im looking at swapping a mercedes diesel into my 91 ford half ton the strait six ford gas engine in it is rated at 145hp and 235lbft of torque im am looking for an engine which makes similar power with minimal computer control many other forums have recomended the power plant from a dodge/mercedes sprinter 3500 what are the power ratings of this engine or is there a better engine to look for

 

Are you set on a diesel? Is your 300 blown or are you just wanting to do a swap?

You've got to think about engine weight. Your 300 weighs about 385 lbs. Any diesel you swap in is going to weigh a lot more.

I'd consider a Ford 302... about the same weight, give or take 50 lbs, so you probably won't have to mess with the front suspension. About 205 hp / 275 lb-ft torque. Making the engine mounts and trans bellhousing probably wouldn't be a huge challenge.

But if you really want diesel, my recommendation would be a Cummins 4BT. Now, it's going to weigh almost twice as much as your 300, but you'd get 130 HP / 385 lb-ft of torque. You'd almost certainly need to beef up the front suspension, and you might need to consider changing the drivetrain, too.

The most advanced turbodiesel they've put in the Sprinter van is the OM642, which in the US is about 211 HP / 400 lb-ft, and weighs 460 lb. But it's a common-rail engine and you'd have to deal with urea injection too ... all of which is bad news if you have any interest in alternative fuels.

If you want an all-mechanical, old Mercedes engine like the OM617, you're going to be looking at 125 HP / 180 lb-ft of torque, and a weight of about 600 lbs.

For the cost of acquiring a good running low-mileage engine, and the time it's going to take to do the swap (not to mention tools you're going to need like a hoist and maybe an engine stand), you could probably find a mid-90s Powerstroke, if you keep your eyes out. That'll get you where you want to be a lot quicker, and would get comparable fuel economy.

 

im a candaian farmer so legality is not an issue yes i am set on diesel for the fuel mileage ive have done a fair bit of research on the 4bt cummins swap and have found that swaping in 460 front suspension will compensate for the weight of the engine and possibly adding some weight to balance out my truck. if i use a 4bt i would be swaping out the ford aod50 for a 5 speed from a cummins ram around the same year as my truck. if i wanted a 7.3 i would have bought a f250 with one already in it what i need is an engine that will do everything the 300 will do but get 30 mpg any other suggestions