swapping 7.3 turbo non powerstroke w/ powerstroke

[strokin'_tatsch]

lookin' at a '94 f-250 4x4 w/ a ZF-5 tranny and a 7.3 turbo non powerstroke engine in it and the guy wants $3000. the truck only has 150000 miles on it and everything is in great shape on it. this is where it gets hard. i don't want the non powerstroke engine. i want to swap in a powerstroke if i can do so cleanly. do y'all think i would be able to sell my truck and sell the 7.3 turbo engine for enough money to buy this '94 and convert it to a powerstroke with some power adders done on the engine? how much do you think it would cost me to buy a '96 or '97 powerstroke engine with all the electronics for it? if i can't do this swap, then i don't want the truck at all. let me know what y'all think and thanks a bunch

 

[Zookie400]

unless you already have both trucks, i would say its not worth it. if you had them both, and the stroker was crashed, i would say go for it. of course this is just my opinion, but i think you would be better off just finding another truck.

 

[pete37922]

keep the naturaly aspirated engine as like a classic...dont hear about them 2 much !!!

 

[trackspeeder]

unless you already have both trucks, i would say its not worth it. if you had them both, and the stroker was crashed, i would say go for it. of course this is just my opinion, but i think you would be better off just finding another truck.

What he said.

 

[addicted]

Why is it that you don't want the non powerstroke. My buddies dad replaced his 460 guzzler with one put a larger turbo on, played with the pump, added and intercooler and he is one very very happy camper. I'm not saying I don't like my engine...I am very very happy with it, but if I had two sitting side by side and I could save some money I would and then would have fun customizing and throw it right back in..

 

[Zookie400]

addicted is right.......those engines are bullet proof, and have plenty of power available.

 

[pete37922]

keep the 7.3L non turbo !!!

 

[strokin'_tatsch]

i don't know anything about the engines actually. i absolutely love my powerstroke and i have already outrun a kid at school w/ the 7.3 turbo non powerstroke quite a few times. he has turned the pump up a bit and it smokes more than mine, but i'm not too sure about the 21.5:1 compression ratio. that would take away quite a bit of power wouldn't it? i could lower the compression ratio, but i would rather have my stroker. i'm not dissing the engine at all b/c like i said i don't know much about them. i also heard that the stock charger can only handle about 17psi of boost and i don't have the money for larger chargers and stuff. i think i'm going to keep my '95 powerstroke, but i'm still open on it. i went and drove the truck and it definitely doesn't have great throttle response on it compared to the strokers. what else can i do to that engine? i want to turn one of these 2 trucks into a sledpuller one day or maybe even a weekend drag racer. so say with around 400-500hp goal set. what would you guys say?

 

[Zookie400]

the problem really with a drivetrain swap like that, is that it really is simple, and sounds like an easy thing to do. the problem is that you run out of time, and money because of all those little things adding up, and there are always minor snags that just add up, and before you know it you have a half done project with weeds growing out of it and no money.

as far as building a sled puller, im sure others will chime in with thier opinions, but i think they are both great platforms to start with.

do some research on the idi engines, youll find some cool stuff. im no expert on them, but if you say that they are only good for 17 psi, i think it has something to do with the engine not really being designed to run under pressure to begin with. i know 79broncoidi can vouche for the power he has gotten out of a non-turbo'd 7.3 mechanical. i have seen some idi's do some rather surprising pulls at the local fairs.

im sure others will chime in with thier experiences/opinions.

 

[strokin'_tatsch]

oh, just to clarify. i want this truck to be around 400-500hp driving daily, then i'm going to get another truck one day to drive everyday and turn the old truck into a puller or drag truck. probably puller b/c it's a manual tranny.