what would i need to do to swap an engine
January 1, 2005 - 12:05pm
what woul i have to go through to swap the engine of a 1957 dodge 150. there is plenty of room to work with inside the vehicle and i would be doing a complete engine/tranny swap. this is a barebones vehicle with a ford strait six in it (small block). doesn't run and scince i've had a geat deal of trouble finding a decent car i figure maybe it would be worth my time to get this one deisel powered and running. as far as i can see everthing is in good shap. the brakes need to be redone though. i'm looking in to fing a decent engine frome a junkyard. possibly from an old step van or something like a suburban. any help or ideas that anyone could offer would be appreciated. i'd like to do most of the work myself.
January 1, 2005 - 5:49pm
#2
Just a couple of comments; You say this is a 57 Dodge with a Ford straight 6 in it? Sounds like it has already had a few mods. There may be damage to the frame where new motor/tran mounts were installed. That being said, there is probably a lot of room to work in the eng compartment and if it is that old not a lot of crapola wiring and emsions junk to work around. You will probably pay premium for a eng/tranny combo in good operating condition. I would not even consider buying one unless I could hear and see it operate. You might want to look for a pre-electronic Cummings setup. Some good news is that you can upgrade those older vehicles with modern disc brake setups. Check hot rod and custom magazines. I upgraded the front drum brakes on my 70 Duster to discs and never regretted it. Some of these older trucks had the fuel tanks behind the seats in the cab. This would be a good place to put your veggie tank and put a small dino diesel tank under the chasis or in the bed. If you go with a manual tranny there are after market hydrolic clutch linkage that will save a ton of money and fabrication of manual linkage. If you are a do-it-yourselfer with a shop, a butt load of tools, inginuity, and patience you can probably do a good conversion. Good luck.
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A Smith and Wesson beats four aces.
January 2, 2005 - 2:56pm
#3
well. i don't heve butloads of tools or anything like that. what year is a pre electronic cummins? as far as i can see the frame is in good condition(and i can see a lot!). i knew that the brakes would have to be done. i think that i'll leave the steering as it is. i dun know if i could make it power steering with out replacing the front axle. as for thetransmission that should be a breeze because the floor has already been hacked and fabbed so it is removeable over the tranny and i can work from all sides. i wony even have to jack it up to remove it, the truck is high enough that i can build a cradle out of 2x4s and use a floor jack to remove it. i could probably rent or borrow an engine hoist. how much do aftermarket brakes run thanks for the support.
January 2, 2005 - 3:04pm
#4
oh i forgout to add the bed is wooden planks so i can remove them to work from on top there too. can it be done? this truck just seems so accesible to work on that even i might be able to pull it off.
January 3, 2005 - 5:42pm
#5
Try the link below, this seems to be the best place to get the stuff needed to put a BT6 in to any thing. The site seems to be down today, try again Later, Moose
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2000 Dodge Cummins QC Shortbed, BHAF, Westach 0-30 PSI Fuel Pressure Gage, Soon to be Greasecar'ed
January 5, 2005 - 4:37pm
#6
is the bt6 the 5.9l cummins engine?
January 5, 2005 - 5:56pm
#7
Quote:
Originally posted by: gespacho
is the bt6 the 5.9l cummins engine?
The BT6 is the 12 Valve version of the Cummins 5.9 Liter Engine. The 24 Valve is called the ISB. (Interactive Series B, I think ;) ) Moose
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2000 Dodge Cummins QC Shortbed, BHAF, Westach 0-30 PSI Fuel Pressure Gage, Soon to be Greasecar'ed
January 5, 2005 - 7:27pm
#8
There is also a BT4 variation that can be found in the older GMC stepvans, the frito-lay style. All the BT6 stuff interchanges too. It might be a bit easier to fit in. Just a thought. My first conversion was a BT4 in a delivery truck. It had 200K miles and ran very smooth. The grease actually quiets down the cummins a bit.
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1995 Chevrolet 3/4 ton 2wd Suburban 6.5 Turbo Diesel, 4L80-E 4spd auto. Racor 1000FH filter, with electric heater.
January 5, 2005 - 8:50pm
#9
are the bt6 bt4 and isb non computerized engines. i don't want to have to install an electrical system on this project if i am able to do this. i also think that i have room for just about anything under the sun.
thanks
February 6, 2005 - 1:18pm
#10
I just acquired a 91 gm stepvan with a cummins bt4 which is a non electronic 4cyl diesel. I took the chassis and discovered it was a perfect donor for a 41 chevy truck 1.5 ton. I think a motor home chassis would also bolt right onto this chassis, and I know where one is left.
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As long as your in the doghouse, youll never get the cat
February 7, 2005 - 11:50am
#11
If it has a striaght 6 I'd go with either the Dodge flathead used from the late 30's to the early 70's or the BMW 3.5L m30 used from 72-92 (also a straight 6). The BMW motor is powerful, parts are easy to find and cheap... a whole parts car goes for ~$500 or less. The 85-88 5 speed (stick) are best.
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Her
"Do I smell McDonalds?"
Me
"No, that's my Bimmer"...
Her
"Will it make me fat?"
Me
"You're already fat"
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I have a 1986 Bounder 30' Class A motorhome and have been thinking the same thing. It is built on the P-30 chassis... same thing as the step vans. Some step vans had the 6.2 and 6.5 GMC diesel.
My dream is to yank out that 454 and swap for a 6.5. That, or I'll buy a diesel step van and cannibalize the motorhome for the 'living quarters' to put it in the van.
That plus a diesel generator and I could do some serious traveling!
Todd T