I had purchased my current truck at an auction a few year ago. It's a 1985 Ford L9000 with a PT240 small cam, 5 speed with 2 speed rears. At the time I figured a hp upgrade was simple and the same for all 855's but have later learned this one would take a fair amount of work to get it up in power. Have found a cheap rusted out international with a big cam IV 350 and 13 speed. Biggest hurdle in the swap I see is the low flow cooling on the big cam IV. I was looking to see if the small cam water neck, after cooler, ect would swap over to the other big cam or what my best approach would be. Thanks in advance and very open to any other suggestions you guys may have for me.
Oh boy. I have done a swap on a stc 855 and it wasn't fun. A fixed time engine is easy, somewhat. The top water gallery to the head swap the o rings to the full flow ones. Waterpump, acc drive and tentioner. Depending on the oil cooler you might have to fab a water line. There is a great thread on the aths.org site about this. Or... take the bc pump, turbo and injectors and put em on the sc. Might want to fix the timing and bolt on a aftercooler
I will dig around on that site to see what I can find. My 240 doesn't have piston oil coolers is the main reason I'm leary of doing too much to it and what I have found out it is a higher compression motor than most
If it's an early BC IV use the cooling parts from A BC III. The only real difference is the cooling system, and after cooler. If it's the New BC IV or NT88 not much is interchangeable. The only other difference between the BC III and the early BC IV was the IV had higher compression, more valve lift and lower press fit liners. Both engines used top stop injectors. Other than the cooling system the early IV's were a good engine. Truck Shop
No piston coolers deal breaker. What's the esn of the 4? I'll see what you have.
The motor tag itself is missing so got ahold of international today with the vin and they could tell me it's a 315 Cummins with a rtof 11613 trans. The motor s/n is 11445840. I have not purchased the truck yet but think at $2000 it's worth it for motor and trans
If it's 315 Hp it is probably a NT-88. And that is an STC-step time control engine I believe. The NT-88 uses cooling parts that are unique to those engines. It's tough to make it a full flow engine. IMO I would find a BCIII, that is a very good engine with full flow cooling already. NT-88's had their issues. [ Above I wrote that the BC-IV had lower press fit liners, that is incorrect looking at my old notes. The NT-88 was the first 855 with lower press fit liners. The NT-88 came out in 88 hence NT-88.] Truck Shop
I believe Sept of 1987 everything came out with the 099 LPF If you decide to climb your stc low flow cooling mountain send me a PM. I have the pn for the $1600 thermostat housing.
You are correct DX but anything built in September of any year is going to be dated for the following year models. And post that Part number I would like to know the number you have. If it's the one I'm thinking of It's only gone up $300.00. Truck Shop
Yeeoutch. I would just use the loflow rad from the donor truck after having a good rad shop go through it and check/replace the dams. I put an old 88 series in a 10 ton military truck and used the whole power pack from an old Volvo with no issues. It was an off road truck, so we didn't really worry about a radiator shell or a hood and the owner wanted it done ASAP.
I've got this STC-444 sitting in my shop. It's eventual home is my Grove crane, so I have to convert to high flow- no room for a low flow radiator. I also have a box of parts from a engine core supply house, that has all the other parts from a BCIII to convert it over. I hope. I think. I've read of guys doing it, I just haven't personally met anyone who has. I gave 2,500 for the running engine and a 15 speed trans from a wrecked truck. I gave the engine core house $800 for the other parts. I don't think I have a water pump. I think I have to change the belt set up from serpentine to v-belts. Will also need a gasket set. Would think you would be better off sourcing the parts from a used motor than buying new from the cummins man. I've actually thought of selling this motor, and just finding a good BCIII, just to save myself the trouble of converting it. I'm pulling a 6-71, so I'm not married to this particular motor, I just bought it before I researched enough.
I am not against a radiator swap instead to the low flow design, the 855 was an option in the 9000 fords for many years, small cam through n-14 so I could source a low flow radiator as well. We have 2 of the low flow 350's in tri-axles at work with no issues and both are over a million miles. The motor cpl is to be 838. It's a 315 fleet motor and is supposed to be the fixed time motor still. Talked to Pete at Pittsburgh power about it a little and he said can make a reliable low smoke 425 out of it with out doing too much work. It think I will move forward with the purchase and then later decide if I want to tackle the swap with the motor or sell the motor and buy a high flow big cam.
I did my digging and am going to keep my secrets. I will say it came on a excavator and some gen sets. I think I paid 800 for mine and the gentlemen said pay up now or its going to Australia tomorrow. You have to have a love for these engines because simple economics put them in the scrap heap. If you like a good challenge and lots of clean horsepower a mechanical N14 is a better foundation to start with.
A friend has a tub grinder powered by a STC new BC-IV 440 hp full flow, I know which stat housing it is. But I agree totally the mechanical N-14 is a great engine. Truck Shop