First off, just looking for responses and thoughts. If you want to flame, go ahead but I am not now or ever going to buy a Dodge truck so save those posts for someone else.

So I have been toiling away with what if anything to do with my truck.
Next level would be injectors and turbo. $3,300. Add tuning as I will be going single shots $2-500 depending on what I do. Next big oil will likely be needed $1500-2500 depending. So to get "up there" I would need to spend $5k plus. Of course then I would need a $1k Spearco.

By then my diode tranny will be begging for mercy and a $4k BTS is in order. I doubt I will need studs as I have effen PMRs. So up to 10k in mods and still have PMRs so why bother?

Depending on acquisition price, I could probably slap a CTD in there for between 10-15k and not have to worry about my lame PMRs or even our stupidly expensive injectors. I am talking stupid HP numbers.

I have about convinced myself to destroke this weekend. I have spent a lot of time researching it. This evening I drove the truck somewhere and remembered why I got it. So since I do not need the fastest truck around, why do I need to mod it?

Well things change and now that I am modding it, I realize I am spending too much money on the thing to run right up to 400rwhp because of those PMRs.

I guess I am at a crossroads right now and looking for some input. Even if someone came out with a common rail mod for the 7.3, I would still need to go inside my bottom end to use that. As for the 6.0 transplant, that is not an option in my book.

Sorry for the wind, just wanted to cover my thought process. Flame suit on.

 

i knew you going to think about it. i think its a good idea.
but look at it this way . 15K on transplant, and 4.5K on trans 1K IC so 20.5K
buy WOP block, its build to the top. slap that baby in, and you still Powerstrokin with more money in you pocket, you can have them Fire ring the heads and put headstuds while you at it. so 500 would be nothing to this motor,
just somthing to think about.

 

For 10 grand, you could have screamin' Cummins, all said and done.

That is, if you do it all yourself.

4000 for the motor (my choice, a 12v)
1500 for mounts and flexplate
4000 for a BTS
Scrap the Spearco
Voila!

 

15k seems like alot to swap the engines over, when you could probably find a wrecked ram 2500/3500 with a perfectly good 12valve (easiest to swap, cheapest to get high HP numbers) for under $5k. To save some money if you have the time, you could frabricate the engine mounts yourself and rig the wiring up yourself. Would probably save you quite a bit

If you do go for the cummins, your best bet for max power, low(ish) cost, and reliability would be a 93-97 12valve with the inline injection pump. The inline pump has alot better reliability then the VP44 rotary used on 98.5-2002.5 cummins.

If that doens't work out a 2003-2007 common rail engine wouldn't be bad, since they are rather reliable, and you have the added bonus of having the abilty to hook up a tuner, but then you have the problem of a wiring mess, where as a 12 valve only needs 3 wires to actually run

 

I like the way you guys think. Let's not get wrapped too tight around the exact dollar figure as I have budgeted in some mods for if I try to do this swap. After all, no sense swapping in a 325hp engine for one that is making 311rwhp. There is also going to be the endless little crap that needs addressing.

FWIW, from what I have seen that CTD has a virtual standalone pcm unit that basically requires a few wires to hook up to run on it's own on a stand. The thing almost looks stupid easy to throw into anything and make gobs of power. Probably why it's in a Dodge.

 

I won't lie, I have also had this thought process run through my head...

I may be a little ahead of you, as have over 250K, and still a stock tranny. I am FMR's so that is good, but still looking at $8k to $10K to get were I really want to be. Now the bad part, this is my daily driver, so being down for a week or two to drop a 5.9 in is not appealing. I can have a tranny done in a day(BTS), I can do bigoil in my driveway(with a little help) in a day, injectors in a day....well, you get the point. Or, I could just take it to BTS(or go to Houston and see David at DI) and have him do it all in two days.

decisions, decisions.......

P.S. the Vols looked good tonight.....

 

The 12 valves only need 3 wires to run, 12v to solenoid, 12v to starter, and a ground. They do have a seperate computer that basically reads the sensors, displays check engine codes, and runs the guages, but it is not needed for basic engine function. So you can run the engine on a stand with just 3 wires.

The 24 valves (1998+) are modern computer controlled engines like the powerstroke, and need the computer to run.

 

BD, the Vols started out great and stunk up the field in the second half with 24 unanswered points. Unlike the NFL, a win is not a win in college but it works in the conference where standings and points mean zippo. War Eagles did well too I see.

As for the downtime, I don't see it taking that long. Some vacation added to a holiday weekend and it is done. Just have to assemble everything beforehand.
For those following this, I am not commited to this yet, but know that with my PMRs I see no reason to push any further. I could just drive it like it is for the next 10 years as I know it will last at least that long the way I go, but I may just want something more. If I go forward and window my block, I won't even be able to sell that.

 

Have you done one of these? I was wondering just how much wiring is involved with the 24v because modern is well, modern. 4 is like 2x better than 2.

I probably ought to have posted this in the engine swap forum but my forum buddies are here and I wanted their input.

 

Mike I don't blame yah either. I too have entertained the thought. With about $28,000 in my truck right now, I could have done this by now and had insane power. I just can't follow thru with it though. I'm just dream'n is all. On Edit:With what I have now I can smoke most dodges and chevy's. To me that's huge too. I'm kinda of excited to finish my truck though and be in the 500 hp + range with now drugs. Just me... Country

 

why not just buy a 12v dodge and have it as a weekdn toy, a 500 dollar fuel plate and you will be just as fast as your stroke...or go a bigger plate and be faster

 

damn Mike. i dont think ill do it in the near future, but you got me thinking again. if i pull out those parts i put in to this truck and sell them i just might put Fummins in it. you never know.................

 

That's what I've been thinking. Tenn, go 160cc singles, and a turbo, wait to see how much Bob Riley's single high output pump costs when it comes out. Then, get you a nice 95ish regular cab longbed dudge and turn it up. Then you could pull the dodge with the PSD (who wouldn't enjoy that) to the track and home again. Win, win..

Just a thought.

On edit, when driving the PSD around you'd smoke most ricers and any punk with a smoke blowing plug and play tuner.

 

That was a great game, kept you on your seat thats for sure, but atleast we shut SC down.

Mike everyone of us who loves these trucks has had that thought come across there minds of a Fummins due to the fact you have to throw so much money into these trucks compaired to what little bit of money you can put into a cummins. In my looking for a new truck I have thought very hard at a 12V and two 24V trucks that I have looked at for a good price, but I can't buy a sorry truck for a good engine.

Just look at Kris's profile " Cummins, So easy a caveman can do it". Its just sadly the truth you have to dump alot of money into this engine to get anywhere due to the HEUI squirters.

 

I have kicked this idea around to but I guess I like to do things the hard way.When I was a teen growing up outside of Youngstown Oh everyone had chevy's they were cheap and easy to build. Not me I had Fords and Amc's and when I beat those chevy boy's it was a real good feeling . I went to the Diesel Nationals down in Tx a couple of weeks ago and yes those cummins were fast but there were some fast PSD's and thats who I was rooting for.