5.9 should I buy this?

[Classicfordguy]

More pics

 

[dairieman36]

looks pretty good only thing i see is the oil pan will have to be flipped around..and as far as the grid heater is concerned i wouldnt worry about it many people take it off anyways it just may have a tiny bit of trouble during winter if its really cold

 

[nevrenufhp]

Makes me get the urge to go get that DT466 I saw for 1000 bux.

 

[Classicfordguy]

Won't be getting rid of the old engine for a while, can't beat having extra parts around. Part of my plan aside from making permagrin power is to use this truck for road trips with a slide in camper I plan to buy one day so that being said I may end up on the mountains in future years on a trip where it could be pretty cold. Does the grid heater rob power by restricing flow? Maybe I could just instal it right before such a winter adventure?

Dairyman, are you saying the oil pain has to be flipped such that the sump is in the back? Whats the reason? Actualy now that you mention it I think my core engine has it the other way around.

Thanks for all help and input, should be a fun build as funds permit.

-Rob

 

[dairieman36]

yes sir other wise the oil pan wont fit over the crossmember..the guys i have talked to who have takin the grid out have said they get a few extra hp but and have said it still starts well even in single digits as long as the fuel system is tight however to make sure it will start in really cold conditions i would wont it on there IMO

 

[Classicfordguy]

Sounds good. guess I'll leave it off for now but keep it around.

Does anyone know anything about these air brake compressors? Do they run constantly or do they have the ability to cycle? If not what do trucks do to get rid of the air once their tanks are full? Any idea if its going to rob much HP or milege?

-Rob

 

[Darrin Tosh]

Congrats Rob, looks like you got a smokin deal!

I agree with keeping the heater grid off, Mine doesn't have the grid and had no problems starting it in the MI Winter.

For the Air Compressor it acts like a an A/C Compressor Clutch. You use a pressure switch that will kick it on and off depending on the pressure that you want. It will take a little HP while pimping but with it off the HP drop will be negligible.

 

[Classicfordguy]

Quote: It will take a little HP while pimping

I think you meant pumpinig though an air compressor that does the "pimping" for me is a smoking deal Just messin with ya Darin.

Well that sounds great, from the looks of it I thoght it would be running all the time, I'll take a closer look next time I'm at the shop where it is. I'll have to look the thing up online and see what kind of cfm and psi it puts out.

Thanks for the info guys, I'm very pleased with the find.

-Rob

 

[nevrenufhp]

From what I understand, it spins all the time, but when it's up to pressure(off), it just vents out. It takes 5-10hp to build pressure. It's definately worth keeping! They should cut off at about 120psi, but CFM....I'm not too sure about.
Oh...they can live with engine speeds up to 4500 rpm.

 

[Classicfordguy]

I'll have to get some numbers off it and look it up next time I'm there. Even if it does spin all the time I would imagine it doesn't rob enough power once its venting to worry about wouldn't ya think?

How high does a 5.9 rev? Stock? Modded?

-Rob

 

[nevrenufhp]

Stock they rev to around 26-2700. With the gov springs tightened 4 clicks, it will go to 2900-3000. With a 3k gov spring kit(GSK), 3200. There's a 4k and a 5k too. With what little it will require to run the compressor, you wont even notice it. It's certainly easier to add a few extra hp, than to take that compressor off.

 

[averagef250]

Your engine is from an F800 Ford. There are gobs of those out there and they make ford conversions easier. The mid mount ac bracket and AC compressor you have there is worth what you paid for the engine.

You will need a dodge pan and pickup tube/dipstick. Yes, you can flip the ford pan backwards, but it holds 5 gallons. In a pickup the engine will never get up to temp with 5 gallons of oil. Plus the 5 gallon pan won't clear your crossmember.

You'll need a dodge or 4BT fan hub if you plan to run a mechanical fan.

A 5.9 Cummins will start on the first revolution with one battery and no grid heater down to single digits. I have roll started (alt died) the 4BT cold in my 71 below 20 degrees within 10 feet on level ground pushing by myself backwards, hopping in and popping the clutch in reverse. These engines start very easily if the valves are good and timing is advanced appropriately.

Just a word of caution, be leary of the medium duty 5.9 Cummins motors. They may go a million miles in a didge, but at 26K pounds and crappy fleet maintenance they're very lucky to see 200K. I've bought many, many of those F800 12 valves with around 150K on them. I paid scrap for them and they weren't worth much more. My advice is either toss it in and hope for the best or compression test it, run and check it for blowby, pull the head and check the bores/valve seats and surfaces for flatness. A 12 valve head on a 230HP engine in a 26K chassis is done by 200K. Also, check the cam lobes when you have the pan off. Poor maintenance will really show on the valve train, mostly the cam lobes and valvestem tips.

 

[Classicfordguy]

Dustin, thanks for all the good info, sorry for the long response time, got busy with school and my computer was doing funny things. My plan when I finaly get moving on the project is to do head studs and valve train stuff I should be able to check all the stuff you mentioned. I was hoping to run an electric fan if it will provide enough cooling but if it doesn't my parts 5.9 from a dodge has the fan hub as well as all the other stuff mentioned. Using the dodge pan I will have to weld the oil return tube onto it for the air compressor.

I plan on doing a compression test before I remove the head, what should the compression be on these? I don't have the book yet or I would look it up.

Thanks,

-Rob

 

[wayfarnorth]

I bought the factory Service manual from Chrysler for my truck and it was about $100. it had a complete tear down and rebuild for all the engines in a 97 Dodge 1500 to 3500, including the 5.9L cummins. All the specs and procedures are in there. I definatley think it was worth the money.

 

[averagef250]

Most every Cummins engine manual is free to download on the internet. Google it or look on 4BTswaps.com, they have links to the free downloads in thier stickies.

The Cummins engine manuals are far better than the dodge service manuals. They are around 600 pages specifically on the engine you are working on.