6.9 tahoe ?

[6.2 turbo]

I bought a 96 tahoe minus the engine,I'm thinking of putting in a 6.9 or 7.3 IH motor. If I do a 6.9 or 7.3 it would be turbocharged ,and get a custom built pump. What I'm wondering is how much better are these motors than a 6.2 or 6.5. I'm having trouble finding a 6.5 with no cracks,I do have one with only one crack,but I'm sure it will crack more eventually. Supposedly the IH motors have a forged steel crank and have a nodular block, and use a headgasket with a solid steel core. Are these motors so much better than the 6.2 or 6.5 that it would be worth the extra work to swap into a chevy? After inspecting 3 6.5 blocks of mine and pulling the pan off a 6.2 at the junk yard I'm convinced they are all cracked or about to crack.

 

[Acesneights1]

P pumped 24v. The 7.3s had problems with the blocks and the 6.9 isn't much better than a 6.2 Not bad engine but a dog too.

 

[6.2 turbo]

I thought of that but it costs to much to build a tranny,for a Cummins. A v8 diesel is easier on trannys,plus this will be my wife's ride and not a tow vehicle,but I want it to run better than the vortec 350. Before I get a 6.9 or 7.3 I need to know more about them.

 

[BigBlueChevy]

The 6.9 and 7.3 IDI motors aren't much better than the 6.2 and 6.5's. For one thing, the injection pumps don't live much longer than 100,000 miles, and that was with LSD, not the lubrication lacking ULSD we have today. Second, there is a chemical imbalance between the blocks and the coolant used. It requires you to use an additive in the coolant and be rather religious about the changes. Not adding the additive will result in the coolant eating away at the block. NOT something you want happening.

IMHO, the old 6.9 and 7.3 IDI's aren't much better than the 6.2 and 6.5 motors. Though I do like how the old 6.9's sound. It would be a cool swap if the parts are available. Nothing wrong with going out of the ordinary.

 

[6.2 turbo]

I have another question,would a big block ford stick shift bellhousing fit or are the diesels by themselves? I will probably go with a 5 spd manual. I talked to some people that used to work on these motors,they both said the engine is stronger than a 6.5, but not sure about putting one in a chevy. Also these motors are very large it might be a tight fit.

 

[chevyCowboy]

a guy i know had a 6.9 and it was a giant turd. it ran like crap and had no power. granted it was old handnt been cared for that well and it was N/A

 

[6.2 turbo]

I never seen any that ran that great either. I expect a 4 plunger pump and lots of boost,and higher rpms would change things. Just not sure if its worth the extra hassle of installing versus a easy 6.5 swap. I believe the main advantage of the IH motor is it stronger block and crank,I looked at pictures of the injectors they seem a little weird also,main caps look pretty tough though. I know where at lest two 6.9 s are but all the rest of the parts I would need might not be easy to find,compared to chevy parts which are a dime a dozen.

 

[BigBlueChevy]

I believe the diesels are on there own in regards to the transmissions. Lets say you had a 460 BBF with a ZF5. You would need a new bellhousing, clutch and flywheel in order to mate that ZF5 from the BBF to the diesel.

I've only had to put up with one of these motors. And its in a 1986 International S1600 with a 4spd manual behind it. It has very limited power, and is a real PITA to start, especially with no functional glow plugs. But this motor does not die. It does need a new injection pump after 24 hours straight of plowing though. They are tough motors, but a pain to get running. Google the 1200hp 6.9IDI and see what you can find. Dave made mention of one that was built back in the 90's before "everybody else was doing it". You may be able to learn alot from that if you do enough research.

 

[6.2 turbo]

I think all the ZF trannys have none removable bellhousings,maybe the powerstroke tranny would bolt up? The 1200 hp 6.9 had a p pump like Bill Heath had on his 6.2 drag truck.