1991 Cummins Suburban

[Spur]

must say Spur this is going to be a amazing truck, have you been using 4btswaps.com? anyways i would LOVE to do a cummins swap on my truck but alas it is a 1/2t frame and cant handle a 6BT, so i have to go through the long road of finding a reasonably priced 4BT,

I did a lot of reading on 4btswaps, as did my mechanics. Scott at TN Diesel has been REALLY helpful. If you've read enough threads on 4btswaps, his name will definitely pop up. He was one of the first guys to put a 12v into a Chevy and he built a business around it. Without his parts and his knowledge, the whole process would have been a lot more difficult. He supplied the custom motor mounts, crossmember, clutch kit, pedals, transmission, bell housing, new alternator, plus a whole lot of other small parts.

That's a good looking truck. Do you have a link to more pics?

 

[Spur]

Small update today.

All of the suspension and steering work is done. The front axle is done, but I've now decided to replace the rear as well. The 14SF Gov Lock is going bye-bye and getting replaced with a 14FF Detroit. I originally thought I would wait for this upgrade, but the 14SF turned out to be 3.73. Obviously, I need 4.10, so rather than put money into the 14SF, I decided to just upgrade the whole thing. It's also questionable as to whether the Gov Lock could stand up to the torque of the Cummins.

Here are some highlights. More photos at the gallery http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/g1/album249

ORD shackles and greaseable bushings

4" Tuff Country Springs with high-tech brake fluid drainage device. It's the "champagne of brake fluid drainage devices."

PSC ported steering box and ORD high crossover steering

Dana 60 in all it's glory. The U-bolts are temporary, waiting on the super beef Sky Manufacturing plates.

Sky bolts and plates

 

[Spur]

I've also worked out rough sketch of what the front bumper is going to be. Imagine a cross between these two styles. The first is from ORD and the second is a pre-runner style that the owner of Krawltex did for his own personal truck. The Warn M12000 will be stuffed up under, behind the skid plate. Final designs will have to wait until after the Cummins is in to see how much room is there.

I got a Hawse Fairlead from viking that will mount at the very top of the skid plate. That's the idea anyway.

 

[Spur]

I know there hasn't been an update in a while, but progress has been made.

It's getting close to being a running vehicle, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Hopefully the truck will be running in a few weeks and then it is going to be parked for a bit. I can't wait to start traveling, so I'm going on an extended backpacking trip through Asia. I leave for Khatmandu in a few weeks. The interior work will begin when I return in May. The truck is only a means to an end and right now I'd rather be on a train in a foreign country with just my backpack.

Here are a few pics of what's been done in the last few weeks:

 

[Rot Box]

There is a good chance that I have never been so jealous of anything in my life! Nice work--awesome rig :Wow1:

 

[Cody1771]

very nice looking truck... loving the red engine. have fun in khatmandu. will be awaiting pics on that trip for sure.

 

[1speedlos]

Wow... That's so close to what I'd like to do, both the 'Burb and the Khatmandu trip.
I borrowed my brother's '82 1 ton gasser to work a 24 hour race this weekend, and my wife and I really want a Cummins-powered 'Burb for an extended (6 month) tour of the Western U.S., and a Central and South America trip down the road.
Good luck with the project, and have a great trip!

Los

 

[Spur]

Thanks for the compliments. Work is slow at the shop right now, so they've got all their mechanics working on it. I'm hoping it will be done very soon.

Here's another pic. Getting close. It looks really clean now that the whole frame and engine compartment is covered in POR 15.

 

[davegonz]

Looking good Spur. Can't wait to see it all done in person.

 

[pint]

This build is insane! I love it! Another subscriber...keep up the great work!

 

[Spur]

I guess I'll give a brief recap of what's been done. I'm not sure if I've gone into detail on some of what's been done.

The 12v had the KDP fixed. It's a must-do fix for these older 12v Cummins.

Before:

After:

There have been a lot of unforeseen problems to solve. The crossmember from TN diesel didn't fit with the high crossover steering. Very disappointing, but the guys chopped it up and made it work. Here's the finished product

It made it so the drag link would clear, but the tie rod had to be ditched. No way around it. Bummer.

Some more clearance issues that are being addressed:

Here is a shot of the 200 amp Kenworth alternator on it's custom bracket. A new front crossmember is going to be made to reinforce where cuts were made to allow for clearance.

5-speed! Yeah! A little bit of fab was required to mount the shifters.

np241 and nv4500

Rebuilt 14 bolt FF - new bearings, brakes, detroit locker

 

[Cody1771]

thats sweet man! loving the build. i just got a sweet deal on a 14b FF for my truck $30 with 4:10 gears yeeeaaahhhh. pretty jelous of the truck though... gonna be sick when its done...

 

[Scott39]

Here is a shot of the 200 amp Kenworth alternator on it's custom bracket. A new front crossmember is going to be made to reinforce where cuts were made to allow for clearance.

Thats a good idea, 200 amps.

thats sweet man! loving the build. i just got a sweet deal on a 14b FF for my truck $30 with 4:10 gears yeeeaaahhhh. pretty jelous of the truck though... gonna be sick when its done...

Thats a great deal! couldn`t find that here in Denver for under $300-$400.

 

[DWitcher]

You gonna beef up that frame where you trimed it for the A/C compressor and dampner?

 

[Spur]

Yes.

You gonna beef up that frame where you trimed it for the A/C compressor and dampner?

A new front crossmember is going to be made to reinforce where cuts were made to allow for clearance.