3126 cat to 8.3 cummins swap,2000 f650

[RDupree]

hi guys,i'm new here but here is my latest swap. i have a 2000 f650 crewcab with a 3126 cat and a 4 speed allison in it. it was a bank repo and its not the ideal engine transmission combo for me. its a 230 hp and it cost more money than i want to spend to turn it up,and i'm not what you would call a lover of electronic engines. so i have this 8. 3 cummins with a 10 speed roadranger in it just sitting here,its an 89 engine,all mechanical! i like that! so i called ford and got a clutch pedal and a few other things and tomorrow we start the conversion. the 8. 3 has an exhaust brake and we plan on using the cat intercooler and radiator. the cat had no air compressor but the cummins does and we need air for the airshifter on the transmission,so we need to add air tanks too,thats ok,now we can airride and airseat it! theres nothing wrong with the cat/allison so if somebody wants to repower something it is for sale!

 

[michigandon]

Sounds like a *****in' project to me! Good luck.



Don

 

[RDupree]

we didnt get much done today,but the cat will be out of the bag tomorrow!we worked on the cummins an roadranger today,doing odds and ends,tomorrow we gotta build the air condition compressor brackets and get a belt for it,got the hood and the bumper off the truck today also,only had an hour or so to work on it!

 

[RDupree]

cats out of the bag!

got the cat out today,and steam cleaned eveything in sight!the cummins should go it tomorrow if all goes well! got the clutch pedal and gas pedal in too!

 

[RDupree]

day 3

not much progress today,had to work at my job. i did get the ac brackets built and ordered a belt for it. maybe we can get it stuck in tomorrow. ohhh,thinking about putting a fuel preperator on it. anybody know anything about them?

 

[RDupree]

day 4

got the serpintine belt on today,built the rear flywheel housing mounts,started on the clutch slave cyl mount. for sure gonna drop it in tomorrow,i would have today but my job got in the way (again)

 

[RDupree]

its in!

we got the engine and transmission in! radiator and all that stuff too. tomorrow i gotta get the hoses and a few other things installed. it looks like it came in there! i'm going to put a stack on it too. got most of the exhaust done today too. thinking about putting an intake stack on the other side,and running an air filter under the cab somewhere. this way i get the air filter and all that stuff out from under the hood. i also have a pacbrake to put on it. it will be mounted down below the cab too,just no room right in back of the turbo. this transmission is a 10 speed and i already had a 3 speed brownie behind the allison . i left the brownie installed so now i have 30 speeds. 2 gear shifts in the cab!

 

[RDupree]

getting it done!

got all the radiator hoses sorted out and in place,waiting on the gauges,they should have been here friday. still gotta put the brownie back in,i pulled it out because it needed to be moved back a foot or so. the roadranger is longer than the allison. all the power steering hoses are now on too. the a. c. is all hooked up and vacuumed out. don't lack much!

 

[nickleinonen]

you do need to get us some pictures of this beast after everything is done

 

[C Schomer]

How did the cooling fan position work out? I've heard that's a problem going from a 3126 to an 8. 3. What brownie do you have? Is it under-direct-over? I didn't think there ever was a 3 sp brownie built for that much power! Craig

 

[RDupree]

pics and fan location

i'll try to get pics on here tonite,as to the fan location on the cummins 8. 3 its adjustable! theres 6 or 8 bolt holes that are 2 wide and 4 high. the fan casting bolts into 4 of these holes,by unbolting and moving the mount up or down and even by rotating the mount 180 degrees you can adjust the height maybe 8'' or so. so i was able to get the fan in the same place as the 3126. it fits right in the shroud. the cummins uses an air clutch fan also. this is a good swap. the cummins has an air to water aftercooler,but the cat had a air-to-air aftercooler. i left the cat aftercooler in place so i can use it. i may just run the cummins as is for a while,but plans are to take the water to air off the cummins. i need my truck!

 

[RDupree]

brownie

i forgot about the brownie! brownies come in all sizes,little ones for pickups, and all the way up to semis. the one i'm using is a underdrive,direct,overdrive. something like . 78 overdrive. i have several more brownies too. one is a new one! but its a big one,it may be what goes in my truck later! the other one is a small one,great for pickups!its for sale too!

 

[JUeckert]

what does the brownie fit,how much money buys it?

 

[RDupree]

brownie

a brownie transmission is a stand along aux. transmission. it mounts between your transmission and rearend. driveshaft work is required. i put one in a f-350 ford powerstroke i had a few years ago. on the two peice driveshaft i left the center support bearing out and used the brownie in that location,it acted as the support bearing,then we had to shorten the front driveshaft to fit. $500 will buy this small brownie.

 

[SOLER]

How much power will the small Brownie handle? I have a 2004 that will eventually push about 350 hp/850lbs. Also, can these Brownies be set up with an air shifter?



I'm looking for an aux unit. What's the ratio of the overdrive gear?



Thanks



SOLER

 

[JUeckert]

a brownie transmission is a stand along aux. transmission. it mounts between your transmission and rearend. driveshaft work is required. i put one in a f-350 ford powerstroke i had a few years ago. on the two peice driveshaft i left the center support bearing out and used the brownie in that location,it acted as the support bearing,then we had to shorten the front driveshaft to fit. $500 will buy this small brownie.

rd, the price sounds good to me, e mail me at -- email address removed -- and lets talk some more about what trannys it will work behind and how it operates and about shipping cost,leave a address and i will get back to you. .

 

[RDupree]

gauges in.

i've been busy with work,my helper called in drunk yesterday! so progress has been slow! i did get the gauges in and built a panel to mount them,its a simple deal that mounts to the floor at the bottom of the dash. speedo,tach,pyro. oil pressure,oil temp,air press. ,water temp,boost, i went with speedo and tach because i've had problems with the factory stuff,and i like gauges! i also got the new 5'' chrome stack mounted!hey now!hmmm. it may run tomorrow!

 

[RDupree]

thursday,will it run today?

well,yesterday we got the brownie mounted,today we need to get the driveshaft work done. and we need to mount the air tank and run the lines,gotta have air to make the roadranger shift. other than that stuff its pretty close to being road ready!

 

[RDupree]

it runs!

got it going! it runs! sounds great too!clutch works,too cool!i had a few small water leaks,and needed an air governer for the air system. it should be complete tomorrow nite!just need to tidy up a few things!

 

[RDupree]

driving it!

i've driven around the yard! and just put the hood on it,now i'm going down the street for a real test drive!