Would a powerstroke bolt in where my 7.3L is?

[KC10Chief]

I have a 7.3L international motor in my bus. Non turbo. I was interested for the future, but would a 7.3L powerstroke from an F-250 bolt right in? I see them for less than $2K on E-bay sometimes and I have even seen one locally. I would eventually like to gear my bus down for better highway speeds. 70 mph at 2500 rpm's or less would be fantastic! Of course to do that I'm going to need more power. I currently own a 2002 F-250 powerstroke and I've had the total vehicle weight over 17,000 pounds and I'm still able to power up hills at 80 mph if I want, and that's with 3.73's. Anyways, it would be a project for next year if it were to happen. I'm just curious if it can be done without major mods?

[frank-id]

Just about any power level can be accomplished by adding money, lots of money. All 7.3 engines are not created the same. There has been many changes to this power plant over the last few years. This biggest changes are in the computor systems. My old 1991 Ford F-350 has a turbo and pulls real good. My E4od trans is junk and has it's own computor. The 7.3 is not computor controlled. The overdrive trans only last about 80K before needing a rebuild. A late powerstroke can be installed just about any place with the addition of money. In most cases, it is cheaper and easier to buy a new power enhancing computor chip, than many other changes. Ford transmissions are the weak link, but a reworked Allison is the answer. Most Allison trans are modified for that special application. Make a want list and gather all the numbers for any power level. The big go fast shops are not cheap at about $100 per hour. Most of us bus guys do not have the knowledge to manipulate the electronics. My old Crown Cummins 855 sc is all mechanical and can be altered to make 425HP at 2250RPM. Frank

[The Wanderer]

if it was me, i'd just turbo your current motor with a kit from somewhere. i used to have a 7.3 IDI f250 with an ATS turbo, and it was comparable to my current powerstroke in stock form.

i personally think the mechnical IDI motors are alot better than the powertrokes in reliability, cost of repair, etc. i just dumped a very large chunk of change into my powerstroke for 2 injectors and an injector wiring harness.

[the_experience03]

I think you're basically talking about swapping in a T444E since that is basically what the Powerstroke is. You're talking about doing a lot of wiring there!

Here's two threads from another board that will help make the differences between the T444E and the PSD about as clear as mud.

http://www.thedieselstop.com/archive...o=&fpart=1.htm
http://www.thedieselstop.com/archive...o=&fpart=1.htm

[KC10Chief]

Hmmmm.... so it would probably be easier to just add a turbo huh? Any idea where I might find one that would fit? Thanks!

[the_experience03]

Banks makes a complete kit for the IDI Ford engines. I'm sure it could be adapted relatively easily. You can find them on the secondary market (read: eBay) now.

[Jarlaxle]

Yes, but it wouldn't run. The PSD has enough electronics (and miles of wiring) that nobody sane would even consider this swap.

A Banks or ATS turbo & maybe aftercooler (you certainly have the space for one) would be way easier.