Thread: Hi From NM
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Old 03-17-2015, 09:54 AM   #14
38Chevy454
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 146
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mntom View Post
That would be a good truck to put a 5.9 in it! Find a good 12 valve out of a Dodge truck, build the 47RE and you are good to go!
A 6BT would be nice, but I have a length issue, the engine is under/inside the cab; I have an engine cover kind of like a van has but a little smaller and custom fit to the engine. So the 4BT would be better for fit and the 4BT is capable of some nice power. The 3.9 liter 4BT is essentially a 6BT with two middle cylinders removed, uses the same front drive and rear bellhousing patterns, and is closer to the length of the V8 I have in there now.

I do agree that i need a new OD trans with any diesel swap, my Turbo 400 works great, but too high of rpm at highway speeds for a diesel. With 3.73 rear gears, I am turning about 3000 rpm at 75 now. I could do a gear vendors type add-on OD to the T400. However I think easier to use a trans with OD already built into it. Like the 47RE for Dodge, Allison, or a 4L80E if staying GM. My F-650 has a 5.9 Cummins with an Allison, so that basic same combo could work using the 3.9 4BT instead. Many of the 4BT in the step-van chassis use a T400 trans behind the 4BT, so bolting a 4L80E is straightforward.

Here is a picture showing the engine buried under the cab, taken during construction, but shows the general location:
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