New project

Hey guys,
I was just asked to help with the scouting program, and I need a bigger vehicle to haul boys into the deep mountain area of utah, while getting good enough mileage not to kill the wallet....... I found my parents old suburban(mom blew up the engine,and they sold it 10 years ago) sitting behind a guys house, with still no rust on the body, and no cracks in the frame....... It has a worn out 6.2 in it, that is just about to go.... start it up and she is just barely there..... Gonna pick her up next week sometime, for $100........ I have access to a 1995 cummins diesel engine and 5 speed manual trans, and I also have access to a 6.5 turbo diesel out of a 1992 pickup....... The cummins has 87,000 miles on it, and the 6.5 has 106,875 miles on it...... Both motors are pull outs from roll over trucks from a oil field company here locally..... they are asking 400 dollars more for the cummins

oh, plans for it include, dana 60 front, 14 bolt rear, selectable locker front and rear, 35-38 inch tires. custom home made 3/16 plate front and rear bumpers, 9000 lb winch front and rear,
HAM radio

i would go with the cummins, the 6.5's are alright but if you plan on larger tires and bigger lift, i would go with the more powerful 6bt. the 6.5 diesel is underpowered, maybe if you added tiwn turbos to it and a programmer it would be ok, but a stock 6.5 cant compare to a cummins, imo, cummins is the best diesel made right now

CUMMINS!!!

It depends on your budget. The 6.5L would be a lot easier to install in a former 6.2L truck and is a reliable motor. The Cummins is also reliable but would be a lot more difficult to install. Either one can be made to make a lot of power.

i think somebody makes a wiring harness for you truck too, there are quite a few out there where the swap would be easy

If i was building it i would go with the cummins.............

well, Im looking at the cummins..... its the old 12 valve, and comes with a 5 speed manual tranny, as well as the transfer case.(Its drop is the wrong side)............ So, I can find a NP205 T case, and throw it in behind, and it'll handle all the torque I want......... Im also thinking about a twin stick setup, so I can run the front axle, and disengage the rear axle.......

Yeah I'm not a diesel guy by any standard so I'll leave motor selection up to those who do know however if the Tcase you have is a driverside drop then get a ford D60 swap the spindles to chevy spindles and your good to go! But if you can find a 205 the go that route but I'd suggest putting a 203 range box in front of the 205 for a better ratio then run to twin stick like you said so you can do front digs if you have to... With the 205 input fit the output of your diesel tranny? If not the build a cradle and run a divorsed Tcase or maybe even run dual case you'd then have 3 stick to worry about but you could put both cases in low range run the front driveline off the 205 and then you could really crawl and with the burbans long wheel base you'd have the room to do that!

Also if your gonna use the 14 bolt on a mud truck or on any truck at all I'd recommend a drum to disk brake conversion kit because 1 it's easy to do 2 it's cheap to do and 3 it's cheaper to maintain then the pricey drum brake kits for the 14 bolt. And did I mention there easy to swap! lol I could do it with my eyes closed!

Thanks for that input fasel....... I didnt even think about a 203/205 doubler setup...... I have a 203, and I have a 205...... They both need pulled apart and gone through....... yeah, a 3 stick wouldnt be the end of the world.. I would have better choice of gearing to use...... I have access to a 2005 HD 14 bolt axle.... that has disc brakes..... I may just have to swap them

Back to the Engines...... The 6.5 was leaking oil from the back of the motor somewhere.... They werent sure exactly where........ Was this common?

batty1214 wrote:

Back to the Engines...... The 6.5 was leaking oil from the back of the motor somewhere.... They werent sure exactly where........ Was this common?

Rear main. Yes it is common.

the mechanic said he thought it was up higher than the rear main, but he wasnt sure.

The 6.5L & 6.2L are known for leaking rear mains.... but then again so is the 12 valve Cummins....

Depending on how high the leak is it may be the crankcase valve. They are also know for leaking oil.

now, just waiting on money....... the 6.5 was in pretty rough shape.... pulled the oil pans off both, and there was a fair amount of wear metal laying in the 6.5 oil pan...... the cummins had a little bit, but not worrysome amounts..... the turbo had some sort of issue, and was froze up, but, i sprayed some marvel mystery oil in it, and worked it back and forth, and it spins by hand..... itll need a new set of bearings, but i am thinking an ats turbo would make a good replacement, and get me some extra ponies..... but then a twin setup might be cool too...... you know, enough torque to keep the 14 yr olds heads firmly planted to the headrests....