http://www.dieselbombers.com/blogs/ Diesel Bombers - Diesel Enthusiasts Community is a Discussion Forum for owners of Cummins , Duramax , Powerstroke and All Diesels Engines. Bombers are those who bomb diesels , Bombing a diesel is to modify a diesels stock form to increase power , durability , drive ability and longevity en Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:15:15 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.dieselbombers.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.dieselbombers.com/blogs/ http://www.dieselbombers.com/blogs/motoroilmccall/10-how-my-fleet-came.html Mon, 12 May 2008 18:54:00 GMT It all started when I worked for Dana Corp during and after college. We had a few diesel pickups, flatbeds and stake bodies, that I would use to take... It all started when I worked for Dana Corp during and after college. We had a few diesel pickups, flatbeds and stake bodies, that I would use to take prototype casting patterns, or future vehicle and they're parts to wherever the company needed them at the time. Well after a few times driving them I just learned to love the turbo whistle, the smell, and of course... the torque! Then when the company started the Ford Super Duty program I got to go out for a ride and drive, with the new GM Duramax equipped 3500 4x4, the new Dodge 6.7L 3500 4x4, the new Ford 6.4L F-450, and one of the engineers 98 12-Valve 3500 4x4 (not part of the test, but we used it to compare things too since most of us had driven it anyways).

All of the trucks were impressive, but the Dodge got most of the guy's attention after towing a 20k lb load on the 5th wheel trailer with an 8x8ft windscreen. The trans was the nicest paired with the exhaust brake, and handled the load better than the F-450 we were supposed to like more (after all, Ford was administering the test!). But when I got behind the wheel of the old 12V with a bunch of mods (at least a plate, sticks, DV's, and a 64mm turbo, which I learned about later), I couldn't believe what an old school diesel could do.

About a week later I sold my Eclipse (I had driven farm trucks all my life, and it was the nicest sports car I could afford), and went to look at a 95 Cummins CC 4x4 the next day listed for just $5,500. When I got up there it had all I wanted, big 35" tall tires, running boards, tow package, and power everything. It even came with a new stereo. I gave him $500 to hold it and picked it up the next day. Within 2 weeks it had a plate, modded AFC, a Mack Plug, and a new set of rear tires. And of course, 4 months later I blew up the stock tranny. So I put in a new trans, with a 12k mile warranty and a Goerend VB, and got it cleaned up to sell, I wanted a manual tranny with the 215HP pump. About 2 weeks later it was gone, and I was looking for a new truck.

After searching everywhere I found it, a 98 3500 4x4 QC Long Box, with 370's, 191's, a 0 plate, and some other goodies. But it was out in MI, a long ways from Buffalo. I got a plane ticket and bought it. After just a week I put in a SBC 3850 DD Clutch, Holset HX55 Turbo from J Atkins, and some other goodies to take it out pulling. Unfortunately I blew the turbo with only 5k miles on it when the oil feed line burst while I was driving (I had no idea until the turbo started whining real bad, by then it was too late, and the shaft had taken a pretty good beating right into the center chunk, right through the bushings, and the fins ate up the housing pretty good too). Back on went the 35, and the truck has seen street duty ever since. I loved the truck, but for DD duty it was just too big with the duals. So I went searching for another truck.

About a month or so later I found what appeared to be a pretty solid 97 2500 4x4 CC, again with the 5-spd. It was reasonably priced, and I made the PO an offer. He bit, and I took the truck home. I knew the front end would need work since it was sloppy, but he had said it was well taken care of and I shouldn't have any problems... Bull. I started off by putting in new stacks and a plate and tuning the pump, it ran pretty well, but not like the 98. After just one month, the head gasket popped after Cummins NE set the timing to 16.5*. I told them to fix it, because I didn't have the time, or all the tools to do it. It blew instantly after they fixed it, and blew the oil cooler with it, so both those were replaced again. A week later it blew again. 3 head gaskets in a month. Finally they agreed to let me take the head and have it decked, and after re-assembly its been fine. 3 weeks after that, driving back from a ski-trip the engine died on me on the highway, gauges dropped to 0, and it wouldn't re-start. So I cut the power cord to my Sirius radio, and tied the shutoff-solenoid up to allow fuel to the pump again. It fired right up, but I still had no gauges, and the battery wouldn't charge. After checking fuses, one was blown. Replaced it and it was fine, until the battery charged enough and the voltage was normal, then it popped again, something more serious was wrong. To this day I still don't know what did it, but after removing the shutdown solenoid it seems to work ok. I now have a nifty "Pull to Kill" cable off a DT466 International that controls the shutoff on my truck, great mod if you haven't done it yet.

About a month later on my way to the shop, the truck made a horrible grinding noise easing into 4th gear. The rear tires seized, and the truck wouldn't move. I called my stepdad down the road, and he towed me to the shop with the t-case in neutral fearing the trans had blown.

Once again, I had no time to do anything with it, business was cranking. After letting it sit in the shop neglected for a week, I dropped it off at a buddies garage, with a new NV4500 sitting in the bed and asked him to swap them out for me. He did, and while he was in there, he noticed the clutch was about shot. I ordered a new one, and he installed it for me. I got the truck back, and it was making a horrible grinding noise driving down the road in all gears, and while moving in neutral. We threw it back on the lift, grabbed the stethoscope and sure enough, the t-case was shot. He pulled it, took it down to the local 4wd shop, and had it rebuilt for me to the tune of $1100. After throwing it back in he gave me the truck and said I had a new drivetrain (pretty much after everything that'd been done to it)! :U:.

The truck ran great for a day, :choochoo:, I was loving it again. Then as my hopes were high, driving it home the next day, it quit on me and would not re-start. I called my buddy who did the trans swap and whatnot and asked if he had touched the fuel system, to which he replied no. I checked everything, replaced the lift pump, and still nothing worked. I was sick of not knowing how other guys had worked on my truck, so I closed the shop for a day and worked on the truck, talk about a waste. I went down to the local marina, and bought fuel hose for the truck. Dropped the tank, replaced everything from the pump back, and put it back together. After priming the system its ran like a charm ever since, although having the .020" over head-gasket you will notice cold starts are slightly harder than they used to be.

Since then the truck has ran rather well all things considered, a few glitches here and there. A new WeatherGuard black Diamondplate Toolbox, some Hella's, and other little goodies have adorned the truck. And of course at 1:30AM this past weekend the headlights quit working. I had to drive all the way home holding the high beam switch, which I must say did tick off a few people, lol.

The other truck I have is a 99 Reg Cab 24V 4x4... Plain Jane as they come, no power anything, no power mirrors, no tilt wheel, not even a cassette player. The only options it has are the 4wd, A/C, and the LSD rear end. Thats the shop truck, and besides a 4-inch exhaust that thing will not be getting any mods, its already needed a vacuum/PS pump, and a new fuel heater assembly which the dealer raped me on, but it was there anyways, and my time is valuable (to me anyways, no-one else seems to think so, haha.).

Well, there you have it, 4 Cummins powered pickups in my fleet in less the 3 year. When will it end? :humm: ]]> MotorOilMcCall http://www.dieselbombers.com/blogs/motoroilmccall/10-how-my-fleet-came.html