F350 Quad-Cab dually 7.3PSD 4x4 build

[BigRigTech]

I'm trading an old 87 6.9L diesel engine that I have to a co-worker for a 1994 F350 quad cab 2wd - it had a 7.3 but I will be getting it minus the engine. He wants the mechanical 6.9L for his boat. He was an International truck tech for 25yrs. I have a 97 7.3PSD here to put in the truck from an E350 van, besides the drivers side exhaust manifold is there anything else I need to put it in? The van is running and drivable right now. The F350 should be almost totally complete minus the engine.

I'm planning to convert it to 4x4, my buddy has an ex-CN railway service truck in his junkyard, it's about a 1990 quad cab 4x4 dually with the heavy duty Dana 60 front end and the larger rims/tires. I can get both axles, driveshafts, springs/hangers and the t-case from the 90. My PSD has an E4OD in it and I believe the 94 will be coming with one too.

I also have the C6 that was on the 6.9L as well. The CN truck has a 351W with a C6 I believe so at the very least I should be able to gear up a 4x4 tranny and t-case for the swap using the C6. I paid $1500cdn for the van, zero for the 2wd F350 and maybe a few hundred for the 90 F350 4x4 driveline....The CN truck has massive front manual locking hubs, are the railway trucks any different than the regular F350 4x4's? I'm going to my buddy's junkyard today to take a few pics and survey some stuff on the CN truck. I'll shoot some pics. Other than the MVI related stuff, should be a low cost build and could yield a killer rig eh? I can sell my 96 F150 4x4 after it's road ready to get some new rubber and paint.

 

[tonkadoctor]

IIRC I beleive the oil cooler on the E van PSD is different too. Really can't help you more than this. Somebody else is going to have to step in here.

 

[BigRigTech]

Yeah, somebody else mentioned that on a different forum. Minor detail I figure. I priced some 1-ton brake parts yesterday - not as expensive as I thought they would be which is good.......They changed the MVI laws here for 07 and they are getting very sticky on brake wear and etc so it's just easier to replace it all from the start. Depending on which truck I can get papers for I'll either use the 94 or 90 chassis to build on but the 94 is in better shape and the cab is in much better shape.

 

[BigRigTech]

Had a 2nd look at the donor truck this morning, it's an 89 not a 90. It has an E40D as well which is good as I have one good one for sure and 2 more for spares that might be ok as well. I'll post the pics later today. It has 8.5R x 19" wheels on it. Everything is intact underneath so doing the swap should be fairly straight forward.

 

[BigRigTech]

Here's the donor gear from the 89 F350 4x4 quadcab dually.

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[BigRigTech]

Here's some pics of the Donor gear from an 89 F350 quad cab 4x4 dually.

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[tonkadoctor]

RUST!!!

That's scary, there's more rust on one lugnut than there is on my entire truck. Sooooooo glad I live down south of the rust belt.

Looks like it's gonna be a fight getting every nut and bolt loose on that thing. Was it used for a salt spreader in a previous life?

 

[BigRigTech]

Nah, it's just been sitting for a while....Nothing 160psi throught an IR 2131 impact won't loosen.......If that doesn't work I'll get the 3/4" gun and if that doesn't work I'll get the 1" gun...get my drift?......Good old east coast salty air and salted roads...Murder on anything made of steel....That's just the donor truck, might need to source some spring hangers though....They are a little too rusty for my liking. The Freebie 96 is in much better shape underneath and it has 400K on it.

 

[sle2115]

Be sure to get the track bar and brackets for the Dana 60, you will need them as well.

I may be missing something here, but putting a PSD in is going to require some "other" stuff as well, like a computer - correct?

 

[BigRigTech]

Oh yeah, I have a running 97 E350 van for a donor so all that is needed for a running PSD swap is at arms reach....I'm sure there might be some minor electrical differences between the truck and van but overall I would think it would be mostly a bolt in swap. When my buddy pulls out the old 7.3 he's going to be careful not to harm anything so I'm left with an easier swap.

 

[sle2115]

Oh yeah, I have a running 97 E350 van for a donor so all that is needed for a running PSD swap is at arms reach....I'm sure there might be some minor electrical differences between the truck and van but overall I would think it would be mostly a bolt in swap. When my buddy pulls out the old 7.3 he's going to be careful not to harm anything so I'm left with an easier swap.

Will be following your progress with open eyes!

Keep us posted. I can get my hands on a PSD as well, would like to know what all is involved.

 

[BigRigTech]

Will do, just frothing at the mouth to get my Freebie F350 home and tear into it...

 

[hugeredford]

I believe that is a srw dana 60 so you will need some dually hubs

 

[BigRigTech]

The 89 dually 4x4 donor is complete right down to the 8r-19" wheels - missing nothing underneath so I can take the complete drivetrain.... I'm working on a deal now to get the title for the 89 as I couldn't get one for the 96. I'd toss the 19" wheels for some 16" instead. The rearend in the 89 was recently rebuilt too. The front WARN hubs aren't stuck either - a miracle in it's self...

The 7.3 is ready to come out of the freebie truck as of today....I spent 4hrs at the junkyard pulling the 6.9 out of my old cubevan so I can complete the trade. Nothing a gas compressor, generator, torches and a skidsteer couldn't handle...

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So lets talk swap parts/issues to deal with:

1 We are trading the drivers side exhaust manifolds and oil coolers.
2 I'm going to make a true 3" down pipe from the start
3 I'll be pulling the t-case, dana 60 front axle and related stuff for the 4x4 swap shortly.
4 I need an oil pan for the PSD, the one on it now has a bad dent in the bottom.
5 do the F350 4x4's have spacer blocks between the axle and rear springs?
6 The truck has dual tanks, the submarine tank is missing. I wonder if the fuel tank from the van will fit in it's place?

I'll have some pics this week.

 

[BigRigTech]

I'm going to start removing the 7.3 from my van this weekend for the transplant into the truck. Found a 5spd tranny and t-case for it - just trying to haggle out a price to buy it....The project will be underway as of this weekend...Just trying to get all my ducks in a row as far as the donor/swap parts are concerned.