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Can we talk about some Cummins vs 6.0 questions?

y5mgisi

y5mgisi

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6.0 chevy vortec obviously. Not the ferd motor.

Lets set the scene. You have a 73-87 suburban. Its got a 2" lift and 33s.you built it to be a pleasant cruiser with decent towing and off road capabilities. You plan on doing quite a lotof each. CCruising on the interstate for hours, expo/hunting style of off roading, and you plan on having about a 3k lb trailer attached for at least half the time your cruising on the interstate. You are also an average Joe with an average Joe budget. Not poor, not Alot of extra cash.

Scenario 1.

6.0/4l80e

Scenario 2.

Cummins /4l80e OR dodge OD auto.

Scenario 3.

Cummins /nv4500

Which would you choose and why?

Which would cost the most? And which would cost the least?

How much will the mpg of the Cummins drop with the auto vs the nv assuming equal cruise rpm?

And any other thoughts.
 
Purely for COMFORT, I would be picking the 6.0L....

It's a lot quieter than the Cummins, which translates to less driver fatigue.
It can pull a trailer just fine.
They can be had relatively cheap, because there's more of them.
And, the demand for them is down, compared to the cummins motors.
Also, its fuel injected. :D

Just my 2 cents.
 
I've got both powerplants in the driveway right now. One VP 5.9 with a 4500 and one 6.7 with a G56. 6.0 with 4L80E.

I really like the 6.0 in my wheeler. Plenty of power, good trans. Not bad on fuel. I've only towed with it once, a 16' utility trailer with a GMC extended cab cab on it, and I could tell it was back there. The 6.0's got 175k miles, doesnt burn any oil or anything. I'd get in it and drive it across the country if someone else would foot the fuel bill.

I dont like the gear spacing on the 4500. I'm pulling ~15k daily though. The truck does alright on fuel and is still running good and is reliable at 201k.

If it were me I'd swap a CR cummins and a 5600 or G56. The 3-4 gap on the 4500 is miserable. You wont go wrong with a 6.0 either, but you'll never notice the trailer and you'll get better mileage with a diesel.
 
You know, i got $10 that says what i will actually end up doing is putting the 6.0/4l80e in to get me on the road. Then doing the cummins swap several years later. I will have to look into the CR cummins. That is one thing i really dont like about is the noise.
 
y5mgisi said:
You know, i got $10 that says what i will actually end up doing is putting the 6.0/4l80e in to get me on the road. Then doing the cummins swap several years later. I will have to look into the CR cummins. That is one thing i really dont like about is the noise.
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You wont be disappointed with a 6.0/4L80e. It moves my heavy pig pretty good. I could always use more power with my point and shoot driving style, but I've got plenty for most situations.

You cant beat a 12v for reliability or simplicity. But the CR powerplants are cut from the same cloth. Mine's had a tuner since 8k miles, now at over 120k. Last time it was on the dyno it put down 480/940. I've changed programmers, added about 400 pounds of weight and its currently .3 seconds faster in the quarter than it was at 480 horses. Zero problems that werent Dodge parts. Just regular maintenance.

Now I'm rambling. You cant go wrong either way. You'll have better luck doing what's cheaper now and saving and hunting deals for the more expensive swap down the road.
 
Thats probably how i will end up doing it when i look at it realisictically. I can get it doing down the road with the 6.0/4l80e for probably no more than 3k all said and done. I bet the cummins motor all by itself will be about that much. If not more.
 
If money was not a issue cummins!! I've had both and love the diesel! It just does everything well hp/tq mpg durability. :waytogo:
 
I love my Cummins swap, its the best thing I have ever done to my truck.

However, if you're not going to pull a trailer more than 3 k on a regular basis I'd go with the 6.0. That motor will do everything you need and you will be time and money ahead on your project. Now if you were going to be pulling 10-12k regularly then I'd go with the diesel.
 
I had about a 17000GCWR going to Moab in 2011...my 99 6.0 (4WD ECSB) did good, but is slow to start and elevation and hills kill it.
Climbing out of Rifle, CO up to WY was the worst, followed closely by I-80 east out of Laramie....both I was down to 1st gear making the climb....N.A. engines just don't make power up there.
Overall for this trip was 7.5mpg....mostly highway driving for over 3000 mi. at speeds of 65-75....(80 while Kert was driving) NO OVERDRIVE USED....engine couldn't make enough power to pull it.
I had about 15000GCWR coming up I-77 out of NC...about a 6% grade for about 7 mi. I was doing 55 in 2nd gear by the time I reached the plateau...I started from a rest area at the bottom, so it was pretty much a standing start to the climb.
Maximum elevation on this trip was maybe 4000'...mileage avg was 9.2 for the trip.

My 6.0 has 225K on it, and might use a quart in 4000 mi. otherwise it runs real good.

My 454/T400 4.10's in my 76 2WD CC give me 6mpg towing the same trailer and the Maiden on it.
 
towing that little I think I would do the 6.0 swap.

I have researched both quite a bit.

The cummins swap is the more expensive of the 2 from almost everything I have ever read. Really depends on how much you can find the motor for but around here ( farm country) everyone wants 2 grand for 350k plus motors. That have already been pulled that you can't hear run.

If its between a 100k and 200k its 3 grand for the motor. Less than a 100k like 5 grand.

I can get that 6.0 4l80 combo from 3 different wrecking yards for less than 2k with around 75k on the combo.

I would put a cummins in anything that was gonna tow more than 7k on a regular basis. Of if I could find one cheap enough.

So I say just look around and see what you can find you may find a cummins for a screaming deal who knows
 
I replaced the tbi 350/700r4/np208 with a 90' Ve CTD non-intercooled/47rh/np205 in my 89' burb 2500 4x4. Best thing I ever did to it and Chevy should have offered it to begin with. I turned up the pump a little and have plenty of power. I had two goals when I did the conversion. I wanted 20mpg or better and be able to do a burn out on dry pavement with 35s. The burn out was just proof the power is there. It does both with 4.10 gearing. The tbi 350 was getting 8mpg and it was a Vortec crate engine. I have more money in the gas setup trying to make power than I do in the conversion. I made my engine mounts from 1/2" plate and built my own crossmember. Also had to get a new driveshaft built. It has a d60/14b now as well. The d44 was a little soft under the Cummins. If you take your time you can find CTDs for less than $1500. I paid $900 for a 140,000 mile engine. The 5 spd is a good choice for high power with few mods. The 47rh can be built but not on a budget. I did score mine for $1000 with 30,000 miles. Try to find a complete truck and you'll come out better. I'm not saying the conversion is cheaper just a better value in the long run. Good luck
 
I did a little rersearch today on running driving whole donor vehicles and was suprised at how reasonable the price was for a running driving 4x4 dodge 2500 was, found several in the 4k range :eek1: I know what direction I would go if was considering a major swap:waytogo:
 
I own a 12 valve cummins/NV4500 and I love it... FOR TOWING AND HAULING.

This is a specific application question here and in this case I think a cummins swap is the wrong choice. You're going to pay a pretty penny for one then it's just down hill from there. You're going to have to do something to reinforce everything in the front end and down the drivetrain to compensate for the weight and torque. Plus good luck finding diesel out in the boonies, you can get gas anywhere.

Cruz is absolutely right about the gear split on the NV4500 as well. The split from 3rd to 4th is huge and somewhat annoying. It's manageable but just something else to think about.

A good condition 6.0 LS makes plenty of power to keep you happy while towing 3k pounds and they're a kick in the pants to drive. You can rev them to the moon (or so it feels) and they just come back for more. Plus they aren't picky about short trips or freezing cold weather starting without being plugged in.
 
I think you guys have me sold on the 6.0 for my particular wants out of this particular vehicle. Thanks for everyone's input!
 
I find it interesting that everyone wants to do a Cummins swap but noone takes the cost vs benefit ratio.. if you could swap 6.0 4l80 in for 3k and a CR5.9 for 5k and you get 20mpg.. 2k buys a lot of fuel. Plus a set of cam and heads and a tune for the 6.0 will have more HP for cheaper than the cummins.. and there is a lot less plumbing to deal with.. and the bug whammy is the weight.. the less weight the better mpg the better the suspension works etc.. so you got 300 hp and 600ftlbs but your trucks 1k heavier... meh great for the intended purpose..
 
That brings up another point. If I'm getting 18 average in the Cumminsand 12 average in tthe 6.0, but diesel is more expensive than gasoline, how many miles would it take to justify the added cost of the Cummins. I'll have to do some calculations.

Keeping in mind again, that we are talking only of my scenario for this argument. If I was planning on towing more or more often, I would be leaning way more to the Cummins Alot quicker.
 
Diesel here is 20% more right now....with your calc. you would be getting 50% better mileage out of the Cummins.
 
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