In preparation for a 2 week trip to San Jose, CA, the Ol’ Beast is back under the wrenches again. I’ve been busy as all get out fixing little things on it that I have been putting off. When you have a 24 year old truck those little issues, I like to refer to them as “Character points”
Many times I just “deal with it”... like whenever I filled up my front tank, I would get a steady drip of diesel on the ground. It wouldn’t stop until I drove about 20-30 miles because I like to top off my fuel tanks. Well that diesel would drip and spray to the rear axle and make a big mess. So while the truck sits waiting to get a new turbo fully installed, I decided to see what was going on...
A Crack in the Filler Neck
What a simple repair, but I had dealt with it for... Geee... I don’t know... years??? Take off a couple hose clamps, pull the tube off the tank, cut the cracked section off the tube and put it back on... seriously took about 1/2 hour. Why I never fixed this earlier if beyond me.HAHAHA
Now if I am gonna be running down the Oregon coast towing our camp trailer something needs to be done about my Exhaust Gas Temperatures (EGT’s). Diesel engines are pretty easy to add power to. A nice performance chip, straight piped exhaust, and intake will only get you so far. So if you want more power, you need more fuel. So this is where the can of worms gets opened. In order to feed bigger HEUI injectors used in a 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel - Hydraulic Electric Unit Injector You need more volume and pressure when it comes to the High Pressure Oil System. So an upgraded pump is needed. Fuel delivery needs an upgrade also. So bye-bye mechanical fuel pump hello electric fuel pump. Then add in an intercooler to help cool the Exhaust Gas Temperatures and that is basically where my truck was at.
The increase in power was awesome, yet there was a downside. I had a lot of unusable power. I was limited by the increase in EGT’s. More fuel = more heat. Too much heat for too long can totally destroy your engine. Towing my camp trailer up steep grades has been such a pain. Constantly watching my EGT gauge to make sure I am not exceeding 1,200 degrees F at the exhaust manifold. Half throttle up a steep hill is all I could use. Annoying, frustrating, and it wears you out thinking about it all the time.
To fix this issue I finally pulled the trigger on a whole new turbo setup. Bigger turbo for increased boost and more air flow through the engine.
This turbo has a totally different way of mounting to the engine. It’s called a T-4 style mount which gives you tons of options when choosing a turbo. Irate Diesel located in Amity, Oregon, makes a great T-4 mount setup for my 1997 Ford F-350 7.3L Powerstroke. Complete with stainless steel intercooler, Down pipe, up pipes, and intake tube.
This kit went together really nicely due to some good R & D work down by Irate Diesel. Before I installed them, I ran the piping through my paint booth...
2,000 degree F high temp ceramic paint
While they hung out to dry, I bent my new stainless steel fuel lines. Being the first time I have ever built fuel lines, I am glad I bought extra 3/8 stainless steel tubing. I did have to rebuild 2 of them because the flare on the end of the hose split causing it to leak.
Once there were no leaks
and I installed all the new components to the new turbo setup.Modified Stock Turbo/intercooler Setup
New Irate Diesel T-4 Turbo/Intercooler setup
I haven’t been able to drive it yet but it does run and it seems to run a lot smoother. The big 7.3L normally had a bit of a shimmy side to side but not now. I wonder why??? Maybe less restriction on the fuel because I increased the size of the fuel lines??... All I have to tie the exhaust down pipe into my existing exhaust then this part will be done. Plus weld on a couple exhaust hangers to support the 4 inch straight pipe exhaust.
I know a guy who basically has the identical truck and he loves this turbo/injector combo. The big part is he never has to worry about his EGT’s getting too high. Plus he is building 45psi boost where as I was only able to do about 26psi. This is how he goes out camping...
Now that is a setup!!
These modifications should put me around 400HP and 800lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. That is a huge gain compared to the stock 210HP/425lb-ft. I really can’t wait to drive it and tow my trailer on camping trips this year. It’s gonna be epic!!!
I have one last modification that needs to be done before the trip and that is swapping out the rear 16 gallon tank for a much bigger tank. 38 gallons to be exact. That will give me a total fuel carrying capacity of 54 gallons. 16 gallons on the front tank and 38 gallons in the rear.
I had been wanting to do this modification for years but just thought it would be a big PITA to get it to fit and extend the fuel pickup tube and lengthen the float for the fuel gauge. Not to mention making sure I get the correct tank. My assumptions couldn’t have been further from the truth. I found the 38 gallon fuel tank Here and at a price of $140 shipped to my house I just couldn’t afford not to!!
It comes with everything needed to complete the upgrade from a 16 gallon to a 38 gallon... everything. It should be delivered here in the next few days along with some new steps to help Mama-Splatts and the kids get into the truck easier. So stay tuned for that big tank install which will probably be happening next week.
So until next time...
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