looking to gain reasonable, reliable power

[94 non stroker]

i am a mobile heavy equipment mechanic. i have a 94 f-superduty with 7.3 n/a. i just installed a fresh jasper engine. im looking to add some power while still being very reliable as i have to be able to pick my tools up and run when the phone rings.

 

[rjjp]

Turbo.

 

[gatorman21218]

A turbo is probably going to be the best bang for your buck

 

[Brianedwardss]

X3

 

[Goofyexponent]

Agreed.

Not too much boost or you will be doing head gaskets on that fresh rebuild!

 

[GOOSE]

Most F superdutys are geard to china already so that leaves a turbo. Turn the fuel up to match the turbo's requirements and add a boost and pyro gauge. Keep it in the 10-12 psi range for work duty applications and the turn key reliability should be fine. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[icanfixall]

A turbo is going to get you all the power you need... Or if you don't want to add a turbo try the Moose Products... Mel has several Moose pumps available for our rigs... If you stay non turbo then a Baby Moose pump is what you want... His handle here is Agnem.. Very nice honest guy hepling others achieve good running engines. Also a set of BB code new injectors will wake up you engine if you have a set of rebuilts in it now....

 

[The Warden]

If you don't have one already, a pyrometer would also be a VERY good idea...this will tell you how hard the engine's working and let you know when it's time to back off the throttle.

As everyone else has said, a turbo would be your best bang for the buck...if you want to take the time to do the necessary fabrication, an intercooler (in conjunction with the turbo) will also help with power without sacrificing reliability.

Good luck with it

 

[94 non stroker]

well what turbo system would be the best bang for money

 

[The Warden]

That depends on your goals and how you drive the truck.

A non-wastegated turbo will give you decent boost at high RPM's with low exhaust temperature, but at the price of lag and very little output at low engine RPM's (i.e. when you're starting up).

A wastegated turbo will give you better boost at low RPM's and should give you similar boost at high RPM's (unless the wastegate's set to open at too low of a boost), but at the price of a smaller exhaust turbine, which will give you higher exhaust temperatures at high engine RPM's since the exhaust won't flow as freely.

If you do a lot of in-town driving, you'd be better off with a wastgated turbo; if you're mostly on the freeway and aren't all that concerned about acceleration, a non-gated turbo would suit you better. With that said, since F-450's are geared so much lower, different factors may come into play...hopefully an F-450 guy can give you a better idea if what will be best in your application.

As for price, a new turbo system will be considerably expensive...expect to spend $2K+, and IIRC the only systems you can buy new are the Hypermax non-gated setup and the ATS Aurora wastegated system. Used turbos can be found reasonably easily enough...wastegated turbos are generally more expensive than non-gated turbos.

Hope this helps a bit...good luck!