Over a month

Wow, it's been a month since I have posted on this blog deal. As you can see I have been extremely busy. I have some stuff coming up, ministry things. If you read this be praying for me that I will always stand in the shadow of the Cross.

As far as man stuff, looks like the last thing I blogged about was the stats on the ole' White Stallion. I have a few things that I have planned for this beast that many of you might be interested in. I don't have a time line on this project, but I do have some points in my scope of work. Let me give you a few things to tickle you readers with.

Engine Swap:
What a way to revive a vehicle! Now there is nothing wrong with the ole' Chevy 350. It's still a strong motor with thousands of miles left in her. Here is the kicker... I have always been a Diesel fan! Now you may wonder why I capitalize Diesel... It's because I pay my respects to the man who created the engine in the beginning, Rudolph Diesel. He was a German engineer who loved to tinker with machines. Sounds like my kinda guy. I love the 350, but I have to say I am all for trucks having Diesel engines in them from the factory and thats including 1/2 ton trucks such as the Stallion.

So now your probably wondering which engine am I thinking of. Well there was a couple of engines in mind.

GM 6.5L Turbocharged Diesel
Of course being a Chevy guy I thought of the ole' 6.5 which would be a direct bolt in swap. Well the 6.5L is an OK engine, by far no where near what the modern engines are. Its OK for light duty stuff which might be good for the Stallion. Some people don't know this but this engine was an option for the 88-98 1/2 ton trucks. Problems with it is that it is a light weight engine that lacked a beefy casting. It's good if you want to stay at stock power levels. This would be the easiest swap.

GM 6.6L Duramax Diesel
My favorite V8 light truck Diesel! Who can deny that this engine shot GM in the lead with Diesel powered HD pickups! And exciting news is the new 4.5L baby Duramax coming out for the 1/2 ton trucks. All I can say is it's about time!! The big 6.6L though is the one I am interested in. I can get the detuned version that was used in the Chevy vans that have the 4L85E. This engine is a non-intercooled motor with 250hp and 460lbft of torque. Not too bad at all. Yeah its not the ultra powerful LMM with 365hp and 660lbft of torque, but remember the Stallion is a half ton truck and I don't want to have to carry the Allison over to my truck. Allison 1000 is awesome and all, but it weights a ton! I want good power and economy!
The only drawback I have with this engine is that its a common rail fully electronic motor. I would also have to find an early model without all the emissions junk. The thing is I don't want to be spending a lot of time tuning the engine electronically. I am a welding engineer, not an electrical engineer and the way these more modern Diesel engines are you have to have a degree in computer engineering just to know what is going on! So I thought of the expense and unfortunately say "no" to this engine. I would have been a good choice though. If I had to buy a new truck I think I would go for a 3/4 4x4 with the Duramax/Allison combo!

CUMMINS POWER!
Unless you have been under a rock you whole life, then you should be familiar with the C that is hung on the side of those loud noisy and awesome sounding Dodge trucks! I believe that the Cummins engine is the creme de la creme of Diesel engines. Now I know that there are those who will argue with me on this, but all I have to say is look at the specs of the engine and compare with the Duramax and Powerstroke. There is no comparison, the Cummins has beefier parts, simpler design, rock solid reliability and can go for miles on end.
I will say this and I believe that this would end any argument. If the "other engines" were better than the Cummins B Series, then why do all those Pro Stock Diesel trucks run Cummins? Not only that but they are using for the most part stock Cummins parts! Why is that the Super Duty Cummins swap is becoming so popular. Go and look at www.fordcummins.com or www.destroked.com for more information.

Well to continue on, I originally thought that the ole 5.9 B Series Cummins would be the engine for me. This swap has been done many times, especially the 12v version. Now I like the newer 24vISB, but I want to avoid any complicated electronics. Well OK, so its not really the electronics that is holding me back as these engines from what I have researched are pretty easy to get up and running. My issue is the weight of the engine. This thing nearly weights in at 1,200lbs wet. Now you know why this engine is pretty much indestructable!

My final Engine Choice..... You will have to wait for that one as I am looking for some data/cut sheets for it to post.

Until the next post,
God Bless y'all!

In Christ,
PK