$350 IDIT complete - It's a runner!

[Macrobb]

I recently stopped by a new wrecking yard at the suggestion of a guy I bought stuff on Craigslist from.
They had an IDIT powered truck('93 single-cab 4x4 auto), and when I asked about how much they wanted for it, he told me: "$350 for the motor, $1000 for the truck".
As it wasn't a stick, I bought the motor straight up. A couple days later, it was pulled for me(!) and loaded in the back of my truck.

Yesterday, I finally got around to testing it out:

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IDIs are amazing!

 

[homelessduck]

Says Video is unavailable

 

[Macrobb]

Says Video is unavailable

Fixed. I was having some trouble saving changes, and I guess it didn't take making it public either.

 

[homelessduck]

Nice score! The only yard around me closed down.

 

[pelky350]

Unfortunately for me yards her say well it's a diesel so 1500-2000$ no matter what it is because the work diesel comes to play they double prices of anything lol

 

[icanfixall]

Sounds really nice. Please look at the serial numbers just to the drivers side of the injection pump gear housing on the block. Post what you find. What are your plans for this engine? Seeing that it was for an auto tran make sure you save the flexplate and the special thick spacer between that and the crank flange.

 

[Macrobb]

It says 7.3TU2U.... definately a turbo block.

That reminds me - anyone have a SMF flywheel to trade for the factory turbo flexplate?

 

[icanfixall]

if you finish the block serial numbers we can tell you where this block falls in the total number of turbo blocks. the first turbo block was 1,116,331 and up from there.

 

[genscripter]

Mac, really crazy you posted this. I'm currently rebuilding an IDI in my garage, and I was thinking a few days back about how I was going to plan to fire it up on the stand. At that same time, I was chatting with Justin at R&D about if I needed to cycle the GP's for getting it to fire up here in Los Angeles. I thought it would overkill to set up the wiring harness, so I asked him if he thought it was necessary. He said in my climate (L.A.) I could hit it with some spray to bypass the need for cycling the GP's. I haven't tried it yet (i'm still at the point of measuring my new bearings on the rods), but hopefully in a week or so, I'll be able to squeeze in enough time to finally get the beast humming. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

 

[03wr250f]

Nice find!

 

[Macrobb]

Mac, really crazy you posted this. I'm currently rebuilding an IDI in my garage, and I was thinking a few days back about how I was going to plan to fire it up on the stand. At that same time, I was chatting with Justin at R&D about if I needed to cycle the GP's for getting it to fire up here in Los Angeles. I thought it would overkill to set up the wiring harness, so I asked him if he thought it was necessary. He said in my climate (L.A.) I could hit it with some spray to bypass the need for cycling the GP's. I haven't tried it yet (i'm still at the point of measuring my new bearings on the rods), but hopefully in a week or so, I'll be able to squeeze in enough time to finally get the beast humming. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I usually do use ether on the test stand, but in this case it was easier to use the glow plugs.

 

[genscripter]

I usually do use ether on the test stand, but in this case it was easier to use the glow plugs.

Yeah, I'm just lazy. I'd have to dig up my spare set of GP wiring from the huge stack of boxes of IDI parts that I have been accumulating. Hopefully I'll be able to purge the air rather quickly and not have to worry too much about the lack of GP heat. I guess I'll see.

On a tangential note, I noticed jack stands under the engine motor mounts. smart move. I don't trust these new engine stands one bit.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

Yeah, I'm just lazy. I'd have to dig up my spare set of GP wiring from the huge stack of boxes of IDI parts that I have been accumulating. Hopefully I'll be able to purge the air rather quickly and not have to worry too much about the lack of GP heat. I guess I'll see.

Cause I've always wondered and forgot to ask, could we use a heat gun(like an industrial hair dryer) to blast hot air into the intake enough to fire up these things? Like an intake grid heater!

 

[Macrobb]

On a tangential note, I noticed jack stands under the engine motor mounts. smart move. I don't trust these new engine stands one bit.

Another first for me. Last engine just rested on a block under the oil pan and the exhaust. I've also done it hanging from a chain on the cherry picker.

I do have a proper engine stand, but not with me right now. I did use it once or twice, it worked fine. 3 1/2" studs connecting it to the motor.

 

[genscripter]

Cause I've always wondered and forgot to ask, could we use a heat gun(like an industrial hair dryer) to blast hot air into the intake enough to fire up these things? Like an intake grid heater!

I doubt it, but who knows. GP's get red hot in a tiny chamber. A heat gun (even an industrial strength one) wont put out the BTU's that the air around the GP's would get. Also, the airflow coming into the intake is vast, thus nullifying the little bit of air blowing out of the heat gun. I know this cuz back when I was a goof-off teenager (ages and ages ago), my friends and I were restoring a 73 Charger (back before I got into diesels). We were new to a lot of engine stuff and we thought we could do a DIY supercharger by installing an AC vacuum blower on the air cleaner to "push air" into the housing. We got it blowing into the air cleaner, but everytime we started the vehicle with the blower on the air cleaner, the engine wouldn't run. We thought we were giving it even more air so it was kinda confusing. We pulled off the blower and then a friend of mine stuck his hand on the air cleaner inlet and it almost sucked his fingers off. Then we learned that these old engines really sucked in the air. So blowing a heat gun in a huge intake gust is like trying to heat the air in a typhoon.