Conversion

[Walter Buller]

I have access to a 5.9 Cummins motor in a 1992 Dodge Dually with about 250K on it, cranks immediately, runs smooth as new, brand new 5 spd. tranny. The entire right side of the truck is tore up from running into a post. The interior is trashed from neglect. I'm looking for a good dually body, preferably another Dodge, or maybe a Ford or a Chevy to swap over. I can be reached @ 225-939-9959. Thanks
 

[Jim in Ma.]

Good luck with that - I'm in the same boat. I have a 95 Dodge/cummins with an allison in great condition, except for all the rust.
 

[VicS]

I have a 91 Dodge Cummins. I also have a 03 F250 Ford 5.4 gasser. I googled it Cummins into Ford found the kit and a Guy at Chicago who would put it in. Has did 4 just like mine. Says it takes 80 hrs X 50 or 4000 labor and another 4500 for the kit. Which doesn't count buying a 6 liter torque converter, or changing to the newer automatic. Or upgrading to a full 4 in exhaust system. And if I wanted it to really run, a bigger turbo and injection lines. I guess I will just record the sound of my son's Dodge taking off and play it in my Ford gasser. lol Vic
 

[Walter Buller]

I also have a Dodge Cummins, a 1993 model, with somewhere between 300k and a million miles. Don't know because the speedometer hasn't worked in years. Great truck. I am also in the middle of putting a 1993 5.9 Cummins in a 1994 Chevy dually, with an NV 4500 5 spd. and a heavy duty brass insert clutch pack. I paid $500 for the truck, $800 for the motor, $642 for the tranny, $100 for the bell housing(converting from an automatic to a standard), $443 for the clutch pack, $195 for the flywheel, $158 for the clutch master and slave cylinder, pedal and bracket, and $107 for an intercooler. My welder made the 2" risers to lift the cab for $40. So we have about $2800 in parts, and no more are anticipated to be needed except miscellaneous stuff like AC brackets, motor mounts, drive shaft parts, etc. Labor costs will be about a thousand. So, for a total of about $4000, we will have a perfect combination of the strongest pickup body with the strongest, most durable, fuel efficient motor. I wouldn't think that guy in Chicago has much business.
 

[Walter Buller]

If I could just find a suitable cab, I could swap them out, and use the same bed. That would be easy, if it was a Dodge cab. Where did all your rust come from? My 93 Dodge has almost no rust at all, but then it spent most of it's formative years in New Mexico. What kind of fuel mileage does your Allison give you?
 

[Jim in Ma.]

With New England roads in the Winter = Everything rusts I have tried using extra undercoat,and spraying fuel oil on frame as well.
 

[VicS]

If I had anything else to drive I would try to do the conversion myself. When you get done, post again and tell us how it turned out. Those original 5.9 can't be beat.
 

[dakota dave]

Just google southern rust free cabs. You can get a cab in real good shape for 1 to 2 K. Do any work you need to on the cab when its off and swap it over on a week end. I've changed out several cabs when I lived in Michigan the rust capitol of the world. the 1000 mile drive to get one wasn"t that much fun but a cab will fit on a snowmobile trailer and a S10 pulles it with no problem. Just remember to place it on the trailer facing foward. I had one place that loaded it cab rear foward. I thought I was pulling a building. I bought a cheep ugly cavalier to drive while working on my truck many years ago. It paid for itself in the first month of not driving my truck unless I needed it. Still have it 230.000 miles and still 35 MPG.
 

[Walter Buller]

Dakota, thanks for the tip. I too am looking for a cheap small car.
 

[scotc]

Just find any 78-93 Dodge with a good body. As long as your core support is good, the sheet metal swaps right over. I say if your core support is good, because the trucks to 90 and from 91-93 use a different core support, there is a spot where they made a little more clearance for the intercooler, and the headlights mount in a different position, I want to say higher up on the 91-93. But the body lines are the same otherwise. You can also swap over the doors and sheet metal from a pre-78, but the newer grill won't match the body lines, and they changed the grill in 91 to make room for the intercooler.

For what it's worth, the non-intercooled Cummins had bigger injectors, and often made more power than rated for. Diesel Power's "project rust bucket" in as-near-as-they-could-tell stock form, before they went into it, made 170 horse on the chassis dyno, with 20% torque converter slippage, and they were only rated 160HP. They kept all the 12-valve automatics rated for 160.
 

[WayneB]

I converted a 1993 Chevy xcab K2500 SRW 4x4 to Cummins from original 6.5L in 2004 @ 110K. NV4500. Love the truck. Pulls amazingly, and mileage is very good. 285K on truck, 340K on engine. 50% mileage is pulling trailer. No engine issues. Turned up power, but kept 2500 RPM of truck engine (not Dodge). Did the conversion myself. Really like it.
Wayne

Have cruise, bone-cold AC and everything still works like new. Thinking paint, but never new truck.
 

[Walter Buller]

I appreciate the info. Is your Cummins a 5.9 12v? What year model? What exactly is your fuel mileage? I would think a 2500 would get better mpg than a dually. Did you lift the cab or lower the main engine support? How did you turn up the power? Did you have any trouble hooking up the AC? If you paint yours, you might consider painting the bed first, then the cab. It's a lot easier that way, and doesn't result in so many dry spots in the clearcoat.