great white
Well-Known Member
My 98 is runnin' fine right now (other than excessive blow by :rolleyes5, but I've been planning out options for the future for a while now.
Here's where I've come to:
1. LB7 swap
pros:
newer drive train, better reliability in the "hard parts"
better aftermarket support
real time tuning with RR and tunercat II/efi live support
up to 6 selectable "tunes"
better powertrain in general
Quieter DI system
Cons:
not and easy swap! lots of mechanical and electrical work....
Down time to do swap
Work and sussing out to integrate with stock systems
Slightly increased overall vehicle weight
2. P400
Pros:
pretty much a "drop in" solution after building an oil pan
Time savings of just order it and drop it in
redesigned block/girdle for better longevity
Replacement parts are still available and much cheaper than Dmax parts
Cons:
limited power ceiling, although annecdotal evidence seems to indicate 500hp is the upper limit. More than enough for me.
Still dealing with limited stock OBDII PCM and management system
Limited aftermarket support
It's still an old design that will eventually run out of spare parts
no real time tuning possible
no switchable tunes possible (yet )
Still IDI
Have to make the "right connections" to get one...
Option 1 and 2 have pretty much the same price tag attached to them dollar wise. Duramx might be a tad higher due to need to find a complete donor vehicle, of which some cost may be recovered in selling off what's left of it. Option one also has a significant "hours to complete" price tag also.
which brings us to option 3:
Built 6.5 engine (splayed mians, etc)
pros:
Drop it in in a day solution (once it's built)
Can be built slowly to spread out cost while waiting for the stock 599 in the truck to "give up the ghost"
Parts are relatively cheap for diesel bits
Cons:
limited power ceiling (maybe 300-ish hp)
Still dealing with limited stock OBDII PCM and management system
No real time tuning possible
No switchable tunes
Limited aftermarket support
It's still an old design that will eventually run out of spare parts
Likely to drop it's guts any time just like a stock unit can
Finding a good block is not exactly an easy task
cost will be close to option 1 and 2 once it's all said and done
So, what would you do?
Dmax, P400 or built 6.5?
See anything I missed?
I'm learning heavily towards an LB7....
Here's where I've come to:
1. LB7 swap
pros:
newer drive train, better reliability in the "hard parts"
better aftermarket support
real time tuning with RR and tunercat II/efi live support
up to 6 selectable "tunes"
better powertrain in general
Quieter DI system
Cons:
not and easy swap! lots of mechanical and electrical work....
Down time to do swap
Work and sussing out to integrate with stock systems
Slightly increased overall vehicle weight
2. P400
Pros:
pretty much a "drop in" solution after building an oil pan
Time savings of just order it and drop it in
redesigned block/girdle for better longevity
Replacement parts are still available and much cheaper than Dmax parts
Cons:
limited power ceiling, although annecdotal evidence seems to indicate 500hp is the upper limit. More than enough for me.
Still dealing with limited stock OBDII PCM and management system
Limited aftermarket support
It's still an old design that will eventually run out of spare parts
no real time tuning possible
no switchable tunes possible (yet )
Still IDI
Have to make the "right connections" to get one...
Option 1 and 2 have pretty much the same price tag attached to them dollar wise. Duramx might be a tad higher due to need to find a complete donor vehicle, of which some cost may be recovered in selling off what's left of it. Option one also has a significant "hours to complete" price tag also.
which brings us to option 3:
Built 6.5 engine (splayed mians, etc)
pros:
Drop it in in a day solution (once it's built)
Can be built slowly to spread out cost while waiting for the stock 599 in the truck to "give up the ghost"
Parts are relatively cheap for diesel bits
Cons:
limited power ceiling (maybe 300-ish hp)
Still dealing with limited stock OBDII PCM and management system
No real time tuning possible
No switchable tunes
Limited aftermarket support
It's still an old design that will eventually run out of spare parts
Likely to drop it's guts any time just like a stock unit can
Finding a good block is not exactly an easy task
cost will be close to option 1 and 2 once it's all said and done
So, what would you do?
Dmax, P400 or built 6.5?
See anything I missed?
I'm learning heavily towards an LB7....