Build Dirty Koala Build - Cummins Common Rail + NV4500 + HF2AV Swap

[Dirty Koala]

So brown Santa arrived this afternoon with a sack full of goodies.

The majority of the conversion parts from Dustin arrived. Still need the accessory adapter plate, harmonic balancer and transfer case adapter. There maybe a few other pieces but I haven't done a full inventory yet. That intercooler is a piece of art.

The new southbend clutch, flywheel and 1 3/8 input shaft also arrived....not a bad haul.

 

[OGBeno]

Morgan-- Are you freshening up the Cummins or just dropping in and crossing your fingers?

 

[Dirty Koala]

Morgan-- Are you freshening up the Cummins or just dropping in and crossing your fingers?

I am doing a complete rebuild of the motor and trans before it goes into my cruiser. I don't like to half arse anything so a full rebuild with some perfromance enhancing goodies seems the only logical way to approach this conversion.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Did you get that intercooler from Dustin? If so, can you measure the dimensions for me?

 

[Dirty Koala]

Did you get that intercooler from Dustin? If so, can you measure the dimensions for me?

Yes sir, Intercooler is part of Dustins kit.

The depth is 3 5/16"

The height is 12 1/16"

The width at the widest point of the body is 24".

Distance from eye to eye is about 33 1/8"

width at the top (most narrow) is 19 5/16"

 

[Dubbinchris]

Man, so excited to follow this. Very excited that he's making that new adapter to mate the NV4500 to the transfer case. What was pricing for that and the machined shaft to make it work?

 

[Dirty Koala]

Man, so excited to follow this. Very excited that he's making that new adapter to mate the NV4500 to the transfer case. What was pricing for that and the machined shaft to make it work?

It's going to be a good project once I get past the parts collecting phase. The adapter, turned mainshaft, 5th gear and 5th gear nut came out to $840, very reasonable assuming it all works as expected.

 

[Dubbinchris]

It's going to be a good project once I get past the parts collecting phase. The adapter, turned mainshaft, 5th gear and 5th gear nut came out to $840, very reasonable assuming it all works as expected.

Yeah that seems fairly decent. I'll be following your build here closely as I want to do essentially the same thing with the 4500 and the transfer case except I'd like to use the 4BT motor.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Holy crap, that intercooler would fit nearly perfect in the 60 as well. Hopefully I can buy that piece individually from them!

It's designed to go inbetween your radiator and AC condenser, right?

 

[Dirty Koala]

Holy crap, that intercooler would fit nearly perfect in the 60 as well. Hopefully I can buy that piece individually from them!

It's designed to go inbetween your radiator and AC condenser, right?

Here is a picture I snagged from @cnorm5623 build thread. The inter-cooler actually goes in front of the A/C condensor.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Damn, that low in the frame, for it to be more than 1/2 blocked by a bumper and vulnerable to rocks?

Thanks for clarifying for me bud. Dimensions of the core are right, but that mounting location is no good IMHO.

 

[Dirty Koala]

The bottom of the IC sits just above the bottom of a stock bumper. I am not sure how it sits behind an ARB yet.

 

[bigfj62]

The bottom of the intercooler does not go below the bottom of the frame rails if I am not mistaken.

 

[Dirty Koala]

The bottom of the intercooler does not go below the bottom of the frame rails if I am not mistaken.

That is correct.

 

[bigfj62]

I am curious to see how the ARB and winch will fit if at all. I currently have the stock bumper so a custom setup may be in order in the future.

 

[Dirty Koala]

I am curious to see how the ARB and winch will fit if at all. I currently have the stock bumper so a custom setup may be in order in the future.

Well I have both the ARB and a winch...so time will tell.

 

[Mr Cimarron]

Yeah I'm not a fan of that inter cooler hanging down in the frame. Mine sits above in front of radiator but I don't have a trans cooler anymore.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

The fact that the intercooler goes below the tops frame rails is awful in my opinion. The stock 80 series PS "cooler" lines exist in that area and it's a common mod to move them up higher to be away from rocks. Why put an intercooler in that spot? Even if it doesn't go below the frame rails, existing at the level of the bottom of the frame rail is way too low.

What happens if you put a hole in your intercooler on the road from a piece of debris, or from a rock on the trail? Even a piece of gravel kicked up by a truck?

I understand that there are space concerns in the 80 with a 6 cylinder diesel (there are in a 60 as well), but if that's the only spot for an intercooler then I'd be tempted to not run one at all.

 

[bigfj62]

Yeah I'm not a fan of that inter cooler hanging down in the frame. Mine sits above in front of radiator but I don't have a trans cooler anymore.

IS there a photo of your intercooler placement in your build thread. Manual trans route will free up some space by getting rid of the trans cooler. I am not a fan of the placement either. Aren't most domestic diesel trucks coming off the factory lines running their coolers in a similar location. It is not optimal to say the least but I think if you build some armor around it in some way I don't think it would be a huge issue. Is there any room for a top engine mount hood scoop cooler? Just throwing an idea out there.

 

[Dirty Koala]

There wont be any room for a top mount intercooler, unless you build a huge hoodscoop, which would look real funky. I think this design is focused around the inlet/outlet placement more than anything else. There is room to have the IC sit higher up in the frame rails, but then you will have to deal with plumbing lines. If this IC sits up above the ARB, then I think it will be protected just fine.