• Welcome to The Truck Stop! We see you haven't REGISTERED yet.

    Your truck knowledge is missing!
    • Registration is FREE , all we need is your birthday and email. (We don't share ANY data with ANYONE)
    • We have tons of knowledge here for your diesel truck!
    • Post your own topics and reply to existing threads to help others out!
    • NO ADS! The site is fully functional and ad free!
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

    Problems registering? Click here to contact us!

    Already registered, but need a PASSWORD RESET? CLICK HERE TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD!

Long, slow build of my truck

pacificdrumma

Well-Known Member
Messages
483
Reaction score
289
Location
CT
Well fellas, it looks like some things are finally starting to take shape on my build. I have nixed a couple previous ideas and have set off in a new direction. The plan is to do a complete drivetrain swap, engine, trans, and transfer case. Drastic? Maybe. My replacement engine (with supposedly ~72k on it) has a significant amount of blowby, uses oil, and I think uses coolant too. Its a shame because the thing purrs like a kitten, but I am concerned about the internal condition of it. As far as the trans goes, its the original 4L80E with 172k that shifts pretty damn smooth, but every so often it will be slow to kick into gear when shifting into drive from park or reverse. The engine that will be going in is a '93/DB2, and it will be mated to an NV4500 with a manual shifting T-case in place of my shift-on-the-go that I have now. I would eventually like to SAS the truck too, but this thread will be about the engine and trans.

This was all a pipe dream until I was cruising Craigslist at 11:45pm last week (I always seem to get in trouble on there late at night) and just for kicks and giggles, I typed in "NV4500". Sure enough, the first hit was a guy with a K2500 extended cab long bed 4x4 with a 5.7 that had an NV4500 and was parting out the truck. Made a deal for the trans, tcase, pedals, hydraulics, driveshafts, and pressure plate, and I am going to pick it up this weekend.

As far as the engine goes, a friend of a friend of a friend has a '93 engine/4L80E combo that came out of a fleet-maintained vehicle with about 100k on it and is dirt cheap. I plan to pick that up and sell the trans. For doing the work to the engine, I will be fortunate enough to have the assistance of a good friend of mine, who is a UTI-certified, and Cummins-certified mechanic (he also has a sweet green 1st gen dodge if you watch my videos) so I will definitely have some brains helping me along the way.

My goal is 300-350 usable horsepower, relatively clean-burning, and something that will not kill the engine.

Planned mods include: custom build DB2 spec'd to 100-120cc and matched 2300psi injectors, head studs, scat crank, crank girdle (pretty much as much block strengthening as I can do) Heath cam, WMI or intercooler, and an HX40 or similar sized turbo, and a nice South Bend clutch.

The timeline is going to be this winter into spring of 2015. I wont have the engine for awhile as the NV4500 is draining my bank account, but once I get it, we are tearing it down for inspection to make sure its worth putting the time and money into.

Im sure I will have many questions along the way, and maybe we can all learn a thing or too if we are lucky. I know the one thing I am most interested to see is if gauges, speedo, etc will work taking an OBD2 truck and going 100% mechanical with it.
 
Good luck!!! Sounds like a fun project. Consider the possibility of a better flowing pre-turbo exhaust setup (read-slightly custom) sounds like the effort would be well worth it in a project of this magnitude.
 
That is definitely on my list of things to research. I was thinking about trying a center mount turbo, but i need to read into it some more and figure out how to shoehorn an HX40 on top of the engine. Maybe a 3" body lift and 2" cowl hood would make it fit, dunno. Either way, pre-turbo exhaust is on the list.
 
That is definitely on my list of things to research. I was thinking about trying a center mount turbo, but i need to read into it some more and figure out how to shoehorn an HX40 on top of the engine. Maybe a 3" body lift and 2" cowl hood would make it fit, dunno. Either way, pre-turbo exhaust is on the list.

I have thought about a center turbo as well and a body lift and or tunnel/ firewalls mods are my only thoughts as well. I do know that a 67-72 Chevy truck has a ton of room behind the motor because of the straight six option. Always thought it would really cool to swap a 88-98 frame under one and then swap in a 6.5 with a center mount turbo. Or just bolt one in- should fit fine. I have seen one completed and one not quite finished on the 67-72 Chevy Trucks Board with stock side mount turbos and stock 67-72 frames. Have seen pics of one or two others NA as well.

Sorry about the thread jacking...........Sounds like a cool project! Keep us posted with updates and pics. Good luck and should be real fun to drive.
 
I think I would be able to fit a center mount without doing much to the firewall, remember that a 6BT Cummins can fit in there, I think a V8 with a center mount can work too/
 
I know center mounting the turbo adds for better flow of the exhaust to stay balanced, and should increase efficiency. My question would be how much? I know when fighting the overheating and the turbo on the bad side of problem, a lot of people were convinced the added heat was part of the culprit. With the h.o. balanced flowing water pump that has been disproven, along with all the n/a engines that still killed #8. So the advantage of center mounting is moot there.

My question is- is it better flow with custom headers to get restricted again at the turbo, So only balanced flow is gained, Right? Or does it improve the turbo's ability in a large way? Is that worth all the work and expense of body lift or different hood? The cool factor of a lifted truck or cowl hood is good in my book, but the added drag is going to take away some of the freeway speed efficiency. I found that out w/ my '99 2wd srw 3500 - 3" body cost 0.25 mpg.
 
How many v8 diesels are marketed today WITHOUT a center mounted turbo...

It's not just flow restriction and balancing flow (those are of benefit however) but you also get a shorter path from the exhaust valve to the turbine wheel as well as the ability to run a functioning twin scroll exhaust system. Some will say its worthless without equal length header tubes and blah blah, but it still does hold some merit. While best results are achieved with el headers and a different cam lobe profile, small gains are still there. If you can gain .5-2% 15 times with 15 small changes or improvements, you're on to something that could net big results.
 
Luckily, I know a couple guys with pipe benders, so hopefully we can try out some ideas and see what we come up with. I dont know much about headers, but i was thinking about using a similar design to the headers found on a pulling truck, and have the pipes bend up and to the rear of the engine after they meet up. I wanna be careful to not interfere with the injectors or glow plugs though.
 
Picked up the NV4500 today, seems to be in pretty good condition. Truck it came out of had 136k so I am not worried about major wear and tear. Planning on getting into it a little before it goes in the truck. Fix the 5th gear nut, re-seal it, check the bearings, etc. Came with T-case, clutch pedal, hydraulics, driveshafts, crossmember, and all the hardware. Need to track down a brake pedal and T-case shift lever.

10622772_10203062834274967_2726273648441487956_n.jpg
 
The parts gathering will be a slow process, obviously money doesn't grow on trees. One thing that is super important that I want to make sure I get right is the turbo. For this build I am looking for something that flows a lot of air, spools well, but won't choke the engine out and send the EGT's sky high. I know, it sounds like the typical wants for a turbo. Initially I was thinking a Super HX40, and that will continue to be the fall back if I don't find something else. A lot of my Cummins friends run variants of the S300 platform, but an S300 is a 58mm (too small) and an S362 is a 62mm (too big). I really think a 60mm would be the right size for what I am doing. So I did a little googling, and found this: http://www.full-race.com/store/turbos/borgwarner-airwerks/borgwarner-s300sx-83-75-turbo.html 60mm inducer and a couple choices for the A/R. Price isn't too bad either. I was thinking ATT as well, but Im not sure it will handle the higher HP I am looking for. Also, bonus points awarded to a turbo that will scream when I get on it.
 
How many v8 diesels are marketed today WITHOUT a center mounted turbo...

It's not just flow restriction and balancing flow (those are of benefit however) but you also get a shorter path from the exhaust valve to the turbine wheel as well as the ability to run a functioning twin scroll exhaust system. Some will say its worthless without equal length header tubes and blah blah, but it still does hold some merit. While best results are achieved with el headers and a different cam lobe profile, small gains are still there. If you can gain .5-2% 15 times with 15 small changes or improvements, you're on to something that could net big results.

True BUT they were designed around it, IE mounting, plumbing, body style etc. I am not against a centermount turbo and if you have the time and patience, go for it. If properly done, it should fit without a cowl hood but remember, all the IP wiring is at the rear so that will need to be relocated and or protected.

The parts gathering will be a slow process, obviously money doesn't grow on trees. One thing that is super important that I want to make sure I get right is the turbo. For this build I am looking for something that flows a lot of air, spools well, but won't choke the engine out and send the EGT's sky high. I know, it sounds like the typical wants for a turbo. Initially I was thinking a Super HX40, and that will continue to be the fall back if I don't find something else. A lot of my Cummins friends run variants of the S300 platform, but an S300 is a 58mm (too small) and an S362 is a 62mm (too big). I really think a 60mm would be the right size for what I am doing. So I did a little googling, and found this: http://www.full-race.com/store/turbos/borgwarner-airwerks/borgwarner-s300sx-83-75-turbo.html 60mm inducer and a couple choices for the A/R. Price isn't too bad either. I was thinking ATT as well, but Im not sure it will handle the higher HP I am looking for. Also, bonus points awarded to a turbo that will scream when I get on it.

Not sure what some of the hi po builds have used but 60-62 mm compressor should work with a 14cm housing if going Holset.
 
True BUT they were designed around it, IE mounting, plumbing, body style etc. I am not against a centermount turbo and if you have the time and patience, go for it. If properly done, it should fit without a cowl hood but remember, all the IP wiring is at the rear so that will need to be relocated and or protected.

Not sure what some of the hi po builds have used but 60-62 mm compressor should work with a 14cm housing if going Holset.

Keep in mind I am going mechanical so (I think) the only wire I will have by the IP will be the FSS wire which would be easily re-routed if necessary. I plan on a 2" cowl hood regardless of turbo configuration. I am not worried about hiding it under the hood.

My backup turbo will be a 60mm HX40 with a 16cm housing.
 
I'm pretty interested in this since I'm planning to do the same with my '95s. I have the entire donor truck, though. I'm speaking of the transmission swap portion.
 
I like my turbo Excellent spool time, and good to 30 psi. With the intercooler I was able to just hook the air filter directly to the turbo. Talk about a turbo that screams. Running a 14 cm housing on mine. I think a 16 cm might be slightly big and have a little more lag than you would prefer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
May have found the next piece of the puzzle. Have a lead on a 1993 engine and 4L80E with 41,000 miles. Seller says that it has a partially blown head gasket but is in otherwise good running condition. Engine came out of a motor home, but I dont think that will affect compatibility. Also, found that it is a 599 block, which I am told is the same block as a 6.2 just bored out, and is the strongest GM-cast block. I will be trying to strike a deal on the engine and pick it up sooner than later. If I do get it, the turbo and trans will be for sale.
 
The engine is on the back burner for now. I am not purchasing the 41,000 mile engine currently. Instead, I want to focus on getting the trans in the truck. That said, I need to buy a few items.

-Slave cylinder
-Clutch/Flywheel kit

For the slave cylinder, they seem to go for about $65 on Rock Auto. I am not able to tell if one is better than another. Anyone have experience to chime in?

For the clutch, I think a stock or heavy duty stock clutch will work. I currently have a 1-1/8 input shaft, so I cannot run a SBC yet. Again looking on Rock Auto, there are AMS clutches with solid flywheels that are rated at 50hp over stock, anyone have experience with these?

Thank you
 
More parts have been acquired! I wound up ordering an AMS flywheel from Rock Auto. Made in China, but quality looks good from what I can tell. Waiting on the slave cylinder to come in.

Also, I picked up an HX35 last week. 12cm housing, havent measured the wheel yet, but for $150 I couldn't say no. I ordered a blank flange plate, adjustable boost elbow, and will be picking up a tight radius elbow and 3" vband shortly.

Next up is gauges...

"I love it when a plan comes together"
 
More parts rolling in, got the adjustable boost elbow for the turbo, the blank flange for the back to weld the elbow onto, and finally the Peninsular upper intake adapter. That's gonna do it for now for fun parts, the truck needs pads and rotors. My friend Kyle is getting back in about 3 weeks, and hopefully we can get cracking on the turbo and 5 speed swap then.
 
Some progress...

Mic'd the HX35, its 54mm wheel, which will be adequate for what I am doing. 12cm housing should be nice with the 5 speed. Blank flange arrived in the mail, picked up a 3" elbow to start cutting up for the down pipe adapter. Gutted original Holset wastegate actuator and half-ass assembled the turbo master. Its primitive but will work for the time being. Should be prepping it next week for an install next weekend.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7540.jpg
    IMG_7540.jpg
    80.7 KB · Views: 26
  • IMG_7541.jpg
    IMG_7541.jpg
    81.7 KB · Views: 27
  • IMG_7542.jpg
    IMG_7542.jpg
    75.5 KB · Views: 27
  • IMG_7543.jpg
    IMG_7543.jpg
    75.5 KB · Views: 27
  • IMG_7544.JPG
    IMG_7544.JPG
    73.8 KB · Views: 26
  • IMG_7545.jpg
    IMG_7545.jpg
    50.7 KB · Views: 25
Back
Top