Project Large Marge - Going Full Tilt

[Just-in-credible]

Which…brings me to the next major update in the project.
I changed direction slightly from some of the original ideas for a powertrain. I still want to put a diesel of some sort in it. However, coming across a decent one in this neck of the woods is SO expensive. I decided I was going to change plans and look for something else that was cool and different. I’ve done the LS thing already. I was looking for something a bit different. What did I end up settling on? An 8.1 out of like, a 2002 ish 2500. The first snag I hit was the transmission. I wanted to keep it manual. I ended up finding both an 8.1, and a ZF6 6 speed separately. I figure I can slap a cam in the 8.1, bolt up the ZF6, and have fun with the big block for a summer. Who knows, maaaaaaaaybe even run a turbo with a few pounds of boost? Apparently, you can flip the intake manifold backwards on the 8.1, which would put the throttle body in the perfect position for a turbo.

The 8.1 I a few hours away (ironically, right down the road from my parents farm, where I JUST was last weekend…figures..) so I don’t have it yet. The transmission was about a 9 hour drive, but my cousin was working literally one town over, so he picked it up for me and ran it home for me.
I got to work cleaning it up and getting it mocked up into place. With a little bit of elbow grease, it cleaned up pretty good! I don’t have a clutch in it yet, but it is in place where I want it for now.

[MellowYellow70]

I've helped build a few 8.1's with precision 78mm to Borg 88mm turbos and they scream Unfortunately cam choices are gonna be limited.

But definitely still a very cool build

[grumpyolddog]

Any updates?

[Just-in-credible]

Sorry for the lack of updates guys!
December was a crazy month for me. And I had hoped to get more done on this, but I just didn’t get around to it. However, some progress was made. Just none of the correctr progress. I mostly went backwards.
I have officially changed my mind about 6354834694 times on the direction I want to go on this. I had spent most of December looking for a good 8.1 to throw in it. And they were either too far away, too worn out or too expensive. So I decided to just bite the bullet and get myself a Cummins for it. Again, all the Cummins engines near me were either worn right out, or insanely expensive, or both.
As luck would have it, I managed to find one waaaay up north in the middle of nowhere. It was a 96 12 valve, so it would have been the desirable p pump with the 215hp pump. The ad said it was decent, and just missing a few parts. Namely the injection pump. I made up my mind and started the trek to go get it. Making a very long story very short, what was supposed to be a quick bast to go get the thing turned into a freezing rain storm, and a white out blizzard. I get there, and something just kind of felt off. I asked when he could tell me about it, and he said he didn’t know anything about it, he got it on a trade, blah blah blah. It was missing the starter and the flywheel as well. But I figured I had come all this way, I’m not leaving without it. We loaded it up and home I went.

[Just-in-credible]

When I got home, I started cleaning it up, and I noticed all the bolts for things like the valve cover and the exhaust manifold were only finger tight. Nothing was torqued properly. This was when I decided I would try to see if the thing would spin. I could get it to turn ¼ turn, but that’s it. It wasn’t totally locked up, but it was pretty close. Also for you Cummins guys, have you ever seen a blue one before? it was a first for me. it does appear to be a factory paint job. Just the gear case cover and the valve ccovers are blue. The rest of the engine is black.

[Just-in-credible]

I decided to pull the head. Surprise surprise, the head bolts were all finger tight as well…aaaand imagine that. Cylinders 2 and 4 were completely full of rust. Awesome…I dumped some evaporust down the two rusty cylinders, and let it sit overnight. And wouldn’t you know it…with a bit of work, the damn thing ended up completely spinning over! At the end of the day, I have no idea what I am going to do with it yet. I don’t think a dingle ball will clean these two cylinders up. I am thinking it will be a machine shop visit. But that just isn’t in the cards for right now. I will use this block to mock up the things like the engine and transmission mounts. I am not sure if I can use the GM ZF6 that I Have or not, I know I can use a ford ZF6, but that is a future me problem. I measured it up, and I think it will fit very well. I want to try to get the engine to sit as low and as far back as I can, just for weight distribution, since the truck is naturally so nose heavy.