Swapping a 69 Chevy body onto a 97 Cummings chassis

[steveperry]

Yeah that hood of yours is really cool chosn1, but couldn't find one. And I think I'll be able to get the metal close enough. The hood may be redone by a pro when I get the paint and body work done but it'll do for now.

[steveperry]

Pretty sure I'm going to order this gauge cluster for the swap and get rid of that ridiculously huge fuel gauge. May be pricey but I think keeping that factory look and having functional new gauges is worth it.

[71blksuper4x4]

Originally Posted by steveperry

Pretty sure I'm going to order this gauge cluster for the swap and get rid of that ridiculously huge fuel gauge. May be pricey but I think keeping that factory look and having functional new gauges is worth it.

That's a custom dash Steve.... I was quoted $3500 for that exact dash. Trevor

[steveperry]

Originally Posted by 71blksuper4x4

That's a custom dash Steve.... I was quoted $3500 for that exact dash. Trevor

Holy cow!!! If that's the case then I will for sure not being getting it!! Ha! I was expecting maybe 1200-1500, 3500 is grossly out of my budget.

[71blksuper4x4]

Yeah, that isn't their normal gauges but ones that were made to look like the factory diesel gauges. I thought they would be $1500-$1800 as well but the owner of the gauge company said there were several custom things on that dash that added up to a $3500 price tag. That's a big jump from their $700 base dash setup.

[Dieselwrencher]

That sure makes the Dakota Digital VHX system a lot nicer. I have a lot of extra gauges integrated into mine and I'm still $1500 cheaper than the $3500 price tag of this one you guys were looking at.

[steveperry]

Did a little work on the truck today...got the broken exhaust manifold bolts out!! But broke two of the hoops on the head..ugh!!! How hard is it to weld cast iron? I've youtubed it and it seems not too difficult but who knows?

[Dieselwrencher]

I've welded them back on with a mig welder. This cast has a high nickle content and welds pretty nice. I ground the sides out to a V and filled them in. I haven't heard from the owners of either of those trucks. But, before you go through all that worl. Take the head and have it magnafluxed. Especially if it is a navistar casting.

[steveperry]

Dieselwrencher what's the significance of a navistar casting? They prone to be bad or something? And how do I tell if it is or not? I googled it and nothing really came up.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by steveperry

Dieselwrencher what's the significance of a navistar casting? They prone to be bad or something? And how do I tell if it is or not? I googled it and nothing really came up.

The navistar casted heads are prone to cracking. I haven't had one yet that passed a magnufluxing. There will be a navistar logo near the rear lifting bracket on the head. I will post a picture in a few for you.

[steveperry]

So dieselwrencher, guessing that's what I've got. Zoomed in on a picture of the head and....

[Dieselwrencher]

Yep, that's it. I'd take it to a machine shop and have it magnafluxed. It's better to find out now rather than later.

[1972RedNeck]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Yep, that's it. I'd take it to a machine shop and have it magnafluxed. It's better to find out now rather than later.

Are those the heads with the 9mm injector bores? If so, the Cummins service manual says that they are fine to use as long as the crack doesn't go through the valve seat and if it does then just have a valve seat insert installed.

[steveperry]

Got the head back. Got the exhaust bolts holes welded and it magnifluxed...no cracks!! Also got the head all cleaned up and put back on, starting to reassemble.

[steveperry]

Originally Posted by 1972RedNeck

Are those the heads with the 9mm injector bores? If so, the Cummins service manual says that they are fine to use as long as the crack doesn't go through the valve seat and if it does then just have a valve seat insert installed.

I'm not sure. I think they're 9mm but I'll have to measure

[1985-GMC]

They're 7mm. 9mm were the non intercooled 89-91 engines. They were prone to cracking there by the injector bore. Different than the navistar or 53 blocks due to inferior casting and/or low nickel content.

[steveperry]

Not much in the way of progress lately, just cleaning things up for reassembly and waiting on funds for some more parts. I did receive my quote back on that custom dash set...2600 bucks!! Holy smokes Russ! Not near as bad as 3500 but definitely not what I'm looking to spend on a gauge cluster right this moment.

[Dieselwrencher]

That's a good deal on the head not being cracked. Did they have to deck it at all? I didn't plan to spend a lot of money on my gauges either, but I'm glad I did now.

[steveperry]

No Dieselwrencher I didn't even ask, this is gonna be a two stage process. I'm gonna clean everything up and get the swap done, drive it for a while and then go out of town for about nine months. Then when I come back I'll put the money into having the engine work done, get the suburban and do the quad cab for it and finish up all the mods I have in mind, like a compound kit! I'm getting a nv4500 this weekend for it and then hopefully can start getting the thing bolted together. Hope to have it drive-able in a month or so. May be a bit ambitious. And as for the gauges, I may end up buying them, it's a hell of a setup and looks so damn nice. But that's an investment to be made at a later date.

[steveperry]

Got the front clip mocked up, the extension gave me the space I need and then some! Super excited about that. Hoping to get the rad core support built this weekend, fit the inner fenders, and get another passenger fender to splice in.

[chosn 1]

Looks like that will come out great! and comin together quick too!:metal :

[burnin oil]

Don't get into this forum much but I am glad you decided to keep the fans. I lost the fan clutch back when I drove my 95 12v and it made for a miserable trip to work the next morning. Luckily it was fall or it would have overheated in stop and go traffic. Picked the new clutch up on the way home. Progress looks good.

For all the guys that kept the Dodge frame here is the big question. Did you reuse the factory 4 link suspension? The track bar was always the weak link under there. I have considered using the Dodge frame and putting the Dana 60 on leaves just to get rid of the front end headaches.

[steveperry]

So I thought about using leafs, and may at a later time, but for now it's a matter of funds. But I made a little progress recently, gotta get a passenger fender to get the other side extended so I can finish up the radiator support. Once that's done its on to rewiring the engine and getting my transmission in and she'll be ready for a test drive! I hope anyway.

[steveperry]

Finally have some progress, not much but hope to finish a bunch of little things to get this thing started shortly. I got my new bell housing, 1.375" input shaft for the nv4500, dual disc valair clutch, and the hydraulics. Waiting on the bearings for the input shaft, for some reason they were shipped separately. But once I have those the drive train will be complete! It's crazy how much just an 1/8th inch of thickness makes on that input shaft! This thing is beefy!

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice parts!