53 Studebaker 6.9 project

[stude]

I am working on my second Studebaker truck project, a 1953 2R16A (1.5 TON). My intentions are to make a nice truck to haul a trailer with firewood, and get reasonably decent fuel mileage. The original Studebaker drivetrain is not good for today's highway speeds, hence the need to upgrade the powertrain.
I bought an 85k mile 1987 F350 dual rear wheel truck with a 6.9 and 4 speed for $200. Yes that says two "hundred". Salty roads take their toll on the bodies and frames up here in northern NY, need I say more?
I will probably have many questions, but here is a start:
-How are the 6.9 engines for power in general?
-What kind of fuel mileage does an 87 F350 dually typically get?
-Is there anything specific with the engine that I should look at while it is out, before I install it in the Studebaker?
-Any recommendations about cooling the 6.9 with a small radiator since I have limited space to work with? I will have to run electric fan(s) because there is not room enough for the clutch fan.

I have yet to start the engine since the p.o. removed all of the battery cables, radiator, alternator, and a bunch of other stuff. With only 85k on the clock, I expect that it will run fine as he claimed it did. I am somewhat familiar with IH because I spent a few years as parts and service manager at an IH dealership back in the early 90s. The 6.9s and 7.3s seemed to be quite reliable as I recall.

 

[seawalkersee]

Depends on how you drive and the rear ratio. 15-20 mpg is possible. Pull the bodies and swap them. It may be easier.

SWS

 

[stude]

The Ford frame is rusty, otherwise I would. The Studebaker frame is perfect. Go figure, 34 years older...
I am not sure of the F350 rear gear ratio, the tag info is gone. I plan to use the Ford rear axle as the Studebaker is a 6.66 ratio, with 20 inch tires. 16" tires are easier to find and cheaper too.
I generally drive quite easy unless I am driving my lumpy 70 Galaxie 500.

 

[wildman7798]

The Ford frame is rusty, otherwise I would. The Studebaker frame is perfect. Go figure, 34 years older...
I am not sure of the F350 rear gear ratio, the tag info is gone. I plan to use the Ford rear axle as the Studebaker is a 6.66 ratio, with 20 inch tires. 16" tires are easier to find and cheaper too.
I generally drive quite easy unless I am driving my lumpy 70 Galaxie 500.

If the metal tag is gone from rear differential cover you also have the white tag on the drivers side door jamb, just look under axle code. 90% chance it will be a 4.10 open. If the axle door tag is a 2 numbers it is an open diff., if it is one number and one letter you score a Trac Loc. Below is the link to the worlds greatest web site for Ford drivetrain codes. Good Luck with your project.
http://www.fordification.com/tech/rearends_ford10.htm

 

[Knuckledragger]

Power in a 6.9 is not the long suit, about 170-180hp. but they do make good torque, about 320lbs/ft. so can pull a lot, just not fast. They also don't have the cavitation issues to worry about like the 7.3 engines. 1987 6.9 has the upgraded GP system, good rocker arm assemblies and all other gizmos that are desirable. If it only has 85k, you have a good engine to use.

As far as cooling, these engines really like to have a lot of capacity to make them dependable. Yes, you can use a small radiator, but it will have tough time keeping up with cooling demands if you drive in hilly or hot areas. use the largest radiator you can stuff into the space, and consider installing one or two in the wheel well as an auxiliary (depending, of course, on how small the main one is).

 

[franklin2]

Look at the size radiator the factory installed in the 87. Nothing else is really going to do if you are going to pull something heavy with it.

 

[dirtbiker]

We did a swap of a 6.9 with a Borg/Warner T-19 into a 79 F-150. There was no practical way to get the donor f-250 6.9 radiator into the F-150, so we ordered an all aluminum three row (from ebay for $200.00) and it has been fine, after having survived the Chicago summer (upper 90s). I think the core is 27" wide by 19" high. We have a mechanical gauge on it, and the temperature runs maybe 200 degrees. We don't do much hauling, but it does not sound as if you will either.

 

[stude]

Being in northern NY, there are few very hot days that make it into the 90s. My firewood cutting season is September/October with temps in 60s and low 70s, which is when I will be towing.
There is absolutely no way I can get the 87 Ford radiator in it. I think I can work with 27"X19" or a little larger, so that gives me a glimmer of hope. I think I will call one of the aftermarket custom radiator companies and see what they say.

It sounds like I got the "pick of the litter" with the 87 6.9 as far reliability is concerned. Good to know and makes me feel better about the whole project.
I appreciate everyone's feedback so far.

 

[franklin2]

I am not saying you need to fit the 87 radiator into the older truck, but take into consideration it's size and coolant capacity, and try to get one that calculates out to be as close to the 87 radiator as possible. I think you already knew that, but if you are looking for confirmation that you really need a radiator that big, yes you do IF you are going to use this engine to it's full capacity.

You will also need to consider the fan and how much air it can pull. More than likely you are going to use a electric fan, so read up on some of the electric fan threads on here. In summary, you will need one of those good OEM fans from the junkyard that can really move some air, and hopefully your radiator will be big enough to run two fans. And that also means you will need to run a 3g 130 amp alternator to handle the fan load if you are going to run electric fans.

Like was mentioned you can skip some of this if you are just going to run around unloaded or lightly loaded. You need all this cooling when you are heavily loaded, throttle pedal to the floor, pulling a hill at 35-40mph. Using all the engine with the truck moving very slow is why they put this big fan and large radiator in the original truck. They will get hot, been there done that.