Those with Cummins swaps please chime in.

I'm pretty much had made up my mind on what motor, transmission I wanted to use for my build. However after going to a few shows and trying to visualize the setup I'm starting to get cold feet so to say.

If you have a cummins 6bt swap in a fenderless setup please post pictures. I'm worried about the proptions being off with the engine and running a 48-ish era Ford F-1 cab and bed.

I'm thinking by not C-Channeling the body and the lowering the motor a bit so the rear clyinder would be hear the fire wall would work. The front axle will be in front of the ford cross member for air bags so the frame will lay down. I even went as far to think of adding a dullay setup to make the truck look more "bigger"

What about pulling thr motor into the cab alittle?

lowbudget50 said:

What about pulling thr motor into the cab alittle?

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Yes sir, by dropping the engine a little I can push the motor back toward the firewall. Still want 3" min clearance between the ground and the oil pan in case if I drop frame something is under oil pan. Thinking of Murphy, you know he can be a real ******* sometimes..lol.

Worst case is the cab gets lift up a little to 1) maintain the 3" clearance and 2) be able to pull the engine back toward the firewall.

I've found tons of build threads but they are old and the picture links aren't there any more or year old builds with the links gone.

I think it would look fine.

I lean towards making a little doghouse in the firewall and keeping the motor up a wee bit. At three inch clearance of the flywheel dust cover, anything can crush that tin and maybe bend the flywheel, like country road centres, a flat tire on the front, loading your hotrod onto a ramped trailer, going in a friends un-level driveway, not missing some roadkill, or taking the wife shopping and going over a speed bump.
I really believe in getting the visual proportions right, so sometimes compromises have to be made and cab room is forfeited. I vote for having part of that Cummins in the cab with you.

MercuryMac said:

I lean towards making a little doghouse in the firewall and keeping the motor up a wee bit. At three inch clearance of the flywheel dust cover, anything can crush that tin and maybe bend the flywheel, like country road centres, a flat tire on the front, loading your hotrod onto a ramped trailer, going in a friends un-level driveway, not missing some roadkill, or taking the wife shopping and going over a speed bump.
I really believe in getting the visual proportions right, so sometimes compromises have to be made and cab room is forfeited. I vote for having part of that Cummins in the cab with you.

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The 3" inch clearance is for when the frame is laying on the ground. When air bags are inflated will have additional 6" clearance (so 9" total).

Having it in the cab it self, noise at highway speeds do concern me, as I do intend of on driving it. Friend of mine has a 6bt in his rig and trying to convince me to go gas with turbo motor. I've done that before in other cars and just want something different. Same kool aid gets boring after a while.

do you have a cummins to mesure. a 4bt should be the same hieght if a 6 isn't available. just add the lenghth of two valve covers. I think you wil be ok with the 6bt. my 49 f sieries cab has a ford 302 in front of it and the engine looks very tiny.

I hope you have the bucks to play with a Cummins. A Cummins mechanic told me that a reman crate motor was now about $20,000 for the Dodge trucks. I can believe it, I was quoted $41,000 for the short block ISX in my semi truck just a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, it's not getting fixed.....

Bamamav said:

I hope you have the bucks to play with a Cummins. A Cummins mechanic told me that a reman crate motor was now about $20,000 for the Dodge trucks. I can believe it, I was quoted $41,000 for the short block ISX in my semi truck just a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, it's not getting fixed.....

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You can buy a rebuild kit for 1,500 bucks. Rebuilds of a 5.9 12 valve is around 8k if you want a drop in. These motors are tough, the 24v common rail, not so much.

Whoa, depending on the damage I would try to a in chassis rebuild but I don't know the damage to it. Good luck in getting your rig fixed.

kenny c said:

do you have a cummins to mesure. a 4bt should be the same hieght if a 6 isn't available. just add the lenghth of two valve covers. I think you wil be ok with the 6bt. my 49 f sieries cab has a ford 302 in front of it and the engine looks very tiny.

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6bt is 40" from back of bell housing (adapter) to the front timing cover..add 5" for belt routing (alternator).

thisguy65 said:

You can buy a rebuild kit for 1,500 bucks. Rebuilds of a 5.9 12 valve is around 8k if you want a drop in. These motors are tough, the 24v common rail, not so much.

Whoa, depending on the damage I would try to a in chassis rebuild but I don't know the damage to it. Good luck in getting your rig fixed.

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The 12 v is a killer engine. I drive a 91 daily that has 200,xxx on it. Runs like a dream. My 93 crew cab im building has 200,xxx on it also and i just added compound turbos and its pushing 400hp to the ground. Id love to put one in a rat. Just havnt found the right rig yet.

lowbudget50 said:

The 12 v is a killer engine. I drive a 91 daily that has 200,xxx on it. Runs like a dream. My 93 crew cab im building has 200,xxx on it also and i just added compound turbos and its pushing 400hp to the ground. Id love to put one in a rat. Just havnt found the right rig yet.

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Heck yea! Even when the the piston rings "go" and blow by like a train they keep on ticking. I've found a few out of buses I'm thinking of picking up. There's a performance shop in IL that gets these and uses them as cores and working on getting one of theirs.

Guy, it looks like you've done a lot of homework in the planning department. I'm glad you don't have the clearance issues that I worried about.
If you put some good sound deadener inside your dog-house you should be O.K.. I had a Louisville truck with a Cummins, in the late seventies. It had quite a dog-house in the cab just beside my knee and it wasn't that bad for noise but it was lined with sound insulation. It seemed like I was younger back in the seventies, though, so noise didn't bother me as much as it does now.

thisguy65 said:

You can buy a rebuild kit for 1,500 bucks. Rebuilds of a 5.9 12 valve is around 8k if you want a drop in. These motors are tough, the 24v common rail, not so much.

Whoa, depending on the damage I would try to a in chassis rebuild but I don't know the damage to it. Good luck in getting your rig fixed.

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Not saying they aren't tough, just expensive when they do fail. I turned the mains and a rod bearing that welded itself to the crank in mine. 890,000 miles, still held 35 psi oil pressure right until it locked up, the main bearings were down to solid copper, no warning. Mine needed a out of frame since it would have to be line bored, the short block replacement was cheaper. I only gave $38,000 for the truck 1.5 years ago. So, it's getting traded instead of fixed.

Don't know where you can find a drop in for $8000, not from Cummins for sure. They have went to the sky on their prices. Same shop has a motor coach with a blown engine, guys said it was going to be $25,000 for a crate replacement.

If you don't already have the 6BT, I would consider a 4 BT. The 6 is more plentiful and you can find a running one now for $1500.
Around here most of the ones you find still in the pickup leak oil like a sieve because people with those old trucks can't afford the $2500 the dealer wants to replace the front seal.