Gas to Diesel changeover....

change out the springs and shocks in 30 minutes??? i would pay money to see it done that quickly. post the video on youtube when you pull that off. it takes me that much time to gather the tools and parts.

once again, 20 minutes to remove the old and put in the new? you just going to sawzall off the brackets and let the rest go? no bolt on exhaust i have ever put on went as smoothly as the manufacturer claimed. i need to know how to deal with rusty wrung off bolts and such in a nascar pitstop timeframe. i'll bet a cup of coffee this takes at least half a day. once again post the video to youtube.

no, not rocket science but time more time on the job. bet it takes another half a day for this one.

you may be correct. i was assuming that the way the moco does things the tanks would be different especially considering the fuel pump differences. all that aftermarket non factory change stuff you mentioned will work but i like to stick with factory stuff.

because the transmision is different for the diesel than the gas burner. thus the overall length will probably differ. especially when you consider the mounting points of all components may change.

lets see.... a ram 2500 of this generation with a 360 ships with a 5 speed nv4500 transmission. the 2500 with a cummins shipped with a 6 speed nv5600 tranny. different mounting, different lengths thus a different length drive shaft. o.k. so the OP could just have the length of his curent driveshaft changed. may as well do new universals while your at it. how fast can you do this? it takes me an hour just to take the part to the driveshaft guy and deal with him and get back to the shop. that doesn't count picking it up when its finished.

oh yeah, i am not sure if the transfer case changes from the nv4500 to the nv5600 tranny. that is something to at least consider.

actually i thought the taller gear set that came standard on the 2500 series was 3.73. i would change the gear set out even if the ratio stayed the same because i would expext at 162k it was about time to do this and i wouldn't want the additional torque from the cummins twisting on worn out gears. since the truck is 4x4 gear wear is more likely and that is times two since the front axle pulls also.

as i thought about it the OP is going to need a different crossmember also. i am not being but a tad over-dramatic. changing radiator, ac condensor, adding intercooler, entire wiring harness, adding dual battery capability, motor mounts, crossmember, wiring harness, transmission, fitting driveshaft, computer, fuel filler neck and fuel pump or complete fuel tank, air intake system, exhaust system, computer, etc.

so if he uses a donor truck my next question is this. how did it become a donor? if it is a totaled wreck then it was probably hit in the front end and all the cooling stuff is either shot or suspect. why get rid of an engine he knows how it was treated for something that is completely unknown. the last owner may have driven the donor vehicle for a quarter million miles without changing the oil. i can see so many aggrevating scenarios with this, that coupled with the down the road parts/service nightmare of driving a bastardized i can't even comprehend the mindset that would think this is a workable solution.

go to the truck dealership and trade the gas burner for a comparable year model diesel. pay them 5k and be done with it. it will save at least two to three weeks of hard labor and he will be able to walk into the local moco parts dealer and give them the vin number and get the correct part for the rest of the trucks life. michael

Well, it's official.... it's just too complicated a job... will cost too much... take too much time... you don't know what you're in for... you're over your head... this will be a disaster... etc. etc.

Good luck with it :)

I was going to add a smart ass remark to this but it is pointless. So I guess it goes back one knowing one's limitations.

Oh, Tom you don't have to post vids. I think some of these folks do everything with a adjustable wrench while wearing mittens

Laz, enjoy the project!

Roy

Well, I added a duel battery setup in my gas motivated '99 and the longest part of the project was finding a battery tray for the passenger side (I finally opted for a new one from the dealer). Once I had that it took only a few hours, including running wires to the in cab switch, fabricating a bracket to re-locate the stuff that was originally located where the second battery goes, mounting the batttery isolater and connecting it all up. Installing 2 batteries connected in parallel would have taken about 20 minutes, tops.

FWIW, about 10 years ago a neighbor did this same conversion on a Ford. Fortunately, another neighbor had the same year and model except it already had the Diesel and in the evenings, he was willing to park it next to the project truck as a reference. The neighbor and his brother did the work mostly at night - maybe 4 hours each night. IIRC it took about 4 weeks until they were able to fire it up and drive around the block. I moved shortly after they drove it for the first time, so I don't know if they were able to register it (California has some pretty stringent laws regarding engine swaps and emmissions).

NC does not test emissions on trucks with a

GVWR of 8800 or more so that point isn't an

issue.

Well dude, it appears that you are only going to hear what you want to hear so good luck with it and keep us updated when you begin the project.

LOL, yea, except for the bullshit time estimates. The problem is that not everyone else has a heated and air conditioned 5 bay shop with multiple lifts and tools and equipment that would probably rival some small dealerships all to themselves. It gets much easier when you have the space and equipment to perform this level of work.

If a person doesn't have the one thing you left and that is the KNOW HOW then you nayser's are correct.

A couple of floor jacks and some air tools and it is a cake walk if you know wtf your doing. A lift is a plus I agree, but it is more than doable on jack stands.

Tbone, I'm just curious. What do you do for fun other than to argue in newsgroups?? You have to do something for fun sometimes..

Denny

What are you talking about? The questions that he asked in his initial post shows that he never attempted anything like this before.

Really??? Please explain exactly what air tools are required alone to lift the 360 out and drop the Cummins in. If you are depending on the floor jacks to do this you must have some really impressive ones with one hell of a lift. The fact that you are calling it a cake walk shows that you really don't have a clue. Can it be done...sure it can. Could Las do it, I don't know and neither do you but since he made those mods to his jet ski, I would say that he does know how to use his tools and probably could make the conversion but it still wouldn't be a cake walk for him or anyone else. The point is as it always was, while it can be done, why would anyone want to? After all is said and done, he won't have anything that he couldn't just go out and buy and probably buy it for much less money and no work on his part but hey....if he has a whole lot of money and time to waste, I wish him the best..

Well I guess that I'm curious as well. Why is it that even tough there are multiple people on boths sides of this discussion, I seem to you to be the only one arguing? How is Roy's, Tom L's, Ed's or anyone elses in this discussion any different???

I guess just cause you seem to have the most fun in doing it..

I've been staying out of it mostly cause I see both sides of if. Yes it is a big project. Yes is would be more cost effective to just go buy one. But I've taken on some really stupid projects just because I was bored and wanted something to do. Try building a stock altered class garden tractor puller from scratch sometime when you get bored. Let me know if you want some spare parts..

Denny

Well, I can't deny that but this time, I'm not really arguing. I'm just looking for a valid reason to take on such a project.

As have I which is why I'm taking the side that I am.

LOL, actually, I may have some questions for you about this very thing. Not that I;m building a competition puller like you do, but I need to convert a small lawn tractor (if you could even call it that) into a landscaping trailer puller for a friend.

Tom your talking like a idiot. Or your lack of hands on is showing.

If you are depending on the floor

You are probably the only person who read this and took that air tools meant pull the engine. Air tools speed up the work big time. Most here would figure one would use the air tools for r&r and a cherry picker for the pull. I forgot that you might not pick up on that. I apologize.

That's the difference between you and me. I know wtf I'm doing, you I guess don't so it wouldn't be a cake walk for you..

Damn Tom you put the donor and take things apart. You then pull the recipent in and strip and put it back together. It is nuts and bolts.

Because he can!!

But, it's his money and a project can be enjoyable.

As do I

I guess the best reason is cause he wants to.

Ask away. A torch, grinder and welder and most anything is possible. A metal cutting bandsaw helps a bunch too.

Denny

All I did was state that a similar conversion was done by a neighbor with a Ford truck. I wasn't arguing one way or the other, just stating that they succesfully drove it. I also gave an estimate of how long it took me to add a second battery to my truck which happened to refute nunya's claim that it would require a half day to complete. I regret that you took that as an argument for doing the conversion. How are my statements of what I experienced arguing?

I don't have any bones to pick with you (pun intended). In the past you have stated that I may carry a discussion too far (a claim I can't refute). Maybe I'm not the only one to carry a discussion too far.

Ed, you seemed to have missed the entire point. My point to Denny was that I was not arguing with anybody and used similar posts on the other side of the discussion to make my point. I didn't take anything that you said as an argument.

Well, while this isn't a direct refute, and admittedly I only have the posts from the 10th on, here's a count of the number of posts by various people:

You - 16 Roy - 13 Laszlo - 5 Me - 5 Denny - 3

You're outpacing the guy who started the thread more than 3:1. If you're not arguing, then you sure do have a lot of opinions on how others should spend their time and money.

Really??? Who is the one who said that it would be a cake walk with a few air tools and some floor jacks? I don't call weeks or more of hard work (provided nothing goes wrong) a cake walk. Perhaps you have a different definition.

But that's not what you said. You make it sound like if you have a few air tools, that this conversion would be quick and easy and that simply is not true. I know what you meant

And exactly how many of these swaps have you done? While is probably could be done by many in this group, it wouldn't be a cake walk for any of them.

Now you are assuming that the donor will have all of the parts, all will be usable, and that everything simply unbolts and bolts right back up. Even if all that were true (and it usually isn't), it is a hell of a lot of work, time, and money. Sorry, but that is not the definition of a cake walk.

That is just about the dumbest reply so far and you talk about me talking like an idiot.

Unless it gets too long and or too expensive for what the end result will be. Then it will just become a waste of time and money and in many cases, uncompleted. All I'm saying is that it is going to be far more expensive and time consuming then he thinks and to not just jump into it with his head up his ass because the only one who will get burned for it is himself. You can go on being the rah - rah committee but you are really doing nobody any favors.