In the early 1980s, Ford decided that they wanted a diesel engine for their F-series lineup. They tapped International Harvester to help create a low-cost diesel that would work in the truck and the Econoline van lineups, and by 1983 the engine was being sold, even after the “Harvester” part of International Harvester was sold off to Tenneco and the rest became Navistar. Available in two flavors, the 420ci/6.9L NA version, and the 444ci/7.3L NA and turbocharged versions, the IDI was a workhorse and nothing more. It was no powerhouse, that’s for sure…at the upper end of it’s performance form, the 7.3L turbo cranked out 190 horsepower and 388 ft/lbs of torque. While they are stout, they are not the diesels of today…these were work first, play just about never kinds of engines, meant to drag things around and sip just a bit less fuel than a 460 big block.

Rich from DeBoss Garage has plenty of experience with these Blue Oval workhorses…but so does another Canadian. Rich will tell you all about the fun that the IDI engine can be, good bad and otherwise. But if you want proof that they’re one of the best lumps out there, watch all the way through and you’ll see proof that even under the deeper end of “abusive use”, that they are more than capable of getting the job done.

Language Warning: The other guys is Zip Ties and Bias Plies. Full-tilt cussing inbound…