Upgrade advise needed.. new member

[333]

Hi guys.. I am the recent owner of a 93 f450 2wd jerrdan rollback with a 7.3 non turbo

This truck is a xlt loaded with cruise,ac,5 speed,pw,pl,

The problem is the mill is very tired, with consistant smoke and alot of oil use.



I would like to find out my best route to upgrade this truck to a 7.3 turbo and keeping all the options my truck has.

This is my first diesel truck, but I am talented mechanically and have done alot of gas mill swap work in the past. I have the ability to buy a donor truck from the local salvage pool auctions. Being that I live in a town of 500 people there are no other trucks around to look at to help with my questions.

Here are my questions, any help or advise is appreciated.

1.What year ( if there is a difference) is the best donor truck to purchase?

2. Is there a certain option I should ensure on the donor truck to make the wiring change easier.

3. I plan to drop in the motor and trans complete.. Is the e-brake at the rear of the f450 trans adaptable to the trans from a f250?

4. Are there any differences in fuel delivery location to motor from turbo to non turbo?

5. Has anyone out there done this swap before with ac and 5-speed? or are there any postings on here you could link me to?

6. Would it be easier to change the cab as well?

7. Would it be better to buy a 99 up mill and adapt it?, good vs bad...


A very sincere thanks in advance to any who reply..
one of the members on here that I chance met in person locally; told me to sign up and ask the questions, he said there is no better site for finding out this type of info...

Thanks... Mike

 

[SKimballC]

Welcome to the site! Being that your truck is a '93 this thread belongs down in the 6.9 & 7.3 IDI forum. You're sure to get some replies down there. Good luck.

 

[rubberfish]

Welcome to the site 333. That other guy's right.
Once those basement dwellers from the idi forum
catch wind someone else bought an idi they'll go crazy.

 

[poolguy]

Welcome Mike,
You were told the truth. These guys are the best! Some of the sharp ones will chime in soon. Me, I'm not the brightest bulb in the hallway,



yet!

 

[tonkadoctor]

Welcome to the site.

Keep posting here upstairs instead of the basement we'll have you trying to figure out how to put a puter chip on that IDI or talk into joining the darkside of the force.

If you go the route of a PSD swap into an IDI truck, buy an OBS PSD doner truck, '94 - '97, you'll need the entire wiring harness and other goodies from it.

You must be registered for see images attach

Sorry Mel, I couldn't stop myself from corrupting your avatar

 

[geonc]

Welcome to the site.

Keep posting here upstairs instead of the basement we'll have you trying to figure out how to put a puter chip on that IDI or talk into joining the darkside of the force.

Don't wanna scare him off yaknucklehead ;p

Moved to the correct forum

WELCOME to OILBURNERS 333/Mike

 

[ttman4]

333Welcome! Words of wisdom....shhhh.... be real careful messin round upstairs! Those PowerStroke guys'll have 'ya driving a wheelbarrow with blowed out tires!! Most of the guys sept me down here in the Basement are really sharp. Only problem we all have is overtaking herds of 'em & We keep gettin GOAT HAIR in our radiators!!!

 

[Diesel JD]

Any truck with a 6.9 or 7.3 IDI will work. The 7.3s have some trouble with cylinder liner pitting and the 6.9s have trouble on head gaskets. In any case I think you should keep the ZF5. The C6 will have a 450 be a screamer or the E40D is a real ****. The T19 is great, but it'll be a screamer, since the 450 comes with 5.13 or 4.88 gears. Since you say you are very mechanically inclined, you might should just rebuild your current engine unless you need the truck as a DD. If you need it quickly, you should perhaps buy a reman block either a shortblock or a longblock from Promar or Renew or some of these other big engine remanufacturers. The junkyard truck swap is a good idea, but you could wind up with someone else's problem, or a great runner.

 

[towcat]

Mike-
welcome to the site!
I have a few of these F450 towtrucks hanging around my place. imho, for a independent owner/operator, the value of these trucks is unbeatable. They do need a little more care and feeding though. I have no idea where you live, but if you have Craigslist hub nearby to your town, that is the best place to find trucks. F250 and F350 4x4's with ZF5's is a direct drop-in/bolt-up you can get for your $$$$. If you need sheet metal, any f150-f350 regular cab truck will work. Where the F450 differs on is the e-brake, and the frame and suspension. Otherwise, the fuel system, electrical as well as the interior will interchange.
There's a ton of info here on what you can do to keep your truck running, and the search engine is pretty good. There's always someone here who can answer you questions too

 

[Agnem]

Sorry Mel, I couldn't stop myself from corrupting your avatar

 

[tonkadoctor]

Attached Thumbnails

You must be registered for see images attach

__________________

Fixed it fer ya since you now have a PSD lurking in the fold

 

[Agnem]

OK Damn it! I'm not retired, and don't have time to do more photoshopping.

You win THIS time....

 

[Mr_Roboto]

The F-Superduty transmission with the driveshaft parking brake is a 4x4 transmission, the parking brake assembly bolts on where the transfer case would go (difference between 2wd and 4wd is the tailshaft length).

Your easiest swap would be a 88 - 94 7.3 IDI. SOME of the 93 - 94 had factory turbos. 1994 you could get IDI or PSD, but the PSD was only available with the manual transmission.

Don't forget looking at vans as donor vehicles, 88 - 94 (no PSD in 94 vans). Also no factory turbo IDI's in vans. Also no manual transmissions.

While it is technically possible to bolt in a PSD it is not a simple affair as the motors are completely different from the IDI series.

And if you are interested in a towing website, come by www.towtalk.net I'm a mod there "JasonElyriaAuto".

 

[333]

Mr Roboto... great info.... best help so far.

but is it possible to bolt in a 94-97 direct injected turbo unit into my chassis?
are the mounts the same?

I have a chance to buy a 97 7.3 4x4 manual truck for a great price with low miles.

please advise.....