///// 1990 F250 /////

[Andyinchville1]

Hi All,

Recently I bought a non running 1990 Ford F250 Longbed 4x4 (5sp , 460 engine with a blown head gasket) ) to take the snow plow off for my other F250 ( a diesel of the same year) without a plow.

Anyways, I thought about simply fixing the head gasket issue and selling the truck to resell to recoup my $$ (should be able to sell it for what I got it for minus the plow assy, but then again a 460 with high price gas man not be a good seller .... I'm guessing she would like to drink fuel!.

Thinking about a TDI swap .... Granny low should let her start up (I guess in a real pinch maybe have to run with the manual front hubs off and try launching in 1 Low but maybe that isn't necessary.

I have read that the truck can weigh in the mid to upper 4K lbsd range.

Has anybody done something similar ? .... It would be helpful if I could find an adapter plate to mate the TDI to the trans ....

Other than that major hurdle , I think the rest should be "easy" .... at least there is plenty of space under the hood to work!

Andrew

 

[turbocharged798]

IMHO, a 4 cylinder TDI is just way too small. Yes it could be done but the motor will be stressed and you will be constantly fighting EGTs. There are so many better options for that truck.

 

[PradoTDI]

I met a guy who had TDI swapped a similar era F150 single cab, 2wd with success. If it really weighs in at less than 5k pounds then weight won’t be your main concern, more wind and rolling resistance at higher speeds. My TDI LandCruiser weighs nearly 5k and will happily do 70+mph at 1100f EGT, but has a much smaller profile than an OBS Ford. If you gear it correctly and don’t intend to go anywhere fast then it should work, but IMO there are certainly better engjne options out there. A V6 TDI would be really cool, but likely quite difficult.

 

[PickleRick]

I don't see an obs long bed 4x4 coming in less than 5k.

Even the non turbo 7.3 barely got an empty obs to speed going up hill.

 

[Straypoet]

As much as I love swaps of all kinds; if your goal is to sell it then just replace the head gasket and sell it.
The time and cost to do a swap on the truck won't be something you are likely to recoup.

If you are are determined to diesel swap that truck, you should do a 4bt because it is better suited to the size of the vehicle (GVWR), and you would be able to tow with it etc.

 

[PickleRick]

I met a guy who had TDI swapped a similar era F150 single cab, 2wd with success. If it really weighs in at less than 5k pounds then weight won’t be your main concern, more wind and rolling resistance at higher speeds. My TDI LandCruiser weighs nearly 5k and will happily do 70+mph at 1100f EGT, but has a much smaller profile than an OBS Ford. If you gear it correctly and don’t intend to go anywhere fast then it should work, but IMO there are certainly better engjne options out there. A V6 TDI would be really cool, but likely quite difficult.

The v6 3.0 TDI could move a 3 ton boat. That would be an impressive motor.

 

[oilhammer]

My '97 F250 7.5L 4x4 5sp Supercab shortbed can tag low teens at unladen moderate highway speeds, but 11-12 is a more realistic average. I've not done any heavy towing with it yet, but it barely notices anything I have hooked behind it so far. It rarely ever needs to spin past 2000 RPMs to do much of anything. I have been actually pleasantly surprised with it.

The last big block Ford I had was a '78 F250, which was only 2WD and a regular cab long bed... but it was cursed with a C6 automatic (only 3 speeds, no lockup) and the lowest ratio rear end they had. It got about 6 MPG. If I hooked 7k pounds behind it... it got... 6 MPG. I filled the bed with mulch, built a fence around the bed so I could double that, it got 6 MPG.

Automatics suck. Literally.

 

[jmodge]

You could sell it the way it is and spend your time on something else also. Who knows what kind of can of worms you could be opening up. Cracked head, burnt piston, bottom end loose or any other engine or driveline/suspension/brake problems.

 

[TDeanI]

The five speed 4 by 4 drivetrain makes it desirable. I would do the head gasket and flip it.

Sure it may get 12 mpg, but that is not bad for a 460 powered truck. Many get single digit mpg. This will get better mpg than a C6 tranny.

A TDI with an aftermarket turbo could be okay. You could get a F150 Long Bed 4 by 4 stock with a 302 V8 or a 300-6 and they probably don't have any more torque than a TDI with aftermarket goodies. I just wouldn't waste a good TDI motor on this. I doubt you would be happy driving this rig. At that weight, you would maybe see 18 mpg with a TDI motor and it wouldn't last very long being worked that hard.

The 460 is not known for blowing head gaskets so something made it hot, probably blocking the radiator air flow with a plow.

 

[Alberta 7.3]

A stock or mildly tuned TDI would be close in numbers with the old 300 I6, no way it will make 460 numbers reliably for any length of time or have decent driveability. My 97 F250 needs the mildly modified 7.3 PSD it has just so I can take it out in public without being embarrassed.