I'm more than half tempted to buy a high mileage F150 and have a 4BT and manual transmission dropped in. A friend of mine is a mechanic and has done a couple like that...and a couple Ram "shorties" (6BT in a half ton short bed...FUN!).
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I've seen a 6BT Cummins in an early 90's Silverado.I'm more than half tempted to buy a high mileage F150 and have a 4BT and manual transmission dropped in. A friend of mine is a mechanic and has done a couple like that...and a couple Ram "shorties" (6BT in a half ton short bed...FUN!).
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Agreed,,,, you'd be hard pressed to ever axle the weight correctly to go down the road legally and if you did the trailer and load would whip you like a red headed step chilldYou wouldn't catch me at almost 40k in a pickup, ever. That's got stupid written all over it.
30K+ on hydraulic/electric brakes (even if the trailer is elec over hyd, still hairy.....) No F'n thank you very much. For what it would likely cost to maintain a 1 ton running that kind of weight I'd think a medium duty or bigger would be cheaper to run.Agreed,,,, you'd be hard pressed to ever axle the weight correctly to go down the road legally and if you did the trailer and load would whip you like a red headed step chilld
What I'd drool over would be a six cylinder, in-line, long stroke (small bore, long crankshaft throw- for lots of torque) 4 liter (240 CI) turbo diesel. Inline sixes, though largely forgotten these days (except for the Cummins/ Dodge and lots of big highway trucks) are inherently balanced, smoother than any other engine design, and with a long stroke, very torquey- and the inline layout makes it possible to have a turbo without an unmanageable mess of intake and exhaust piping to and fro over top of, behind, and around a V-bank engine. I'd like sort of a little brother to the Cummins TD. And I'd have nothing against electronics as long as it's kept as simple as feasible (which can be done, it's just that the manufacturers don't seem to want to bother).
I think a big reason why there are so many complicated electronics is because of the emission standards.
I can think of exactly ONE inline six engine that approaches the work capacity of my big block V8. And it needs diesel fuel and a turbocharger to do it.Agreed on all counts. The problem is the American consumer - for the average hillrod "V8" sounds a lot better than "straight 6" despite the latter's proven track record as a superior work engine in both gas and diesel engines.
I can think of exactly ONE inline six engine that approaches the work capacity of my big block V8. And it needs diesel fuel and a turbocharger to do it.
Sure a small block or even a straight six (love me an inline btw) can make similar power but lifespan is limited and the big block will just keep pulling. Latest inline six (gas that is)in trucks that I'm aware of is the GM 4.2l. Never made it into a pickup unfortunately but was a sweet runner for the Envoy/Trailblazer crowd. I drive the 5 cyl version daily in my Canyon.
Agreed on the reliability but its matched by the big-block Chevy and the BB will haul circles around any of those engines. I've seen a slant six powering a stationary generator for a small estate. Ran on propane, thought that was pretty neat.Hmmmm. . . . IMO, the best gasoline powered work engine is the Ford 300-6. It makes decent (but not great) power and it is as durable and reliable as an anvil. The old Ford 218 was the same way. The Dodge slant 6, same story.
I can think of exactly ONE inline six engine that approaches the work capacity of my big block V8. And it needs diesel fuel and a turbocharger to do it.
Guy at a filling station told me he was gettin high 20swith his old in line 6cy cummins (dont remember the year. I heard that in a few places.If the Dodge can get 26 mpg or above on the highway I am go to get one.
Guy at a filling station told me he was gettin high 20swith his old in line 6cy cummins (dont remember the year. I heard that in a few places.
Id be interested in ANY pickup of ANY size that could approach 30MPG I think there was an izuzu or toyota some foreign diesel that did in the 80s
I just missed a deal on one of those 80s toyota diesels. Not sure if i was lucky or unlucky to have missed the deal.The VW Rabbit Pickup with a 1.6 liter diesel engine got 45 MPG. More realistically it was the upper 30s. Toyota had a diesel till the mid 80s that got in the 30s as a 4x4 but was not a good seller. Other than that I can't remember. That Rabbit was a dog and had rust problems from what I remember.
The VW Rabbit Pickup with a 1.6 liter diesel engine got 45 MPG. More realistically it was the upper 30s. Toyota had a diesel till the mid 80s that got in the 30s as a 4x4 but was not a good seller. Other than that I can't remember. That Rabbit was a dog and had rust problems from what I remember.
I just missed a deal on one of those 80s toyota diesels. Not sure if i was lucky or unlucky to have missed the deal.
If the inline 6 wasn't a highly durable design it wouldn't be so prevalent- and it is prevalent- in the big over the road semis. A V-8 has no durability advantage. You're making comparisons between small displacement I-6s and big displacement V8s, which is apples to oranges. Remember, also, that when each of the domestic Big 3 offered I-6s, they were always built and set up as the entry level cheapskate engine- i.e with an unsophisticated 1 barrel carb and manifolds that were cheap and rugged but anything but free-flowing. It's amazing how much they "woke up" if you changed some of that. A friend had a 64 Plymouth Valiant, back when that qualified as a beater not as a classic. We took that 225 Slant Six, put on a Clifford aluminum intake, Clifford headers (3+3 into glasspacks), a small Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, and moved both the static timing and the advance curve as aggressive as we could make it go without pinging on premium gas and WHOA did that thing haul, even at 225ci. This was early 1980s, and running worn snow tires in the back for traction (it was all about making it a cheap and ugly 'sleeper'), it'd leave factory V8 small block Camaros wheezing behind it off the line and up to about 40 mph.I can think of exactly ONE inline six engine that approaches the work capacity of my big block V8. And it needs diesel fuel and a turbocharger to do it.
Sure a small block or even a straight six (love me an inline btw) can make similar power but lifespan is limited and the big block will just keep pulling. Latest inline six (gas that is)in trucks that I'm aware of is the GM 4.2l. Never made it into a pickup unfortunately but was a sweet runner for the Envoy/Trailblazer crowd. I drive the 5 cyl version daily in my Canyon.
I drive the 5 cyl version daily in my Canyon.
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