The bottom end of a diesel engine is very similar to a 4 stroke gas engine. Haynes or Chilton manuals go into depth on the differences between these engines. I myself would worry more about the fuel part of the equasion. Diesel injection pumps are very finicky, and any dirt in the lines can cause problems.
If I had the money I'd pull the entire engine, drop it off at a good diesel specialty shop. If you are in the midwest, I'd reccomend scheid diesel, they have several centers.
Usually I don't have the money though. A few years ago I looked up a rebuild kit for a 7.3, the whole kit ran about $900. Including machine work, you'd have about $2000 in a fully rebuilt short block.
The other option is to swap the engine all together.
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93 Thunderbird 5.0 HO
89 Firebird L03
95 F150 XL
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