How beefy is that front end?
 

I am considering buying a mid-80s crew cab chevy 1 ton single wheel with a 454 from a good friend. how much willl I have to beef up the front end to hold a 12v cummins and stock cummins auto tranny?

the 454 weighs about 600- 650, and a 12 valve cummins is 905-975, with a 24 V weighing 1150 so your talking about a difference of 300-400 lbs. I assume that they sold the 80,s 1 tons with a snow plow package, and the snow plow probably weighs around 3 or 400 so maybe the front end can handle If you can find all the parts from a snow plow package. Which I am sure are beefed up springs, maybe stronger Ball joints etc.. There is one guy on here who has a F150 with a 6bt swap and he's running it stock, with maybe some more springs.

I would at least box the front frame and add some cross members when you do the swap. Or you could just do a 4bt swap it only weighs 100 lbs more then the 454.

5.9L Cummins 24v ISB Specs 5.9L Cummins 12v Specs
4BT Cummins Diesel Specs

EDIT/UPDATE: I think it is a 454, but it might be the 350. In my heart of hearts, I would like to put in a 2nd gen 12 valve, but I may have to go with a 1st gen. The guy that owns the candidate truck I am wanting to put this cummins in, is putting a 1st gen diesel into an '87 crew cab chevy and putting in an nv4500. (Mostly because someone stole the '87's original tranny) I would like to know if this would work:I found a 96 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel that has no title (meaning i can only buy it for parts) at a U-pick and pull junkyard about ten minutes from my home. He wants $1200 for the truck as is with a smoked transmission, or a grand for the motor alone. Obviously, buying it as a whole seems like a better deal because I can sell off the remaining parts and get most of my money back for it. It is a 4wd auto that is missing it's rearend, frontend, dash, instrument cluster, front fenders, grille, front bumper, radiator, and air filter box, but it still has everything else including a VERY straight body that would be easy to sell along with a good interior. It looks like it might be a good donor vehicle.

The dodges smoked tranny obviously indicates I need a replacement. Would I be able to bolt a 2wd tranny to the 4wd cummins motor? Would it just be easier to swap in a 4wd front axle to the chevy's frame? As much as I would like it, I don't have to have 4wd on this thing.

How much will I have to beef up the front end on this thing?? I have heard weight numbers of a 2nd gen 12 valve weight from 900-1200 pounds. I know the 454 wieghs about 600 pounds. (Nearly half!!) Roughly the same with a 350. Will I have to box the frame? Will I need to do a body lift? What kind of upgrades will I need to do on the steering components? I am told I can utilize the motor mounts in their factory location, but I have not found much on this though. What kind of mods do I need to do to the firewall, fenders, radiator brackets, etc.....:w2: How much metal do I need to add to that front end?

AANNNNYYYY input, ideas, or anything else is appreciated!!!:humm:

---AutoMerged DoublePost---

Thanks for answering my questions! Your reply answered my questions when I was still typing that update. Thanks!! Any other answers or questions for me??

Destroked - THE Cummins Conversion Company : Adapter Plates

they can probably give you support over the phone or email on what you should do.

here is my conversion. 81 GMC. All i did was order some 6.2L diesel coils for the front. Takes the weight no problems

https://www.dieselbombers.com/diesel...box-chevy.html

in my opinion i think all trucks are sufficiently over engineered to handle a 20 to 30 years life of being a truck, possible abused and over loaded, as stated above, snow plows are installed on trucks and run with no issue, consider also that the further forward the weight from the axle centerline, the more load it will put on the front end, so to me a 900 pound engine mounted with the majority of its mass aft of the axle would probably result in less actual load on the front end than say a 500 pound plow mounted say a foot in front of the front bumper. all i know is im running stock front end with the exception of larger coils, and my truck survived hitting an un seen ditch at 30 miles an hour, bounced off the ground and threw my head into the roof, the tire did come up and break the evaporator housing off the fire wall, but no axle damage:):rocking:

I am greatly inspired by many of the swaps on here and by Project super dually on my favorite show: Trucks! You all have inspired me greatly!!! I appreciate everyones time and info!! Thanks for answering my question on the weight, but can anyone answer my others?

Take a look at the link i posted. It's the same tuck. It's a piece of piss swap. i even used the gauges out of the dodge and it all works like factory.

And yes, you can bolt a 2 wheel NV4500 up to the back of it. it's all the same to the engine.

BBC= 725 lbs dressed, sbc= 575 lbs dressed, IHC=920 lbs dressed, and will fit in an old school c/30. 1200 lbs for a cummins? what a 262? seems kinda heavy, could be 900 lbs

600 lbs is really light for a BBC, maybe alum heads, intake, no water pump, a/c, alt, p/s pump, etc

Thats all I got
Daniel

The 292 was just over 900 pounds. Also, the cummins gets moved about 6 inchs back further than the stock engine config. This takes a ton of weight off the coils. The front end feels light and goes around corners 10 times better than stock.

Thanks for everyone's replys! Can anyone give me 2nd gen 12 valve engine compartment dimensions and an 80s Chevy engine compartment dimensions? Also, can anyone answer the body lift and 2wd or 4wd front axle question?

moving the engine back six inches does not take any more weight then moving it six inches forward, that is just to small of a difference. But it will make it handle a little better because of moving the weight distributions back.

Also before anyone of you diss Fords, they have a better chassis in most cases, except for My 97 F250 Powerstroke. Everything was great on that truck except for the design flaw in the front suspension. They never compensated for the added weight of the powerstroke and had weak springs.
As one of the former guy described when he hit a hidden rut and bounced in the air. I did the same on Qiuntana beach in Texas and bounced so high it bent the driver side TTbeam. Ford had a bulletin on that that said "strike through on bumpstops, on powerstroke models" remedy was to add a spring, to the leaf pack.
So if you have a one ton front end with the old Kingpin design and made sure you had strong enough springs, and maybe a after market bumpstop I think your truck should handle the cummins

Bull sh!t. Stop talking out your ass. I took the front and the back over the scale before and after.

Get back to me after you have a few swaps under your belt. :tu:

What ever you say Re Re....you can't argue with Carrol Smith, Or Shelby for that matter. Read some of there chassis engineering books.

Well you go read some books, and i'll keep putting swaps under my belt. :hellox:

I have proof of just how much weight came off the front end with just 6 inches of moving the engine/trans back.

No book is going to change that.

how much?

It was 290lbs less with the heaver engine. And that is at a truck weight scale to weigh each axle. If you look at my swap pictures, you can see just how far forward the GM shifter was by the hole in the carpet. Both engines were the same length, and the rad on the 292 was skinny as hell. I put the dodge 4 core rad in there and the intercooler in the same hole.

It all looks like factory.

I need answers, not arguments. Back to the original things I asked about, does anyone know any other answers

I have no problem helping you, everything you're asking can be done. You need to figure out what you want/need, come up with a game plan and do it.

have you bought the truck? do you have the donor?

ok my answer is do leaf springs with a non driven solid steer axle, you can find a ford or dodge hd axle from a 2wd truck like an f450 or you could take a 3/4 ton front axle, cut the ends off and weld a new piece of dom tubing in there and make your own, but i think the truck will handle it like it is, the way i look at it is: theres a ford ranger with a 6bt in it, its cool....

I can't agree with this. The IFS in the 2WD trucks ride 10 times better than a leaf with a solid. And in a daily driven diesel truck, you want all the comfort you can get.

There is no problem with the front ends in the 2WD trucks.

yeah but solid axles are cool:rocking:

I am new here but I can answer this suspension question from my own experience. .....
I have a 1959 Chevy truck cab setting on a stock 1985 Chevy 1-ton C30 chassis.
I just put a 1990 Dodge Cummins engine and 727 automatic transmission in it.
The Cummins only made the front of the truck squat about 3/8 inch lower than it did with the old 6.2 diesel engine.

SWEET!! Thanks everyone!!! Anyone else got advice, build pics, or anything else for me??

just for the record i pulled my little bitty 1/2 ton front wheel bearing out today and looked at it, with over a year of a 12 valve cummins sitting on top of it driving everyday, its fine. remember THERE IS A FORD RANGER OUT THERE WITH A 5.9 IN IT, PARTY ON:rocking:

SWEET!! (I think that was already mentioned, but SWEET!) Thanks to anybody and everybody!! Anyone else?

---AutoMerged DoublePost---

No, but I am going to look at a possible donor this saturday. Look in my thread 95 Dodge dually to buy or not to buy?, It tells about it, but I did not get to go last saturday for multiple reasons.

it was me:rocking: when i was 17 i put a small block chevy in a 1987 2 door honda civic hatchback, because i was told "cant be done" HAMMER DOWN:rocking:

---AutoMerged DoublePost---

NOT TO MENTION THERE ARE 2 WHEELED MOTOR CYCLES WITH SMALL BLOCKS.....

I think putting a chevrolet small block in a honda civic is pointless! Put a 454 with some double fuel pumps in that thing, NOW YOU GOT SOMETHING YOU HAVE PROVEN!!! But seriously though, glad to hear from guys like me.

Thanks for everyones support!! Anyone else got pics, advice, or ANYTHING else??

Is this thing on?
 

This is my first post!

I joined this forum because I want a first gen Ram PU, 4wd, standard trans diesel, single rear axle, standard cab, 8' bed.

I've been reading on this thread about transplants because I have a line on a '91 fitting the above description. The '91 is really rough but appears to be sound. I ALSO have a line on an '89 Ram half ton 2wd with a 318 gasser. All things considered it's pretty straight. I don't weld or fab but I like jigsaw puzzles. I don't know much about diesels and I have never attempted a project this big. Any suggestions to making my dream Ram from these two units?

BTW - I currently own an '85 3/4 ton 2wd standard trans Ram w/ a 2bbl 318 gasser.

Thanks in Advance!

I would go for it man!!! Great way to start your first post!! I plan on buying a 12 valve cummins and driving it for about 1-6 years depending on how fast I get the cash. I think you should start with the 12 valve first gen you have a line on and drive and modify it a bit along the way, then decide what you want to put its heart into. Are you going for a 600 horse nitrous snorter, a 350 horse tow rig that can get 20 mpg towuing a 25 foot gooseneck? Need a little more info. Good luck to ya!!!!!

Thanks for the moral support TG99!!

I'm looking to make this ride stock plus. I like a low profile sleeper, you know, walk softly and carry a big stick.

Other Swaps
 

Anyone else have input for a 89 Ram gasser to a 91 Ram Cummins swap?

Like I said - no welding or fabbing.

Sweet! I too like the sleeper style, but I dont think you would be able to do this conversion without metal fab work. You can buy all the adapters, plates, etc. but I am pretty sure you would still have to do atleast some metal fab or hire someone to do it for ya. I do admit I am a bit rusty on my welding skills with my dads stick welder, but I plan to do the welding on things like the floor, rad support, etc. The only part I will not weld myself are motor mounts or tranny mounts, but most if not all other things are going to be done by me. Because I do not trust myself to do the welder work on the only frame I got and screw it up. If you have 0 fab experience, go to your shop and get some fab experience. It is not something your gonna nail off the bat. I guarentee it. Buuuuuuuttttttttttt, you can still do this if you put some effort in learning and giving it a try and alot of determination.

When I told my friends at school i was going to buy a pickup bed trailer of my own with my own cash at 12 years old, most thought i was just trying to impress them. 3 months later, I was pulling one home from a flea market with $100 less than i left with. Now, at 14, I bought another one a couple weeks ago for $40 from my neighbor AND I still have my pickup bed trailer!! I am going to buy another pickup bed trailer and an antique sign for a 100 bucks from a buddy before the end of august to resell and I think I should get about $350 with about $100 worth of materials to add on to it to get my price. I am just saying this because I wanted to tell people that not everyone around you is in control of what you can and can't do. Good luck to ya!!!!