New Project Cummins Swaped Lambo

[IDR_87]

Hi
We are Italian Design and Racing based out of Mesa, Arizona and mainly do automotive racing but we were able to acquire a special project for a diesel conversion that will ultimately be our new shop truck. We specialize in custom fabrication but something over 3000 pounds is new to us and especially the diesel side of things.

About 2 years ago we bought a 1989 Lamborghini LM002 that had the original engine pulled out to put a Mercedes 5 cylinder in. When we got it we knew that wasn't the direction that we wanted to go so we made our measurements and landed on a common rail cummins. We are looking to take it to Sema either 2018 or 2019 depending on how funds and parts work out for this thing, but either way we are continuing forward on it. As it sits we have the engine mounted and a trans is on the way, so hopefully everything runs smoothly from here (which never happens!).

A few questions that we have come into so far is:
1. What harness modifications are needed?
2. Who makes the best adapter plates to run a Ford ZF5 behind the common rail?

I'm sure there will be plenty more as the build progresses but we've got to start somewhere! I'll post some pictures of it soon

Thanks Guys!

 

[AEdelheit]

I would contact a company like Destroked that deals with Cummins swaps in various applications as they will know all the little details and parts needed.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

OMG. This sounds bad A $ $.

Please post pics of your build if it comes to fruition.

 

[IDR_87]

Here's a few pictures of where we are at on this project

 

[Shadrach]

Cool project. waiting to see more.

 

[IDR_87]

The alternative engine came in over this last weekend. We bought a period 9 Liter V12 engine that was out of Lamborghini's Marine division. The project still makes the most since with the cummins but we have a special tandem project that this beast of an engine is going into and will forever be paired with our LM.

 

[IDR_87]

Well we have been in a made rush after our busy season taking 3 of out Ferrari race cars out to Monterrey car week in August our wheel manufacture contacted us to give a last minute spot for the SEMA show in the NEXEN tire booth. We were blessed with 15 sponsors that came along side of the build in various forms and we are extremely grateful for their help. That being said we may have bit off more then we could chew to get it there but our small crew did with just a few things to finish up on it now that SEMA is over. I have lots of pictures of the build but not enough time to post them all since now the customer cars are having to take priority since we closed up for 8 weeks to get this done. This was a huge undertaking for us in 8 weeks as all that we had done before that was fit the common rail engine. We had a large learning curve for this project especially not being a truck or diesel shop but we are proud of the product that we have turned out and we are excited to finalize it and start using the truck!

Here is a little about what all we ended up doing.

Engine and trans:
2003 Cummins Common Rail
Nv5600 6 speed with a short shifter and custom billet arm
Southbend dual mass clutch
HTT 68mm turbo with a billet compressor wheel
Steedspeed billet exhaust manifold
Hellmann billet side draft intake
Dual Freon cooled inter-coolers
Quadzilla tuner
Custom engraved valve cover
BD diesel injectors 60HP
BD diesel injection pump
Fass lift pump
Custom full stainless exhaust
NP241 transfercase
(3.08 diff gears to come) Hoping to do 175MPH in the truck for sure higher then the 140MPH that the original did
Custom Speedhut gauges

Chassis and body
Wilwood TC6R Calipers with 16" rotors all the way around getting rid of the drum brakes in the back
King Shocks getting rid of the hydraulic suspension in the front
Dodge master cylinder and hydro boost conversion
Tesla parking brakes
Grid Offroad custom wheels 20"x12" (to be painted soon)
Nexen tires 35-12.50 R20
Custom side mirrors we designed in a more Lamborghini style then made in carbon fiber
Custom designed door handles
Raptor Upol bed liner thinned out
Custom made carbon fiber fender caps
Custom carbon fiber hood
Custom roll cage
Custom roof rack
Custom front and rear bumpers
Custom tail gate latches
KC rally lights
KC LED head lights
(Winch and trailer hitch still to come)

Interior
Full leather and alcantara upholstery
(Stereo still to come)
Diamond plate floors
Lizard skin sound and heat insulation
Storage boxes
(Digital wiring harness still to come)
Tinted windows to keep cool in our AZ heat
(AC system using Restomod Air still to come)

 

[Mark31]

I hope I have read this wrong and am not connecting the dots, but it appears you have more skills and money than you do sense. 175 MPH in that? Have all your affairs in order before you try that. You also might buy a few dozen putty knives so the people who clean up the carnage will have something to scrape you off the asphalt with.

 

[Ozymandias]

Cool Project! Go on!
It's a Lambo, it can do the 175 on the Track, why not.

 

[Tuesdak]

Did you swap the camshaft for a aftermarket cam in the 2003 5.9? Stock is a EGR cam designed to hold some exhaust in the cylinder. A Hamilton, perhaps other brands as well, aftermarket camshaft will make a world of difference in spooling a larger turbo.

Although I don't see this being used as a "shop truck" to run parts... The heavy slow-shifting NV-5600 is a very poor choice for a transmission in context of this project. Aside of the NV-5600's excessive weight the slow shifting will slow it down on the track. Better manuals out there to use and for "speed" say an automatic with a stall converter set to match the turbo is the quickest. Any auto will keep the turbo lit during a shift and is way faster than a NV-5600, period. Manuals unload and spool down the turbo during a shift esp. a slow-shifting MT.

The NV-5600 is a towing transmission and one of the toughest ever put in a pickup. With lube mods it does well towing 13,000# trailers on grades. You loose MPH even double clutching on said grades to downshift. From a stoplight one is abusing the clutch in a 3rd gear start to try and be quick. Synchromesh for the NV-5600 means all the gears are spinning all the time and you need to change the speed of a lot of the heavy gears to shift.

What clutch exactly? Dual Disc, you mean Dual Disc not Dual Mass, right?

So before you rip the diesel out for a "boring" V-12 gasser in try a "quicker" transmission, re-visit the differential ratios, and contact some Torque Converter manufactures like Yank to get a stall speed that will bring the best out of the diesel they way yours is built. "Boring": Cadillac made a gas V-16 and diesels still come in a 16 cylinder versions. Diesels have the "special one-off" feel where gassers are a small step below 'as unique as can be'. IMO in hot AZ power loss from detonation control with gasoline makes a diesel a hands down winner.

 

[DonFitzwater]

That's awesome!

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

https://www.thedrive.com/news/34756...wapped-lamborghini-lm002-used-to-tow-ferraris

 

[promisedland]

Real sweet!
Not everyone can do this kind of stuff, but many of would LIKE to do it, thanks for sharing.