New guy here looking to do a Cummins swap

[mhoward3]

Hey guys. I'm new here and new to diesels. To be honest, I'm pretty ameture to restorations in general.

I bought a 79 GMC a while ago just as a learning project. I've always wanted to restore one of these old trucks.

I would love to swap for a Cummins but I have some noob questions.

My budget for the swap is 10k. I would like to keep costs as low as possible. Because as I said...its no show truck. Is this achievable with my budget?

For a beginner is a 12 valve swap easier, cheaper? I'm not sure on the difference here.

Do guys swap these on 1/2 tons? Will my frame need to be beefed up? I saw a thread on here where the guy boxed his frame with steel. Is this necessary?

When looking for a used motor, what are some key points I should be looking for? Does the year matter?

I've done a lot of searching but still have questions.

Thank you!