Little Cummins 4-Cylinder Replaces Chevy V-8

Little Cummins 4-Cylinder Replaces Chevy V-8 REPOWERED EQUIPMENT Repowered Equipment 33-4-19 Bruce Basinger was tired of poor gas economy and the overall temperamental nature of the 350 V-8 engine in his 1984 Chevy pickup. But he liked the truck's body style and wanted to keep it. After hearing that a local company had converted a delivery truck from a 350 gas engine to a 4-cyl. turbo Cummins diesel, he decided to follow suit. "I picked up a retired Frito-Lay truck with the Cummins engine and kept the engine, radiator, electric fan, air intake system, torque converter and exhaust system. I sold the rest of the truck for scrap," says Basinger. The little Cummins diesel weighed only 80 lbs. more than the 350 V-8, so no changes to suspension were needed. The engine mounts needed to be modified some, but the engine itself needed virtually no modifications. The new engine fit neatly under the hood. Even the bell housings on the two engines were the same. "The big difference was the Cummins had a 4-bolt pattern from the torque converter to the flywheel while the Chevy had a 3-bolt pattern," says Basinger. "However, the input shafts were the same size, so I banked on the idea that I could use the Cummins torque converter on the Chevy transmission. The cases were a different size, but it just barely fit. Plus it gives the transmission more oil capacity, which is good." He says modifying the engine mounts was the most time consuming part of the entire job. He used rubber mounts from the delivery van, but had to place, remove and replace the motor several times to get positioning correct. Using the original mounts for the engine was important. "I needed the engine to sit at an angle so the turbo would be low enough for the pipes to clear the firewall," says Basinger. Basinger had to add an electric vacuum pump for the brakes, the heating and the defroster. The radiator from the delivery van was the same length and height as the original Chevy radiator, but is thicker for greater cooling power. "Natural air flow usually provides plenty of cooling power for the engine," he says. "I hardly have to use the electric fan." Basinger increased horsepower on the engine by about 10 percent from its standard 110 hp. He says the additional power really made a difference, yet mileage remained great. Best of all, he adds, are the conversations that have occurred as people notice the sound of the Cummins in the Chevy truck. "Getting to know and talk with people about the project has been priceless," says Basinger. The conversion itself ended up costing him only about $1,500 out of pocket. "I've put about 12,000 miles on since the conversion, and I've had no problems at all," he adds. "I doubled my fuel economy, and the truck performs better than it did with the original Chevy 350." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bruce Basinger, 629 Arkansas 115, Cave City, Ark. 72521 (ph 870 283-3244; pioneerlane@hill billywireless.com).

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