7.3 idi build for my S1654

[Isaac Ristow]

I scooped up a 85 international s1654 with a 6.9 in it and a spicer 5 speed. I know it's not a ford idi but I'd rather post here that the medium duty forum because this post is mainly about idi engines. I have a January 1992 7.3 stripped down to the block on the stand one of the cleanest nicest looking idis I've taken apart. I also grabbed a Eaton Fuller RT613 13 speed transmission from a L9000 with a 3208 in it that I have the gears and related parts to convert it to a RTO613 overdrive unit. I'm gonna hop up the idi I've never actually done a mildish performance build on one my 84 has a studded NA with a almost maxed NA pump and a turbo engineering / rajay turbo kit on it moves along very well. On this NA 7.3 this is my plans for building

ARP head studs
R&D turbo cam
R&D 110 pump
R&D stage 1 sticks
Total seal rings
New bottom end bearings
Comp 910 springs
Water to air aftercooling
Borg s364 .091

Spoke with Justin about getting that stuff and he helped me choose that turbo if it's too laggy I can drop down on the turbine housing. He said with this setup i should be around 350/700 at the crank. Engine won't ever be lugged the truck has 5.82 gears but with overdrive and 42 inch rubber (11r22.5s) I'll be around 2700rpm at 70mph and I'll beable to keep the rpm up with the 13 speed because I'd imagine lugging with a 5 speed between gears built like that would kill it. Am I crazy? Should I be doing more supporting mods? Maybe I should be taming it down a little? I'm all ears I've been around these engines for over 10 years owned over half a dozen fords with theses engines. I plan on driving this truck from Wisconsin to Alaska at some point then back here to Wisconsin so I want it reliable. It's going to mainly be used for hauling my vintage J.I. Case tractors to shows and such. Thanks!

 

[Isaac Ristow]

Trucks previous life it was owned by a old couple that hauled a horse trailer down to Arizona every fall for the winter. I could not imagine pulling a horse trailer cross the states with a NA 6.9 in this truck. Granted the truck alone only weighs 8900lb I found hard to believe but I had it on our scale. It tops out at 65mph governed, no tach but I'm almost positive it has a pickup injection pump on it instead of the lower rpm international govenor. It's nice that the truck has 4 corner disc brakes with hydroboost too stops on a dime. Really wish I coulda chatted with Russ about this project I bought it shortly after he passed. We would chat about random work and mechanical related stuff quite a bit I still think about it every day

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[IDIBRONCO]

I know it's not a ford idi but I'd rather post here that the medium duty forum because this post is mainly about idi engines.

True, but aside from a few external engine parts, they are exactly the same engines.

Am I crazy?

Aren't we all a little crazy? I mean, look at what we all want to do with outdated, underpowered trucks.
As long as you remember to use all of the International parts, including the water pump, you'll be fine. You may not have the most pleasant experience taking this truck on the Alaska Highway. It's pretty rough, especially farther north, from what I know. On the plus side, you'll already have a place to sleep. I would recommend getting a heater for the sleeper since it gets pretty chilly that far north.

 

[Isaac Ristow]

True, but aside from a few external engine parts, they are exactly the same engines.

Aren't we all a little crazy? I mean, look at what we all want to do with outdated, underpowered trucks.
As long as you remember to use all of the International parts, including the water pump, you'll be fine. You may not have the most pleasant experience taking this truck on the Alaska Highway. It's pretty rough, especially farther north, from what I know. On the plus side, you'll already have a place to sleep. I would recommend getting a heater for the sleeper since it gets pretty chilly that far north.

True that I'm putting a pickup engine in it and i believe but can't confirm it has a pickup 6.9 in it currently. The 6.9 is grey not the international truck engine color and i was told it had a engine at some point that's why I figured it must have a pickup pump because it definitely revs past the 2800 govenor the international trucks have and that's probably how it gets to 65mph. Yes I plan to put a diesel bunk heater in the sleeper and it's actually set up nice the cab is cut out so you can enter the sleeper from the cab I wish it was cut full width so the seat could recline/slide back into the sleeper like a unibilt peterbilt maybe I'll change that some day. I know it's will be good and rough on the roads but my buddy moved out there he tells me there's all kinds of work that pays really good money and I figured I could put my sled and bike on the gooseneck with his aeronose 7.3 f350 project and go out there for a couple years and work. It's nothing confirmed but I'm really thinking about it. I ordered a gates waterpump I've always had luck with them on everything else it's different from a ford waterpump. So far really all I can tell/read is the front motor mount, flywheel housing/flywheel (sae) oil cooler headers, exhaust manifolds, injection pump calibration, fuel filter is mounted like a ford van, then ofcourse all the accessories and crank pulley are the differences between a pickup and international engine all external bolt on stuff. I've read a good bit about people using a international truck engine in a ford but not a ton about doing the opposite. But I definitely live for old obsolete stuff my bike is a 21 and my winter beater is a 13 other than that I have way too much stuff and it's all allot older than me haha. I appreciate the input

 

[IDIBRONCO]

The oil pan and pick up tube are also different. I don't think that the extra RPM on the Ford IP hurts anything at all. From what I've seen, at least some Internationals didn't use a block heater. I don't know what was in place of it. The ones that I remember for sure were all from Louisiana, I want to say Baton Rouge. You can leave the block heater in and you won't have any problems. In fact, it would probably be preferred to have one in Alaska.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I also forgot to mention that the International/van fuel filter uses different hard lines that the truck IDIs do. It makes sense when you remember that the filter's in a different location.

 

[Isaac Ristow]

The oil pan and pick up tube are also different. I don't think that the extra RPM on the Ford IP hurts anything at all. From what I've seen, at least some Internationals didn't use a block heater. I don't know what was in place of it. The ones that I remember for sure were all from Louisiana, I want to say Baton Rouge. You can leave the block heater in and you won't have any problems. In fact, it would probably be preferred to have one in Alaska.

Oh yah i knew I was forgetting something the oil pan is different as well as the pickup tube and the dipstick is mounted in a different location usually. The 7.3 going in has a block heater I'm going to replace it with a new one just because I don't trust a 33 year old unit. I'll definitely want a block heater if I go to AK to stay otherwise I'd probably never use it unless I had to move it 6 out of my 8 trucks don't leave the yard in the winter because the amount of salt the use up here is absolutely insane