- Thread starter
- #21
Gotcha on the details.
I'll do a How To Start Your Cummings Engine Out Of The Truck video tomorrow.
that was me =^}
this was the White Knight
LX450 6BT/NV4500/Split Case Conversion
- Thread starter JuliosLX450
- Start date
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Gotcha on the details.
I'll do a How To Start Your Cummings Engine Out Of The Truck video tomorrow.
that was me =^}
this was the White Knight
- Thread starter
- #22
How to start a cummins 6BT 5.9 12 valve out of the truck VIDEO
click on image to watch the video
It's worth mentioning that you need to ensure you have engine oil and power steering fluids toped up.
I run the engine for about 20 minutes to check for any leaks/issues. The 6BT run beautifully, consistent the whole time and surprisingly quiet. I was glad that there were no issues/leaks what so ever!!
On an other note. I got the Lexus in the garage tonight and will start on the build tomorrow.
I will deal with the under carriage rust first then I'll install the 4" Ironman Lift.
Once that's completed, I can relocate the vehicle within the garage and start pulling the engine/tranny/TC out.
click on image to watch the video
It's worth mentioning that you need to ensure you have engine oil and power steering fluids toped up.
I run the engine for about 20 minutes to check for any leaks/issues. The 6BT run beautifully, consistent the whole time and surprisingly quiet. I was glad that there were no issues/leaks what so ever!!
On an other note. I got the Lexus in the garage tonight and will start on the build tomorrow.
I will deal with the under carriage rust first then I'll install the 4" Ironman Lift.
Once that's completed, I can relocate the vehicle within the garage and start pulling the engine/tranny/TC out.
Are you planing on taking the engine out before you receive the adapter kit? From some others threads on here it sounds like some have waited months and months for there's. Would be a shame to pull it all out and then wait when it's usable with the current engine.
- Thread starter
- #24
I'm getting part of the kit this weekend.
in the last two days all I've been able to do is remove the bent side steps, rear bumper and hitch. Haven't been able to spend as much time as I'd like to on the rig.
The undercarriage rust makes it a bit tough to get anything off, but I knew that when I bought it. Hoping to have the rust and lift dealt with by this weekend.
This month won't be very productive - with Christmas just around the corner, Christmas parties & spending time with the family and friends.
Good thing this is not my daily driver, at least not till its complete.
I know what you mean Wheelingnoob, that's why my original plan was to figure things out on my own and not worry/stress about not getting the complete kit on a timely manner. But after weighing my options, I opted to go for the kit because I think this project will take me at least 3 months and there's quite a bit I'd like to do (besides the conversion).
I'll report back with some better progress and pictures
Interesting build... Keep up the good work...
- Thread starter
- #26
Quick update on the sluggish progress of my build.
The last 3 weeks have been focused on getting the 4" Ironman Lift installed.
In order to do that, I figured taking care of the undercarriage would be a good idea since all the suspension components would be out of the way.
As you can see, the rust was rather severe on the rear half of the vehicle:
Here is the front. Definitely in much better shape, but still needed some work;
First I started by taking all the loose stuff off with a scraper and brush.
I was tempted to use a grinder but since I decided to use Rust-Mort (phosphoric acid), I had to be careful not to expose bare metal.
Then I proceeded to clean off all the dust, applied 4 coats of Rust-Mort by brush (super slow process). Only used about 1/3 of a bottle.
Here it is all treated:
Waited a day for it to cure/treat the rust, then had to wipe everything off with a damp cloth.
Decided to just wrap the whole rig in plastic and then attach a skirt to keep all the overspray underneath.
Here it is waiting for primer:
I used Rust Killer Primer everywhere Rust-Mort was applied and anywhere else I missed. Went through 4 cans which gave me roughly 2 coats on most of the frame and about 4 coats on the axles.
Next step was to spray the whole undercarriage.
(I'll need to do some more touch up once the drivetrain gets removed)
I used 5 cans of Tremclad Gloss Black, which gave a good 2 coats everywhere.
Lastly was 6 cans of Pro Form Pro Guard (it's a rubberized spray) and sprayed it over the Tremclad, roughly 2 coats everywhere and 3 on the axles.
Forgot to take pics of the finished product.
I'll post some when I get back home next week.
I started installing the front suspension, but run out of time and didn't even get the front finished.
Here's my solution to the pesky caster correction plate bolt:
I cut a 1/2" off the spacer and was a nice snug fit.
I'm on a little vacay so nothing will happen over the next week or so.
Once I'm back at it, my plan is to:
1) finish the suspension
2) start pulling out the drivetrain
3) dry fit the engine, so I can figure out how much massaging I need to do in order for the tranny to fit.
4) paint the undercarriage
5) rebuild the TC and mount it to the tranny.
That's what I'm thinking at this point but we'll see what happens.
The last 3 weeks have been focused on getting the 4" Ironman Lift installed.
In order to do that, I figured taking care of the undercarriage would be a good idea since all the suspension components would be out of the way.
As you can see, the rust was rather severe on the rear half of the vehicle:
Here is the front. Definitely in much better shape, but still needed some work;
First I started by taking all the loose stuff off with a scraper and brush.
I was tempted to use a grinder but since I decided to use Rust-Mort (phosphoric acid), I had to be careful not to expose bare metal.
Then I proceeded to clean off all the dust, applied 4 coats of Rust-Mort by brush (super slow process). Only used about 1/3 of a bottle.
Here it is all treated:
Waited a day for it to cure/treat the rust, then had to wipe everything off with a damp cloth.
Decided to just wrap the whole rig in plastic and then attach a skirt to keep all the overspray underneath.
Here it is waiting for primer:
I used Rust Killer Primer everywhere Rust-Mort was applied and anywhere else I missed. Went through 4 cans which gave me roughly 2 coats on most of the frame and about 4 coats on the axles.
Next step was to spray the whole undercarriage.
(I'll need to do some more touch up once the drivetrain gets removed)
I used 5 cans of Tremclad Gloss Black, which gave a good 2 coats everywhere.
Lastly was 6 cans of Pro Form Pro Guard (it's a rubberized spray) and sprayed it over the Tremclad, roughly 2 coats everywhere and 3 on the axles.
Forgot to take pics of the finished product.
I'll post some when I get back home next week.
I started installing the front suspension, but run out of time and didn't even get the front finished.
Here's my solution to the pesky caster correction plate bolt:
I cut a 1/2" off the spacer and was a nice snug fit.
I'm on a little vacay so nothing will happen over the next week or so.
Once I'm back at it, my plan is to:
1) finish the suspension
2) start pulling out the drivetrain
3) dry fit the engine, so I can figure out how much massaging I need to do in order for the tranny to fit.
4) paint the undercarriage
5) rebuild the TC and mount it to the tranny.
That's what I'm thinking at this point but we'll see what happens.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #27
Oh yeah, Here are some pics of the goodies I've been collecting over the last month:
Looks good. My TC will be getting a rebuild when I install the new gears. Hopefully it quiets it down some.
I'm totally subscribing to this thread as I have a cummins swap in my future.
You've amassed quite a pile of nice new parts there. Do you have a part list with numbers that you're going off of or at least making? I would love some help at some point on some intel there. You've clearly done some howework it seems.
You've amassed quite a pile of nice new parts there. Do you have a part list with numbers that you're going off of or at least making? I would love some help at some point on some intel there. You've clearly done some howework it seems.
- Thread starter
- #30
I've read about the loud split case, but I'm ok with that.
Hopefully some extra sound dampening will help with that.
Im sure the muffler system will be much louder anyways
A member sent me his parts list, which was a big help.
I will post a detailed list of what I used, along with what helped and what didn't make this swap happen.
Right now I'm in the process of removing the transmission/transfer.....should have that done today.
I will post up some pictures a little later when I get a chance.
I can definitely see why most of this threads/builds don't go into too much detail, as it does take time and it's a bit of a PITA. Especially when you're doing the work by yourself.
- Thread starter
- #31
Drivetrain is out and I'm now working on getting the rest of the undercarriage touched up. I'll be rather generous on the tunnel to dampen the noise levels.
Still don't have the TC rebuild nor mounted to the Tranny yet.
So in the mean time I did a dry fit of just the engine to make sure I know what I'll be dealing with once the rest is all attached.
Fortunately I had some help and came up with an easy way to mount it.
Ended up removing the engine mounts from the engine and attaching them to the frame.
Had a jack on the bellhousing to assist level the engine and it worked like a charm.
Bolts for the engine mounts are still accessible with a wrench.
Driver side:
Passenger side:
Front of the oil pan touches but without the rest of the drivetrain I don't know if it's clear for sure:
I'm sure it'll be a different story once the whole drivetrain goes in together but at least I have a good idea of what it'll take and roughly how it'll sit.
Still don't have the TC rebuild nor mounted to the Tranny yet.
So in the mean time I did a dry fit of just the engine to make sure I know what I'll be dealing with once the rest is all attached.
Fortunately I had some help and came up with an easy way to mount it.
Ended up removing the engine mounts from the engine and attaching them to the frame.
Had a jack on the bellhousing to assist level the engine and it worked like a charm.
Bolts for the engine mounts are still accessible with a wrench.
Driver side:
Passenger side:
Front of the oil pan touches but without the rest of the drivetrain I don't know if it's clear for sure:
I'm sure it'll be a different story once the whole drivetrain goes in together but at least I have a good idea of what it'll take and roughly how it'll sit.
Damn that's tight. Too close for my liking.
How does it sit with those 4" springs right now?
How does it sit with those 4" springs right now?
- Thread starter
- #33
Without any weight in the front and back its about 6" high, but it will drop substantially once the drivetrain, bumpers, blah blah boba are in.
I might even need a spacer up front.
Update on my sluggish build:
I decided to send out the TC to get rebuilt and mated to the NV4500.
I did that to save some time and for a piece of mind.
The tranny is in great shape, they only replaced the bearings and a couple seals.
The TC was assembled without a problem (actually I dropped the ball and got the wrong idler for the rebuild, so they reused the original idler and replaced the orings).
Got it home and filled them with fluids was going to attach the drivetrain together when my buddy noticed this:
SOAB!!!!!!!
Overnight it barely leaked, but it's definitely an issues as it is cracked right through.
#}*#=%•¥~*#+}
I was rather bummed when my buddy pointed that out, as yesterday was going to be the day the drivetrain was going to get mounted.
Oh well, on the positive side of things....it's a good thing my buddy noticed that yesterday, rather then finding out on the trails within a couple days/weeks of the build completion.
Anyways, I thought about getting it welded......but I don't want to risk a patch job and am going to buy an other TC and rebuild it myself.
I got one lined up that hopefully I'll be buying this evening. It's off an '81 BJ and supposedly it has been rebuilt and has good syncros.
We'll see how she crumbles.
I'll update later on the outcome.
Just put a speed dent in the oil pan and it will clear that cross member no problem. You need to take the pan off for the mod and trim, windage lining slightly as well so the #1/2 rod don't hit it with the dent.
Take the time to turn that VE pump a bit while it's out. 3400/3800 RPm spring, BD pin, and a couple turns of the fuel screw and it will be a night and day difference in power.
I personally see no reason to install intercooler on these conversions. Plenty of towing is done with no IC on turbo diesels (not like you'll be towing a lot with an 80 anyway), and how much power do you need anyway? I ran mine hot air and it's very fast without the complex plumbing of the IC....
-Phil
Take the time to turn that VE pump a bit while it's out. 3400/3800 RPm spring, BD pin, and a couple turns of the fuel screw and it will be a night and day difference in power.
I personally see no reason to install intercooler on these conversions. Plenty of towing is done with no IC on turbo diesels (not like you'll be towing a lot with an 80 anyway), and how much power do you need anyway? I ran mine hot air and it's very fast without the complex plumbing of the IC....
-Phil
- Thread starter
- #35
Thanks turbophil!
I did make a dent on the pan and I'm sure it'll be fine now.
On an other note.
Can someone give me some guidance as to where the heck this is supposed to go?
Any help would be great
I did make a dent on the pan and I'm sure it'll be fine now.
On an other note.
Can someone give me some guidance as to where the heck this is supposed to go?
Any help would be great
- Thread starter
- #36
Quick update on my dragged out project
A combination of Life and a sense of overwhelming has lead me to take much longer then anticipated. In any event, I am back on track and I'm aiming to be finished by the end of the month!
Here are a couple of modifications that I'm proud of:
1) - Rear Valve cover was way too tight against the heater line.
So I decided to trim it as much as possible with out interfering with the rockers.
Here is is welded and now I have a bit of clearance.
2) Tach Sensor Bracket. I can't take credit for this one. My buddy made it for me and it turned out perfect, I have the ability to shim it if I need it closer or further apart from the harmonic balancer.
3) Tranny Transfer Mount Bracket / Crossmember. I'm proud of this one as it took me quite a bit for finalize. I ended up using a 2"x6"X1/4" Chanel and getting a couple angle brackets welded. I polished the outside and gave it 6 clear coats and the inside I primed and painted black.
I went with a Chevy 350 Transmission Mount and I had to hone both holes but otherwise fit pretty good.
A combination of Life and a sense of overwhelming has lead me to take much longer then anticipated. In any event, I am back on track and I'm aiming to be finished by the end of the month!
Here are a couple of modifications that I'm proud of:
1) - Rear Valve cover was way too tight against the heater line.
So I decided to trim it as much as possible with out interfering with the rockers.
Here is is welded and now I have a bit of clearance.
2) Tach Sensor Bracket. I can't take credit for this one. My buddy made it for me and it turned out perfect, I have the ability to shim it if I need it closer or further apart from the harmonic balancer.
3) Tranny Transfer Mount Bracket / Crossmember. I'm proud of this one as it took me quite a bit for finalize. I ended up using a 2"x6"X1/4" Chanel and getting a couple angle brackets welded. I polished the outside and gave it 6 clear coats and the inside I primed and painted black.
I went with a Chevy 350 Transmission Mount and I had to hone both holes but otherwise fit pretty good.
- Thread starter
- #37
Steering Rod. Didn't use Dustins brackets....I didn't get a warm and fuzzy feeling about them. My buddy got a couple nice solid bolts that fit pretty good. Albeit it was no walk in the park to get that Rod to bend, we finally managed to get it in place.
I'm happy with it and definitely helped with clearing the oil pan better.
Steering Pump Line.
I was not a fan of Dustins supplied line, so I modified it and got a local shop to make me a new line with compression fittings.
The cummins fitting was bigger then Dustins but that was no big deal for the shop to figure out.
Worked like a charm and I feel much better and looks much cleaner.
Banjo Bolt vacuum line.
Same thing as above....two different size hoses were required to make it work.
Lastly, I need some help figuring this out.
What's the purpose of the Toyota radiator line that you see coming through the fan shroud?
It returns to the Toyota engine but none of the cummins engines need it, as far as I know.
I'm thinking of trimming it and JB weld it!
Thank you for any assistance and thank you to those of you that I have been pestering with questions.
This is quite the undertaking for me and have never done anything even close to this.
I'm happy with it and definitely helped with clearing the oil pan better.
Steering Pump Line.
I was not a fan of Dustins supplied line, so I modified it and got a local shop to make me a new line with compression fittings.
The cummins fitting was bigger then Dustins but that was no big deal for the shop to figure out.
Worked like a charm and I feel much better and looks much cleaner.
Banjo Bolt vacuum line.
Same thing as above....two different size hoses were required to make it work.
Lastly, I need some help figuring this out.
What's the purpose of the Toyota radiator line that you see coming through the fan shroud?
It returns to the Toyota engine but none of the cummins engines need it, as far as I know.
I'm thinking of trimming it and JB weld it!
Thank you for any assistance and thank you to those of you that I have been pestering with questions.
This is quite the undertaking for me and have never done anything even close to this.
maxamillion2345
Franken-80
I was thinking someone else tried to use compression fittings on their PS lines and blew em apart. IMO just get jic conversion fittings.
maxamillion2345
Franken-80
One hell of a "kit"
- Thread starter
- #40
That compression fitting is good for 2600PSI and the Power Steering is only under 1500psi of pressure.
Yes, the kit only does so much for you.
There's still a bit of custom fabrication to be completed and the instructions could be a lot better. It would have also been great to have those instructions before I had the drivetrain in, but that only makes too much sense I guess.
Meh, the kit and instructions have indeed helped here and there. Definately saved me a lot of work.
I'm still working on completion but looking ahead, if I was to do it again it would be much quicker and I would not get everything on the kit!
Soo....top radiator line.....anyone know the answer?
Yes, the kit only does so much for you.
There's still a bit of custom fabrication to be completed and the instructions could be a lot better. It would have also been great to have those instructions before I had the drivetrain in, but that only makes too much sense I guess.
Meh, the kit and instructions have indeed helped here and there. Definately saved me a lot of work.
I'm still working on completion but looking ahead, if I was to do it again it would be much quicker and I would not get everything on the kit!
Soo....top radiator line.....anyone know the answer?
