dmckeehan503

Radarsonwheels, thanks for the info on the brake booster set up. Will look into it. ggdad1951, i was figuring about 400lbs more than a small block. Made some progress over last weekend. set the cab where we thought it might be happy, tacked in some mounts to hold it steady, then lifted it all off and set the motor and transmission in. We made some cuts in the firewall for clearance, and determined that we are gonna have to raise the body about 2 inches to give adequate clearance for the wiper motor and such. All in all, a good productive weekend. Now that i have an idea of what we need for mounts, i can purchase the metal for the fab work and get started. Chassis handled the weight of the cummins and transmission well. I did find the heavier moog front springs, so those will get ordered pretty quick and installed just to make sure all he clearances are good before final weld in of the brackets.

Thanks for the info. I may end of having to do air bags up front if a set of new springs doesn't hold it up where i want it. the Cummins itself weighs about 400 more than the small block. Auto tranny is heavier than the a 727. So i am probably gonna be pushing about 600lbs more up front than stock V8. I do like the look of the big fronts, but the running stock will be narrower for sure. Those are 265-75-16's. at ride height without any weight up front, everything clears great. gonna have a bout 6-8 inches of ground clearance under the running boards. thanks for the heads up on setting the engine and trans in before finalizing the mounts. I know the firewall will have to come out. When you get a chance, if you don't mind, could you snap of few pics of your brake pedal arrangement inside. i am planning on using a firewall mounted master cylinder as well, just not sure what brake pedal assembly to use yet.

Lots of progress..... getting some great pointers for my build. Do you happen to have the Moog Spring part numbers you used for the front springs?

Weekend is still young..... productive day yesterday though. Cab and front clip have been fitted to the 98 Dakota frame. Today will be spent burning in the mounts, and finalizing placements. If all goes smooth, might even try a test fit of the 12V Cummins tomorrow morning.

Thanks. It took me 20 years of planning, scrounging and saving for the shop. I have been running the cummins for probably 20 years. I love the motor. Dad is wanting a cruiser to drive but be reliable and dependable. Modern running gear, and easy parts availability. Plus, it is just a cool swap. stealing some cues from the Little Red Express trucks, gonna have dual stacks at the back of the bed as well.

Lots of great info in this post. Thanks for the pictures, definitelygiving me some idea's on my build.

Dad bought this 56 about a year ago, V8 truck. Frame is straight, motor is free and spins, 4 speed feels good. Little rust in floor pans, but nothing major. It has a little crease on the driver side rear fender, but easily fixable. Missing a driver side window and both wing windows. Putting it on a 98 Dakota Chassis and powering it by a 12V Cummins with Automatic. should be a fun little cruiser.