[ryanroo]

For expense, you can sort of compare my two builds. the cummins truck is way into the 5 digit zone. and i havent even gotten the bodywork finished, nor is it running. it is a little atypical however as i have done a bunch of extra stuff to it. but, just the cost of the engine and transmission is more than i have invested in my "parts truck" build. that was a one ton swap, 350, transmission and tcase build, and some extra new parts. factor in all the fab work that i dont charge myself for and it would be pretty serious dough just to get an engine in and functional without all the extra stuff.

now as to the source of the engine, cheapest will be a 6.2/5 gm diesel. they use standard GM transmission and and you can easily use a 5 speed tranny. not real good for power adding. they have a tendancy not to live if you toss much more power at them than stock. stock they do alright, but mighty gutless in comparison.

you can find decent deals on 12v 6bts, but i doubt you can spend less than 2k on an engine and transmission if they are ready to run. they are a good proven engine that supports power making mods easily. the 24vs are decent engines if they have an uncracked 53 block with or the non 53 blocks. the IP is difficult to make awesome power with, and is prone to failure if not set up correctly. anything in the common rail department will cost way more than the earlier engines. anything that isnt a 12v will have some form of electronic control. more wiring/work/points of difficulty. they fit in the engine compartment good enough and you can wedge the dodge I/C in there pretty easily.

the 4bts are not super powerful stock, and if you are going to spend money making power, why not do it to the 6? they shake like a dog sh*tting razor blades at idle, and i have never seen one that didnt. its the curse of the i4.

the duramax has always been common rail and electronic controlled. this will pose more issues in the finalization of the install. it will cost more to buy an engine and they are HARD to find with a manual trans. so most of them will be hooked to an allison and that will add significant cost. i know deals are out there but ive never found an engine alone for less than the 2800-3000 range that was a running pull out and not damaged. they can make awesome power(just look at dimitri mallard) but it gets real pricey real quick. the bottom ends dont do that great over 550-600 horse and new rods are the price of a decent 12v. ive never done a swap with a dmax, although i would like to try, so i cant speak to the ease or difficulry of installation. i doubt it will be that much worse than any custom install.

now as to who or what is better, that is all opinion. i like the cummins because of what they offer. i like the duramax for what it offfers. i wouldnt shy away from a 6.2 or 6.5 if i had it and didnt have my heart set on super hot rod power.