1997 PSD vs. 98 Chevy 6.5 TD

[slow-poke]

I am looking at these two trucks for pulling a 5000 lb trailer in the mountains of Utah. I would like to hear your oppinions on the two.

I know that stock the PSD has more power (225 hp and 450 ft/lbs). I beleive the 1998 6.5 has 190 hp and 380ft/lbs. Both ratings are at the flywheel. If I add a chip, exhaust, and TM from Health ($1000) they say I will gain 52HP and 100ft/lbs of torque (at the rear wheels). That would be like what 70hp and 140ft/lbs at the flywheel? That makes 260 Hp and 520 ft/lbs. So I would have more power out of my 6.5 than a stock PSD. Are these HP claims correct?
Now considering that I can get a 6.5 for $1000 to $2000 cheaper. To me it would make sense to get the 6.5.
AM I MISSING SOMETHING? is my information correct?

I keep hearing that the PSD has way more power but according to the numbers with a little modification the 6.5 should out pull the PSD??? I know I could even get more power out of a PSD but I am looking to get 450 to 500 fl/lbs of torque. I do not want to spend alot and I want a reliable truck.

Thanks for all your input guys, It is a huge help when trying to buy a truck

[AWS96]

I have a 96' it is 215hp (178 at the rear wheels) and 450ft (349 at tires). With a programmer and strait pipe i run on the 80hp/140t setting most of the time. And i have only $300 in it to do that! Do the math and it does not pencil out. Personally i think a guy could get a lot more miles out of the 7.3 before it would need major $

[countryraised]

potential power is more with the 7.3 than the 6.5 and will cost the same.

[tracker8wr]

I own a 97 PSD and love it, it is a great truck and a good engine. You will be much happier with fewer problems out of the PSD than the 6.5 turbo. You can get alot more reliable power out of the PSD than the 6.5 turbo.

My experiance with the 6.5 turbo is like this. I owned a Safari Trech motoor home equiped with a 6.5 turbo. No power and it always had issues at 85K miles it died on me 17 hours from home and this was right after a service. Upon further inspection it had broken a rod and a piston had twisted in the cylinder cracking the wall. motor trsh. They installed a new not reman 6.5 turbo in at 85k. I figured its a new block and the power sucks so i help it out bolted it on a few performance mods and it did help. At 93k miles that engine eat it. So i installed a 12v Cummins and that thing would move added some intake and exhaust springs and turned up the pump. I sold it with 192k miles on it and my neighbor says he will never sale it and loves it to this day.

[retmotor]

As I was told by an old(er) grizzled diesel mechanic. There's only two motors worth having in a pickup; a Cummins or a 7.3 Powerstroke.

[forddieseldoctor]

The 6.5's are only worth their weight in scrap. Gutless wonders to say the least.

[lil o rinny]

Originally Posted by forddieseldoctor

The 6.5's are only worth their weight in scrap. Gutless wonders to say the least.

Very well said...lol

[ridiculously_necessary]

6.5 is a beast of its own kind. id stay away, the internals are weak and there are a number of design flaws. they are cheap to maintain however as parts are everywhere, diy $ of course.

id stick with a 7.3, im glad i did, they are much, much better quality, good power, and less complicated imho.

[alberta 7.3]

When I used to pull gooseneck doing oilfield hotshot work years ago, a stock 7.3 would pass a 6.5 on a hill, with the 7.3 pulling the heavier load.

[JD3020]

Yeah, like whats been said the only real advantage to a 6.5 is the fact that you can find parts cheap everywhere. Hell, they are still using them in Humvees as far as i know. And from what i've experienced they are fairly reliable.

But would a 7.3 be worth 1k more than a 6.5? Yes. You can put 1k in a 6.5, but its still a 6.5. If you put 1k in a 7.3 you would be putting close to the same amount of power to the wheels, as the modded 6.5 would have at the crank. Not to mention the Ford is just a much better truck IMO.

And in the future if for some reason you wanted to make more power you can upgrade the 7.3 fairly easy and make respectable numbers. Thats not gonna happen with a 6.5.