Did Ford ever put Cummins engines in their trucks?

[GO 4LO]

Talking to a guy on Monday who said that he used to own a Ford truck in the early '80's that had a Cummins in it. I asked him how difficult the swap was, but he told me it was a factory model.

It was before they introduced the 6. 9, he said, and there were a few F350's that had Cummins engines put in by the factory (very limited production, not commercially available). I just said 'oh, ok' and smiled.

So was this BS or not? I assume so, just figured I'd check...

Chris

 

[SEmerson]

In the f650 and up you can get a cummins.

 

[BV]

I highly doubt that Ford put the Cummins in an early 80's F350 unless it was a 4 banger. The 6 is a little tight and requires some firewall denting.

 

[jponder]

I think you can get a cummins in a Ford in Brasil. I mean a ford less than the 650. I heard someone say something about a 650 with an 8. 3 but I am pretty sure they come with the 5. 9

 

[jarsong]

Originally posted by jponder

I think you can get a cummins in a Ford in Brasil. I mean a ford less than the 650. I heard someone say something about a 650 with an 8. 3 but I am pretty sure they come with the 5. 9

The brazil edition was the 4cyl Cummins. Looked pretty cute in there... .

jarsong

 

[RobertBolinger]

When I worked at an RV dealer in the early 90's we had a guy come in and insist that his 6. 9 Ford Diesel van was air cooled-he was sure of it-people are often wrong and don't know it.

 

[GO 4LO]

Originally posted by jponder

I think you can get a cummins in a Ford in Brasil. I mean a ford less than the 650. I heard someone say something about a 650 with an 8. 3 but I am pretty sure they come with the 5. 9

The 8. 3 was available in the F800's in 1994 - 1998 trucks, I believe?



Thanks for the replies and input, everyone. The guy was so insistent that he got me thinking 'well, maybe he did know what he was talking about'. Guess not . Ford owners .

Chris

 

[GOTSOOT]

yes they did!!!

i have phiscal proof that Cummins did install about 12 experimental engine in fords and chevies. My neighbor has a C-30 that had about 10,000 miles on it when he got it and the story is that it came from cummins and was used for testing. it looks like it belongs in there!! I beleive that they did put these to test, but made a big mistake of not puttting them in production:--)

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

One-offs, and extremely limited prototypes are frequently made by manufacturers - but usually destroyed when testing and analysis is complete - pretty rare for the general public to get hold of one - and the rareness of them hardly makes them worth mentioning as a common practice...

 

[NIsaacs]

GO 4LO & gotsoot,

You guys may have some good information on this early Cummins experiment. I have not heard of it, but that doesn't mean anything. I do know that the B5. 9 and C8. 3 was first designed and built by Consolidated Diesel. The word I got, was that it was not very well known or popular, almost like it was built before it's time. Cummins said that before they bought them out, it was a standard dimension engine. They retooled and built it as a metric for global markets and the rest is history. I am not sure when or for how long Cummins dealt with Consolidated on this buy out, but they may have done some experiments during this time. If you look in the older parts books, you will see the B5. 9 & C8. 3 listed under Cummins from 1988 on, or under Consolidated if pre 1988. Cummins also built an A- series 6 cyl. 3. 4 liter, turbo'd & aftercooled engine back in the late 80's and early 90's. This was mostly for repowers but it didn't seem to catch on like the B-series.



"IF IT AIN'T CUMMINS POWERED, IT AINT A TRUCK"



"NICK"

 

[Apence]

I remember back several years ago there was a early 80's ford F-350 for sale that I looked at and it had a cummins in it. I asked the guy who did the engine swap and he said it came that way new. i just figured the same he didnt know what he was talking about. this is the only other time ive heard of another early ford with a cummins.

 

[Joe G.]

I just looked up Consolidated Diesel on the internet. This is what I found:



"Consolidated Diesel is a joint 50-50 partnership between Case Co. and Cummins Inc. , which produces engines ranging from 3. 9 to 9. 0 liters. "



I was just making sure that my memory was not quite as bad as I feared. I have seen construction equipment built since '88 with Consolidated Diesel 5. 9 engines that are the same as the Cummins. The label is the only difference as far as I can tell. The above quote is from a publication this year.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Originally posted by Apence

I remember back several years ago there was a early 80's ford F-350 for sale that I looked at and it had a cummins in it. I asked the guy who did the engine swap and he said it came that way new. i just figured the same he didnt know what he was talking about. this is the only other time ive heard of another early ford with a cummins.

Well this might explain a curiousity I have had for over 20 years.



Back in 1981 or 1982 I was in the Seattle area getting off a ferry from Vancouver Island and was walking up the hill when this Ford F250 pulling a camper came rolling up the hill. It had a 6-cylinder diesel and it got my attention. I watched him all the way up the hill and his truck was pulling the large trailer at a good clip.



As a teen I thought it sounded way cool, and it had dual exhaust. . . twin pipes anyway. At that time there was no diesel in a pickup, and I was wowed.



2 years later a friend told me that Ford was planning to come out with a diesel in their pickups. I was like "cool!" expecting it to be something like the rig I saw in Seattle. Well the first one I saw I thought it sounded like crap and was very disappointed. I guess that's why I'm not too fond of Navistar diesels . . . negative experience



So I wonder if the truck I saw was one of these so-called "exerimental" Ford Cummins'?



Vaughn

 

[Shelby Griggs]

Can't answer the Cummins in the Ford question, but I have seen conversions pre 1980 or so. I think a few folks put Perkins in Fords and maybe others, and I have heard a few Fords that had Detroit's, probably 4-53's or some such, definitely a Detroit 2 cycle. A friend of mine in college put a Nissan diesel in his early 70's Chevy pickup, I think it was the same engine as used in the IH Scouts and I believe his family had one of those too. I guess the point is I have seen quite a few pickups over the years re-powered with oil burners, some looked factory too.



Shelby

 

[Blakers]

I've seen a Detroit 4-71 in a Ford pickup, as well a 5 cylinder air cooled Deutz in another Ford.

 

[RonFlorance]

Ford regularly used Cummins engines in their commercial trucks back in the 60's . I used to have a commercial vehicle brochure from that era. Don't know if I still do or not but will search. Lot of water and moves under the bridge since.

 

[BRayls]

indy cylinder head had one of the ford cummins trucks. we built 20 auto trannys for the cummins ford,test??? not sure what they did with them. I know they did not start using the cummins because of contractual reasons,they woud have to use our trannys with them.

 

[mikel]

The father of a good friend of mine in high school had a mid 70's ford with a perkins diesel in it. He claimed to get high 20's for mileage.



Mike