Wow ok cool. I didn’t know that. I’m new to the Cummins world but definitely a fan. Thank you for the information. I’ve been slowly influenced by the reliability and simplicity of the 12v. So many things you can do to make so much torque and deliver it day in and day out, without sacrificing the longevity of the engine. Maybe this dream is actually a plausible reality!!!
Any thoughts on converting the 88 Chevy 1ton to a Cummins instead of the 454? Or would you just buy a newer dodge 94-98 and maintain it?
The the goal of the finished project truck would be a daily driver vehicle. Target HP 300/850ftlbs torque. Those are rough ideas that I think are very possible on a budget. Truck would tow camper or dump trailer regularly. Do you guys think the new th400 would hold up to that? The new tranny is rated for 500hp. My concern would be there is no TC lockout on the th400 and lower rpm of the Cummins. Of course I need the donor vehicle as well.
The 94-98 newer dodge would offer better ride quality and better breaking system. Issues like interior plastics falling apart seem to be an issue on the dodges. Not a huge issue but I’m building a truck because I can’t afford a brand new $70k truck. I will eventually replace or repair and paint everything to have a nice “like new” vehicle. The dodge transmission should be fine at those numbers if upgraded TC or clutch. Obviously if I’m fixing up and maintaining the 94-98 dodge then I’m not dealing with all of the headaches of the conversion.
What kinds of issues do you guys see?
What are your opinions?
Your not going to hurt my feelings. I’m here to gain information and learn.
TH400 is a poor pairing for a cummins. Same as a Dodge 727. You need a tall axle (3.07/3.21) to go highway speeds. Overdrive and lockup (or manual trans) are significant when you have buckets of torque and narrow rpm range. Unless you want a slow 'yard tug' for shunting trailers... they're great transmissions for that purpose. I would use a Dodge transmission because it comes with the donor truck you should be buying anyway. I might consider a ZF5/ZF6 if the parts came to me easy and all I had to buy was an adapter.
Square-body Chevs (73-87/91) were built to last. 2ndgen Dodges were not; neither were the 88-98 GMT400 Chevs. GM has a better braking system - better or equal hard parts - but you have a 1-ton so hydroboost wins hands-down.
The only setup where the Dodge has a better ride is on a 4x4 comparison, because of the coil springs. Seems to be negated with heavy-duty or lift springs. Plus you have notorious front-end issues on these. It can be solved mostly, but takes work and $$$$.
What is your '88 1-ton exactly? 2wd, 4wd? body style?
