To Cummings or To 6.2 Sindwinder turbo?

[2INSANE]

A friend of mine did a Cummings swap on his older 80's truck. Made his own motor mounts and all. He said a Cummings from a 94-97 dodge is what to look for. But all the fab work involved and such. Is it worth it?

Or should I get a used 6.2 L Banks Sindwinder turbo?

 

[blazinzuk]

Truck? Blazer? Tow rig? Play toy?

Who knows cummins swap is worth it if you tow alot, my stock 6.2 is awesome off road but fairly anemic on road. Just depends on what your doing with it really and your overall goals

 

[2INSANE]

Truck? Blazer? Tow rig? Play toy?

Who knows cummins swap is worth it if you tow alot, my stock 6.2 is awesome off road but fairly anemic on road. Just depends on what your doing with it really and your overall goals

I want to do it all!!!

 

[imiceman44]

I want to do it all!!!

Well to do it all, both will do.
Easier would be a 6.2 turbo, cheapest would most likely be a 6.2 turbo, cool factor would be the cummins and power level would be cummins.
Ball is in your court now.

 

[rompinstompinmudmonkey]

Putting a Cummins in my truck is hands down the best mod I have ever done to it. It's a lot of work though.

 

[2INSANE]

Putting a Cummins in my truck is hands down the best mod I have ever done to it. It's a lot of work though.

Yea see I don't have the know how and can not find a good thread of the Cummings swap. Don't the Cummings have computers?

 

[MTChevy]

You might have better luck if you search for cummins not cummings

 

[MTChevy]

And a 12 valve cummins does not need a computer to run. Its mechanical

 

[2INSANE]

And a 12 valve cummins does not need a computer to run. Its mechanical

Does it have glow plugs?

 

[imiceman44]

Does it have glow plugs?

I could be wrong but I believe it doesn't.
It's mostly the engine mounts, the transmission adapters, and figuring out where in the engine bay you will squeeze all that engine is where it's the problem.
Then you have to make sure the frame is up to it.
I think in your case you are better off with turbo 6.2 or 6.5
I have the turbo 6.2 and now I am putting a perkins in a crew cab that I had in a K5, it's not much work because it was already setup in a K5 but it still is some work.

 

[sweetk30]

heater grid on intake manifold elbo area to pre heat air to motor.

 

[2INSANE]

Yea I think your right on that! A turbo 6.2 might be just enough for my wants.

 

[rompinstompinmudmonkey]

A 12 valve Cummins (89-98.5) only requires 1 wire to run. They do not have a computer, and they also do not have glow plugs. They have an air intake grid heater that preheats the air in the intake for cold weather starting.

 

[1AMatt]

I see this is kinda an old thread but I figured I'd chime in. 12 valve cummins motors run from 89-98.5. 89-93 were ran by a rotary pump, while 94-98.5 had a P7100 injection pump. The P7100's were a lot easier to modify and could usually get the most power out of.

 

[norgeek]

Sorry if I'm straying from the original topic, but I'm also considering the same upgrades, with the Sidewinder probably being what I end up doing this winter.

What are the *downsides* to adding the turbo kit? I mean, you get considerably more power and you can expect a noticeable change in fuel mileage. As the saying goes, there are no free lunches.. not that the kit is all that free ($2700 from Summit, shipped and taxed into Norway), but I'm assuming there are side effects such as increased wear and tear? Will a 6.2/4L80e in good, stock condition handle the increased power without any major issues down the road?

 

[2INSANE]

Might want to consider a high performance head gasket. I've heard rumors the stock gaskets tend to go bad after the swap from too much pressure?

 

[K5-CJ5]

You can go a sidewinder turbo without changing head gaskets or studding the heads. Those turbos do not put out that much boost, 10psi is about max (unaltered) which is enough to get the truck to move better but not enough to put significant strain on the engine. As far as the cost, you could find a turbo setup off an early 90's 6.5 and save some $$$.

 

[norgeek]

Thanks for the replies! I'll consider upgrading the head gaskets when I get that far (hoping I'll have a proper place to work so I can freshen up the entire drivetrain). And no, I don't plan on boosting it beyond stock. Keeping a lookout for used alternatives, but there are few options around here not running close to the cost of a brand new set.