has anyone tried this?
 

I was talkinging to an old mechaninc friend of mine this weekend and i told him I was thinking of putting a cummins in my 88 3500 chevy. He mentioned that I should look into the 3208 cat v8. He said the block is lighter and that he thought more of it. Has anyone tried this swap or seen it done? I think it would be neat as anything I have ever seen but would like to know a little more.

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

3208 is around 2000lbs and is a throwaway engine. Poor power to weight, no liners...boat anchor.

Go with the Cummins or a different Cat.

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

maybe i had the number wrong redcap maybe it was a 3408 he was talking a little fast and can be hard to keep up with at times lol but he is usually really sharp

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

3408 is a big motor, much larger than a 3208. It will not fit into a pickup.

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

hhmmm i guess i will have to make sure which one he was talking about when I see him again

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

I remember a truck that was at Bloomsburg couple years ago that had a Cat in it. It said what it was on the cover but can't remember. There is a reason they call most of those engines "Clatterpillar"....

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

In the early '80's the Reher & Morrison pro stock team had a cc dually with a Cat in it. It was trick at the time, but they were having problems with broken springs in the front end.

As a side note, a buddy of mine has a '97 Top Kick with a Cat and Allison automatic in it. He is so unhappy with the performance, and lack of upgrades, compared to his Cummins daily driver, that he is looking for a mid eighties C70 to convert and put a Cummins/Allison in it and tow his trailer with that.

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

B series cummins is the way to go. Parts are more readily available and while probably not much cheaper than the other diesels. The cummins reliability is proven.

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

I recall years ago when working at an agricultural dealership, early 80's, a farmer in the area installed a 6-354 Perkins in an early 80's square body dually. Called it his 5th wheel 'haulin' truck' with chrome stacks as I recall.

He swore by it over all the other diesel options available at that time.

Mark:chevy:

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

so what are most people doing in thier square bodies about transmissions? are they using dodge transmissions or buying adapters to use chevrolet transmissions?

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

Tranny ?? usually use nv4500 5 speed stick, 6.5 low gear and overdrive. great all around, plus they were made for dodge/cummins and chevy

Re: has anyone tried this?
 

thanx iroc for that info. But i guess i should have been more clear i was wondering about automatics. My truck is an auto right now and was not really wanting to change over to a stick.