f250 conversion

[Dieselholic]

I'm thinking of dropping a 6bt in a 80-86 f-250. Is it a crazy idea? Can that old borg warner 4spd hold up to the torque?And for those who did the conversion, how long did it take? Thanks.

 

[BV]

80's F250/Cummins conversion

No it's not a crazy idea however I would consider upgrading to a ZF or even the NV4500 or NV5600. Depending on what options you want to add while your at it and how clean of an installation you shot for it could be done in 100-150 hours.

 

[f.boyle]

Hey me two!!! the frame on my 90 is cracked and is non repaireable my cousine has a 80's F250 or 350 not possative, he blew the motor on a couple years back he might give me. I'll have to go get specs off it he's not a TRUCK person ya know? he knows it has 4 wheels and wont go no more. I know it was either a 3/4 or 1 ton single wheel unfortunitly- but the frame is good I think AZ truck so it should be. Oo.

what does the conversion entail? can I use the getrag without too much fab? when did ford run the split front axles? could I just swap in the dana 60 from my dodge? what did they use for a rear? transfer?more questions later my german shepard puppy named- Diezel :-laf need to go out.

frank

 

[1stgen4evr]

swaping stuff

No doubt the ford will receive the Cummins with delight. There are issues as to fwd, and transmission/transfer setup. Would you abandon FWD on the ford or does it have that setup? Is the front drive shaft in the same place?

And no, the Borg warner will not have the guts to handle the Cummins for long. Of course that depends a lot on how big your foot is. Stick with the Getrag and just use the rear drive if TWD. A Muncie will handle the Cummins for sure. I drove a crew cab chevy for a couple hundred thousand miles with a Cummins. I put a Perkins in a Ford back in 79 or 80. It is bigger and heavier than the Cummins and it was ok so the Cummins will do fine if you work out the connections.



You have a PM also.



James

 

[f.boyle]

what has to get done for a cummins to fit? any fire wall massaging? or just engine mounts, new clutch kit wile its apart, couple wires what do you do about the intake heater wiring taggle switch? what other little corks are their? could the transmission fit right in or am I going to need a new support? drive shafts?

Frank

 

[Jim Fulmer]

I'm thinking of dropping a 6bt in a 80-86 f-250.



Piers has been working on one for the shop for sometime now (over a year) it's an old body style quad cab 250, with his old motor out of the red truck and a set of Twins.



Jim

 

[1stgen4evr]

Cummins in a ford

what has to get done for a cummins to fit? any fire wall massaging? or just engine mounts, new clutch kit wile its apart, couple wires what do you do about the intake heater wiring taggle switch? what other little corks are their? could the transmission fit right in or am I going to need a new support? drive shafts?

Frank

On the 80s Fords, there may be a need to give a well planned whack on the fire wall here or there to get the best fit. I had to do that for the Perkins in the 70s Ford that we did. We have done several Cummins into Chevy application and what we do now is to put the engine in with the Dodge mounts bolted on the engine and fab the metal to complete between the frame and the mounts. The wire to the coil will energize the run solonoid on the Cummins and as to the intake heater, I would not use a toggle but rather a push and hold momentary switch. With a toggle, you are sure to forget sooner or later and burn the elements out. Clutch kit? Yes and anything else that needs attention while it is out. (Like leaks or KDP) The rear support from the dodge can be modified to mount the back of the transmission and the drive shafts will certainly not be the right length. Ford made enough truck that they have different floor stampings for the 3/4 and 1 tons compared to the 1/2 ton. I think there is room under the hump for the getrag and transfer case. If the ford was not FWD, you may have to enlarge the hump to accomodate that. Without a doubt the shift stick will be in a different place.



BUT, it can all be done.



1stgen4evr

James

 

[BV]

what has to get done for a cummins to fit? any fire wall massaging? or just engine mounts, new clutch kit wile its apart, couple wires what do you do about the intake heater wiring taggle switch? what other little corks are their? could the transmission fit right in or am I going to need a new support? drive shafts?

Frank

You need to massage the firewall or remove the fan blade set and replace with electric. I ended up beating the firewall and scooting everything back 2. 5" then tilting the radiator forward so I could run a stock Dodge fan.



Engine mounts can be purchased or made.



Clutch is up to you. South Bend Clutch fixed me up with a Dodge/Ford Combo that so far is working okay.



Wiring depends on what you want to work or not. Don't put the heaters on a toggle switch for the reasons mentioned by 1stgen4evr.



Pretty much any transmission will work and yes you need to make a support unless you have ZF 5 speed which can use the Ford f350 rear support and yes you will need to do some driveline work.



Items of interest are - Your turbo will be tight on the passenger side unless you change out the exhaust manifold. I'm running the stock manifold but have insulated the HVAC housing accordingly. You will need to work with the front core support to fit the CAC (charge air cooler/intercooler). Air conditioning adds some work and money if you do it right and put the condensor in front of the CAC.

 

[DPinkston]

BV,

What year Ford did you convert? What radiator and rad support did use use, the gas or diesel version? I have the stock 460 radiator and support that is on the truck now and a huge 7. 3 radiator and support that can go in if needed. I would rather not move the transmission from it's original location unless I had no choice. I don't really want to use electric fans either. Any other tips or problem areas?

Danny

 

[BV]

BV,

What year Ford did you convert? What radiator and rad support did use use, the gas or diesel version? I have the stock 460 radiator and support that is on the truck now and a huge 7. 3 radiator and support that can go in if needed. I would rather not move the transmission from it's original location unless I had no choice. I don't really want to use electric fans either. Any other tips or problem areas?

Danny

My 96 Cummins is housed in a 92 f350 4x4 crewcab Diesel/ zf5 speed XLT. I'm using the Ford Diesel radiator and and what is left of the diesel core support.



If your converting a gasser then you will need a vacuum reservoir off a diesel. They are located under the drivers side battery.

 

[Nordby]

Talk to Kenny Kraus, Auto World in Billings. He is a specialist at 1980 and newer Ford truck cummins repowers. A few minutes on the phone with him and the lady running the show (his wife?, not sure) will set you straight on motor mounts, radiators, a/c brackets, transmissions, intercoolers, and other nonsense you will run into.



Extremely helpful, and tons of wisdom in this area. 406-727-8915. I don't know these folks, but someone replied to my conversion topic and suggested to call them - glad I did.



jon