what should I do while the motor's out? (6.9L diesel engine mods?)

[tel]

so I did something silly to my grandma's truck, and I've got to pull the motor out to fix it. so, what mods would you folks suggest that are easier to do with the motor out? I'm thinking specifically of modifications to the motor at this time. money and complexity will definitely be important factors, but don't let that limit the ideas too much.

the truck:
1986 F-250, 6.9-liter diesel, running homebrew biodiesel.

thanks a lot.

[oil pan 4]

Here is our thread on modding a N/A 6.2L diesel.
Most everything that will boost power on a N/A diesel will boost fuel economy too.
Question: 6.2L diesel with headers or turbo????? - Diesel Place : Chevrolet and GMC Diesel Truck Forums

Adding a turbo will increase milage and power a fair amount. Converting to electric fans or an electric fan clutch has been shown to give a 10% to 15% gain.

[tel]

my buddy's got a turbo from a 7.3, so I may see what that would take to rebuild. I don't know if there's room for all the plumbing, but I'll look into it.

the fan mod appeals to me. I need to look into how model-specific electric fans need to be. are the electric clutches as effective as electric fans?

I think I'll probably pull the a/c. if I can find a junkyard manual steering gear (big if), I would swap that for the power steering. I guess neither of those need the motor out, but it will certainly be simper that way.

and I'm wading through the diesel place thread. some good info there.

[oil pan 4]

Any electric fan mod would be a custom install.
Get a fan or fans that are big enough and make them fit.
Electric fans are not really for heavy tow vehicles.

Electric fan clutchs will turn a fan a lot harder and move a lot more air than electric fans.

If you do go N/A try an X-pipe.

There is also water injection too.

[tel]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Any electric fan mod would be a custom install.
Get a fan or fans that are big enough and make them fit.
Electric fans are not really for heavy tow vehicles.

Electric fan clutchs will turn a fan a lot harder and move a lot more air than electric fans.

If you do go N/A try an X-pipe.

There is also water injection too.

do electric clutches operate substantially different than the thermostatic clutch that's on there now? that clutch seems to be working fine, but the fan still moves a fair amount of air when it's disengaged. if an electric clutch would do the same, I don't imagine there would be a whole lot of improvement.

by x-pipe, I assume you're talking about exhaust. a previous owner of this truck installed a larger single exhaust than stock. is there any advantage of dual exhausts over a single exhaust if the total cross section is the same?

[oil pan 4]

I am not 100% sure if an electric clutch will fully disengauge the fan. I am sure the electronic clutch does a better job of disengauging the fan than the thermo clutch.
Around 2008 GM went with an electric clutch to improve fuel economy over the thermo clutch.
A thermo clutched fan sucks down around 4hp off the crank at highway speed, when you dont need it to.
Plus with the fan not turning your engine warms faster in cooler weather.

The X-pipe scavanges exhaust better than any Y pipe or true duel pipe setup.
If you turbo, go with the biggest pipe that will fit and run it the shortest length you can get away with.

[tel]

realistically, the turbo most likely won't happen at this time. I'll certainly ask if my buddy is willing to part with his, but I'm not holding my breath. likewise on the exhaust. since having the motor out doesn't seem like it would make an exhaust upgrade any easier, I'm not really in any great hurry on that one.

the fan, though, could certainly happen. do you think a GM electronic fan clutch would easily install on an International motor? if not, any other suggestions for going that route?

[oil pan 4]

There are a lot of different clutchs out there.
I do not know which one would fit best. I say start looking at them on ebay and see what looks like it might fit and take the plunge on the best looking one.

[tel]

looks like Ford switched to an electric fan clutch at some point, too. I assume that I would also have to find and install a temperature probe and sending unit in the radiator or a coolant hose.

I think I could manage all that.

[slowmover]

IF the motor is out then it is time to rebuild the front end, suspension and steering. And replace all body bushings. Steering wander is a huge problem for pickup trucks, even new (given worm & ball where not rack & pinion), so take advantage of this temporary situation, IMO.