K30 Downgrade to Cummins Project

[Vintage Windmills]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

475hp and spark plugs plus towing equals stop at every gas station.

Yep, but $3 gas and $4 diesel does make a guy do the math

Originally Posted by ryanroo

oh i bet that would be a FUN motor it a shorter truck, something a little more nimble.

i would say a 6bt is using the truck better.

I think you're right, this will be a tow rig, going to the remote western US so towing efficiency is paramount. Will also be a pain to find 91 octane in MT and other western states.

Originally Posted by burnin oil

The Cummins will definatly be the way to go. The only thing bad is the rotary pump. I will never make the power of BB horse power wise. Swapping to a p7100 pump will let you. Either way you should easily have more torque than the big block. Just don't forget that the Cummins is heavier so you will need to build a little more torque to motivate it. My 700HP 12v got 18.5 MPG driving in traffic.

Cool, I'm not after crazy HP, just enough torque to get through the mountains at speeds of 40mph or greater while pulling 14,000 lbs.

Originally Posted by ryanroo

i am betting Jud is not looking to make a magazine truck, but more a usable old chevy that is kind of cool to boot. the ve motor is a great way to do that. 350-400 HP with the torque numbers a 6bt will put down with that HP is more than enough to make a guy smile when he pushes the skinny pedal.

Indeed, I'm saving the show quality effort and $ for the older K20's. THis is just the quickest way to get a tow rig capable of pulling 16000 lbs reliably and safely. Trucks already got airbags and hydroboost!! I pretty much like it the way it looks now (stockish, unmolested, nicely aged). Running boards have to go though!!

Originally Posted by patdaly

Yep, the dynamic timing of the VE is a definite plus, not to mention it should get a tick better mileage and start instantly....... I have the VE on my 4BT and the P7100 on my 6, hard to see any advantage of the P7100 until you get well past reasonable HP numbers.

Effieciency is more important to me than crazy power.

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by Vintage Windmills

Running boards have to go though!!

Thanks goodness. i love that thing, outside of the old man running boards.

i keep looking for one of these to do myself. unfortunately i dont have the garage space for a crew longbed. but i could manage. i found a really nice 78 in anchorage while i was up there this last summer. i should have snagged it, but i was having trouble making sense of it, as it too had a bad trans and colorado is a long way from AK

i am excited to see this addition to the truck farm get started!

[COS399]

Looking forward to following this one.