Hello fellow dent lovers. I've been lurking here for a while now, but thought I would share my build-up with you guys. I love the Cummins, and I love dentsides, so I figured why not marry them?

I've already got it pretty well documented at 4btswaps.com, so I'll post a link to that build page with the fancy pictures for you all to enjoy.

1977 Ford F-150 4x4

Thanks to everyone here that contributes; knowledge is power and it is great to have such a large cadre of folks who love and enjoy their dents and are willing to share their knowledge of them.

On a side note, I also think we should start a petition to officially rename 'NumberDummy' to 'NumberGenius'; that guy's post have saved my bacon at least 20 times already.

 

sounds good, can't see the pics though , non-member

 

My bad, didn't realize the pics wouldn't show up to non-members.

Here is a link to my picasa site with some pictures:

Picasa Web Albums - B Russ - 1977 F-150 Cu...


Cheers!

 

nice truck, how much do you have into the build?

 

Ughh, prolly about $10k so far, will be around $15k when I'm done and I've done everything myself, so whatever a couple hundred hours of my labor is worth.

Should pay for itself in about three years with the fuel savings, plus I'll own this truck until I die so in the long run I'm thinking I'll come out pretty far ahead, especially when fuel prices go to $5 a gallon within the next 12 months.

 

Nice truck, cool setup, excellent project. Keep up the good work!

 

Are there any transmission options for a 4bt that has overdrive? If so, are they compatible with a 77 transfer case and transmission mounts?

 

Yes there are. The 4bt is identical to the 5.9L 6bt as far as the back of the block is concerned. In my set-up, I purchased a Dodge/Cummins bellhousing adapter, mounted a dodge/cummins starter, dodge/cummins flywheel and clutch, and an NV4500HD 5 speed from a 97 Dodge 2500. From that, I had to purchase an advanced adapters kit to bolt up the 1977 NP205 transfer case. It's basically an aluminum spacer, some bolts, a shifter bracket, and a stub shaft. I had to shorted the ouput shaft of the transmission .5625" to fit the stub shaft, and clearance the spacer for the shift forks on the transfer case, but it was fairly easy to install. I also used a transmission mount from that same model Dodge truck; I had to modify my crossmember to mount it, but it lined up perfect.

Just make sure that all the parts are from the same generation. There are some discrepancies between the 1st gen (89-93) and 2nd gen (94-98) and 3rd gen (99-Present) that you have to double check to make sure everything will work together.

With that same Dodge bellhousing adapter, you can bolt up a Dodge overdrive automatic. Cummins also has Chevy and Ford bellhousing adapters to bolt up any Ford or Chevy automatic/manual overdrive transmission. They also make the SAE #3 adapter for Eaton and Allison transmissions. For all the trans options, check out this link:

Transmission FAQ Sticky - BOOKMARK THIS THREAD FOR FUTURE REFERENCES

 

The reason why i ask is, im pretty sure that ill need a higher gear than what my C-6 has if im going to put a diesel in front of it. So, what kind of fuel mileage are you getting?

 

You're exactly right, depending on your axle gearing 1:1 would most likely have that engine screaming at 60-70mph. Looking at the HP/GPH chart from Cummins, the motor makes peak torque and is most efficient around 1700-1800RPM. This means you'll either need overdrive, or you'll have to do the math and throw in some really tall axle gears, which makes off-road less enjoyable.

I haven't finished mine yet, working on wiring and instrumentation now, probably another 3 weeks away from driving it; but I'm expecting to get around 25-27hwy and probably average around 21-22mpg in combined driving. Much better than the 10mpg the old tired 390cu was doing. Some guys on the 4btswaps.com forum are getting near 30mpg in their 2wd pick-ups; not bad for full size trucks.

 

Thats an option I havnt thought of. Maybe I could just use my C-6 and change the rear end ratio? The truck is 4x4 but i never take it off road hardly

 

very nice, have a p pump with a zf5 awaiting my hiboy

 

so what do you figure you have into it as far as engine and transmission swap goes? im thinking about doing the swap in mine also. i think i may have a location on a 12v for around $200 complete with mounts and the trans for around 100 with cross members. i had kinda figured on mostly needing to fab up the engine mounts and trans cross member, hydraulic clutch, and hooking up the intermediate shaft. am i way off here?

 

I wonder if i could just change the rear end ratio and not mess with the trans when I put the 4bt in. That seems too simple.

 

Here is what I have in just the swap:
4bt P7100 pump, 130hp/355lb-ft version....$3,000
NV4500HD........$1000
NV4500-NP205 Adapter......$250
Bellhousing adapter.....$80
Starter........$120
Clutch/flywheel.....$600
Hydraulic Clutch Set-up....$150
Misc Steel for fabbing mounts: $60
Electric Fan........$250
Misc Shop Supplies (sand paper, brake cleaner, silicone, etc..)....$50
Total.........$5,560

You can probably get better deals out there if you looked harder than I did, I also went top of the line on everything because I'm a "do it right, do it once!" kind of guy, so that costs more money.

FordCummins.com and 4btswaps.com are pretty good resources for all that is involved.


You could if you wanted to, just calculate your final drive ratio and try to keep the engine RPM's around 1700-1800 at your desired cruise speed. I am probably wrong, but I think 2.91 is the tallest gear offered for the 9". With that ring and pinion ratio, a C-6, and 33" tires, at 60mph you'll be turning 1878rpm. Here is the calculator I used when designing my powertrain: Gear Ratio Calculator