Backyard Cummins

[C20scott]

Secret to the steering arm: hit it downwards, not upwards. Basically take a mini sledge (1-2lb) and beat it downwards until one of the tapered collars wiggles loose. From there each collar will become easier to remove. Keep pounding...

The guy i bought the engine from had already tabbed the dowel pin, changed all oil and filters, and cleaned and painted it. He was planning a swap and then lost interest..

[C20scott]

I ordered up a new set of 3" intercooler piping, because the sizes and bends that came with the intercooler were useless. I was able to use a jigsaw to cut near-perfect 4" holes. I then used the "Trim-lok" product to make it look fancy.

Hot side piping done.. waiting for my intake manifold to arrive to install the cold side. I am almost to the point of starting this thing. Turns out the turbo oil feed and return line fittings are some metric crap.

[C20scott]

Upcoming work list, once i find out it runs.

-Brakes
-Wiring/gauges
-Diveshafts
-seat/seatbelts
-Find out what this cummins is made of..

For the record. The pictures make this project look wayy too easy. My weekends end up being 12 hour days, working on the truck full time. Also, nothing on this truck can be bought at NAPA auto parts. I end up having to order every stupid part and hope that it fits. Its a constant battle when you've never done this before, and you dont have an auto shop at your expense..

[y5mgisi]

Subscribed!

[C20scott]

I got a chance to get an hour or so of work in this Sunday. I wanted to do something unique with the intake manifold. I ordered "Crazy Carls" dual intake manifold/Mounting plate, also need grid heater spacer for the second manifold port. (cummins engine has an air heater that heats incoming air on cold starts)

The manifold looks awesome! And install went pretty smooth except for a few things: 1- Had to bend a few of the injector lines to clear the manifold. 2- Had to cut the corner off of the fuel filter bracket. Neither of these items were a big deal.

And yes, i did order it lime green on purpose.. I think it looks cool.

[72smoker]

I like the intake. The green sets it apart from everyone else. Keep up the good work.

[brimc]

This is awesome! I just read the entire build. Great work. Can't wait to see more! My next project is going to be a 67~72.

[C20scott]

Thanks guys, Im trying hard to get this thing on the road.

I was able to start it this weekend, Im going to try to figure out how to post a video. Once i got my batteries temporarily wired up, and the fuel primed, it was only a matter of seconds till it fired. Almost like it was meant to be..

Pics: #1-Mangled harness that has more lineal feet of crimp connections than actual wire..

#2-Got the painless harness mocked up. The wires come pre-labeled, it should be a snap to install once i am ready.

[C20scott]

I made some battery trays. Also ordered some 2/0 cable and connectors to complete the system. Im running Dual 1000 CCA battery's, NAPA Premium brand.

[C20scott]

Finally got brake and power steering lines plumbed.

Power steering: Russell Powerflex power steering hoses and fittings. Everthing converts to 6AN. I am mounting a small power steering cooler up front.

Brakes: Running a Wilwoold adjustable proportioning valve. New hard lines ran throughout.

[C20scott]

Gauges. VDO Vision series gauges. They actually drop right into the stock bezel if you cut the back out of it. Still have not ordered the Tach, Boost, and EGT gauges, but its a start.

I figured that there had to be some wood grain in this project. I plan on turning this 3/4" piece of walnut into a custom gauge cluster.

[C20scott]

Walnut, soon to be gauge cluster...

[shopteacher]

Wow, what a great bunch of visual aids to help me in my project! Keep it rolling !

[C20scott]

Progress has been slow for the past few months, and probably will be for another month or so. I'm in the process of setting my ride height, so that i can get a driveshaft made.

Below is a test fit of the gauges that i do have, and a test fit on the actual dash. I will be spending some time with a router to finish up the edges. I plan on getting a 5" tachometer, and digital EGT and Boost gauges.

[y5mgisi]

That will be cool!

[kvann72]

this thing is sweet!

[Maxxd07]

Another Cummins build that slipped through my fingers. Great work! Looks like you did plenty of homework and don't have any surprises sneaking up on you. Keep it up, it will be running in no time!

[C20scott]

Paint selection is now a critical path item. I want to paint the interior before carpet/seat/wiring/ect. It has taken me almost a year to nail down a color.

Below is the start of my interior paint progress. glass out, condition is as i purchased the truck.

[C20scott]

the way i see it, you have two options to remove [3] coats of old paint from the interior of your truck.
1) Send it to a blasting shop
2) Spend 15 hours with a DA sander, palm sander, sanding blocks, tons of paper, and a grinder/wire wheel

I chose #2. there are very few flat surfaces, so using large DA sanders is an issue. I eventually found that my wire wheel worked perfect to take the paint to bare metal, relatively efficiently. Also bondo'd about 40 holes that the po had drilled.. I made sure that the dash was perfect, as you look at this area the most..

[C20scott]

mixed up 2 coats of 2k urethane primer, sanded with 400-600 grit. almost ready for paint...

I made sure to continue my sanding/primer a few inches on the exterior around the window seals. Im thinking this will allow me to be able to install glass BEFORE i paint the outside, and not have ugly seams that are not painted.

[C20scott]

"British Green Pearl Metallic"

After the hundreds of hours of thought, this is what I'm going with. It went down nice and smooth. I started painting on a nice, calm, clear day. During my last coat, the wind storm came out of nowhere and blew all kinds of debris into the paint!!! (No i didnt have a spray booth). I am hoping that i can sand all the crap out once it dries.. BTW this is the first time that is have ever painted with a "real" paint gun.

pictures dont do it justice(thats what they all say). I think the color looks AWESOME. Let me know if you want the actual code.

[shopteacher]

Looks good from this end and keep up the good work !

[y5mgisi]

Looks great! What brand of paint? Is it base clear or single stage? And what gun are you using?

[SKELLY4x4]

As an engineer and ex mechanic, I have to commend your tenacity. Huge project there pal and better you than me. I really dig the work you are doing and look forward to seeing the finished product. Seriously awesome job fabricating, welding, painting and fitting that bad boy diesel in your truck. You have many skills.

[C20scott]

Thanks everyone. Trying to keep rolling on this thing, its hard with all of my other weekend hobbies.

Paint was Sherwin William's "Dimension". It was a 3 part color/reducer/catalyst mix of single stage urethane. I went this route on the inside due to the fact that it was easier. Also, the inside doesn't need to take the punishment that the outside will take, nor does it have to be as flawless to look good. There are no wide open areas to expose imperfections. That said, I am planning on having the outside painted professionally. I am no painter.

The gun i used was the purple chinese one from HF. Kit comes with [2] guns. I used the big gun for both primer and paint. Used the 1.8 tip for primer, and the 1.4 tip for paint. After i got all of the settings figured out, the gun worked for me. Noticed that i had to be at a higher pressure than recommended to get the consistency that i wanted. I also played with my primer dilution alittle bit. Like i said, i have no intention of painting the outside myself, and if I did, I would buy a much better paint gun!