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Old 08-06-2014, 08:19 PM   #50
66Submarine
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Dallas, GA
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Re: 4bt cummins swap

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1972RedNeck View Post
Wow, you must have read all of the same stuff that I read. I'm just too tenacious about some of the hair-brained ideas that I have to listen to reason. I plan to have a 300 HP 4BT that I can tow with. Do I think I can? - yes. If it lasts over 100,000 miles I will be ecstatic.



In case anybody cares, I should have it all juiced up by the end of the month. I had to pull the motor because of a "little" break down after running it at 200 HP for about 2,500 miles.
Reason seems to suggest that just jacking up a 4BT to 300HP and beating on it will greatly shorten its lifespan; the marine 250HP versions that supposedly have lots of reliability problems also hint to this.

So you ran @ 200HP for 2,500 miles and actually messed something up, but you plan to beat on it @ 300HP and have it last?

Anyway, do you mean you want a 300HP engine you can tow a 500lb 5'x8' utility trailer with once a year, or a 300HP engine you can actually hook something heavy up to and hold it wide-open climbing a steep hill with regularity? Not really the same thing.

BTW, you mention:
Quote:
If it lasts over 100,000 miles I will be ecstatic.
Well, an old guy from Texas on another board used to run a '59 (IIRC) GMC tandem axle road tractor with an Oldsmobile 371 V8; he said he pretty much ran wide open all day and kept it @ 3,800-4,200RPM. He also said he went 100,000 miles between rebuilds running like that, and it was still a good running engine when he later wrecked the truck.

One last time; I'M NOT HATING ON DIESEL ENGINES!!! All I said is that I think the modern lore embellishes on reality to some degree. I actually do like them, but they are not some kind of magical mechanical unicorns that are beyond human comprehension. Is that not OK? Really?

If you want to have a 300HP 4BT just to say you do/can, great! Nothing wrong with that, and I never said there was.
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