First I did a search, nada.

Ok, the flatty is almost done, and I need to get going on my 'tow rig'. It is a '78 F150 w/a 400, C6, dana 44, and a 60 out back(4.10 gears-I know :rolleyes: ) w/4" lift and 35" Swampers. I am going to an extended cab (single dad w/3 kids) and a new flatbed outta 2' tube and diamond plate.

What I am wondering is what would be the best deisel to swap in? Which would be the easiest? All things considered which would you swap in? I am thinkin' of going to a manual tranny (NV4500- if I can swing it) at the same time.

I was thinkin' of strokin' a 460 out to 512, but I would like to drive it more often, which I would if I got 20mpg as opposed to 7 mpg! I am NOT takin' the Stratus up to Vantage this year for the NWRCA! I am still findin' sand! Not that the Ford will be done this year, but that is the kind of stuff I'll use it for. Not to mention a dip in the mud hole now and then, up some rocks once in a while, haulin' parts, and towin' the flatty with kids and camping gear (motorhomes and campers aren't for me-yet).

Thanks,
Bryan

I would have to say 6.9L diesel are in my opinion the better choice mine has over 500,000 miles on it and still running strong with no problem and it in a 85 F350. I have used it tow and occasionally play in mud and hill climb and whatever else I have came across. The 7.3L don't seem to hold up as well in my experiences.
I haven't had really any experiences with the newer diesels, I prefer the older ones and they are cheaper to maintain (non computer controled) and simple to figure out. I have one that sat for 7 years prior to buying it brought it home changed the wiring harness and it fired right up and runs strong which agian is a 6.9 out of a 84 F250

I'd stay with the ford engine, buy a wrecked truck for parts and swap it in. this makes it easier than custom swapping in a cummins or anything.

i would say a powerstroke 7.3. the wiring is simple as hell on one and it would bolt up to your current tranny, well any of the diesels that ford put in there light duty trucks would bolt to your tranny.

has anyone ever swaped a CAT motor in? :D that could be a interesting swap to do.

How much weight difference am I looking at? Just a ballpark figure. I am thinkin' about 400 additional pounds or so. Which means I need to get a 60 up front too, darn! With any luck I will find a wrecked F350 w/ a RC60! I know dream on.

And what would the best 4" coils be for the added weight?

I would love to install a 6cyl cummings in my 78 F-150. That would be killer. Though I still think they might be a little heavy. A 4cyl cummings would be cool, but they are suppose to vibrate a ton!
I think using the dodge 435 would make the cummings easy enough...

later :jeep:

first off, WHY 35'S???? on the tow rig??? thats just borrowing trouble. also, why 4" lift??? suicide wish???

second, a diesel won't rev as high, so 4.10's aren't bad gears, as long as you go down to a decent tire size. 3.73's are ok, too.

Third, the IH/Navistar diesel would probalby work well, but look for one out of a S-series or 4700 series medium truck. more bucks, but much more motor. 400 lbs is pretty close. A complete 6 cyl cummings and powertrain would be better, but more $$$

Last, a good diesel will eat a 4500 for lunch, and another for a snack.
Spicer, Clark, Eaton-Fuller all make good 5 speeds. use them, your pocket boook wil thank you.

Originally posted by The Mick
first off, WHY 35'S???? on the tow rig??? thats just borrowing trouble. also, why 4" lift??? suicide wish???

second, a diesel won't rev as high, so 4.10's aren't bad gears, as long as you go down to a decent tire size. 3.73's are ok, too.

Third, the IH/Navistar diesel would probalby work well, but look for one out of a S-series or 4700 series medium truck. more bucks, but much more motor. 400 lbs is pretty close. A complete 6 cyl cummings and powertrain would be better, but more $$$

Last, a good diesel will eat a 4500 for lunch, and another for a snack.
Spicer, Clark, Eaton-Fuller all make good 5 speeds. use them, your pocket boook wil thank you.


35's. My buddy has 36's on his '98 Dodge dually that he hauls his camper while pullin' his flatty. I figure 35's should work.:D

I didn't even think of the rpm difference. See that is why I asked. I think the 4.10's will stay.

Didn't figure the 4500 would suffer behind a deisel, it is hard for a guy that has had nothin' but gas motors to picture how much torque these motors lay down! And I thought my built 440 was the shisnit in my '70 Roadrunner!


:beer: :beer: for you Mick!

Last, a good diesel will eat a 4500 for lunch, and another for a snack.

huh? you telling me my cummins is not a good deisel? I have 170,000km on mine now most of that spent hauling things around and have no problems with it. hell the truck that ran boneville still had a stock nv4500 in it, if thats not an endurance test i dunno what is.

I run a 33 inch tall tire on my dodge with the nv4500 and 3.50 gears, even with all that I find myself wishing for another gear, the cummins likes to turn around 1750 rpm, it'll do more but milage suffers and it starts to make more noise. I hear the powerstroke turns faster in general than the cummins so that may not be an issue.

Ask over at:

http://www.diesel-central.com/

They have a forum dedicated to swaps and re-powering. But post a quiry to the general diesel forum also, as it sees more traffic than the swap forum.

Also, believe anything "Buck" says. Never met him, but I suspect he has some sort of medical condition that causes problems typing....Or maybe he is just old and shakey...his posts are hard to read, but his info is on the money.

Originally posted by mytzlflick


huh? you telling me my cummins is not a good deisel?

I was refering specifically to the T444 diesel I had suggested.
Also, how much "stuff" were you hauling???

BTW, what the fuck is a "deisel"???
:D

I would find a cummins engine from a 94-98 dodge. They can have as much power as you'll ever need. Trans would be a five speed for me(dont like auto's with a diesel) and I would use the t-case from the same truck to get the right out put in front. It would be a little much in weight and output for a dana 44, but a 60 is just money away. I love those old fords and would really love that one.:smokin: :smokin:

I keep toying with finding a 79 F350 crew cab and swapping in a DT466 international and a 9 speed road ranger for a tow rig...

Take all that money that you were gonna spend on the diesel swap and put it in a money market account. Use the interest to buy the gas for your 460. Take the time that you were gonna spend on the swap and spend it wheelin with your kids. That's just what I would do, swapping stuff like that is fun, but not too practical. if you realize that and still want to do it cause it sounds like a fun project then go for it.

The simplest would of course be the 6.9/7.3 route. There is a simple way to put a Cummins in. Try www.fordcummins.com
They have simple cheap conversion kits.
I agree, some sort of HD 5spd is far preferable to any automatic with a diesel. A ZF for the 6.9/7.3, a 4500 or Eaton/Fuller (also make 6 spds) for the Cummins.
Re the DT466:I had one in my garage, thinking about putting it in my F350. But after I took some measurements I decided to sell it. WAY too big and heavy. Would have required firewall work, body lift. Ever see waht "C Series Man" had to do to put a C series Cummins in his F350? Not my idea of an easy project, and I've done several diesel swaps. Most recently a Perkins 4.236T into a '42 Dodge Carryall with NP540.
Charlie

I thought from the ford diesel site that you had a DT466 in your truck charlie...oh well. My buddy thinks I should build a old power wagon with either a 6BT or a DT466 in it, set it up with rockwells, air suspension and a flat bed for a unique tow rig...

I was thinking about it, but when I looked at that thing, the 7.3 looked not so bad! The only things that fit easily in old Dodges are 4 cyl diesels like Perkins and Cummins, or else a 6.2/6.5; a non turbo 7.3 might squeeze in. There's a few 3-53 Detroits running around. A gov't installed Mitsubishi 6DR5 in a M37 (6 cyl, 4.0L) is for sale in Michigan for $12.2K, the radiator was moved forwards. Very clean job.
Charlie

GO toTurbo Diesel Register (http://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?forumid=30) to find out about the Cummins Conversion.
I start my conversion this week. Out comes the Ford 460 and C-6 and in goes the Cummins 5.9 L with an Allison 542 tranny. After I regear the Dana 70 it should go from 5 MPG to 15 if the math is right. I take a triple increase in milage anyday.
I drive a Powerstroke everday and it won't pull anywhere near what my Dodge will.
Good luck and look for my progress pics at TDR in about a week.
CJ

Originally posted by Charles Aarons
I was thinking about it, but when I looked at that thing, the 7.3 looked not so bad! The only things that fit easily in old Dodges are 4 cyl diesels like Perkins and Cummins, or else a 6.2/6.5; a non turbo 7.3 might squeeze in. There's a few 3-53 Detroits running around. A gov't installed Mitsubishi 6DR5 in a M37 (6 cyl, 4.0L) is for sale in Michigan for $12.2K, the radiator was moved forwards. Very clean job.
Charlie

we were looking at stretching the nose like we did on his oshkosh (the real reason he wants me to get another truck to play with is his '57 Oshkosh 3 ton all wheel drive is almost completed with it's conversion (swapped the 472 continental 6 out for a DT466, added a 3 speed brownie behind the 5 speed, and removed the pumper body and refitter a custom work bed with a transverse mounted Miller trailblazer welder, and a nice autocrane) for a new truck for his welding shop, and he knows his wife won't let him build another toy...so he want's me to get something that he can play with...

when i came back from bc I weighed the truck before I drove out, only 15,000lbs total. the truck manual says my gcvw is 18,000lbs so i still had room to play. usually I haul an 8 foot in bed camper and a fullsize truck on a trailer.
deisel = too much beeer

Originally posted by Gordon
Take all that money that you were gonna spend on the diesel swap and put it in a money market account. Use the interest to buy the gas for your 460. Take the time that you were gonna spend on the swap and spend it wheelin with your kids. That's just what I would do, swapping stuff like that is fun, but not too practical. if you realize that and still want to do it cause it sounds like a fun project then go for it.

A light of reason cutting through the fog of grand delusion!

Ya, I think you're right. But I am going to keep my eyes open for a diesel donor just in case!:D