In-line 6 engine swap

[Jeff Balazs]

Hi Guy's;

I have enjoyed several of the engine swap threads here..... some real clever stuff!

Here are a few shots of what I think might make an interesting swap in a Pilothouse. And it looks like it would fit without hacking up the firewall.

I know....it's not a Mopar......but it is a straight 6.

Jeff

[lugnut123]

I put a 250 chevy and an overdrive tranny in a 34 international pickup. It fit like a glove. I haven't tryed to swap anything into a dodge with a flatty yet.

[Jeff Balazs]

Hi Lugnut;

Honestly I am not really contemplating this............ although a watered down version wouldn't be awful.

I went in to a friends shop the other day and he was working on this drift car. It was pretty impressive... and does look like it would fit into a pilothouse. But can you imagine what around 700hp and a 7000 rpm redline in one of these trucks would be like? Sort of scary and totally inappropriate to say the least. Besides.... way too much plumbing!

I have always been a fan of inline 6's. Have owned several different makes and they all have had more good points than bad. My all time favorite car to drive was a Austin Healy 3000. I loved the way it would pull in 3rd from way down low......the smooth power delivery ..... and the snap it had when I flicked the overdrive switch. You don't have to have 8 cylinders to have fun.....and a lot of inline 6's will perform and go farther between rebuilds.

Jeff

[1952B3b23]

I agree straight six's are the way to go! My other truck is a Dodge Ram 2500 with an inline 6 Cummins and its an AMAZING motor. Its power packed, bullet proof and very reliable. A Cummins in my '52 now theres an idea

[Jeff Balazs]

1952B2B23

Is your Cummins a 6BT? My fabricator buddy has been making the suggestion to me that this would make for a very cool and reliable swap. He say's they can be had fairly cheap.....and that the early ones don't require much in the way of electronics.

Jeff

[lugnut123]

I put a cummins 6at3.4 in my 55 2nd GMC pickup. The 6at was out oof a UPS truck . I had to butcher the heck out of the firewall to get it to fit. With a diesel you must remember some engines work at only low RPM's . 1800 to 2400 .

[Merle Coggins]

I went in to a friends shop the other day and he was working on this drift car. It was pretty impressive... and does look like it would fit into a pilothouse. But can you imagine what around 700hp and a 7000 rpm redline in one of these trucks would be like? Sort of scary and totally inappropriate to say the least. Besides.... way too much plumbing!

Jeff

Cool... drifting in a Pilot-House... :D:p

[Jeff Balazs]

Merle;

It is probably a "drifter" as it is.......

I am still waiting on the guy from the frame shop to take a look at the bent frame. Last thing I want to do is get "sideways" in this truck.

Jeff

[1952B3b23]

1952B2B23

Is your Cummins a 6BT? My fabricator buddy has been making the suggestion to me that this would make for a very cool and reliable swap. He say's they can be had fairly cheap.....and that the early ones don't require much in the way of electronics.

Jeff

Yup shes a 6bt, if i was to put one im my '52 id put the little brother of the 6bt which is a 4bt. It would be a much closer fit to the old flatty thats in there and it doesnt weigh nearly as much. Your friends right, you can get them out of a wrecked truck for not much. If you go with a 6bt an engine out of the 1st (1989-1993) or 2nd (1994-1998) generation dodges are your best bet. They are both mechanically fuel injected and dont require much electronics. The 2nd gens will get you the most bang for your buck. They come with a Bosch P7100 fuel injection pump that is extremely reliable and easy to tune for added HP. Theyre simply awesome motors for making big power reliably. The motor in my truck is far more complex due to all its electronics, but non the less a power house. Cummins diesels are my other passion besides theses amazing old PH.

-Chris

[Jeff Balazs]

Hi Chris;

Well you pretty much confirmed everything my buddy said. He thought the 4bt would be a bit anemic......but then he build mostly racers!

I still plan on going with the 230 I have. I need to do some research on rebuilding it properly.....but if I can find a 3.73 rear end it should be able to do all the things I need it to. And of course there are things you can do to get a little more zip out of these engines if required.

Jeff

[1952B3b23]

Hi Chris;

Well you pretty much confirmed everything my buddy said. He thought the 4bt would be a bit anemic......but then he build mostly racers!

I still plan on going with the 230 I have. I need to do some research on rebuilding it properly.....but if I can find a 3.73 rear end it should be able to do all the things I need it to. And of course there are things you can do to get a little more zip out of these engines if required.

Jeff

Yea that is true the old 4bt is certainly no giant power house, but with some mods you can get them to put down some decent power. Especially for a small 1/2 ton like my '52 i think it'd get it going well. But my heart isnt set on an engine swap just yet. I want to keep running my 218 and hopefully with a good tune up i can get the full 100 hp out of her lol.

-Chris

[HanksB3B]

I have a 1985 BMW 325e E30 with a straight six. The 'e" Eta engine produces 170 hp at 3250 rpm. It's equipped with a five speed transmission. The engine produces more low-end torque than it's sister 325i engine and really shines in the Alpine zone. The transmission shifts like butter. The car cruises at 85 at 2500 rpm redlines at 4250. I always thought this engine and transmission would do great in my truck.

Hank

[1952B3b23]

I have a 1985 BMW 325e E30 with a straight six. The 'e" Eta engine produces 170 hp at 3250 rpm. It's equipped with a five speed transmission. The engine produces more low-end torque than it's sister 325i engine and really shines in the Alpine zone. The transmission shifts like butter. The car cruises at 85 at 2500 rpm redlines at 4250. I always thought this engine and transmission would do great in my truck.

Hank

That's very cool Hank! I have a 1998 Mercedes Benz E300 Turbo diesel that i believe has the same power ratings as your BMW. The low end torque is great for climbing those hills, and its such a luxurious ride. I agree it would be a very cool candidate for an engine swap.

-Chris

[lugnut123]

they put alot of the 4Bt;s in bread trucks. If you can find a good one with a 400 chevy automatic behind it. It would woop yer truck down the road. The 6at3.4 that I aquired a a stock chevy bell houseing will bolt rite up.

[1952B3b23]

they put alot of the 4Bt;s in bread trucks. If you can find a good one with a 400 chevy automatic behind it. It would woop yer truck down the road. The 6at3.4 that I aquired a a stock chevy bell houseing will bolt rite up.

I agree i think the 4bt would be an awesome engine swap. I've also heard that from other sources to that they put them in bread trucks, maybe i can find a motor and trans for not to much cash. Unfortunately that will have to wait till i get the rest of the truck in order, like the bed and paint job.

-Chris

[Jeff Balazs]

Guy's

Just out of curiosity what do you think the fuel economy would be like if you did a swap using the 4bt? I've never owned a diesel but I do know you have to have good fuel filters on them here. A few of my friends that have them have had issues with dirty or contaminated fuel.

Jeff

[1952B3b23]

Guy's

Just out of curiosity what do you think the fuel economy would be like if you did a swap using the 4bt? I've never owned a diesel but I do know you have to have good fuel filters on them here. A few of my friends that have them have had issues with dirty or contaminated fuel.

Jeff

My guess would be around 20-25 mpg, maybe a little bit more with a decent higher gear ratio. I know that the early dodge trucks (first generation) with the Cummins 6bt could achieve around 25 mpg on average. It is extremely important with any diesel motor to have very clean fuel, clean fuel filters, and make sure no water is in the fuel. The key behind diesels are that theyre compression ignition (ie no spark plugs). If the fuel contains any type of contaminants you will clog the injectors, therefore decreasing efficiency greatly or the vehicle just wont run. On my Cummins 6bt i change the fuel filter at every other oil change, and periodically run injector cleaner through it. The truck is from 2003 and it starts like a charm every morning even on the coldest of New England mornings. I can totally understand why your friends may have problems with dirty fuel.

-Chris

[Jeff Balazs]

Chris;

Thanks for your valuable input.

I have another related question.

Probably the biggest turn off to me about diesels is all the "racket" most of them make. I work around noisy machinery all day.......the last thing I want is to subject myself to more noise. What could you do to quiet an engine installation like this down if you were putting one in a Pilothouse?

Thanks, Jeff

[1952B3b23]

Chris;

Thanks for your valuable input.

I have another related question.

Probably the biggest turn off to me about diesels is all the "racket" most of them make. I work around noisy machinery all day.......the last thing I want is to subject myself to more noise. What could you do to quiet an engine installation like this down if you were putting one in a Pilothouse?

Thanks, Jeff

You're very welcome, i love talking diesels and Pilothouses!

Most of them do sound like a big old bucket of bolts being rattled around. Id say to eliminate the in cab noise i would use plenty of sound dampening material and a good aftermarket muffler. They now make mufflers that make the cabs very comfortable and eliminate the 'mid range drone' that tends to occur after the motor shifts and is just cruising.

-Chris

[austinsailor]

Guy's

Just out of curiosity what do you think the fuel economy would be like if you did a swap using the 4bt? I've never owned a diesel but I do know you have to have good fuel filters on them here. A few of my friends that have them have had issues with dirty or contaminated fuel.

Jeff

There is a guy near me who has a truck he built - 4 door Dakota on an F-150 Chassis and a 4 cylinder bread truck motor. When I met him he was just retuning from Minnesota with a gooseneck trailer hauling a 39 Ford 1 1/2 ton dually he'd bought. Said he got 22 on the trip back, usually got about 30.

I've driven my Dodge Cummins diesels probably 400,000 miles in the last 10 years. Once in a while I replace the fuel filter. I've had one time on the road where it was a problem, and it was obvious it was fuel starvation when you pushed it hard. I changed it that time in a parking lot, took off with no problems.

I've also done probably 10,000 in my diesel powered sailboat. Small 30 hp motor. I've had more problems there, as often fuel has been sitting a long time, but again, changing filters is all that has been required. On the boat, once more than one a day, but that is running 24 hours a day.

Fuel problems are just not a part of the equation. You might not like diesel for a lot of reasons, but worrys about fuel quality is just not a reason to worry. In addition, diesel will last far longer in the tank than gas. Years.

[Young Ed]

There is a guy near me who has a truck he built - 4 door Dakota on an F-150 Chassis and a 4 cylinder bread truck motor. When I met him he was just retuning from Minnesota with a gooseneck trailer hauling a 39 Ford 1 1/2 ton dually he'd bought. Said he got 22 on the trip back, usually got about 30.

I've driven my Dodge Cummins diesels probably 400,000 miles in the last 10 years. Once in a while I replace the fuel filter. I've had one time on the road where it was a problem, and it was obvious it was fuel starvation when you pushed it hard. I changed it that time in a parking lot, took off with no problems.

I've also done probably 10,000 in my diesel powered sailboat. Small 30 hp motor. I've had more problems there, as often fuel has been sitting a long time, but again, changing filters is all that has been required. On the boat, once more than one a day, but that is running 24 hours a day.

Fuel problems are just not a part of the equation. You might not like diesel for a lot of reasons, but worrys about fuel quality is just not a reason to worry. In addition, diesel will last far longer in the tank than gas. Years.

Got pictures of that 39 ford 1/5 ton?

[lugnut123]

! ton long bed 49? dodge. ksl.com salt lake/ ogden area