diesel swap

[eke82]

I found an 84 1/2 4x4 with a blowed up 6.2 diesel. Has anybody ever swapped a 4cylinder diesel in like a cummings or isuza? All this truck will do is drive back and forth to work and just looking for fuel mileage I did some looking on the board but did not really find anything on this type of swap
thanks eric everingham

[Russell]

The 4 cylinder Cummins Diesels are great engines, I wouldn't hesitate to swap one in if I had one available. Couple of guys have done the swap into these trucks, and say they are great, even get mileage numbers in the 30s

[bulky]

I helped a buddy put a 6 cylinder Cummins in a 91 Suburban. It wasnt as bad as you may think. We had to clearance the fame up front a little to clear a couple accessories. The motor mounts fit better when we swapped left to right and presto...it was in there . Nothing a mig welder and a plasma cutter wont fix. 4 Cylinder is problaby alot easier.

[BIGCHEVYMAN]

The 4bt Cummins Is A Great Motor.but If You Are Buying A Complete Try To Find A Engine With The Inline Injector Pump. The Rotary Pumps Are A Little Weak.

[Roper]

Ive never heard of a 4 cylinder Cummins Diesel. Can you buy a new crate 4cyl direct from Cummins? Whats the torque #s on one?
What tranny can you bolt it to? Does anybody make an adapter to bolt it to a TH350 or 700r4?

[Russell]

Most common source of a 4BT is a Chevy breadvan, or a wrecked UPS, fedex etc truck. The ones in the Chevy breadvan have engine mount adapters, and a transmission adapter for an SM465 for sure, and also an auto, but I cannot remember which, which makes them nearly a bolt in swap in one of these trucks.

The stock 4BT makes about 105hp, and the 4BTA (intercooled) makes about 120hp, however, the torque is excellent, about 300 ft lbs for the 4BT, and about 330 ft lbs for the 4BTA.

With simple pump mods, larger injectors, and by cranking the boost up, you can be in the 200 - 250 horsepower range, with simply amazing torque levels from 450 - 500 ft lbs of torque. Thats all from a 3.9L 4 banger, that will get 30 mpg with overdrive and good gearing!

[Pyrotechnic]

Depends what you want to spend.

Cummins anything is awesome, but tends to be pricey. 4BT's aren't as plentiful as they used to be so prices are going up. The Cummins replacement program for those bread vans was quite awhile back so most of those have been bought up already. You get what you pay for though. A new 4BT or 6BT will get you 300,000-500,000 useful miles depending on how hard you work it.

For something cheap just to drive around, a rebuilt or take out 6.2 replacement will be your best bet. Just get a good injector pump on it and it should last you just fine. Contrary to popular belief these aren't bad engines. For more power you could step up to a 6.5 or 6.5 Turbo. If you get the early mechanical injection version, these are pretty reliable. There isn't a super huge demand for old GM diesels so your cost will not as as high. You may even be able to find a used motor for cheap, and it will drop right into the truck as is.

[eke82]

that is what i wanted to know. this was the orginal motor knocked a rod out the bottom at 298,000 miles but the body was redid at 200,000. I thought it would be fun to do something different with the price of fuel these days
thanks eric