Turbo my flatbed.

[TD or Not TD]

I have an 88 International S series truck. I would like to get more performance out of it. I am unsure of any prior maintenance done to the truck. It seems to run and start ok but at just under 12k lbs empty the 7.3 really has a hard time on anything but flat roads. The truck has 286k miles (I was told by the previous oener it was replaced)and is a 5 speed.

I am assuming I'll have to replace my injectors and maybe the pump. On low/factory boost do I need to go with a larger injector? I've read a small amount of information regarding the BB and G code injectors being the common upgrade.

I have been searching for pictures of stock turbo setups for the pickups and I don't believe they will work unless the engine mounts are similar to mine. There is an engine mount at the front of the oil pan and a mount on both sides of the bellhousing where it meets the engine.

I will most likely have to fabricate a low mount and use a scavenge pump. I have found factory turbo setups for 4-600 locally but some are not complete and I will most likely only use the intake hat and maybe the turbo.

I also have a large intercooler that is at my disposal.

My major concern is fueling and making sure the motor is running 100% before I attempted to turbo it. This site seems to have the most helpful information available.

 

[idiabuse]

I need to Flatbed my Turbo!

 

[TD or Not TD]

BOOOOOOST

 

[jaluhn83]

Wouldn't mess with a low mount, I'd say you should have plenty of room in there to mount the turbo high enough to drain. Wouldn't think it would be too hard to fab up some exhaust piping and then just pick a spot that looks good for the turbo. Could even do a parallel twin setup with one on each side. Big problem trying to do this on a pickup is the tight engine bay, but a S series has so much room in there it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Eli]

I have an 88 International S series truck. I would like to get more performance out of it. I am unsure of any prior maintenance done to the truck. It seems to run and start ok but at just under 12k lbs empty the 7.3 really has a hard time on anything but flat roads. The truck has 286k miles (I was told by the previous oener it was replaced)and is a 5 speed.

I am assuming I'll have to replace my injectors and maybe the pump. On low/factory boost do I need to go with a larger injector? I've read a small amount of information regarding the BB and G code injectors being the common upgrade.

I have been searching for pictures of stock turbo setups for the pickups and I don't believe they will work unless the engine mounts are similar to mine. There is an engine mount at the front of the oil pan and a mount on both sides of the bellhousing where it meets the engine.

I will most likely have to fabricate a low mount and use a scavenge pump. I have found factory turbo setups for 4-600 locally but some are not complete and I will most likely only use the intake hat and maybe the turbo.

I also have a large intercooler that is at my disposal.

My major concern is fueling and making sure the motor is running 100% before I attempted to turbo it. This site seems to have the most helpful information available.

http://www.gohypermax.com/Catalog.aspx?category=c85d5217-e7e8-431b-ba06-b032be7c38ac

Eli

 

[TD or Not TD]

My biggest concern is fuel really.

 

[sjwelds]

Well then:

www.conestogadiesel.com

http://www.idiperformance.com/

Two proven sources for quality fuel system components. Do NOT buy some cheap "rebuilt" pump off Ebay or the like.

Yes it is recommended to replace the injection pump and injectors at the same time.

 

[79jasper]

I would go custom turbo since you have plenty of under hood room.
Personally I would at least stud it and new head gaskets.
On these, isn't one of the exhaust manifolds flipped around?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[chris142]

Dont most guys just turn the pump up themselves? Run it till it dies then replace it.

 

[FarmerFrank]

You don't need a huge elaborate pump to run a turbo. Just crank a little fuel to the factory one.

On second thought, your engine being in a medium duty probably has the governor set way low, maybe 3000? Where as a pickup pump is set 3400-3600. I had mine set up closer to 3800, sometime the the tack climbs a bit higher.

That will help your power out too pulling hills if you can wind a gear out a little higher it might hold it

 

[FordGuy100]

Yes, a higher RPM governor spring will probably help things out. I wouldn't worry about the fuel system until you figure out what kind of HP/TQ you want, and what kind of boost your going to run.

For your application, I would turbo it, then turn up the pump a little, and make sure timing is in spec. This should help out a lot, but still dont expect to be impressed on anything other than flat land. A 3300rpm spring will let you rev it out a little, which will open up some more usable power over a longer amount of time.

 

[jaluhn83]

It's worth remembering that there's a reason IH derated the medium duty truck engines in RPM & power - they run under a much heavier load duty cycle than most pickup engines. While extra power and rpm may help with drivability, I would want to be much more cautious driving the truck with that setup, or else accept that you may reduced engine durability.

Personally I would keep the stock governor spring, and otherwise turbo it the same as a pickup engine, but would drive somewhat conservatively with it.

 

[FordGuy100]

I would think cooling would be the only issue.

 

[FarmerFrank]

I would think cooling would be the only issue.

Medium duty truck radiator is twice the size as a pickup. That'd be my last worry on an s-cab

 

[FordGuy100]

Yes, but they generally have a much higher load on them. If they actually got a detune (from HP/TQ numbers that are low enough to begin with to promote a long life) from a F series, its the only thing I can really think of. The rest of the drivetrain certainly can take it.