Greetings
I have a 1985 Ford F250 6.9 Diesel Banks Turbo Standard Transmission 2WD Extended Cab Utility Bed.
My friend has an 86 F250 6.9 reg cab automatic transmission 2WD
Has anyone converted a Ford 83-86 F250 6.9 to SVO / WVO / UVO?
We live in the San Francisco Bay Area where the winter temperature gets down [at its coldest] to around freezing, on record 24 degrees in 1972.
We have been researching Veggie Oil applications for the past year and have talked to a lot of people about theory and it seems that the people, that know the mechanics, are the ones making the kits or manufacturing the components and they are pushing their products / systems. And now we stand confused which works the best?
What is the most economical starter system one can install with the ability to upgrade later and are there a ways to fabricate parts that are cheaper than buying what comes from the manufacturers and are they as efficient?
Cash is a big factor in our equation, is it better to wait and save up more money and go for a kit, or is there a way to get started, save the environment and we can upgrade later when we have more cash.Which manufacturer offers the best and most reliable product or is it better to mix and match components from different makers
We want to converse with street/backyard mechanics/fabricators/do it yer selfers/ hotrodders. We are students at City College of San Francisco taking Automotive Tech Courses We are interested in all aspects of diesel mechanics, engineering, fabrication and performance.We are trying to get our school to offer classes in diesel mechanics by the Spring Semester 2007. If not, starting next year I will be joining my fellow greaserunner Adam at Alameda Community College.
Thank you all very much for any assistance
Bow Wow Fer Now
Grease Runner
Cleared fer Takeoff

We have done the Indirect Injection International motors (6.9, 7.3). They handle SVO fairly well. The biggest draw back is the Standyne injection pumps have week power shafts. If you don't have good hot veg coming to the pump it will shear the shaft when you switch over. The biggest plus is the availability of parts and fairly low cost. They also have problems with coolant system cavitation. If you don't keep your coolant fresh and treated with an SCA you will lose the motor. Since it is a fuel lubricated pump you have to ensure that you keep the veg hot, because if it is to thick it will not get into all the tight spaces for lubrication. There are plenty of kits out there, but running a system that will not keep your oil hot enough (at least 160F) can cause a lot of injector pump replacements. Depending on what type of oil you get you possibly could get away without tank heat, but would probably have to add a heat exchanger to keep the veg oil temps up due to fuel flow rates. Tank heat (w/heat fuel pick up) is nice because it opens up what types of oil you can use and will melt any grease that does happen to solidify at the start of the sytem. Of course a heated filter is a must and with the Standyne pumps some sort of final fuel heater should be used to ensure you don't send cold veg to the injector pump ever. We like looped returns because it helps keep heat up, but can cause havoc if you don't bleed the system properly. We always put in a 3 way valve to aleviate this problem. Hope this helps.