What to do, what to do

[diesel4me2]

Ok, so i've been kicking around some ideas. the wife thinks i'm crazy, my son says let's do it all, and i'm caught in a moral dilemma. my truck started off as a frame off restore. life got in the way and i needed a truck so that got put on hold. well i've done a lot of work to her to keep her running and i think it's time to start it.

i'm looking at a same vintage parts truck, 85 cc dually 6.9 with an ats turbo. thinking about buying it, striping it, dipping it, undercoating it, primering it, painting it, and combining it with parts from my truck. the frame and body look to have minimal rust, the bed is true, and the cab corners are solid.

it's something i have always wanted to do and with an extra truck it makes it that much easier. sounds good, right? well now i have several choices to make. engine options, transmission options, suspension options. i need input.

option 1) 5.9 12 valve with a nv4500. i have always liked this combo. i don't care if "everyone is doing it". easy horsepower in a reliable block.

option 2) dt466 and a something speed. aside from not knowing anything about this engine and that i have a limited amount of time before the 2010 rally.
how viable an option is it?

option 3) keep all three engines and mod the hell out of them to reach the power potential of a 5.9, albeit a costly and probably fruitless path.

option4) i'm going to keep the 4-link, just might modify it some. so keep the air bag suspension or go with a airshock/coilover combo?

so there it is in a nut shell. what would you do?

keep in mind, if all goes well, i should have just a rolling chassis for install, dipped and undercoated, and everything else will be put on later


poll forth coming.
:edit: screwed up the poll anyone know how to add more to it?

 

[Fishin76]

If your going to restore the truck, keep it as original as you can, IMO. Run the IH motors, and a 4speed t-19 with a gear vendors OD unit. Looks all stock, and you get an OD to boot.

obviously, it's your truck. So have fun with it. I look forward to doing a father/son(s) project someday.

 

[69dieselfreak]

a dt466 and a eaton 13speed wow thatd be sweet lots of cab mods but if you got the time and cash shoot go for it id be original for shure

 

[aaklingler]

To bad it will take a lot of work to get a 466 and 13spd in there.

 

[Agnem]

Chris, you know your own schedule better than any of us, but I know for a fact that I would NOT be able to complete such a project by Rally time. Your basically talking about 5 months, with a 1 month shake down. I think an engine conversion is out of the question, but perhaps you can start down that road and gauge your process as you approach the point of no return. If you have the frame, suspension, bed and cab on and to your satisfaction, you could then re-evaluate your options.

 

[diesel4me2]

If your going to restore the truck, keep it as original as you can, IMO. Run the IH motors, and a 4speed t-19 with a gear vendors OD unit. Looks all stock, and you get an OD to boot.

obviously, it's your truck. So have fun with it. I look forward to doing a father/son(s) project someday.

i think thats why i do crazy crap like this, keeps the kids interested

a dt466 and a eaton 13speed wow thatd be sweet lots of cab mods but if you got the time and cash shoot go for it id be original for shure

it would be fun

To bad it will take a lot of work to get a 466 and 13spd in there.

meh, it's only body work

Chris, you know your own schedule better than any of us, but I know for a fact that I would NOT be able to complete such a project by Rally time. Your basically talking about 5 months, with a 1 month shake down. I think an engine conversion is out of the question, but perhaps you can start down that road and gauge your process as you approach the point of no return. If you have the frame, suspension, bed and cab on and to your satisfaction, you could then re-evaluate your options.

let's not forget i didn't have a front axle less then a week before the pen. rally. the shake down was the 600 mile trip there

 

[diesel4me2]

and why is no one voting ???

 

[Darrin Tosh]

and why is no one voting ???

I voted, wanna guess where my vote went,..?

 

[dyoung14]

Build a High rev idi

 

[BIG DAVE]

i say go with a DT360 and a nv4500

 

[towcat]

wow.......
hell must have froze over.
Mel took the utterance of a Cummins rather calmly.

 

[hesutton]

i say go with a DT360 and a nv4500

That was my suggestion as well. But, I'm going with the 466 as the torque to HP ratio is higher with the 466 (around 2.2:1) The DT360 is basically IH's equvialent of the Cummins 5.9. It would be very easy to get serious HP out of. Just give Gene's Machine Shop a call. They can be found with a P-pump after '93. But, you can put one on the earlier versions of the 360. It is only an inch longer than the 5.9 Cummins, so it would be a lot easier to stuff under the hood than the DT466 (I know........ the pot calling the kettle black).

If you really lean on the DT, you'll need a serious clutch and the NV4500 my die after a short life.

The DT360 wasn't an option.............so I voted for the DT466.

Heath

 

[SparkandFire]

I guess no one likes the nv4500 ?

I saw a conversion kit for our trucks the other day, it was something like $3500

Gheesh! I could get a whole ZF5 and T'case combo out here for alot less than that!

I don't know a whole lot about the other engine choices, so I'd stick with the IDI (not that I know a whole lot about them either)

 

[ocnorb]

I found this 2003 DT466 with Allison MD-3060/CR 5-Speed Auto Trans locally for $3400 out of a rolled truck... wish i had the guts/$$$ to try it.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=9000173&cat=&lpid=

If it was mechanical I would be more inclined to look at it, but thought you might be interested from the looks of the voting!!

 

[hesutton]

I found this 2003 DT466 with Allison MD-3060/CR 5-Speed Auto Trans locally for $3400 out of a rolled truck... wish i had the guts/$$$ to try it.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=9000173&cat=&lpid=

If it was mechanical I would be more inclined to look at it, but thought you might be interested from the looks of the voting!!

I'd stay away form the DT466E. Bascially the same HEUI injection system as the PSD with all it's electronic sensors and ECU.

Heath