So I was bored reading stuff up on Wikipedia, and I stumbled across an article over international. It went on to describe how Ford did not use the DT inline 6 engines because they were too large to use in a pickup truck.

At this point in time (1994) Dodge was having extreme success with an inline 6 configuration (5.9 Cummins) so why would Ford not opt to use International's existing DT360? I really don't know a whole lot about the DT360, but it seems to me it would be really close in size to a 5.9 Cummins......

 

looks like it was designed as a bulletproof low h/p engine for dumbass fleet drivers. Displacement it would be close to a 5.9, but the 5.9 is a unicorn for mods. You've gotta remember too in early 90s the cummins was still rated at ~160hp. The only people besides the old people that were happy with them were the people who were modifying them. IMO a v8 was a better option to have a "wow" factor when someone test drove them, although i guess the 6.9 and 7.3 IDIs were pretty turdish.
In the end it probably just comes to what international wanted to sell to ford for the lowest price. and besides the cummins, which is a pretty lightweight medium duty motor, there were no MD motors that would easily fit and not tear up a LD front end.

Ive never heard of less than a 466 before now, but thats what i gather from crappy research.

 

well if you think about it, the 5.9 Cummins started out as a low hp bulletproof engine also. So its not much different....

And IMO, not true. To anybody that pulls a trailer, the Cummins was gold when it came out. They were slow as crap, but they would pull like no other, and this is testimonials from several guys I know that have been rodeoin for 20+ years, and never modded their trucks. Still see all kinds of stock 12 valves round here, and they're not all old people.

The DT360 is not all that heavy, its only about 150lbs heavier than a 5.9 Cummins.

And how do you figure that you could not mod a DT360 heavily? The mechanical DT360 used a P7100, just like the 2nd gen 12 valves, and P-Pump is the god of the competition diesel world.

Hmmm lots to think about

 

The dt360 physically a lot bigger than a 5.9. I think the reason ford went the v-8 route was because a v-8 required less cab modification than the I-6 would have.Also as said above the wow factor of the v-8 would make the truck sell better.

 

I'm still not understanding this wow factor thing. Up until 1994, when the Powerstroke came out, all of the V8 diesels (GM 6.2, 6.5 and Ford 6.9, 7.3) were basically underpowered dogs. No offense to anyone that owns them, but they didnt have a whole lot, even when pulling. When the Cummins came out (at least round here) it was the talk of the town and EVERYONE was buying them for pulling trailers. So it would seem to me in 1994 that with a large portion of diesel owners, the I6 diesel design was though more highly of than a V8 diesel design.

Are you saying that the V8 diesel would have more wow factor with acceleration or something?

Dont get me wrong, I'm not bashing the 7.3 Powerstroke. Ford experienced a HUGE success with this engine, and I'm a huge fan of it too. All of my family owns them, and I would be too, but the route I went to get a diesel was simply quicker and cheaper. Just trying to gain some insight here

 

I have been wondering the same thing, why on earth did Ford use a "new" v8 diesel when they went to it, instead of going to the DT series of inline engines. I think that if they had used the DT, they would have OWNED the light duty truck market. If they had already been using this engine for almost a decade before the cummins came out, I don't think it would have stood much of a chance. International has used the DT series since the '70s in everything from tractors to semis. Ford really screwed up not using this engine.

 

"Both companies(Ford and IHC) knew a diesel-powered pickup would sell, but they wanted to offer consumers an engine that would pull effectively and operate across a broader RPM range than a traditional inline design. Their predominant goal behind building a V-8 was to provide a diesel engine that built torque low and horsepower up high to give drivers a wider powerband than an inline-six would give. Ford and International wanted consumers to be able to have both speed and towing as options. In addition, engineers believed a V-8 would allow them to meet the new emissions standards expected in the 1980s. Prior to production, the 6.9L was subjected to more than 52,000 hours of testing, and the result was a bulletproof design that proved more powerful than GM's 6.2L diesel offered in K-series pickups."

Pg. 158
Diesel Power Magazine
Ford's First Diesels: How the International-Powered Fords Came to be
Oct. 2008

---AutoMerged DoublePost---

I wish my truck had come from the factory with a DT360 rather than a now underpowered non-turbo V8. They should have thought about the future and how long their buyers would be using their trucks. But I guess if you put something in that will last they won't buy the next year's model with the latest and greatest.

 

Hmm I think the ultimate trade off would have been to produce BOTH engines, the V8 design and I6 design. That way the ones that wanted the characteristics of the I6 could have them, and the ones that wanted the characteristics of the V8 could have them too. It's not like manufacturers havent done this before, like in 2003, Ford offered both the 7.3 and 6.0.

Maybe do this for one or two years, figure out which one consumers liked more, and cut the other one out.

 

What would you rather drive? a 66 mustang with an inline 6 or one with a 289? I hope this solves the V8 wow factor.

 

That's not quite the same there. The 7.3 and 6.0 are both V8s. Ford just likes to change things mid year. Look at the 94 model year trucks, you had the choice of a 7.3 IDI N/A, IDI turbo, and the new Power Stroke. The PSD option was introduced mid year.But having both as an option would have been a good idea too.