I am thinking of putting together a truck and need some input. I have a p-pumped 8.3 mated to an allison MD3060. I am planning on getting a remote transfer case out of a duece, building a custom tube frame, and finding a crewcab body for it, either a ford or a dodge. I need some ideas for axles... I know that the 8.3 is a pretty heavy engine, and I dont know what will handle the weight. I know rockwells will do the trick, but the 6.72:1 gears are kinda nasty. I also dont want it to be overly tall, so I would like to avoid the toploader axles, and keep the tires around the 35 range. Any ideas are appreciated

 

Alot of 35" tires arent a true 35" diameter. IMO I would suggest military surplus tires on recentered H1 beadlocks. You can get 36's or 37's with 95-100% tread on em.
A guy on pirate4x4 forum named 100dollarman sells them, he also has a website.
You can pick from 12 or 32 bolt beadlocks with free runflats or you can get custom ones and he will re-center the wheels for the axles your going to use. Your mainly paying for the wheels and the tires are free.
Just an option.
As for axles, a 14bolt will probably hold up good for the front if you mess with the axle tubes and what not.

 

No offence - but I think your dreaming.


8.3 has to outweight the 5.9 by at least 300 pounds.

Good luck - I hope you can make it work. Id love to see some pics.

 

Somewhere out there in the wild blue yonder of yee internet is a short story of a guy who put one in a 92-97 F Series.

IIRC he did a suspension lift so the oil pan could clear the Dana 60 front axle, did about a 3" body lift so the engine would actually fit under the cab/hood, and so the Allison would clear the floorboards.


Can it be done? Oh of course, anything can be done. I hope you're a one man factory because you are in for one helluva project.

 

Thanks for the input, and I know that the 8.3 is big and heavy, thats why I want to use it, its different. Ive built several jeeps from the ground up, and I think its time to do a truck. There is a guy by me that builds custom axles and stuff, so I think I might have to pay him a visit.

 

hey good luck, would be one hell of a ride, thats for sure. i think i would go with a newer ford body style. i kinda like them, and they look pretty tough coming at you. don't know how they ride, but i bet you would prolly change all the suspension components anyhow.

 

Im either thinkin a 99-03 ford crewcab or a quadcab dodge. Im going to try to find one thats 2wd and gas with a lot of miles and a pretty good body, and hopefully get it for cheap. Then build my own frame and drop the body on. The fords have big engine bays so I might lean that direction... and Im gonna go air ride

 

They weigh 1500 pounds. You'll figure out the small stuff as you go. The Super Duty does have lots of room, and Dodges already have a Cummins. Go with the cab you like better.

 

If you have the coin, Dynatrac now offers Dana 80 front axles that can support up to 11,500 lbs!




Pro-Series 80 Front and Rear

If you need the biggest and the baddest, here it is!
Exclusive Dynatrac Pro80 High Rigidity Housing Technology
Ideal for today's Big Torque Diesel Power
Traditional Dynatrac attention to detail and quality throughout
11.25" Ring Gear, Ratios from 3.31-5.38
Tube diameters up to 4.0"
Full-Floating, GAWR up to 11,500 pounds
Multiple drum and disk brake systems available
ABS compatibility

 

So it weighs a few hundred lbs more.....what about a 5.9 with a bumper and winch? Bout the same. So its not that unfeasible.