Going Cummins

Soooo, I have decided today that the rebuild of the 1993 6.5 will not be happening. I had big plans for the new engine, totalling between 3-4 thousand dollars, but which would return a higher output 6.5

a friend of mine has offered up a running 96' cummins with all accesories for an unbeatable price. basically everything i need to get it running. all i will need is a different bell housing to adapt to the NV4500 in the '93 and it will be running.

i've kind of figured out that i can do this for less than what my rebuild would be and come out with a truck powered by a more powerful engine with better mileage.

i'm still sticking with 6.5's though. had a talk with Bill Heath today about the 1995 2500 and a Performance prom is on the way, with more goodies to follow. still have the halfer 1995 as well, which is limping it's way along through life.

i am really getting excited to get the 1993 repowered and back on the road again. :)

The little Cummins work well in the Chevy trucks.

Friend of mines dad has a 4Bt in his Burb.

yea, i have seen a few chev conversions and looks like everything went in nicely.

it will be interesting to see how the 5.9 will compare to the 6.5 :D

There is not much of a comparison between the two. The I-6 just makes EVERYTHING simpler. More power, better fuel economy, more reliability etc.
What you will need to find to make your life easier is a Gruman Step Van that had a 4BT and get the flywheel housing from it. It makes the Chevy conversion a bolt up job other than engine mounts. You can buy them or fab them yourself. I traded my 95 Chevy with the brand new engine and ALL issues resolved for a wrecked non drivable Dodge 3500 with a 12v and I feel like i got the better end of the trade. ;) I have done conversioons in the past if you need any moral support or encouragement, email me.

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Originally Posted by 6.5 Detroit Diesel

yea, i have seen a few chev conversions and looks like everything went in nicely.

it will be interesting to see how the 5.9 will compare to the 6.5 :D

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Originally Posted by Pipeline Mechanic

There is not much of a comparison between the two. The I-6 just makes EVERYTHING simpler. More power, better fuel economy, more reliability etc.
What you will need to find to make your life easier is a Gruman Step Van that had a 4BT and get the flywheel housing from it. It makes the Chevy conversion a bolt up job other than engine mounts. You can buy them or fab them yourself. I traded my 95 Chevy with the brand new engine and ALL issues resolved for a wrecked non drivable Dodge 3500 with a 12v and I feel like i got the better end of the trade. ;) I have done conversioons in the past if you need any moral support or encouragement, email me.

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Once I get underway I will probably do that.

I was aware that I would need to get a different bellhousing, just didn't know I could get it off a 4BT. I will have to keep my eyes open for that.

Start reading at 4btswaps.com, you'll be happy you did. It would be easier if you could find a 96 or newer GM NV4500 and just change the input to the Dodge one and use the Dodge bell housing. There is also a guy over there selling motormount kits for your truck that will make the swap a whole lot quicker.

so that little 3.9 liter cummins and the 5.9 liter both ran the NV4500?

The B series cummins (and others) use an adapter plate between the block and the bell housing. So you can run almost any transmission you can find an adapter plate and flex plate or flywheel for. Check out 4btswaps.com there is wealth of information there.

Also swaps cost more the less you know going into them.

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Originally Posted by 6.5 Detroit Diesel

yea, i have seen a few chev conversions and looks like everything went in nicely.

it will be interesting to see how the 5.9 will compare to the 6.5 :D

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I think you'll be very happy with the 5.9. It's a totally different animal to the 6.5. It's a long stroke engine with a lot more power at lower rpm's. With my 6.2, I was constantly shifting and having the rpm's reved up with every hill while towing a load. With the 5.9, I just leave it overdrive with plenty of throttle to spare. The only thing that is not quite as good with the cummins is I don't quite get the fuel economy on the highway. My 6.2 would constantly deliver 30 mpg but so far, I'm getting mid 20's with the cummins.