7.3L international in a deuce?

As much as i have sworn i will never do anything with this POS engine, it has got me thinking...

Ive got an old F350 im cutting up for a bush buggy, the 7.3L IDI international and ZF5 are coming out of it to be replaced by a BBF and auto.

The engine is a turd (like all IDI diesels) but on the bright side it does have a little bit of power over the ol 302 thats in this heap of scrap metal.

Just wondering is anyone has done this swap yet and the results...?

Im more or less just curious about the mileage. I could care less about it being a slow beast (what do you expect), but i would rather not have it burn fuel like im doing mach5 across the sky. Granted the IDI diesels werent too great for mileage to begin with, hopefully their might be something to gain.

It would be a curious swap and the 7.3 is nothing to frown upon. I drove an ´86 with the 3spd slush box and it did fine for what it was tasked. As to the swap itself, you would be looking at the transfer case as an issue. Motor, radiator, and trans mounts all would be custom.

Another thought to ponder is the mount up of the air compressor on the 7.3l.

As always take lots of pics when doing a swap such as this.

LOL, im sorry but the IDI 7.3s are turds! (in comparison to any other DI diesel in the same displacement range)

The actual swap (making mounts and fabrication), is no problem, i have done quite a bit of fabbing and have all my own gear to do the job.

Tcase is not going to be an issue at all, i can build a shaft for that (yes i make driveshafts too LOL)

I just want to know if anyone else has done it and the mileage they have gotten. the old internationals barely got respectable mileage in an unloaded pickup, but its a hella lot better than these 302's do!

Its going to be alot of dinking around, and not worth the effort to gain 2mpg. not to mention an IDI diesel is pretty much the last thing i want to put in there (a real PITA up here in the cold), but ive already got it so it might be worth a try if their is something to gain.

I love those 7.3 motors (I had a 96 for years)....subscribing!!!!

The IDIs arent that great but they run forever...you can always add a turbo later on too

Just turned 200K on my 2000 7.3 with no issues at all, knock on wood. I would love one in a deuce.

A flowerpoke 7.3 is a totally different story (DI w/turbo, it actually makes some power and has some potential!)

An IDI 7.3 international, is pretty much just a turd and you cant do much about it. DI engines are extremely high compression, along with the fact that they are built fairly light (compared to a DI engine) which means that turboing them is of course always an option, but their is very little to gain because they will not hold any substantial amount of boost.

I do have the old HX35 off of my cummins that i could slap onto the 7.3, but again, their is not a whole lot to gain.

If it was a flowerpoke, i would not even question dropping it in, but these old IDI internationals just dont seem like their is a whole lot to gain.

Just turned 300k in my 01 flowerpoke. Still puss like it did new.

I mean pulls

The old 7.3 (and the 6.9 before them) were excellent engines for their intended purpose, and they served quite well. Trouble is, expectations were for performance in the wrong places and more of it than the engine was ever supposed to deliver, which always leads to disappointment. They just keep chugging along at their own pace, kind of like a deuce does. There's a surprising number of those still out there just chugging around at their own pace. Torque and horsepower would be a step up but not unreasonable, so a respectful driver could keep the rest of the truck glued together. RPMs are not too far off. A good fit performance wise IMHO. As far as the actual physical fit, that's up to you...

International used those engines in the 4000 series trucks. Bolt on belt drawn air compressors, "real" alternator brackets, and commercial style motor mounting paraphernalia can be found for them. I drove a 1990 ish one with a Double Duty D (nine useable gears, but NOT a "nine speed".) It held it's own just fine, it was a good truck at the time, still is for the folks that bought it, but it's not the 300 plus horse monsters we've got in the same sized trucks today. "Fast" was not in it's vocabulary. Loaded or empty, uphill or down, six and change MPG for me. Most guys just used the splitter to keep the engine on the governor all day. They could beat it down to three and a half or four, loaded or empty, uphill or down...

once again, its not a flower power, its a completely different engine (no matter how closely the powerstroke 7.3 is related to the IDI international 7.3). Not that the IDI internationals werent reliable (they were pretty good). they were just gutless, had very little power potential and the mileage was not great, especially when pulling loads

They are decent for what they were. im just not certain its going to be worth the effort to swap into the deuce. The mileage (or lack thereof) is my biggest concern

275 HP @ 2,800 RPM sounds pretty good to me compared to a LDT-465 134 HP @ 2,600 RPM.

Faster top speed AND more than twice the horsepower?

You'd lose your multi-fuel capability... but how often do you burn mystery fuel in it, anyways?

eta: Nm, that's the DI version.

185 HP @ 3,000 RPM is still pretty good.

Holy crap, that's 67mph top speed in a deuce. With stock 40" tires.

lets talk reality. It was rated @ 185hp (highest rating for those years) 20 years and 500k km ago...

oh I know they are different engines...I was just stating that i owned a 95 for $hits and giggles haha I owned a powerstroke not an IDI

YEs the idi idea would be interesting....last I heard you could still find some old banks turbos for them but I havent been suring the idi partof my ford forum for quite a while

YkDave said:

lets talk reality. It was rated @ 185hp (highest rating for those years) 20 years and 500k km ago...

Click to expand...

Your LDT is probably at least 40 years old.

TexAndy said:

Your LDT is probably at least 40 years old.

Click to expand...

Its got a 302 GMC...

Its a reman'd engine, but i havent bothered to look at the details (other than the part of the tag that says its been reman'd LOL)

It likely doesnt have alot of miles on it, this truck has sat more than anything, its biggest issue is that its underpowered to begin with and age hasnt done it any good.

The 7.3 has both age and miles behind it. long past due for an injection pump and injectors. but it still runs. so it may still have something on the 302

I'm guessing that no one can really answer your question based on the replies. Most of the time guys that post here are dumping Cummins in their trucks. Don't know if there is a Cummins of the same era that has been put in a deuce that could give you numbers to compare against the IH engine (think ratio comparison).

I would love to do a 4btaa3.9 or 4.5 swap (im a cummins guy), but you dont come across a good runner every day for a decent price!

I would take the 6b out of my dodge, but ~450hp and triple digit torque would destroy the poor deuce

Im working on a 6b from a buddy, an old VE pumped engine. But its condition is sketchy and much like my 7.3, its likely long past due for a new inj pump and injectors. not sure if its going to be worth persuing either as it may need alot of work

The IDI engine has decent potential, however, The problem with them is the compression is so high on them compared to the powerstroke that if you Turbo it, you can only get 5-10PSI of boost reliably, which would be enough. If it were I, I would sell your current 7.3, then buy a an actual powerstroke. You would be able to get between 14 and 18 MPG with it if you can keep your RPMS below 2000. The powerstroke is most fuel efficient at 1600 rpm. If you go the Powerstroke route there is also a major aftermarket for the engine, power adders and such. You could push that 275hp up to 400 hp easily and the engine will live.


That being said, in my opinion, if you want power and mileage, go the powerstroke route. If you want to just use what you've got, I don't think you will be un-happy with it, but it will not be fast, although it could be made to go faster with the addition of a small wastegated turbo set to open about 7psi.

The 7.3 is out of my F350 i cut up for a bush buggy, nobody in their right mind would pay and kind of decent dollar for the engine, let alone enough to help purchase something more worthy! LOL

Again, im only considering the 7.3 because i have it sitting here without a home. Its next intended home was the dump...

If im going to spend any decent dollar on a swap it would be a cummins or perk-a-pillar.

Heck, ive got an old 3cyl perkins that i could drop into this thing. probably has more power than the 302 (its a 30hp 3.152)

I also have a 302 ford w/5spd sitting here. might be another thing to look into, though once again we are looking at a gas guzzler. especially since i would ditch the EFI for a carb(not a big fan of drowning computers!)

One of the guys around me has a old M211 with a chevy 350 in it. its a TBI out of a 87 Suburan, he says he gets about 12-14 cruising. Pretty sure he put a turbo 400 behind it also. Chevy 350s are a dime a dozen, might find someone willing to trade strait across for your 7.3