OK Guys I need to make a Decision... Built Turbo 6.2 or 4Bt swap on M1009

[special-ops-s2k]

Ok heres the deal, I bought a M1009 that is in excellent shape and has a spun main bearing in the good ol' 6.2... I have been considering my options and saving up some cash and have decided its time to bring her back to life. I pulled the 6.2 but instead of just fixing the problem with that motor and throwing it back in I decided I would go with a completely rebuilt 6.2L from Diesel Depot... it has 6.5L heads, a completely remanufactured 6.5L turbo setup, bottom end girdle, arp head studs, timing gears, ceramic coated pistons, balanced and blueprinted rotating assembly, and some other goodies like 6.5 Turbo injectors... at any rate it will be built like described above and come back to me ready to drop in and turn the key, it will be a reliable and long lasting motor with a bit more juice than the stock NA 6.2 had... The other option is to score a rebuilt 4bt Cummins and buy an adapter plate to allow it to bolt up to my m1009 stock trans, buy a bolt in crossmember adapter to mount the cummins to, and do whatever else it takes to install a 4Bt into a M1009... What I'm wondering is I haven't done a custom swap before and want to finish this project up without huge delays... I would obviously prefer the 4Bt and with all considered its roughly the same money either route I take. I know the 4Bt will have way more future potential and the 6.2 will be about as tricked as it will ever be safely...

SOOOOOO.... how hard is it to install the 4Bt? I have the motor out already and am going to go one way or the other in the next couple weeks... I just need to decide what to order. For those that have done this... what else will I NEED to do to get this running? I know a trans swap to something with OD would be ideal but I would proably have to do that later if I go the Cummins route... what snags will I run into, what difficulties are there getting everything running smoothly on a swap like this? Basicly am I going to end up putting lots of weekends into putting the 4Bt in when I know I can put a 6.2 back in less that a full day? Or is it pretty straight forward and although it may take a couple saturdays, still not too much of a daunting task?

Any and all opinions and advice is appreciated. If you've done this swap I'd REALLY appreciate any help or input!

Thanks in advance!

J

 

[12vctd]

depends what your looking for. A 4bt will go in very easily, and theres a ton of info on this. If you score one with the right brackets and bellhousing mount your in great shape. A 4bt can reliably put out 350hp to the rear wheels and get decent mileage. A 6.2 can run very well and gets great mileage. How much is the 6.2 going to cost you? I will pm you a CL add with a 4bt close to your area, I wanted to buy it myself as you normally do not find them at that price. I personally think if you can get the 6.2 at a good price why not run it unless your seeking alot more power than a turboed 6.2 can net you. I wished I could give you more advice on the 4bt swap but Ive only put them in oher vehicles I have done 6bt swaps into many chevys. www.4btswaps.com has a ton of info on this.

 

[special-ops-s2k]

well I'm really just looking to get the m1009 up and running again... I like the idea of the cummins mostly because the trucking company I work for (owned by myself and my father) runs all cummins motors in our trucks... I know they are reliable and I have seen threads on the 4Bt and know its easily capable of alot of power. And of course I'm attracted to the idea of being able to crank up the power and do future mods to my new toy... I would run it stock HP for now just to get all the bugs out once its installed and because I would proably drive this truck through the winter but would love the idea of potential for improvement. The Diesel Depot rebuild is not cheap, with all the mods mentioned and counting buying the 6.5 turbo kit and a rebuilt turbo to mount on it I'll be in this project in the mid $4k range. Thats about what I have to spend right now total for mods to my truck $4-5k and I want to get it running in the next few weeks not months... thats why I wanted everyones input. If ease of install was identical I would go 4Bt without a doubt, but I just haven't done a swap like this before and don't want to run into a snag that holds up getting the truck back up and running. Thanks for your help and the CL ad... that is a VERY tempting price, if I go 4Bt and pick up THAT particular motor it looks like it will actually be the CHEAPER route unless there is alot of other items I would need that aren't included with that motor.

This is exactly what I was hoping for... keep the posts coming!

I have spent the past couple evenings on 4btswaps.com and doing searches on google and this site looking for K5 or M1009 cummins swap threads, I've seen alot but some are more extreme than I would be doing and made it look more complicated than I hope it really is... Any M1009 owners out there with a 4Bt under the hood?

 

[12vctd]

The swap IMO is not complicated, the 4bt will run as will the 6.2 sitting on the shop floor. If you found a 4bt that was connected to a th400 already your way ahead of the game. I personally would be more worried about your stock axles and the added TQ than anything but have seen people make them live. 4BT is a great motor, and maybe you should just try to source a good running 6.2 for now get you truck running and pick up a 4bt for the long run build it as you want and swap it in after you have gained all the info you desire. I am trying to find the email addy of a friend of mine who has done a 4bt in a m1009, I made his motor mounts and helped him wire it, and I turned it up for him but thats as far on that swap i went into it. But a 4bt fit very well in there. Best of luck to you.

 

[12vctd]

Second gen chevy to cummins power, how-to post - CK5 Forums
This might help some as well

 

[special-ops-s2k]

I am concerned about those items as well but plan to baby it and upgrade the weak links later. I think the 4Bt is the best route, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't biting off more than I can chew... If it takes a few weekends thats fine I just didn't want a winter long project that was one hurdle after another... I have heard there is a bolt in crossmember and mount made that you can buy to adapt and mount the 4Bt into the K5 bay so I would proably just get one of those to make things even easier. The CL 4Bt was already mounted to a GM trans so I assume that means it should bolt right up with a TH400... I would REALLY like to get the 700r4 with OD behind that 4Bt but don't want to complicate things any more than I have too... Thanks for the tips and if you locate that email shoot it my way and I will hit him up and see what knowledge he can throw my way.

 

[12vctd]

M1009 CUCV Build? [Archive] - Cummins 4BT & Diesel Conversions Forums
this is another one i had saved in my favorites from a long time ago

 

[12vctd]

Page 11

Avalanche Engineering - (970)884-7716 - Extreme 4-wheeling parts and accessories to complete turn key vehicless

theres others for the bolt in crossmembers. I always made my own. And yes that motor i PM'ed you about has the chevy bolt pattern plate already.

A far as a 700r4, you could make one live behind a 4bt if built correctly, But what I worry about is the TQ conv lasting even the 6 bung diesel conv I belive would ballon under turned up 4bt tq numbers. But again its all depending on how hot you make the 4bt. Also might spend more money building a 700r4 that a GV or similar overdrive range box might be a better and cheaper idea, or a NV4500. Oh the ideas that run thru my head, 4bt with P pump turned up right, nv4500 np 205 and 60 front and 14bff rear. Make sure you take pictures.

 

[67_C-30]

One thing to keep in mind about a 4BT is that they are a horribly vibrating engine. They are good engine no doubt, but they vibrate terribly. I bought one to swap into my '67 C-30, but after driving a CJ-7 Jeep and a '78 Chevy truck with one, I changed my mind and went a turbo'd 6.2L. The power of 4BT was decent, but nothing really special. I couldn't get over the constant drone they have, especially at idle and low speeds, and ended up selling it. They are nothing like a 6BT in terms of smoothness.

 

[WARWAG]

The prices of 4bts has gone through the roof! Cheaper to build a nice 6.2 with a Banks Side winder kit. Also allot less work as well!

 

[special-ops-s2k]

Well.... I got a steal of a deal on a 4BT and NV4500 trans so that kind of made my decision for me. Now I gotta get as much info as I can on doing the nv4500 swap into the m1009 and someone in a post above mentioned a NP 205 transfer case?? I suppose I need to find one of those as well? Where would be a good place to look? What did they come in originally?

 

[dstang97]

nv4500 dodge or chevy?

 

[special-ops-s2k]

I found a 1994 Diesel GMC 2500 4x4 pickup complete minus the engine... so it has the NV4500 and whatever t-case that came with that model pickup?? I'm not sure. But to answer your question its the chevy NV4500... I am thinking of picking this up... my other option is keep the TH400 and use a gear vendors under/over drive to give me OD capability.. this would be easier but I'm not sure if the TH400 is sturdy enough to handle the 4BT... in the long run I think the NV4500 is a better choice