cummins in crew cab..
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: modesto ca
cummins in crew cab..
hey i know it sounds bad.. i can get a cummins and a five spd tranny for very cheap. i need to get better fuel mileage. i only get about 10 with my 390 right now, but the cummins will get me at least 20. has anyone heardof anybosy doing a conversion like this? thanks
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2003
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From: San Diego
Its not a bad deal at all. If you have the fab skills then I say go for it. My buddy has a 89 CC 4x that came with a 460. He went with a 12v Cummins and a NV6500 6 speed. The first swap was a stock 12v to the C6 auto.....it was a turd. Swaped to the 6 speed and ran way better. Turned it up a bit with a pump and injectors but the egt was killing him, it ran way to high when you pushed it and......it developed a knock. He just built the new mill.......still the 12v but he studed the bottom end, some kind of performance diesel piston, a little port work and stud kit for the head, lots of pump and injector work, intercooler and the big thing was going to a twin turbo deal. It makes 50 pounds of boost and the egt stays really low. it pretty much hauls a$$ and its on the tow tune up so he still has some power in it if he want it. The figure torque is around 650 right now...lol. There is alot you can do to the Cummins to make them run but I dont care who says what, you wont get 20mpg even with it in stock trim. 15-17 and thats it. My buddy gets 16 just as it sits and the best it got w/ the stock Cummins was 17.5......go figure. I say put it in, turn it up and have fun.
Fry
Fry
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
kd, That sounds like a project, and in your user ID it looks like you live on the left coast. Will your state allow you to do that, and still be inspected?
You need to be prepaired to a total different acting animal from the FE that is in there now. The newer diesels are computer controlled and can respond almost like a big gas engine, but diesels are slow responding and one would think underpowered during regular operations. Nothing will fit or bolt up. I wonder in real time what Fryzil's buddy has in money and time in his project. It will be in the thousands.
Your best bet is to tune on the ol FE, and make a rear end ratio change. You can expect to pick up 2-3 more mpgs for a couple hundred bucks and everything would be bolt up.
If you have plenty of time and money to throw at it, then go for it, if you have a budget the rear end swap is the best place to start. IMHO
John
You need to be prepaired to a total different acting animal from the FE that is in there now. The newer diesels are computer controlled and can respond almost like a big gas engine, but diesels are slow responding and one would think underpowered during regular operations. Nothing will fit or bolt up. I wonder in real time what Fryzil's buddy has in money and time in his project. It will be in the thousands.
Your best bet is to tune on the ol FE, and make a rear end ratio change. You can expect to pick up 2-3 more mpgs for a couple hundred bucks and everything would be bolt up.
If you have plenty of time and money to throw at it, then go for it, if you have a budget the rear end swap is the best place to start. IMHO
John
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: modesto ca
my plans for the truck have always been to get a cummins in there, sooner or later. it just so happens that my aunt wrecked her 1994 dodge, but the motor and tranny are good still. my friend has a turned up dodge that gets at least 20 mpg. and it will take a camaro it a quarter mile. would i have to box the frame? i dont think so cuz our frames are fairly strong and i need some flex in there too. i know i would have to get huge springs, but would my stock i-beams hold the weight? thanks..
kenneth
kenneth
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Kenneth, The engine/tranny is too heavy for a F100 chassis setup.
May I suggest since you gonna do it, that you look for a donor 73-79 F250 long or short to match what you now have. That will put the fuel tank between the rails, and give you power disc brakes. All you are wanting is the chassis, steering column, and a few other goodies. You can sell sheet metal engine and tranny and recover the cost of purchasing the donor, plus some.
This will give you time to get things installed and running without loosing the use of your truck now. Once you have finished the setup, painted everything that you wanted, you can move your sheet metal over to the new chassis and maybe have your truck back on the road in a couple of weeks.
John
May I suggest since you gonna do it, that you look for a donor 73-79 F250 long or short to match what you now have. That will put the fuel tank between the rails, and give you power disc brakes. All you are wanting is the chassis, steering column, and a few other goodies. You can sell sheet metal engine and tranny and recover the cost of purchasing the donor, plus some.
This will give you time to get things installed and running without loosing the use of your truck now. Once you have finished the setup, painted everything that you wanted, you can move your sheet metal over to the new chassis and maybe have your truck back on the road in a couple of weeks.
John
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: modesto ca
I have an f250 frame, i dont know if there is any difference between the 5100 and the f250 though. i already have power disc brakes so i will be fine there. i have another 69 ford truck that i can easily swap the engine and transmission in and drive that until the conversion is finished. i think the frame will hold it, but i need to drop the crossmember beneath the engine two inches. but that will interfere with the front i beams so i have been thinking about converting it to four wheel drive also. who knows.. thanks for the help guys
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Kenneth, A newer F250 or 350 4X4 chassis is where you want to start. You might even be better off looking for a later 4X4 F250 diesel chassis to start your project on. The diesel has some unique differences that a diesel donor would eliminate.
You are going to have enough issues putting the cumalong in your truck. All of those that can be eliminated through planning can help with the discouragement that is bound to come up.
Plan for an easy finish or you could plan to fail.
John
You are going to have enough issues putting the cumalong in your truck. All of those that can be eliminated through planning can help with the discouragement that is bound to come up.
Plan for an easy finish or you could plan to fail.
John
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Sounds like an expensive project. I'd suggest estimating the true full cost of such an endeavor and then figuring the difference in mileage to decide where the payback is. It just might not be worth it in terms of doing it for only the fuel mileage issue. Now if your like me and just like to tinker and want something cool and different then I'd say go for it. But then again if I were doing it I'd go for the Ford Powerstroke to keep it all Ford.
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: modesto ca
would my cab fit on a newer 4x4 chassis? i want to be on of the only ones, if not the only one, to have a cummins in a old ford crew cab, which are rare enough as it is. i know i will run into unexpected problems, but i am expecting them.. if i get a newer ford 4x4 chassis, i would want one with a solid axle, not the wishbone crap that they had for a while on the 3/4 tons. which year should i get it from? im not going to put a powerstroke in there because a cummins will outrun a powerstroke easily, unless there is some serious work done to the psd. and i have a cummins readily available..
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Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: "Islander"
Hows this for a wild hair, use the old frame to locate mounting points for the cab and suspension front and rear but build the frame out of Chromemoly tube.
A fun Tig project in my book. Go with triangle 3 point with 1 ton rear axle and 1 ton axle up front. You should be able to locate everything, engine and trans t then build mounts to support them.
.....=o&o>.....
A fun Tig project in my book. Go with triangle 3 point with 1 ton rear axle and 1 ton axle up front. You should be able to locate everything, engine and trans t then build mounts to support them.
.....=o&o>.....
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: modesto ca
beemer that is a wild hair.. i have been asking around and everyone i talked to said that my frame would easily hold up to a mild cummins, so i am going to try it out without heavy modifications to the frame.
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: "Islander"
I was speaking a new scratch built frame no modifications, when you get into 650-800 lbs/tq at that low of rpm's you'll be into a bad handling vehicle with the frame all twisted up. A lot of time, money and labor to gamble on what i'm trying to
say, "feel lucky?"
.....=o&o>.....
say, "feel lucky?"
.....=o&o>.....
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Originally Posted by kdhannink
would my cab fit on a newer 4x4 chassis? i want to be on of the only ones, if not the only one, to have a cummins in a old ford crew cab, which are rare enough as it is. i know i will run into unexpected problems, but i am expecting them.. if i get a newer ford 4x4 chassis, i would want one with a solid axle, not the wishbone crap that they had for a while on the 3/4 tons. which year should i get it from? im not going to put a powerstroke in there because a cummins will outrun a powerstroke easily, unless there is some serious work done to the psd. and i have a cummins readily available..
My suggestion, Decide on 2wd, or 4wd, and get the newest chassis that you can find. then start working on the overall length and wheel base, mount the engine all the way to a drivable chassis, then start on body mount last, provided you have done some pleminary planning.
You want a one of a kind, you can get it. You have a lot of work out in front of you.
John
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