this is my truck

my dad's cousin bought it brand new for a farm truck.

its had atleast 7 engines in it and i'm going to add another to the list.

a long time ago my dad helped him put a detroit 6v in it but the weight was too much for the front end, and it would go through a set of tires in about 1500 miles.

other than that he said it bolted into the motor mounts and to the transmission and the only thing they had to do was notch the frame for the oil filter.

i've decided to put another 6v in this truck because when i go on vacation i use 35 gallons of gas for my 160 mile drive one way.

so 70 gallons of gas just to get there and back really hurts the pocket book.

the little 350 is really getting tired. i have to drive with it floored sometimes just to do the speed limit.

rather than buy a new truck just to pull my toys a couple times a year,
here's what i'm thinking.

i would like to find a wrecked F550 or something of the sort and take the rear end (correct gears for a diesel) and take the front straight axle and put them under my truck.

then i would like to find a 6v, preferrably a 92 but would settle for a 71 and a tranny that would be adequate and put it in.

would like to find a 10 speed or something similar.


some of you are wondering i'm sure why is this guy posting? seems like he's got everything figured out.

i would like opinions.

i've been trying to research diesels and its hard to find anything that i'm looking for. even on this forum it seems the only conversions done are
4-53's and smaller.

as far as the detroit's go it seems to be a love hate relationship.

some people swear by em and others think they are the worst diesel ever.

and i dont have much diesel experience and i just found out that it's a 2 stroke.

after looking at some power figures and watching some video's on youtube i kind of like what i see and i think a detroit would be the right choice.

one of my other options was the 3126 or 3226 cat.

this is another diesel i really like. i would love to put a 3406 in but i dont know if the engine bay is physically big enough.

any input is greatly appreciated!