KEN - Son was thinking more along the lines of dropping that turbo engine in a '69 Z-28 Camero or a '70s vintage Monte Carlo, or maybe a '70 SS-Chevelle. I test drove a new Vega sedan at my local Chevy dealer the night they came out. Only Vega I ever liked a Buddy in HS had, a Vega GT. Don't know what He did to it but I remember driving to the town 8 miles away from my hometown with three other people in the car in something like five-six minutes. It seemed to run right up to 90-100 MPH with ease.
Dad had a '67 F-250 Camper Special, very similar to your '71. It had a 352 FE and an FMX tranny (early C6 with Issues) Nice enough truck, got 11 mpg @ 50-55 mph, and 9 mpg @ 70+. I had a '78 F-150. Got it spring of '80 and traded it for my '87. The driver's door was four inches SHORTER than the passenger door when I got rid of it, the box had so many holes rusted in it I couldn't haul bales of hay, and the rear wheel tubs rusted so bad spray from the rear tires covered the mirrors & rear cab window. But the drivetrain was stout, 300-6, NP-435 creeper low 4-speed, NP-205 T-case & 3.55 ratio 9-Inch T/L rear axle/DANA 44 frt axle. Other than U-joints, brakes, and one freak problem with the diaphram spring in the clutch nothing ever broke in the drivetrain. WHY did Ford have to stop using the LONG style pressure plate?!?!
Early IH diesel engines used by Ford were called "IDI", meaning indirect injection, or of the Lanova style combustion process, the injector fired into a pre-combustion chamber in the head. Kinda like trying to start a bonfire in a pop can! without cutting the top off. Doesn't work real well. Even with glow plugs they still didn't start real well, too much cold iron around where they were trying to start the fire.
From '94-1/2 all engines known as POWERSTROKES were Direct injected, with at the time extrememly high pressure HEUI injectors firing into a bowl machined into the pistons, capable of up to 21,000 PSI. And even after 15 yrs of additional development the highest injection pressure I've heard of is still only 28,000 PSI. Actually, CAT developed the HEUI injection system but IH used it in the most different engine families.
My PSD has started after sitting all day (12 hrs) in 15 degree temps, still had 15W-40 oil and a couple bad glowplugs. It didn't "POP" right off, but at least I didn't have to walk sixty miles home either!
Some of IH's early diesel engines left something to be desired. Like their "start-on-gas, run on diesel" engines. They had ALL the problems of a diesel, PLUS all the typical gas engine problems plus some others as well. And the early 6-cyl. diesels like the 236 & 282's with early glowplug start were NOT durable. But the 361, 407, all the smaller Nuess engines, 3,4,& 6 cyl. and the 300 & 400-series were really good engines.
IH entered into a joint venture with MANN of Europe several years ago. They renamed all their engine families. The "New" PSD, the 6.4 L is now known as the MAXX 7. They make versions up to 300 HP from only 390 cid. The '79 Cummins 903 cid V-8 I drove 30 yrs ago only made 320 HP. Plus the Cum-a-part smoked like a pile of burning tires when it was cold outside, only blue-gray smoke instead of black.
IH has to be one of the top 3 diesel engine manufacturing companies in the world right now. CUMMINS is probably #1, Mercedes is good, CAT not so good, they haven't adapted to the latest rounds of US emmissions regulations well. Detroit is good for the bigger semi-truck engines, but their smaller medium duty engines stink, figuratively and literally. To save face they even renamed purchased DT-466 IH engines and sold them as "Series 40" Detroit engines years ago, not sure if they still do. ForD is going to release their own "In-House 6.7L Powerstroke" this fall. Still a twin-turbo V-8. I wish them well, but I'm really glad I'm not in the market for a new pickup. And if I was, I'd look REAL hard at IH's new TerraStar.
