HUNTING TRUCK PROJECT

i have a 1992 F-250 extended cab 7.3L diesel(non-turbo)truck which has been paid for for about 11 years and has 218K on and still runs like a raped ape. knock on wood ,but the only serious problem i've ever had with the beast is when i first bought it i was losing serpentine belts constantly. at fifty bucks apiece they were really starting to tick me off, cause they couldn't seem to get the problem fixed. eventually it came out that it was a factory defect and Ford even re-imbursed me for all the belts i had to buy to the tune of about $350.00. since then it's just been regular maintenance items and glow plugs. i've been out for the last year and a half looking at new trucks and even looking at used trucks. besides deciding that i want no part of the new 6.0L turbo i still can't seem to get past paying more for a new truck than i paid for my first house. so i guess i've made the decision to spend a few bucks fixing my "ole" rig up and for about 10K i figure i should be able to make it into a pretty bang-up hunting rig. i've downloaded some camo patterns off the internet if i decide to do the paint thing, but that's not my first priority. if any of you were gonna start a project like this one, what advice would you have for me as to where to begin? i've got air bags and rancho shocks and a custom rear bumper and a camper shell. other than a billet grille everything else about it is still stock. the few knowledgable individuals that i have spoken to about the engine tell me that installing a banks turbo on it now with so many miles on it, i would take a chance on pushing marginal systems (fuel,vacuum,cooling etc.) over the edge. is that a legitimate concern? would it be better money spent buying a new engine when this one dies altogether, or would i be better off using my 10K as a down payment on a newer one? i kind of like the idea of having a rig i don't have to worry about taking into the back country and i do get 22 mpg with this one. not having a payment and no collision coverage makes it inexpensive to keep on the road. i guess i'm still not sure what the best thing to do is. any help or advice anyone can offer will be greatly appreciated. it sure makes things tough when they are offering 0% for 72 months.

One site I'd recomend for diesel info in particular is www.thedeiselstop.com, they have a lot of deisel specific information, and have an entire forum devoted to the 444E Navistar IDI diesel. I personally have a 1992 F-350 with the 444e. It was burning a lot of oil at 200000, so I wound up installing a reman longblock, whic has worked out well for me so far. One thing I would ask is are you running SCA's in the coolant? If not start asap, these engines are known for having problems with cavitation. Good luck!