Ya gotta admit, it's a bit unusual.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...77360823wSPcsA

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...77362069iQYzqU

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...77364090pHhash

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...77365940BkzeBt

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...77367331PgsKzz

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...77368623vSHUqt

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...77370746GdKLmy

So, there you have it. I wasn't sure if I should post this in the 'Dumb things people have done to their vehicles" thread, but I thought this behemoth should have its own thread.

So, do you like it/hate it/need to get a bucket to catch the vomit? What are your thoughts, Hobson? -TD

 

Put the engine under the hood,and with some work,itd be nice.

 

Is it yours?

 

No, not mine. It belongs to an older guy I know who has a fabrication shop across the street from where I work. He started it several years ago, but now he's moving to Nevada and wants to finish a couple of his projects before he goes. -TD

 

That would have been cool had he put the engine under the hood. It would have required a new tranmission tunnel though.

 

I kind of like the engine where it is. It's a big part of what makes it so unusual. Plus, the driveshaft will only be about 2 feet long, instead of 12 feet or whatever. And how often do you see a mid-engine truck that still has a full 8 feet of usable bed?! -TD

 

Well, a mid engined duallie, powered by a CAT...
Way cool

 

Too bad it's GM....

 

I convieniently neglegected to mention that

 

3208 na in a "can't bear to say it" with a allission. not a bad combo just the wrong starting point.

 

Reminds me of what the Vo-Tech down the road from me did. The instructor had the kids stuff an old Cummins NTC-350 with a Roadranger 10 speed into a full-size Chevy van. The engine oil pan was about 1" from the ground after they were done. I don't think they actually got the thing to function, and it went to the scrapyard last year. Was funny to see, but just the weight of the engine bottomed out the suspension and they had pieces of 2x4's stuck between the rear leaf springs and the frame to keep it off the ground enough so the pan wouldn't hit.

 

The way I look at it, at least it's a GMC, not a Chevy...! Yeah, I know it's the same thing but it doesn't carry that dreaded name. Some people are just Chevy people, but the ol' boy's OK otherwise so I try not to hold that one character flaw against him. His shop is full of nothing but GM stuff, he builds Chevy race cars, drives a Chevy van...you know the type! I would love to have seen that project done to a Ford instead, but well, there it is.

Marcus6679 brings up a good point: if he had stuffed that Cat in the front, the front end weight would have been a bit much for the stock suspension, the weight's better distributed with the engine amidships. -TD

 

Actually that engine is probably about as heavy as a fullly dressed BB... With the right springs up front it wouldn't have been a problem.

 

I don't know what the actual weight is of a big block Chevy is, but the Cat comes in at 1740 pounds...I suspect that's a fair amount heavier than the Chevy. (Not to mention the added weight of that Allison tranny!)

He did an earlier one with the Cat up front and it wound up trashing his front suspension, that's why he decided to go mid-engined this time.

UPDATE: they got the tranny in yesterday, and fired the motor. After sitting for several years, the engine fired on the first revolution. Now he's ready to fabricate the driveshaft. -TD

 

Hmm that would work well for hauling carpet without driving a van, i like the idea, but i would put the engine under the hood, and make it into a massive 4x4.