Hey all bear with me if I'm not to with it tonight, been at work offshore for 2 weeks and have another 5 days to go. I'm working on building a 86 k30 that I was origionally planning on putting in a 6.2. I then started looking at doing a cummins 6bt swap. I need a new cab as the one of the m1008 was entirelt to rotton. I;ve found an 86 pickup with the rust free cab I need with a 6.2 and a banks turbo kit with K&N intake/filter for $800. The rest of the drive train will be a NV4500, 203/205 doubler, and 4.88s in the one tons. The question is do you think I'd be happy with the banks turbo's 6.2 and how does the turbo effect the reliability of the motor? I have a 90 k5 with a NA 6.2, 700r4, 3.08 10 bolts, on 33's and while not fast, it has done just fine offroad for me. Is the cummins swap worth an extra 3-4k?
CK5
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Tell me about banks turbos
- Thread starter medicdave
- Start date
Only if your towing. What is your planned use for the truck?
Ideal mission for a 6.2...
If your list included towing a 37 foot 5th wheel, then yeah Cummins!
Rene
If your list included towing a 37 foot 5th wheel, then yeah Cummins!
Rene
i got a banks turbo very happy with it . i tow a small travel trailer it does the job ok. its no cummin !but lighter and cheaper.
MaxPF
1/2 ton status
Well, I would never tell anyone NOT to do a Cummins swap... or a 6.x swap for that matter. It depends on your budget really. A Cummins swap will cost way more $$$, but it can potentially make pore power. Also, for what a Cummins swap costs you can buy a new AMG 6.5, so keep that in mind. I agree with Rene that a 6.2 or 6.5 is an ideal engine for your app.
Wrench
1/2 ton status
This is true but the same old problem still exists--you can deal with the strength issues but the fueling capacity just isn't there for real towing power. Also the cummins swap cost is complete, with the AMG you still need to buy an injection pump and turbo.
Yep . . . . . Cummins is only worth it for a rig that sees a lot of towing duty over 7-8K
MaxPF
1/2 ton status
What do you consider real towing power? The available DB4 pumps can give 340HP which is within a few HP of what the latest crop of diesels from the Big Three turn out. Do you not consider that "real towing power"? Even 250HP and 520lb-ft of torque from a DB2 pump is real towing power in my book...
Typical cost for a Cummins swap is 10 grand. If you doubt that figure, ask Luke (Demon44), Mosesburb, and others who have done it. Heck, I thought I could do it for 4 grand - it ain't happening. Not if you want it right. You might be able to cheap out and do a half-ass swap for 6k, but you would have to get smokin' deals on everything. Meanwhile, a P400 is about $6100, another grand for turbo stuff, another grand to have your IP rebuilt to 4911 specs, and another $400 for a good set of injectors. Grand total, $8500 for 250HP and 520lb-ft of torque wrapped in a double-tough compact V8 package.
Again, if 400+HP is your target, then the Cummins is your more practical answer. With a P-pump, they are just ridiculously easy to get that kind of power from, but much above that and you will at least need head studs, not to mention turbo mods and an automatic or clutch that can handle 800+lb-ft of torque, so it isn't going to be super cheap. Like I said, it's all a matter of your end goals. Sometimes the "lowly" 6.5 is a more practical solution
sixb
1/2 ton status
I don't agree, my conversion turned into a complete expedition trail rig restore but the 6bt even with the ve will give me the power and reliability I want and the fun factor should be way high on the scale.
My next project will keep the 6.2 stock when I turn this
Into this
sixb
1/2 ton status
Typical cost for a Cummins swap is 10 grand. If you doubt that figure, ask Luke (Demon44), Mosesburb, and others who have done it. Heck, I thought I could do it for 4 grand - it ain't happening. Not if you want it right. You might be able to cheap out and do a half-ass swap for 6k, but you would have to get smokin' deals on everything.
My donor 2wd 92 Dodge was 1650.00 if memory serves
and I thought that was a smokin deal 2 years ago for a good running 1 owner and his Grandson for the last year truck with 176k on it with a leaky i/p.Then I bought a full gasket kit and not all at once either so I probably paid more than the 500.00 it should have cost, then a reman of the head with hd springs at around 900.00, and a rebuilt pump at around 550.00 some new 190 injectors at around 380.00 a piston pump, 03 exhaust manifold and 97 hx35 with a 16 cm housing and then a coating of ?? (I can't remember the name of the coating) on the manifold and the exhaust housing, also a new frieght liner ac compressor and a 170 amp 22 si alt and all the freight liner brackets to mount them and a nv4500 and a np205 at 1700.00 and well you get the point I'm an idiot
I know a guy who did his swap for probably less than 3k and during a 10 day Xmas break plus a couple weekends.
Wrench
1/2 ton status
see my post in MaxPF's decision thread--if you wait for the right deals and collect all the parts before you start you can do it pretty cheap . . . . .
