Build Lexus LX450 Cummins 6bt/NV4500 swap

[Wheelingnoob]

Did you decide if you are using Dustins thermostat housing yet?

Not yet, I'm kind of waiting to see how your revised one works. I am at a good point to go either way, I have no alternator or A/C compressor.

My feeling is the Cummins braket will be most straightforward. I will need to make a water inlet (easy) and a alternator arm (fairly easy). Benefit is its factory for the engine and beef. I retain the factory 2nd Gen Thermostat housing so cracking issues. Another benefit is the A/C compressor for this mount is compact and has a number of different manifolds. Alternator is also a plus as I can use a SI22 of witch there are lots of options. Not sure if they have one or how I would wire it into the truck.

The Cummins braket will cost me about $500cnd plus the alternator and A/C comp. The diesel adapters braket will cost me around $750 plus an alternator and A/C compressor......

 

[cjmoon]

I used the cummins vacuum pump rebuild and it failed in 1000miles get the eBay kit I'm 9k in no leaks. Using the oem I said to myself the seal is not big enough well.it worked out of the box but not for long.

The stock 2nd Gen dodge is low but fits well. The 6bt with lowered cross brace it shouldn't be an issue. My engine may be lower than dustins kit as well I don't known. I tried to replicate original engine position as close as possible.

 

[Wheelingnoob]

I used the cummins vacuum pump rebuild and it failed in 1000miles get the eBay kit I'm 9k in no leaks. Using the oem I said to myself the seal is not big enough well.it worked out of the box but not for long.
View attachment 1169744
The stock 2nd Gen dodge is low but fits well. The 6bt with lowered cross brace it shouldn't be an issue. My engine may be lower than dustins kit as well I don't known. I tried to replicate original engine position as close as possible.

OK eBay it is.

A guy locally is in the middle of a 6bt in a 80. He tried to use the stock braket but it badly fouled on the frame side engine braket. He is using Dustin's engine mount brakets. I'm also using the same style braket.

 

[Mr Cimarron]

Arg OK so I'll take that back too then. What seals did they use when they re did yours?

I meant to get the vacume pump reseal kit too.....forgot.

No clue what was used. If it didn't leak it didn't get a new seal. Front got a new seal due to KDP fix and valve cover seals were done.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I used all Cummins gaskets for my motor. They're expensive, but I expect them to last. They've been doing well for the past 35k miles.

 

[cjmoon]

A guy locally is in the middle of a 6bt in a 80. He tried to use the stock braket but it badly fouled on the frame side engine braket. He is using Dustin's engine mount brakets. I'm also using the same style braket.

So the issue is the engine mount bracket if your using dustins kit. I cut all the original toyota stuff out and used liquid mounts originally on my engine with custom mount to put the mount where it needed to be. It might be positioned more toward the rear.

 

[Wheelingnoob]

So the issue is the engine mount bracket if your using dustins kit. I cut all the original toyota stuff out and used liquid mounts originally on my engine with custom mount to put the mount where it needed to be. It might be positioned more toward the rear.

Correct, I could start from scratch since I am planing to cut my Isuzu mounts off and weld the stock ones back on. But starting from scratch again is just one more thing I would need to fabricate and I'm trying to keep that to a minimum.

 

[Dirty Koala]

Any update on your swap?

I am going to try and go with the 13" clutch but maintain the stock 1.25" input. No need in my case for the bigger one. No towing and not planing on cranking up the motor much.

I have both the motor and transmission rebuilt and ready to go.
I realized that my swap would definitely be a winter project, which meant I needed to get my workshop sorted so that I have a comfortable place to work....i am getting too old to be freezing my nuts off in the dark...that's just not fun.

So far I have done a lot of electrical, Sheetrock and painting work.

• Installed 100 amp sub panel
• Ran a 50amp circuit to my compressor
• Ran a 30 amp circuit to my welder
• Ran 2 x 20amp GFCI outlet circuits down two of the shop walls
• Ran a 20amp circuit to the ceiling where my natural gas heater will get installed soon.
• Designed a lighting plan that nets me 100+ foot candles of light on top of my work benches and parts washer, 75 FC at the floor. Dialux is the application I used, very powerful tool and free.
• Installed 8 of the 20 LED fixtures...12 more to go
• Painted the ceiling
• Patched holes and painted 3 of the 4 walls

Still need to finish the painting, lighting, install my gas heater and then insulate both the walls and attic (hopefully will be able to swing foam), and finally get new insulated garage doors.

Here are a couple screenshots of the garage 3D model I made to figure out my lighting needs.

 

[Dirty Koala]

I took a few snaps of the garage in progress. I wish I had taken some before I started to give perspective on how far it has come.

You can tell in this pic that lighting is good on one side of the garage now, still need to install another 15 fixtures. All up I will have 20 4' LED fixtures = 40 bulbs. At 18w per bulb I will be pulling 720 watts, which at 120v equates to 6amps. Using the 80% rule, you can run 12 amps on a 15 amp circuit...so only using half the capacity...pretty efficient for the amount of lumens.

NV4500 transmission on the bench that I have nearly finished rebuilding, will be going into the Green 80 this winter.

This is my solvent parts washer and my Quincy QR 325 compressor. I just put a new 5hp single phase motor on it and wired up the massive magnetic starter. I am going to rebuild the compressor soon as it has a knock. That big lump of motor is my Cummins 12V that will also be going into the green 80.

I ran conduit on this wall and wired up 2 weatherproof quad receptacles above the benches, and as you can see extended the conduit beyond the 2nd outlet. I ran out of elbows, but the plan is to continue to the end of the garage and then punch through to the outside and put a switched double weatherproof outlet so that I have somewhere to plug the block heaters on my diesels in during the winter.

This corner needs the most work still. The gas heater will mount to the ceiling in the corner. I am considering covering that white wall and the cinder block chimney with old pallet wood to give the garage a bit of a rustic appearance. I plan to mount all my chainsaws and axes on the chimney.

 

[bryson]

Very cool garage plans! Regarding the switched outlet at the end of your run of wall outlets - will it handle the draw of 2 block heaters at the end of that circuit?

 

[RockJock82]

Man nice shop and that motor! So clean you can eat off it. What paint did you use?

 

[IanB]

Very cool garage plans! Regarding the switched outlet at the end of your run of wall outlets - will it handle the draw of 2 block heaters at the end of that circuit?

X2, around here code requires block heater outlets to be on their own 15amp circuit I believe.

 

[Dirty Koala]

Very cool garage plans! Regarding the switched outlet at the end of your run of wall outlets - will it handle the draw of 2 block heaters at the end of that circuit?

The block heaters each pull about 7amps, which would mean they are pulling 14amps on my 20amp circuit which would almost max it out if both were running at the same time. I plan to add a timer so that they are only heating in the wee hours of the morning (3-4 hrs before planned startup). I am not sure about the code requirements around here, I will find out. I could always pull a new 8 guage cable and run a 30 amp breaker, that could double as a dual block heater circuit and outdoor welder receptacle.

Man nice shop and that motor! So clean you can eat off it. What paint did you use?

Yeah it's looking very pretty sitting there. I used four colours of Cummins paint. Beige, dark Grey, silver (for exhaust) and Black

 

[Columbia Cruiser]

Wait.....I thought Isuzu makes the most amazing, powerful, reliable, fuel efficient diesel engine in the whole entire world.....whats left of your Isuzu must be worth millions!!

OK so those of you do not know me from my past build thread in the diesel section I'm a diesel fan. I started my swap saga with a Isuzu 4bd1t mated to a A440. I rebuilt the 4BD1T from the ground up, everything was replaced or refurbished. Long story short a slight overlook on my part and having never sleeved an engine before led to countless thousands in repairs and a engine that never ran reliably.

 

[Wheelingnoob]

Wait.....I thought Isuzu makes the most amazing, powerful, reliable, fuel efficient diesel engine in the whole entire world.....whats left of your Isuzu must be worth millions!!

How did you come to that conclusion? They make good motors, they can make good power, are reliable if rebuild correctly and they are more fuel efficient than there Cummins counterpart. Not sure where you got the idea they are the greatest engine in the entire world.

Did you have a point with your post, or are you just trying to rub salt....?

Take a hike.

 

[Wheelingnoob]

So I have started focusing on one purchase at a time meaning instead of looking at the list of all the parts I need to get I'm focusing on one at a time.

I decided I am going to run the F800 5.9 accessory braket instead of dealing with diesel adapters. Reasons for this are obvious and has a few pluses. This braket will allow the use of a 22si alternator these are desirable becouse you can get high amp options cheaply ($200 for a 250amp). I ended up finding a ISB 170 22si alternator on eBay for 1/3rd the cost of just getting the 8 rib pully for it from Cummins and it has the pully attached. I can also use the medium duty A/C compressors as well that have there connected tons in an orientation that will be great with this setup. It's not all bolt on though. Keeping the Dodge water outlet means I can't use the alternator upper braket from Cummins. Fortunately on 4btswaps a guy makes some that work with my water outlet. The water inlet that I found the Cummins part number for is for a 2" hose. So I am making my own water inlet that will work with the rad hose size I plan to run. I still need to order or find a belt tensioner and and order the A/C compressor.

I have decided to break these systems down into batches to make following easier a d to allow me to focus on one thing at a time. I found I was all over the place and not really getting anything done. I got the Cummins parts for this ordered from a online Cummins dealer for 1/2 the price the dealer in Canada wanted. Even after the .38c conversion it was still cheaper.

Once I have done that it's time to move on to the transmission rebuild and clutch.

I'll post pictures when parts start arriving.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Post up pics of the parts used along with where you got them please! I'd like to copy that accessory setup at some point in the future!

 

[Roostre]

I may have missed it, but what are your plans for the Izoo adapter? PM me if it is going to be available.

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out!!

 

[Mr Cimarron]

I'm with Johnny. Looking to see the parts involved to convert to the f800 mount.

 

[Wheelingnoob]

Should have all the bits by Monday. So stay tuned.