My current 88 model 466 is getting really tired with 280k miles on it. It runs pretty good but has lots of blow by and smokes a grey/white smoke pretty bad. I found a 93 IH with 466 with only 150k on it that runs great. I can get the whole truck for $1200-$1500. I am thinking about buying the truck,stealing the hood,fenders, and door off it for my old truck and swapping out the motor and scrapping the rest. How much work would it be for a decent mechanic to swap the 93 into the 88?
A mechanical DT466 is one of the easiest engines there is to work on. A good mechanic could in-frame one of those engines in 25ish hours. You probably want to get the head done too (valves, guides, grind the seats). I would think that to pull the engine on the scrap truck, drop the trans and pull the engine on the good truck, then install the new engine and hang the trans, you're going to be close to the time required to rebuild your engine. If it was my money (it's not), I'd do the rebuild. That way you know what you have. You could still salvage the other truck for body parts and sell the spare 466 and probably get your money back.
Going along with Wes, the 93 basically has all the same old components as the 88, seals and gaskets getting tired. It would be a shame to do the swap then start getting antifreeze in the oil because a 20+ year old o ring let go, or the antifreeze wasn't kept up EVERY YEAR. If you're doing it yourself and comfortable with swaps but not rebuilds, then go for it. But then you probably wouldn't be asking...
16 hrs and that's farting around dragging ass.
Hardest part is pulling the doghouse