cloud flare

hey guys i had a hairball idea and I wanted some input from you all. I got a 97 reg cab flareside with the 4.6 tritan 5 speed which is really getting high in the mileage count 215000. Ive been wanting to get a diesel but then i thought why not convert my favorite truck to diesel. any thoughts /advice or criticism?

goneMINIcrazy

No solid info for you, but I can tell you it's gonna be a lot of work...

seaeagle2

My advice is get a 65 thru 78, they have enough room in the engine bay, and they make universal engine mount kits that you can mount anything too.

Zrock

put a cummins in it lighter and smaller.. Get one with the least amount of electronics as possible off one of the older trucks

king nothing

I guarantee that your front suspension isn't going to hold up under the weight of a diesel engine. If you were going to try though, easiest swap would probably be a 4BT

goneMINIcrazy

A diesel over a gas is what? max an extra 50lbs or so? There's bull bars and brush guards that weigh more than that. It may sit just a little lower but it could definitely handle it (I would think).

king nothing

I can't find weight specs for the truck 4.6 but I would expect a diesel to weigh 1.5 to 2 times what the gas engine weighs. The 4bt is around 800lb with all accessories installed, while 6 cylinder and v8 engines will be north of 1000lb

Edit: found one source saying the iron 4.6 engine is right around 500lb

goneMINIcrazy

The 5.4 was available in the 97 wasn't it? Probably the same suspension setup for both engines, so maybe add a little more weight to what the suspension is used to handling.

Even then, you're right, that is a considerable weight difference. Even if the suspension could handle it, you'd lose so much payload and probably have a truck that handles like horse ****.

MPETE

iTrader: (1)

4BT is the way to go. guys are swapping 4BT's into jeep's and toyota's and durango's which are rated for a lot less than an F150 is. All it really needs is a little bit stiffer spring in the front to support the weight and maybe a little ballast weight in the rear to balance it out.
head over www.4btswaps.com and have a look around. I guarantee anything you need to know about a swap into something as mainstream as an F150, has already been cover AT LEAST once, probably a few times.

95stepside

Hahahahaha, no.

4.6 ~500 lbs
5.4 ~525 lbs
Cummins 6bt~1100 lbs
4bt ~850 lbs
7.3 ~ 920 lbs