1978 F150 Turbo IDI build

IDIBRONCO

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First off, yes running two separate turbos is an entirely different story. Second, you can't fairly compare an IDI to an 06 Cummins on power (or almost anything else). The computer controls and the piezo (spelling?) injectors make the two SOOOO far apart that the biggest similarity is that they both burn the fuel out of the same pump. Third, although 50 PSI on an IDI is extremely unwise, I don't see why it would be that way on a PSD, especially one that's newer than a 7.3L. Now my won't be accurate, but only in the ball park. The reason why a Cummins, Duramax, or a PSD can run so much more boost PSI than an IDI can, is because of the differences in compression ratios. The IDI runs about 22:1 while the others run about 17-18:1. I'm sure that there's other reasons, besides this, but this is probably the biggest one.
 

IDIBRONCO

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What ever you end up doing, I'm just looking forward to the progress. The dent sides are my favorite trucks. I've had five and still use the back half of my last one for a trailer.
 

austin92

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Think if you had 2 air compressors sitting at 25psi, if you plumbed them together you would still only have 25psi, not 50


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TurboSurge

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@IDIBRONCO On the comparison, I was wondering what the rate of flow for the 5.9 is and also the engines CFM of intake. That way I can gauge how the HE will operate on my engine.I don’t want it to be so laggy that it won’t boost till 2500 rpm. Peak torque is 1800 iirc so I’d like boost to start below that.
Also, this is the first dent side I’ve ever had and I really enjoy it. It has factory AC and it came with new tires. I want to find a different set of wheels cause I’m not a fan of the steel spare looking ones I have now. I also just bought a running complete 94 IDIT that I gotta go to Illinois to get. I’ll do a typ4 or RND cam on that one and have @Thewespaul build my injection pump.

Also, what are y’all thoughts on hood stacks?? I’ll probably just run a single till I get my turbo engine home. I have another hood and a 5 inch tip‍♂️
 

TurboSurge

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If it rains a lot in your area I wouldn’t do it
That it does ☔
Naw, just put some flappers..... lol
Clack.. clack.. clangity.. clack.. clack..
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yea I’ve seen these on pickups and I haven’t ever thought they looked good! I’m debating on a 5” turbo back with axle dump, or a set of shotgun diamond stacks in the bed.
 

IDIBRONCO

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Factory A/C? Changing the heater core is a nightmare in those. You have to take it out from the inside and have to remove a lot of the HVAC ductwork before you can do it. You may be able to remove it from the outside if you take the condensor out first. I don't know about that though. Here again, being FAR from an expert on the subject, I don't know if the intake on a Cummins will flow a lot more CFM than ours will. Remember, the Cummins has the turbo from the factory and ours with the Factory Turbo is rather choked up. When an engine has a turbo, it's no longer flowing, it's under pressure instead. If I remember, the first gen Cummins was rated at 185 HP like the N/A 7.3 was and we all know that we can get a lot more power out of both engines. In my probably flawed theory, our engines would probably flow more CFM through the intakes than the Cummins without the turbo. They are either 1 or 1.4 liters larger. The last time I was doing any reading at all on the subject, it seemed like there wasn't much agreement on whether the four valve heads on the Cummins actually flowed better than the two valve heads. It seemed like a lot of people who were cranking a lot of power out of the later Cummins engines were switching back to the two valve heads and a mechanical injector pump.
 

TurboSurge

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Yea it was a special order item I guess back than. It even has the original radio but it’s only an AM. Guess how many stations I get? A big ole goose egg. Tomorrow I’m going to start the engine mounts. I sent a few pm’s to a guy about his 79 build but he hasn’t answered so I’ll just have to figure it out myself. Updates to come
 

IDIBRONCO

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I've had four of them with A/C. two 75's, a 78, and a 79. Thankfully, I only had to replace the heater core on the 78. Of course, it was in the winter time and I about froze before I got it changed out and all put back together.
 

Thewespaul

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Sounds like the old Honda accords you had to pull half the engine and the whole interior to change a heater core out on :eek:
 

TurboSurge

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Hey so I have a question. I turned the Allen screw all the way in but @Thewespaul said to turn it counter clockwise? I’ve turned it out lik3 24 flats now. I thought you turn it clockwise
 

Thewespaul

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Hey so I have a question. I turned the Allen screw all the way in but @Thewespaul said to turn it counter clockwise? I’ve turned it out lik3 24 flats now. I thought you turn it clockwise
Which screw? The one behind the cover on the side of the pump or the one on the back of the housing? The screw on the side goes clockwise for more fuel, the one on the back is counterclockwise for more fuel.

Kinda confusing
 

TurboSurge

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Made some progress on my truck. The original engine mounts for the 400 weren’t going to work or even come close, so with some measurements, headaches and my mom who is a math professor (thank the Lord) I was able to scribe out what I needed and cut 3/8” plate than ran a double pass on each weld. Glass blasted them and than a quick coat of rattle can to make the underside look good. Went to set the engine in and it set perfectly! I used stock f350 coil springs to raise it up a little and with the engine in there it sat just about level. Will probably do a lift for looks but I’m happy with how it’s setting now. The diesel sits about 3” forward than the 400 did. I did this so I can leave my transfer case in the same location so changing drivelines is not needed. I did notice the power steering pump comes in contact with the steering box so I’ll have to figure that out and the starter selnoid hits the top shock tower bolt that protrudes through the frame. I used a die grinder and cut the excess of the bolt and it fits good now.
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