'86 6.9, Banks?

[mwe-maxxowner]

I've recently acquired an 86 f-250 2wd with a 6.9L diesel. I'm interested in the Banks wastegated sidewinder kit for this truck. I wonder if anyone knows how much this kit costs? Also I looked on the banks website, and they only list this kit for a standard cab truck, but this one is an extended cab. Is that what the exhaust extension kit they list is for?

I also have an '87 f-250 with a 460, what's offered for my 460?

Thanks,

Mitchell

[CDX825]

I'm pretty sure banks discontinued the turbo kits for our trucks but no fear cause hypermax makes a great kit and the price and costumer service is unbeatable!

Hypermax - Catalog

[1987IDI]

banks still makes them. Take the part number from there site and punch it into google shopping. Its around $2600 to $2800
Hypermax is much cheaper i think.

As for your 460, they've been making the engine since 1968 and there are a million ways to hop up a gas engine! Carb, intake, heads, cam. Start with the basics. (I think its a sin to talk about gas engines on here, so be careful)

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by mwe-maxxowner

I also have an '87 f-250 with a 460, what's offered for my 460?

Thanks,

Mitchell

I ran an '86 F250XL extended cab LB with a 460/C6. Mine was the last year they were carbed. and there is tons of stuff out there. I was pushing 500 HP and if it weren't for it's drinking habit I would probably still have it. But then I wouldn't have joined this great forum

[mwe-maxxowner]

Yeah, well, my 460 has a towing cam, edelbrock performer series intake, and has been bored .60 over and none of that seemed to make much difference. I was just wondering if banks offered anything. I believe mine's waaaay away from 500 horses lol but it's a good truck and does haul pretty well. The truck was my daddy's before he handed it to me, and it had 210,000 miles and had a very bad exhaust leak due to 4 broken exhaust manifold bolts. He decided to take rebuild it since he had to take it out to fix that, and ran across an '86 460 from a van he got for 300 dollars, then proceeded to put it in place of the original engine. (my truck is an '87, which I believe is also the last carbureated year-both of these trucks I'm talking of also have a c-6) When finished putting the engine in, the rod from the oil pump was not placed in the correct channel leading to the distributor, so when we fired it up the first time it was not pumping oil. After that daddy went ahead and had the '86 engine rebuilt anyway, with the mods listed above, and it really doesn't seem to be quite as stout as the original engine stock. I hate that, but the truck does run pretty well, other than leaking some oil. I wonder if there was some difference between the versions of the 460 in the van and the ones in the trucks?

Anyway back to the 6.9, it's already had a stock airbox installed and piped in from a '94 powerstroke (direct injection, so yes powerstroke) and been straightpiped. I wonder what else I could do that's a little cheaper than the 2-3 grand. I'm looking to pay off a camper I just bought so I can buy about a '99 'stroke. I like to take my camper to the mountains, and my 460 gets a little too slow in the mountains with my camper, and the oil pressure gauge drops a little when I start calling on it hard going uphill or passing someone etc with my camper, so that has me a little gunshy of pulling it to the mountains. It does fine hauling it to the beach, which is our other vacation spot.

(I've been hard on the 87 truck, it was my first vehicle when I got it, and being 15 and young and dumb lol, I've run it low in oil several times and run it very hot several times from being low in water, and once completely empty from a blown freezeplug)

[mwe-maxxowner]

So what else is there I can do for the 6.9? Sounds like turning up the fuel pump isn't too difficult to do, what kind of gains does that yield? And does it hurt mpgs? Seems to me like that's probably about it unless you get into turbos or really start getting into the engine.

[FordIH6.9]

Be careful turning your fuel up if you turn it up too much you will end up melting your cylinders I tried it one time and ended up messing my injection pump up and having to replace it $700.00 dollars worth luckily it was my injection pump and not my motor I would consider Hyper Max they know more about IH motors that is their specialty and their not as expensive
(just my opinion) I believe the man who started hyper max was an engineer for IH that's what I heard from a couple mechanics I know.

[bowedup2003]

I tried all the basic mods when I first got my truck running, straightpiping the exhaust and turning up the pump helped some, but by far the biggest bang for the buck was the turbo. I would recomend doing this right away if you plan to drive it alot, but DO NOT buy a brand new kit! They are Way to pricy! I picked mine up used in the paper for $400.

Also, despite what the banks propaganda says, you can realistically expect to gain around 20-30 up at the wheels. Mine dyno,d 126hp/245tq NA and 156hp/298tq with the turbo set at 12psi of boost

Bowedup

[mwe-maxxowner]

Thanks. I've heard some people say they'd be scared to turbo an engine that already has 250000 on it for fear of blowing the bottom end. What are the opinions on that. Bowed up are you talking about the '84 truck in your sig? With the pump turned all the way up and turbo AND 2-ton injectors you still only make 156 hp and 298 lbs of torque? How much difference does it seem to make out on the road, all numbers aside?

[mwe-maxxowner]

What do some of you fellas think about adding a turbo to an engine that already has 250,000 miles? Would it likely not be a good idea and only wear the engine out or take a chance on blowing it? The engine runs good and seems to be in good mechanical condition and has always been taken care of and serviced like clockwork, but undoubtedly has at least some wear on it because it smokes a little white smoke when I get on the throttle.

I've been thinking about finding myself a '99 or so psd to pull my camper to the mountains, but wonder if putting a turbo setup on this truck would be a good alternative.
I just don't want to take a chance on adding a turbo to a truck that otherwise would've lasted another 100,000+ and make it go much sooner.

[bowedup2003]

It's your call on turbo'ing a 250k mile truck. I would personally prefer to freshen it up before I added the turbo, mainly because if you turbo it you will be using the newfound power! Lol

And yes I was referencing the '84 F350 in my sig. The injectors are for a 2 ton truck app., but I can't verify if they are any different from the Ford injectors. The turbo made a night and day difference in power, I dyno'd when it still had 3.73's when it pulled the 156hp number. What I can tell you is that It pulls very very good, it would run 65-70mph with a 24' gooseneck loaded with a Farmall Super M and a Super C both weighted for a tractor pull! It pulls good enough that I alternate regularly towing between the 1984 and my '04 Cummins dually.

Hope this helps. Just remember, it was built to work, don't be afraid to work it!

[mwe-maxxowner]

I wonder if maybe I should start by just turning up my injection pump one flat and installing a pyrometer. Would turning the IP up be safer than adding a turbo? Sounds like many guys on here believe you must be very careful after turning up the ip or you'll melt the engine down. Whatever I do and whatever truck I decide to modify or buy I wanna be able to reliably pull my 28' jayco 5th wheel in the mountains with room to buy a larger camper down the road. And I don't wanna crawl out the top of the hills running 20mph.

[bowedup2003]

Whatever you do you're gonna want to watch your egts pulling, especially in the hills. When my truck was NA, I turned the pump up and it gave me more pulling power, but I would have to back out of the throttle partway up long grades to keep the egts down.

The 6.9 will pull the camper, but not nearly as fast as a modern turbodiesel. Why don't you hook onto the camper or borrow one and give your truck a test run and then decide what you want to do.

[mwe-maxxowner]

Yeah, I'm waiting to find rails like I have in my 460 powered 250 so I can use my hitch and try it with the 6.9. I feel sure the 6.9 will pull it, but I'm sure it would be slooooooooow in the mtns. My 460 pulls it great from lancaster, sc to myrtle beach, but it'd probably slow way down in the mountains also. And yeah I knew it'd be nothing like a newer 'stroke. Sounds like I'd rather not turn up the pump. If I have to back out of the throttle to keep temps down defeats the purpose of turning it up so I can go out the top a little quicker anyway. Might just keep using the 460 but it drinks sooo much gas lol! Is beginning to show a slight drop in oil pressure when I floor it pulling uphill which scares me a little. Might just be in the gauge or might be a bad sign dunno.