My Cummins conversion project truck

[KRob]

Very Cool!

looking at the pictures of how the truck stands i am curious what tire lift combination you have. They look like military hmmwv tires and i think i read you had a 4 inch lift.

Do you think a 2 inch lift would clear the tires you have on now?

Also could you post a picture with you or someone standing next to it for a comparison.

I am toying with the idea of hmmwv tires and a little lift on mine, however i still want it very usable for work, ie, easily loading firewood into or something along those lines.

Thanks, like i said very cool. I wish i had seen this earlier, wife's folks live in Bremerton, would have loved to swing by and seen it when i was up there.

Rob

[Mellowyellow]

Thanks much for the compliment on my build. It was alot of fun to do and without forums like this one to learn from, would have been a bugger to do! I wish you well on your project. I was going to say that the "Trucks" show used a Dodge chassis and mounted a Ford body on it but it was a newer Ford body, extended cab or 4 door, and I don't remember the chassis being a 4X4. Thanks again for commenting on my build!

I seen that "trucks show" too. It didnt look to painful to do, but then again everything looks easier on tv. My biggest issue is going to be trying to do this in a tiny shop with limited space. I picked up the doner truck the otherday and ive been cleaning up some other projects getting as much usable space as i can back.

Plan is to strip the 96 down this summer, sandblast chop frame and move engine back to where it needs to sit. Then get the cummins back up to snuff. Then next winter do the body swap.

[fordpickupman]

Great job! Best combination possible, Bumpside Ford and a Cummins.
I like how the Ford Intercooler looks like it was designed to fit there.

[duckbill59]

Thanks for the comment. Before I did the engine swap, I never had owned a diesel engine and had no idea of the potential. After doing the Cummins swap, I have never been happier with the truck. It always starts when I turn the key, it has more than enough driving power for me, and I can drive it a lot further on a tank of fuel as compared to the original 360 V-8. My only complaint as I am getting older and bigger around the waist is that I should have done a 2 inch lift in stead of the 4" lift!

[Mellowyellow]

Question for you, were you able to use the original speedo and other guages? Ive been working away on my project pretty hard and really hoping to be done by spring (1971 F250 on 1996 Dodge 3/4ton chassis) but its not looking good hahaha lots to still do. So far ive got the Cummins rebuilt, Tranny rebuilt, Frame sand blasted and painted and now working on cab rust repair. Had to do the cab mounts and extensive floor repair. Trying to stay ahead of the project with parts is hard to do so right now im trying to figure out what im gonna need for electrical before i get to that stage. The tranny i have is a 47re and im pretty sure its set up for an electric speedo and also pretty sure the 71 ford is a mechanical speedo. Im hoping someone can chime in and maybe theres something i can change on the tranny to convert it to mechanical. Any help would be much appreciated. I would really like to avoid buying all new guages as it is very costly and christmas has me tapped out haha. Thanks

[duckbill59]

The factory gauges worked for me as I used the original Ford sending units on the Cummins engine. The speedo in my case is the original cable hooked up to the transfer case as it was from the factory. I took the truck to the speedo calibration place in Tacoma who cut the cable, installed a "speedo correcting" device, and sent me on my way once I had my tire size and gear ratios installed. The place did say he can convert the electric speedo's to mechanical but we didn't discuss price though. I have also heard that the 47E and the 518 that I am using are offspring of the 727 I think and that the tail shaft and housing can be swapped to give a mechanical speedo output. I have heard that but not sure of the accuracy of that information though. Good luck on your project! I for one can say you will be happy with the completed project once it is up and running!

[Mellowyellow]

Thanks for the response, i will do some reseach and see about swapping the tail housing. Im sure i will love the project once im done, I had a dodge with the cummins before and drove it for 10 years and 300,000km (canada) almost problem free until the body started to rust itself to peices haha. Im trying my best to make this thing more rust proof than the last. Planning on using spray in boxliner on the entire bottom side of the truck and inner fenders. It should also help with the sound proofing too. How is your truck for sound in the cab?

[duckbill59]

It could be much quieter but I didn't place a great deal of importance in that so far. I bought the extra thick rubber floor mat from JC Whitney to replace the worn original floor mat and I will honestly say it's probably not that much noisier than with the original 360 engine. Your idea of the bed liner is probably a good one. I read a recipe on this forum a long while ago about a homemade "Lizard skin" insulation recipe and other stories of the acoustical insulating pad stuff that is sold. Again, good luck on your project!

[Mellowyellow]

ya ive heard of guys using hvac insulation from home depot too. I bought a roll of something at a swap meet this summer for $40 bucks cant remember what its called but its similar to dynamat but i will have to use some kind of adheasive to clue it. Also going to spray the inside of the cab with bed liner (just the floor). The way i see it im 30 years old now and i dont want to ever have to mess with the floor on this truck again so hopefully if i do it right it will out last me haha.

Sure is a lot of work though and the cost keeps adding up and im so picky about everything so it takes forever haha. Like i said i want to have it on the road for spring, so lots to do. Winters seem to last till may here so i got a bit of time.

Cheers

P.S> im sure i will have more questions as i go. Thanks in advance.

[1972hiboy]

Just- re-read your thread. very nice setup and very informative. Im starting to gather up the rest of the parts I need to start my conversion on a crewcab long bed that IVe been sitting on for awhile. Good looking truck.

[duckbill59]

That seemed like the hardest part....gathering the parts needed to do the swap. People are pretty proud of them Cummins engines it seems and I ran across a good deal where it only cost me the value of a 1983 Honda XL600 trade for the whole truck. After that, it took me about 6 months start to finish to dismantle and reassemble the truck. Probably the most work of any project I have done and the most rewarding so far. Thanks for the nice comments and good luck on your project!