BT band wagon

[montaillou]

Looks like I'll be doing an engine swap in the next few months. I'd toyed with it, but figured, realistically, it was at least 2-3 years in the future if ever. However a friend ran into a guy looking for a LDT-465 engine (I have 2) who happens to own three 6 BT's and he's got a full shop.

So, we're gonna do a trade: my 2 engines (one of which runs great, the other is unknown) the engine out of my friend's 5 ton (he already has an engine waiting to swap in) in return for an industrial 6 BT and use of this guy's shop for both truck swaps.

Just to clarify, technically it's not a BT, but a B with 230 HP & 605 torque

Funny how things work out.

 

[Dieselfitter]

You need to cry louder much louder , no one seems to be helping you with your “sickness”. Lol

i would like a lil more power myself but this motor just plain runs to good ,and im not that much of a motorhead to pull it off . I would have to hire it done !
im not really lookin for more speed ,id like more pulling torque on hills with a load , instead of 25-30 miles an hr with my foot into it enough to cover every car behind me wih a coat of black smog ! All the while knowing a shift to 4 th will kill any climbing the hill. I hate the jump in gear from 3rd to 4th .
if i ever do a cummings swap id use the 6 speed with it . my dodge’s gears are well placed in equal steps up.

 

[montaillou]

I've crossed mountain ranges 4 times with this truck, I know what it's like to hug the right lane, uphill in 3rd gear. And truth be told, I don't mind. You don't buy a Deuce expecting it to be something it's not. I really like the adaptation of the multifuel. No longer will I be able to carry spare cans of fuel that contain both gasoline and diesel so that if they get stolen I get the last laugh

 

[Jeepsinker]

It is a 6BT. The "T" stands for turbocharged. Being an industrial motor the governor will be set up to load sense and adjust fuel rate differently. You'll find that when you start up any hill it will actually apply more fuel than needed and you'll accelerate. Other than that it won't give you any issues.

 

[montaillou]

So, my truck went into the shop a few weeks ago, then my mechanic had 7 gallstones and had surgery (what a pussy ). In my day they did the surgery up hill, both ways.

Anyways, work has restarted, but at a pretty slow pace. Meh, driving in the winter sucks around here anyways.

Using Jeepsinker's vids as guidelines with some departures. One thing we did was swap out the manifold, per advice from one of his videos. A new turbo has been added to connect to an intercooler. Some other work is being done on the engine to prep - we're waiting for the compressor to show up. Took care of the KDP, lot easier to do before you mount the engine.

I had 24v and 12v alternators on my old engine, not sure if we have room to mount both, if not I'll be switching to 12v and use a step-up for the headlights, and mount an external pump for the in-tank pump. I'm already replacing all the dash gauges and most other things I've added/will add are already 12v. My other light bulbs (turn signal, etc), I swapped to LED some time ago and they work with 12v or 24v.

Didn't get much use out of my air kill switch (in case the engine ever became a runaway), but we're gonna remount it as an anti-theft device. It's manual reset, and most people just won't figure out that's the problem, and the reset is kinda hard to find if you don't know where it is.

The mechanic decided to lift my dual fuel filter set up from my old engine. I figure extra fuel filtering can only be a good thing, so you might notice that in the pics.

Some other mods are going on, some sort of air handler to help with starting in the winter, I believe. The inlet is middle top of the engine on the side with the new (old) dual fuel filters.

Besides my mechanic friend, the guy who owns the shop is assisting/coming up with ideas as well. He'll probably be the one to fab up the motor mounts. The guy is a tractor collector...I'm telling him he needs a military truck.

 

[dmetalmiki]

Big job..It will be very interesting to hear the end results.

 

[montaillou]

Kinda feels like I've crossed the Rubicon now that the engine's been pulled.

 

[Mullaney]

Kinda feels like I've crossed the Rubicon now that the engine's been pulled.

.
Yeah. Once the motor is out, you either need to become Fred Flintstone or it's time for some new hardware up in the engine bay.

 

[Jeepsinker]

You should have plenty of room for two alternators on the passenger side if you don't plan to run an air conditioning compressor ever.

 

[montaillou]

don't plan to run an air conditioning compressor ever.

There's an a/c compressor mounted on the driver's side of the engine. It's looking like we'll get both alternators hooked back up. At least that's the impression I've gotten. I keep trying to get over there when they're working on it, but my stupid day job keeps getting in the way. I've been dropping parts off at night.

The machinist was able to modify some of the existing motor mounts, I'll try and get some pics.

While the transmission is out, I thought this would be a good time to get to that spot under the cab and put something in to try and control heat. Hushmat has a product that's rated to 550F and is supposed to block 40% of the heat. Worth a try. This stuff is similar to the Dynamat I've been using except it's twice as thick and Dynamat is rated to something like 400F

Also thought it would be a good time to clean & repaint the engine - army green.

 

[montaillou]

Engine was cleaned today (oven cleaner), also placed the engine back into the truck. I've been told it won't come out again. Still a lot of work to do before stuff comes back together though. Found some damage from a (probably) KDP incident and need to replace a gear. Some of the pics are of the modified engine mounts.

That alternator will likely be rotated up, and the other one placed beneath it.

Getting the engine back in there took almost 2 hrs. Move up, adjust this, push that, pry this, shove that, jack this, wtf is it caught on!, block the wheels, why won't the forklift start??!? &#(&@*, rinse, repeat.

 

[montaillou]

Started paint.

 

[rustystud]

Started paint.

Looking good !

 

[montaillou]

Looking good !

At least it's a proper colour now!

 

[montaillou]

Moving along, slowly. Some parts take a while to find when you don't have the part #... In one of the pics, you'll see someone ground off one of the part numbers, I have no idea why. This gear needed replacing because the teeth were chipped in the back - the mechanic surmised it may have been a prior victim of the KDP.

Painting is done, new wiring going on. In some cases wires are going to things I didn't have when I had the Deuce engine, or going to things I didn't, then, have the gauges for or in some many cases all new wiring is going in because the old wiring was a train wreck. I'm a big fan of spending a little money for preventative maintenance. I also like putting bigger gauge wires for less resistance.

Also the 2 alternators are on - we weren't sure there was gonna be room, and unlike the Deuce engine I also have room for a compressor for an A/C unit for the cab. Some belts are on, another is on order.

Gonna get the fenders on soon and the new radiator and intercooler, etc. installed soon. Discovered my driver's side fender is being held together by spit and luck. A NOS one is stupidly expensive ($400 + $1050 shipping!). The mechanic likes things to be pretty, but if I can save a grand I'm happy with a little Frankenstein treatment.

Oh, mechanic fired it up for the first time besides just turning it over, it ran for about a minute before he shut it down. I think road tests might be withing a couple weeks. Which of course now that I write this...

It's still a bit from being fully done because the cab is being overhauled and so much of that ties into the engine. If you are new to my project, I stared this journey in 2019. The first thing I did was to rebuild the cab - the roof was raised 6" and heavier grade of metal was used with supports so that 1,000 lbs of whatever could be carried on the roof. Next I did a lot of improvements around the truck itself including the engine because I never expected to do an engine swap. I'm hoping the last phase, the tiny home, will get underway by years end when work begins on the sub floor.

 

[montaillou]

Fenders are back on. Dry fitting the radiator, intercooler, & condenser. Moved the dipstick a little further forward. What seemed like a lot of extra room with this engine is quickly filling up and getting a little difficult to work with. The fan is a little low, moves plenty of air, gonna leave that issue for now and see if it matters.

Couldn't figure out a way to re-install my air cut off. Not a big deal, but since I owned it already, it would've been nice to have if only for anti-theft reasons.

Trying to give the work space back by the end of the week. It won't be done but hopefully buttoned up enough by then.

 

[montaillou]

So...mostly done. Had some setbacks, because my swap included some other work and the mechanic has some health problems we just weren't moving fast enough for the shop owner who, decided to kick us out. Unfortunately, we really couldn't move the truck until the radiator was hooked up and my area entered Spring (aka, the monsoon season). So, now that work is done and the truck's been moved back to the mechanic's place.

I'm hoping to get my truck back in about a month with the engine all done (maybe?...one of the alternators stopped working and needs to be pulled) and most of the cab overhaul finished. Just in time for a couple car shows then back in the shop for a few items on the punch list and maybe, maybe start the camper build by the end of the year.

Yes, it needs an overflow tank.

I haven't driven it yet, waiting for the majority of the kinks to be worked out, but the mechanic who had driven it a few times before the swap says the power upgrade is very noticeable. Also, because this engine is 500+ lbs lighter, the front end moves a little easier.

 

[rustystud]

That is one sweet engine swap ! I see your engine has a A/C compressor on it. Going to have A/C in the cab now ? That will be nice when your travelling down south.

 

[cattlerepairman]

I like the no-nonsense radiator...and the green colour. That engine will not be overstressed....not be STRESSED....with that power output and should run reliably for an eternity. Eventually, LDT/LDS parts will become difficult to find/price prohibitive, so I thionk you are ahead of the curve here.

 

[rustystud]

I like the no-nonsense radiator...and the green colour. That engine will not be overstressed....not be STRESSED....with that power output and should run reliably for an eternity. Eventually, LDT/LDS parts will become difficult to find/price prohibitive, so I think you are ahead of the curve here.

Yes. That has me concerned too. I have looked at a DuraMax swap, but they want $5000.00 for a "high mileage" engine around here. I'm trying to find a good MultiFuel I can rebuild, but they are becoming more scarce then Hens teeth !