As most of you know, I have a 1959 short F100 I am building to pull my camp trailer. I have a 300 six with a C6 I intend to use for power. I am going to stretch the cab 6 inches and redo the tail gate/rear end style using a 87 box.

It has been on hold since we started the mudder truck project. I have to admit I am watching the power steering conversion on the project with an idea of converting mine.

Looking over Dan's collection of parts he has gathered for converting his 67 to diesel makes me re-think my engine selection. I don't need a lot of power - my camp trailer is only a 13 foot feather-lite, which my jeep pulls just fine. (The jeep has a Rambler 254 or there abouts six cylinder for power.) A top speed of 75 would suit me.

Do they make a 4 or 6 cylinder diesel with enough power that would give me maybe 20 or better mpg? What sort of tranny would I need? How heavy would the front end be?

 

By the way, given all the time and work Dan has put into the project truck, I think it only fair that a bunch of us work with him and get his conversion done this fall.

 

A nice small package would be a Cummins 4BT, which is the same as the Dodge 6cyl version, but it's a 4cyl. With 3.9 litres, and 700 pounds, it fits where most V8's go, and stock they make about 105-120hp with almost 300 pounds of tork. Swap out injectors, turbo from a 99-02 dodge(HY35), governer spring, and a little pump tweakin, and it's pushing 250hp & 500 pounds of torque. Those tweaks are basically the marine version of the 4BT, so engine longevity is still there. I'm a big diesel swap fanatic.

 

K, I looked at it - lots of pictures of it installed in GM full sized 4wd. I guess there is an automotive version with a different number.

Anyway, some of those guys were claiming 25 plus MPG. I am sure it would move my light-weight Ford around.

The disadvantages I saw was that most guys had to add a 5 inch lift to get it to fit their GMs - wonder if it would fit in a Ford engine compartment?

Also, the RPM band seems to be 1500 to 2500 RPMs - wouldn't this cause me to need extra transmission gears? I ran a 10 speed and a 13 speed in trucks and have no interest in shifting that much again.

Also again, they were talking of about $3K for the engine, plus the cost of the other stuff I would need. What would you think such a conversion would cost?

 

You would need some higher gears, and/or overdrive trans. There's a governer spring available for under $20 that'll extend your rpm range to 3200, but it's more for getting up to speed. They arent too efficient past 2500. There's tons of reading on 4BTswaps web forum too. You can pick up the engine for 1500-2500, and frequently from ebay. With careful placing, I dont think you would need to lift the body at all. In the end, it all depends on the initial cost, but besides the engine's cost.....I'd say 4k if you have to get a different trans. There's a few adapters available: GM TH400, C6, 4 speed manual, Dodge 727 & 47RH, and the NV4500 & 5600. Lastly, in a light rig like that, you may be able to hit 30mpg.

 

The 4BT was my first thought as well. The guy up the street from the shop where the project truck is has one that he's going to put in a truck. I wouldn't use an auto trans behind a diesel however. Most folks I've talked to haven't been happy with them. Also, the tranny adapters that fit the 6BT also fit the 4BT so you can put any number of trannies behind one.

Another thought that occurs to me is swapping in a Mercedes diesel, either the 4 cylinder or the 5 cylinder turbo. Very plentiful and easy to find, excellent mileage and decent power. I've even thought that the 4 cylinder might be a good conversion for a Ranger.

I seem to recall coming across a member a few months back who was swapping one into a '60 (or thereabouts) F-series.