Banks Sidewinder or Cummins 6bt swap???

[Disciple]

So, I think most of us can agree that the 6.2 is, uh, disappointing in the HP department when compared to most of today's diesels (I know , I know, they're great, dependable, depends on the application, consider the era, whatever) and this project would be about a year away for me right now as I am one week away from my 4" ORD lift, 37" MT's on H1 Beadlocks, etc. BUT...

I've been looking into my options and am totally fascinated with doing a Cummins 6bt swap. Looks like they are really great motors and could (somewhat) easily be tuned to crank out some pretty serious power. I've been looking around online a bit and it appears that I could get a pretty decent running take-out with no frills and higher miles than my 6.2 for about $2,000.

As for a Banks turbo for the current motor, from what I've seen, new they're about the same price. Both options would include other costs like exhaust work, tranny adapter plates (I'll get to that little headache in a minute) running new stuff hither and yon, semi-custom motor mounts, etc. If I had an unlimited budget for this project I'd do the Cummins, new tranny (probably a built 4L80E) and crank that baby up to about 350HP, no questions asked. However, since I currently occupy the realm of reality, I'll probably be stuck with 3 gears and no O/D for quite some time.

That being said, for the most bang for the buck for around the $2,500 range, what would be everyone's pick, and why?

 

[Stonepicker1]

Get a used 6.5 turbo system . Save you some money.

 

[dstang97]

I am doing a cummins swap right now. Plan on spending a lot more than that. If you do a swap buy a doner truck. That way you get axles tranny, motor and misc bs. Plus you need to change crossmembers and motor mounts.

 

[ODdave]

And core support mods as well.

 

[acesneights1]

x2 on the 6.5 swap . I am going to be doing mine in a few weeks. I won't BS and say that a Cummins won't still kick it's ass but it is alot of work. They guy who threw the mudbog last weekend has an OBS truck with a 6bt with a 10spd Road ranger. The trucki is bad ass but alot of work.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CG0Yx3cmsc&feature=related[/media]

 

[ODdave]

x2 on the 6.5 swap . I am going to be doing mine in a few weeks. I won't BS and say that a Cummins won't still kick it's ass but it is alot of work. They guy who threw the mudbog last weekend has an OBS truck with a 6bt with a 10spd Road ranger. The trucki is bad ass but alot of work.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CG0Yx3cmsc&feature=related[/media]

Um, Yea. your not gonna get away with putting that up here with out more pics of the outside !!!!!

 

[acesneights1]

hang on...

 

[acesneights1]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnsIob-Dd5I&feature=related[/media]

 

[acesneights1]

it's built really well. This guy owns an Off Road shop and builds stuff we dream out....

 

[bearboley]

I run a 599 6.2L block out of cucvII with 6.5L heads and factory turbo set up, with a Heath Diesel wastegate eliminator and a Heath Diesel Eprom. And it will Out run A Cummins off the light.

 

[ODdave]

Ha, I have seen this truck in person, its been around a while......

 

[USAWEAPON777]

I've been thinking almost the same thing lately op. I want to do a resto on my m1008 so if its going to be all apart I'd like to spice up the engine. What I've found is no matter what a 6.2/6.5 is not gonna beat a tuned up cummins. From what I've seen the most our engines can make is around 300hp and thats with some serious mods. However, thats still a heck of a lot better than stock and a lot less work in finding a donor truck, doing new crossmembers etc. So you have to weigh how much money and work you want to put in. Cummins's are BA but there getting swapped into just about everything anymore. I think I may go with a pretty out there 6.2/6.5 build. It won't be a drag truck but definitely unique. ex. bored out to 6.5, low compression pistons, hx35 turbo and then actually run a 6.5 at 20+ lbs of boost.

 

[acesneights1]

Maybe a stock one but you can crank a cummins way past what any 6.xx will do and it will hold together.
So you are running a DS4 pump in a CUCV ?

 

[acesneights1]

Ha, I have seen this truck in person, its been around a while......

Yeah, he actually did not build that one. I don't know where it came from but it's in CT for awhile now. I believe he replaced the motor though.

 

[ODdave]

ds4 in a cucv? Why?

 

[bearboley]

Ds4 in a Civy GMC, Motor was out of CUCVII that got wrecked. Would have loved to run the Db2 pump but needed to babble with the 4L80E in the truck.I can tell you that it won't handle too much boost I could get 24lbs out of it, but with a gooseneck and 5 tons of lumber, big hill,lots of boost= meltdown never made it to the top lol. Now I run right at 8lbs and it so much nicer. Next time the Cummings swap might be for me

 

[acesneights1]

Beats me, most try to get rid of them. They do put out more fuel than a DB2 but not worth the hassle.

 

[acesneights1]

Ah, gotcha. You can use a DB2 with a standalone controller but it's bucks...and a PIA.

 

[USAWEAPON777]

Right, 20+ lbs of boost on stock compression = boom. I also assume you were running the stock turbo? Therefore it was becoming highly inefficient at those boost levels. Back to the OP if you really wanted I believe you could run one of the db2 pumps for marine applications to get a pump that could power needs without dealing with that electronic nightmare.

 

[bearboley]

I could have ran the DB2 I have a 1993 4L80 the only year the where non electric and the pump, but didn't want the check engine light on in the truck.