3/4 or 1 ton with 4bt
 

Hi all I was wondering if anyone was aware of someone who's done this: put a 4bt in 3/4 or 1 ton truck. So, if I have a 88-94 f250 extended cab would a 4bt be enough to power it? If I can gain 5mpg and lose 5000lb towing capacity vs a 12v, than it's worth it to me. I don't see myself towing huge amounts of stuff, maybe a camper or a car hauler occasionally.

I've recently given up aspirations of importing an early 90s diesel land cruiser, it's just too damn expensive. so the idea is to make a vehicle platform with what I have available in the USA. I want select-able 4x4, leaf sprung FF axles, and the ability to run WVO. I like the cummins because of timing gears - sleeved pistons would be nice but I guess you can't have everything.

I'm very partial to the late 80s early 90s F series, as it was the last of the big 3 to provide leaf sprung front axles. The 4 doors are too long for me, so the hypothetical recipient would be a F250 with an axle swap out of a 350.

Transmission is still up in the air. Would the zf5 be good candidate or would I need to use a GM transmission? I've heard a lot of horror stories about the e4od, and have seen people hook up the GM 700r4 to the 4bt. I'm not 100% sold on autos, i prefer simplicity and ability to start without electricity that comes with a stick but that torque converter is nice for crawling and towing.

I would forget the 4bt and go with the 12v or better. The 4bt will do nothing but piss you off in the long run only due to the size of the truck and the amount of power required to make it move.

x2:tu:

+1

6BT is cheaper/easier in the end. Get the whole 'kit' from one Dodge truck. Intercooled or not isn't a big deal. Getrag works fine. VE pump will get you the best economy.

Adapting a ZF should be OK so long as its a 460 or diesel version. The other patterns don't work. Would not bother converting to a cummins and pairing with an auto... but maybe a 47RH if I absolutely had to have auto.

I would go with a NV4500 over a Getrag. The 47rh will hold for a little shile but you will be looking at a nice chunk of change to upgrade.