tbone1004
Registered User
I am a member of the G741 forum and steel soldiers as well as 4btswaps, but everyone there seems to think that it is 4bt or nothing, so I figured a more broad forum like this may get me different answers. Not that I'm looking for one in particular, but would like an answer other than "put a 4bt in there because everything else isn't worth it".
Here's my situation
1951 Dodge M37. Has a flathead 230 in it right now that is healthy but I'm not happy with it. Too big of a gap between 3rd and 4th gear due to the granny gear in 1st, combine that with 90hp and 200ftlbs when it was new, in a close to 3 ton truck leaves a lot to be desired.
I have been a cummins fan forever, I also am fond of inline 6 motors due to natural balancing and what not but the 12v will not fit without major surgery that I do not want to perform. I do not like the 4bt because it shakes like hell at idle and as this is going to be a daily driver I want something a little more balanced. I have the opportunity to get the Isuzu 4bd1t with a mated auto trans for $1500 locally that runs well and has been well maintained. Apparently the Isuzu is balanced a bit better than the Cummins so that is a pro and I was leaning on that up until the other day.
On Craigslist I found a guy selling a running 6.9idi with under 200k on the motor just a little leaky in the oil dept. It has a matching 6.9idi parts motor with a new IP and starter. Would have to source a transmission, but with a divorced transfer case a 2wd trans should be cheap and easy to find. I am not after crazy power numbers which is why the 6.9 is fairly appealing aside from the cost.
I don't think I would want any more than 200hp and 400ftlbs as a realistic max but would be immensely pleased with 150hp and 300ftlbs for an every day driver. Pro to the idi is cheap availability of parts which are certainly not the case with the isuzu and even the cummins to some extend, plus a lot better vibration control with the v8. Fuel economy is always on the mind and I would like to be able to see 20mpg avg with almost all driving being in the 45-55mph range for this truck.
Figured I'd poll on here to see if there were any issues with swapping a 6.9 into this thing or if it is worth the wait to save up for the 4bd or a 4bt.
Thanks
Tom
Here's my situation
1951 Dodge M37. Has a flathead 230 in it right now that is healthy but I'm not happy with it. Too big of a gap between 3rd and 4th gear due to the granny gear in 1st, combine that with 90hp and 200ftlbs when it was new, in a close to 3 ton truck leaves a lot to be desired.
I have been a cummins fan forever, I also am fond of inline 6 motors due to natural balancing and what not but the 12v will not fit without major surgery that I do not want to perform. I do not like the 4bt because it shakes like hell at idle and as this is going to be a daily driver I want something a little more balanced. I have the opportunity to get the Isuzu 4bd1t with a mated auto trans for $1500 locally that runs well and has been well maintained. Apparently the Isuzu is balanced a bit better than the Cummins so that is a pro and I was leaning on that up until the other day.
On Craigslist I found a guy selling a running 6.9idi with under 200k on the motor just a little leaky in the oil dept. It has a matching 6.9idi parts motor with a new IP and starter. Would have to source a transmission, but with a divorced transfer case a 2wd trans should be cheap and easy to find. I am not after crazy power numbers which is why the 6.9 is fairly appealing aside from the cost.
I don't think I would want any more than 200hp and 400ftlbs as a realistic max but would be immensely pleased with 150hp and 300ftlbs for an every day driver. Pro to the idi is cheap availability of parts which are certainly not the case with the isuzu and even the cummins to some extend, plus a lot better vibration control with the v8. Fuel economy is always on the mind and I would like to be able to see 20mpg avg with almost all driving being in the 45-55mph range for this truck.
Figured I'd poll on here to see if there were any issues with swapping a 6.9 into this thing or if it is worth the wait to save up for the 4bd or a 4bt.
Thanks
Tom
