The official 6bt conversion thread

[averagef250]

That's a tractor engine. That weighs as much as your truck.

[mljjones67]

Yeah it looked pretty big. I could use it in the cougar!!!

[averagef250]

The friend that has my '71 right now has a 220 cummins that size sitting in his diesel shop parking lot. The 220's are boat anchors anymore I guess so he's putting the thing on a stand and hooking it up to run right where it's at. Not really sure how the neighbors are going to react to this project, but he thinks it's the coolest thing ever. It's even got Jake heads on it too.

[willowbilly3]

I plan to run the factory supercool radiator and shroud with the 6BT in my '70. The 6BT will be up around the 800 lb/ft mark and will pull in excess of 25K regularly (17K pound D47U cat and 8K pound trailer). I may upgrade to a Dana 80 for the rear. I saw a dodge D70 the other day with it's ring gear side carrier bearing squished an 1/8" into the axle tube from cummins torque.

I pulled that weight over the steepest passes we have here with the old 390 in 4th gear, 2500 RPM and 1/2 throttle and the water temp was around 210 with the supercool on an 80 degree day, the oil was probably around 300 though. 15 miles of straight up with that load the 390 only had 25 lbs oil pressure at the top, usually ran 55.

25K? Dude, you need a truck, not a pickup. Thats over half a legal load for an 18 wheeler.

[willowbilly3]

BTW, look for those engines in old school buses. The last place I worked had several in early 90s Bluebirds with the allison 4 speed. Turbo, no intercooler. We couldn't give those old buses away and as a matter of fact there is still at least 3 of them and one had the engine rebuilt but never got all the crap bolted back on, just bolted together good enough to back it out the door.

[averagef250]

Oops. I don't have a kenworth, so I make due. Stopping ain't so fun.

It's taking a risk, but I know how to drive and I do play it pretty safe sitting at that weight. Saw a guy the other day with the same old D47U as mine, except his had a backhoe attachment, loaded on a 4 tire car trailer towed behind his new powerstroke F-350. He had enough tongue weight that the front tires were litterally bouncing off the ground as he tried to stop coming up to a red light. He slid right out into the intersection. Now that new F-350 weighs more than my old highboy, but those 4 wheel disc anti-lock brakes are garbage for real heavy loads and he didn't have nearly enough tire or brake on his trailer to be on the road.

I stay far away from the city and take it easy on backroads doing this stuff. I know guys that hotshot with cummins Dodge pickups that are always up around 30K pounds. I consider myself pretty sane in comparison to what I've seen others do with a pickup. I know a guy that tried and failed to tow a loaded with scrap equipment lowboy behind his 500 horse 24V P7100 cummins powered F-350 dually. He thinks he was atleast 40K GCVW. He came to a narrow bridge with another truck coming at him, couldn't stop, jacknifed and lost the trailer and load into the river below.

Those 4BT busses would be a real score for someone looking for an engine.

[mljjones67]

So they where in the 90s school buses? That would be easier to find than the bread trucks I would think. My dad knows the guy that run the bus garage around here. So hopefully I can get one or two of the bt4s.

[willowbilly3]

Oops. I don't have a kenworth, so I make due. Stopping ain't so fun.

It's taking a risk, but I know how to drive and I do play it pretty safe sitting at that weight. Saw a guy the other day with the same old D47U as mine, except his had a backhoe attachment, loaded on a 4 tire car trailer towed behind his new powerstroke F-350. He had enough tongue weight that the front tires were litterally bouncing off the ground as he tried to stop coming up to a red light. He slid right out into the intersection. Now that new F-350 weighs more than my old highboy, but those 4 wheel disc anti-lock brakes are garbage for real heavy loads and he didn't have nearly enough tire or brake on his trailer to be on the road.

I stay far away from the city and take it easy on backroads doing this stuff. I know guys that hotshot with cummins Dodge pickups that are always up around 30K pounds. I consider myself pretty sane in comparison to what I've seen others do with a pickup. I know a guy that tried and failed to tow a loaded with scrap equipment lowboy behind his 500 horse 24V P7100 cummins powered F-350 dually. He thinks he was atleast 40K GCVW. He came to a narrow bridge with another truck coming at him, couldn't stop, jacknifed and lost the trailer and load into the river below.

Those 4BT busses would be a real score for someone looking for an engine.

Oh, yeah, there are a bunch of guys around here that think their Dodge pickup is a 379 Pete. I see them hauling 4 foot trailers with 30 plus big rolls of hay. My brother runs hotshot with his 03 Duramax and can't figure why the 6 speed would start actig up with only 130k miles.

[willowbilly3]

So they where in the 90s school buses? That would be easier to find than the bread trucks I would think. My dad knows the guy that run the bus garage around here. So hopefully I can get one or two of the bt4s.

And I remembered wrong, they do have an air to air intercooler in front of the radiator. I am pretty sure there is one there with an oil leak that you could have to haul it away. We robbed some of the sending units and hoses for another one. They also have one that still runs, sort of, that has a hole in the piston probably. They would probably be glad to just see them gone and for a little more you might get the one they rebuilt because they don't have anyone who will ever finnish it up.

[j41385]

This video just goes to show you what you can do with a diesel, It's so cool I couldn't stop laughing in amazment. It's a 24 valve 6bt in a 1970 Monte Carlo...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO_kjaxIDzc



And xxxtina63, The Pre 98.5 models have a mechanical fuel delivery system. They have a mechanical lift pump to draw fuel from the tank similar to our carbed engines. From the lift pump it goes to the mechanical Injector pump, so no electric pump needed.

[mljjones67]

Wow that video is awesome. Anything is possible I guess!!!!!!!! I like it.

[wt4speed#2]

Unbelieveable. next to the bumps that is the body style Monte carlo nearest to my heart. I know it aint a Ford by dang those monties are sharp. The power train option is awsome . Where I'm at now on my project I'd swap all my gas parts for the stuff to make one run in the "Stepper". If i though i could make it work.

[mljjones67]

Maybe i will fit one in my cougar!! That would be interesting!!

[averagef250]

I can't hardly believe he fit that in there or that the car can handle that weight!

[averagef250]

The CR isn't very important unless you're running serious boost. No glow plugs.

I've never seen a non-turbo B series cummins. I can't imagine they would use one in a vehicle. Maybe a generator or pump? Sure you could just slap the turbo exhaust manifold on it and be ready to go.