New Texas Diesel Enthusiast

E

endisnear

New member
Joined
Dec 5, 2011
Messages
5
Hey guys. New to the forum. Been reading posts from this site for quite some time, and edumacated myself to a decent extent. But now I think im ready for some interaction with the Competition Diesel gang. Well, I don't own a diesel, but im ready to learn more on doing a swap. I own a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 2WD with the 5.9L 360 Magnum. Im wanting to do a Cummins swap, and have read about both the 6BT and 4BT. Now, my hardest decisions so far is which one is right for me. I want to make 400 HP, but I want it to be reliable, and I am curious how mileage is affected at this power level? I am a half ton, so I read ups and downs of swaps into half ton frames. I don't mind making a beefier suspension, but im still confused on frame strength at higher power levels. I want to retain 2WD, so is it just a swap of springs, or do they have different control arms? And lastly I want to keep a half ton image, so I would like to keep 5 lug wheels, etc. If none of this can be done, please let me know. Main reason I don't want a bigger pickup with a cummins already in it is I want something unique that gets decent mileage, at least better than my gasser. ANY info is appreciated and i hope some of my questions can be answered...nicely :) thanks CD community!
 
Welcome

:welcome:
Like you i am both new(er) to the forum and i own a 2001 Dodge 1500, but mine is 4wd. I'm not sure if the frames are different between the 2, but my frame is full box all the way to the back of the cab, and i would have no worries about dropping a 12v in it(which is my plan aswell). The weight of the engine is def. gonna lower the truck if u keep stock springs, but i think the 2wd diesel springs will fit the 1500. the dodge 1500 rear is relatively strong and IMO should hold at 400rwhp as long as you don't abuse it. For reference, i broke 2 dodge rears, the first one was the factory one and it had 108k miles and numerous hooks on the tug o war pad at 8000lbs with plenty of heavy foot, spit the gears out doing 30mph through a neighborhood(drove it home in 4high:rockwoot:). the 2nd one took a bad beating, with more tug o war and mudding etc. and on the way back from a mud event it lost the pinion bearing and started to grind, well there was a benefit tug o war that no DD trucks were going to(only big 2.5 ton trucks and up), so we put a 3500lb piece of concrete in the bed with lock out bars plus 20 bags of concrete in the cab, and then mounted some 26"x10.5" slicks to see what i could do... Well i pulled several trucks and decided to try to finish off this broken rear end so punched it, and it started hopping(due to lock out bars) so i stayed in it and jumped it roughly 2ft off the ground and when it hit it broke the welds on the center section and spun it in the tube, bent the axle tube and destroyed my drive shaft, BUT the chunk still wasn't broken(drove it on the trailer in 4high).
So i say go for it!!!!

P.S. sorry for the narrative ^^^^
 
:welcome:

There are guys pushing 800hp (Darren Morrison???) through the stock rear end. And all they really did is change shocks iirc.

Also, there are guys squeaking more than 22mpg in a 1/2 ton 2wd frame with more HP than what you want.
 
Awesome! Thank you guys! I appreciate the advice and reassurance from tried and true experiences. My boss had a 2002 Ram with the 24 valve Cummins and he was pushing 390 HP and it was a blast to drive! So I figured 400 would be plenty! So would it be a good idea to gusset my rear end just for safety measures? Sounds like im gonna learn a lot with the help here. And om guessing just swapping to 3/4 ton springs would do the trick holding up the front end? I've got a 3" lift on her with 285s as she sits right now and my ol 360 just doesn't have the balls to do any good, especially at 10-12 mpg. I know my gearing needs to be swapped for 4.10s, but still lol
 
I wouldn't change gears until after the motor swap, the 3.55 will probably surprise you once you have the power/torque, and i read that it's the better gear for economy unless u have a real tall tire
 
Another vote for leaving the gears until after the swap.

Same goes for the springs, see how it sits before you worry.
 
Let me know if you decide to go with a 12 valve. I have a '94 model that I wrecked and had intentions on fixing. The only thing that was hurt was the cab. The motor only has 139,000 origional miles, and I have a built automatic transmission that I had built 4,000 miles ago. Would be perfect for your 1/2 ton.
 
BJB8ES said:
Let me know if you decide to go with a 12 valve. I have a '94 model that I wrecked and had intentions on fixing. The only thing that was hurt was the cab. The motor only has 139,000 origional miles, and I have a built automatic transmission that I had built 4,000 miles ago. Would be perfect for your 1/2 ton.
Click to expand...

Awesome! Tried to PM you but I don't have 10 posts yet. I dunno if you can PM me but if you can, send me some info and a price please. If you can't message me for some reason let me know. But yes I planned on using an auto tranny and of course the reliable 12 valve!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top