Anyone out there with a caterpillar conversion?

J

jmstrickland

shade tree mechanic
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
15
I was wondering if anyone here had stuffed a 3208, 3116, or 3126 cat into pickup? I've seen a few pictures of a 3208 in a 1ton, but not much for information about the truck. I've heard tell of some guys that stuffed a 3116 cat into their f350, but I haven't been able to find any pictures or information on the trucks or the builders. :( So, I figured that you guys would know of someone, that seen one or built one. thanks
 
WHY? The 3 engines you listed are the 3 worst engines CAT ever built...there is absolutely NOTHING about any of them!

Chris
 
I know of one a mile from my shop, late 70s Ford. Mint condition truck and a cool as hell Guy. He's been the Cat salesman for 30 years. This truck has had a yellow motor since before Cummins came in pickup trucks....
 
seems to me that those 3 cat engine are just like any other engine, some swear by them, some swear at them. I honest most of the time, I don't know much about most engine, so I wanting to learn about them. I am a idiot just wanting to learn.
 
jmstrickland said:
seems to me that those 3 cat engine are just like any other engine, some swear by them, some swear at them. I honest most of the time, I don't know much about most engine, so I wanting to learn about them. I am a idiot just wanting to learn.
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3208 is decent, but a throwaway engine...unless it's a fuel problem, buy a reman and throw it in.

3116 Junk injection system

3126 HEUI System, not terrible, but not great. Basically a decent engine, just GUTLESS!!!!!!!!


If you want a 3126E I will have a good one for sale very soon. 210hp, about 100K miles, runs like a champ, just not enough power.
Chris
 
IMAG034A.JPG


About 1/3 of the way down the page is some more pics of the truck.

http://autoworldmt.com/Page_9.html
 
I dont think I would waste my time putting any of those engines in a truck... Had a 3126 in a F-650, and even with an Edge box on it it was gutless. And 3208's, well none of the things we have had with them in it were very spectacular....
 
The baby Cats are now made by Perkins...ask any old timer what a Perkins is good for. LOL
 
marine guy piping in all three of those are just a headach. they dont respond very well to high hp dreams. seen a couple high performance 3126 snap cranks. but again all marine stuff, compleatly differnt world.
 
Signature600 said:
3208 is decent, but a throwaway engine...unless it's a fuel problem, buy a reman and throw it in.

3116 Junk injection system

3126 HEUI System, not terrible, but not great. Basically a decent engine, just GUTLESS!!!!!!!!


If you want a 3126E I will have a good one for sale very soon. 210hp, about 100K miles, runs like a champ, just not enough power.
Chris
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The 3116 mechanical is a pain to setup the fuel rack, and doesnt take kindly to much of a power increase.
That 3126 low power can be remedied by taking your injectors to a shop that does powerstroke injectors. With a bit larger nozzles, it can be pushing over 300hp. Then swap in the appropriate turbo, and you're set. No need to replace the whole engine, unless something different is going in.
 
smokin binder said:
The 3116 mechanical is a pain to setup the fuel rack, and doesnt take kindly to much of a power increase.
That 3126 low power can be remedied by taking your injectors to a shop that does powerstroke injectors. With a bit larger nozzles, it can be pushing over 300hp. Then swap in the appropriate turbo, and you're set. No need to replace the whole engine, unless something different is going in.
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Still a HEUI engine, which isn't terrible, but I'm just not a big enough fan to go messing with it.

I have a ISB275 that will be going in, with a TS MVP, Mach 4's, and an S360/65/12...should be a strong 400hp setup through the 9 speed, and be as reliable as the 200hp 3126E. Given my choice of HEUI or the VP44, I'll take the VP...I know those better!

Chris
 
Signature600 said:
3208 is decent, but a throwaway engine...unless it's a fuel problem, buy a reman and throw it in.

3116 Junk injection system

3126 HEUI System, not terrible, but not great. Basically a decent engine, just GUTLESS!!!!!!!!


If you want a 3126E I will have a good one for sale very soon. 210hp, about 100K miles, runs like a champ, just not enough power.
Chris
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I hear the term throwaway engine a lot when referring to all the above choices. But aren't all small engines "throwaway" even the 5.9 Cummins? I mean none of them are wet sleeved so all of them require a complete tear down to repair. I mean none of the smaller Cat motors are powerhouses but neither is anything made by Detroit and there are plenty of guys dropping those boat anchors in pickups.

You can make a 3208 as powerful as you want just like the 5.9 cummins. It's not that you can't make them run, it's all in how much money you want to spend. The Silver Bullet tractor has a 5000 hp 3208 and I'd say it's as much Caterpillar as these billet block 5.9's are Cummins.
 
jfaulkner said:
I hear the term throwaway engine a lot when referring to all the above choices. But aren't all small engines "throwaway" even the 5.9 Cummins? I mean none of them are wet sleeved so all of them require a complete tear down to repair. I mean none of the smaller Cat motors are powerhouses but neither is anything made by Detroit and there are plenty of guys dropping those boat anchors in pickups.

You can make a 3208 as powerful as you want just like the 5.9 cummins. It's not that you can't make them run, it's all in how much money you want to spend. The Silver Bullet tractor has a 5000 hp 3208 and I'd say it's as much Caterpillar as these billet block 5.9's are Cummins.
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Yes, the 5.9L is a "throwaway" engine...but how many of them grenade at 210hp often enough that you have to keep a spare if you have more than 5 of them running?

I know all about the 3208's in pullers...5000hp seems a bit high, but it's also an alky engine, not diesel...which is a lot easier on the blocks;) Not exactly comparable to what is more reliable and powerful out on the road pulling 50-60K lbs...IMHO!

Chris
 
if i were gonna put ANY yellow motor in a pickup, i would take a cummins, paint it yellow, and put CAT badges on it......but thats a disgrace to cummins. LOL

what about the C7 or C9? are those still HEUI?
 
C7 was until like 07-ish...then it went CR...never seen a CR C7 though.

C9 was CR in 07...before that I'm not sure!

Chris
 
jmstrickland said:
I was wondering if anyone here had stuffed a 3208, 3116, or 3126 cat into pickup? I've seen a few pictures of a 3208 in a 1ton, but not much for information about the truck. I've heard tell of some guys that stuffed a 3116 cat into their f350, but I haven't been able to find any pictures or information on the trucks or the builders. :( So, I figured that you guys would know of someone, that seen one or built one. thanks
Click to expand...

Post up your build with photos and tastefull boob shots, we support your cat build 100%. Us with severly embarrased funds bow respectfully towards you and believe the torrents of cash leaving your wallet will stimulate the economy.
 
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