocker that can help you out, or if your a fab freak you can do something entirely custom too!

As you can see there are options here that are all viable and can make good solid power up to 375 HP Dyno proven HP, speculation of 400HP is just that, an untested un proven level. Please don't get me wrong it's not that I don't think we can't attain it, I'm saying it's not done yet!

It is all in your court where and what you want to do.

Ceramic coat the pipes and parts etc

Anyway, that's what I gotta say on it thus far,

Let us know what yer thinking and perhaps we can help further.

Al

 

[Bowhunter7mm]

Thanks for all the suggestions. First of all I would like to upgrade the turbo but science that sits pretty right on top I can hold off On that right now. I have checked out conestoga and like what i see. Thank you very much everyone for the cam suggestions. I had no idea which was best. While its out I'm planning on taking care of the obvious like you said and stud the heads. What are the part numbers for those by the way? I would like serious power out of this engine. Oh and laserjock, i know exactly what your talking about. It's only a 4 inch lift and I have some tricks up my sleeve to eliminate the hopping so common to pickups. Thanks again everyone for the tips and keep them comming if you have any more.

 

[Keeway]

Hello and welcome to the world of idis. just beware...once you get started you wont get enough of these things. where abouts are you in central PA? thats where im located and i sled pull my idi as well as a few of my buddies we would be more than happy to give you advice and go pulling with you