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Originally Posted by nateshrek
Hey guys. Still trying to do some research on how and what to do for this swap... I've looked at a lot of the post about this. And is it possible to box the frame, just pull off the front clip and "slip" the cummins in? Of course it being that easy, lol. I know I'll need to beef everything up, but it's going to be hard for me to do a full cab off conversion, over a long period of time. What's the thoughts on that? Or is it wishful thinking?
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Before making any concrete decisions you first have to decide on how much power/torque you are going to run. A stock '96 12v (I use this as it is the most powerful) is ~160-180HP and ~ 400 lbs. Now if this is all you plan to run then you should only need to beef up the suspension a little. Basically I'd run 1 ton running gear.
But what fun is that
The 12V is capable of so much more. Personally my goals are in the 300-350 HP range and 800 lbs. At that level you will have to box part of the frame, you want it stronger but not too rigid. Also I think beefing up the rear end a bit.
However, I dont think there is going to be any way in hell you are going to find a way to just drop a 12v in. It simply will not fit in the engine compartment. No matter what you will have to do firewall clearancing. Either that or stretch the frame and fenders forward. Take a look at my post with the pics of the engine compartment from my earlier post. Leaving only enough room for the radiator and inter-cooler in the stock locations, two cylinders will enter the cab, no way around that.
If you really are set on wanting to simply drop in an engine, then a BT4 will be the way to go. You can get some really impressive numbers that way and not have all the fabrication. But if you really want the 12V, it will take work. Now for me, it's worth it, but for you......depends on how much work and fab you are willing to do.