I know everyone is putting cummins in the Dakota's but has anyone done a Duramax conversion? I have only been able to find posts from people thinking about doing it but nothing from anyone that did.
14.5 mpg isn't bad for a 4x4 Dakota. I typically ran about the same in mine. While the Dakota is considered a smaller truck, simple physics apply, the Dakota weighs as much as a full-size 1/2 ton truck. BTW, many 1/2 tonners get about the same average fuel economy, including Silverados equipped with the 6.0 LS engines, that you happen to be interested in. The reality is, no matter which engine you stick in the Dak, the amount of energy needed to propel it at speed is going to be about the same. It's like pushing a loaded wheelbarrow, you will have to exert a given amount of energy based on how heavy it is to push. The only way to improve fuel economy with a gas engine is to lighten the load on the engine. (Thats why cars that get 40 or more mpg are so tiny) If fuel economy is a big concern, you could go back to the diesel idea which will have a greater range advantage.I do have the 318 and don't get me wrong i do love the motor and it runs like a top, even the auto trans, the only issues i have with the truck is 1 it gets 14.5 mpg on its best day ( which i am told is really good for these trucks even when lifted) and the fluid needed for the trans and t-case, other then that trust me i enjoy the truck every day since its my daily.
Off the top of my head, I believe the 6.0 first came out in the 99 Silverado 2500. The 99 should have a t-case with a driver's side drop, but I believe that the t-case was an NP241, not the NP205. So the Ford axle should work. Now if you happen to find a 205 t-case you want to use it behind the 4L80E, you'll need to find a 205 out of an older Ford (Likely a 70s Ford) for it to match the Ford axle w/ driver side pumpkin…..However, since nothing is carved in stone yet, you could just use a Chevy or Dodge passenger-side drop 205 and go with a Chevy or Dodge front axle with passenger side pumpkin. You might even save a few bucks doing it that way because everyone wants the Ford axles.I do plan on doing a SAS with a '06 super duty axles, its gonna be the first thing i do before i do anything with the motor…. As for everything to run it i actually planned on getting a donor truck since it has everything for it including the 4L80E and NP205 t-case, but the change on the t-case is a current issue i face since the ford Dana axles are driver side drop while Chevy is a passenger drop.
I'm not gonna try and talk you out of it, but don't get sold on the idea of an LS either. (And believe me, the shop is gonna try to sell you on this because thats how they make money)The shop that offered to do it is a LSX swap shop, all they do is LS swaps and he has done several to a Dakota including a 2 he personally owned and assures the mounts are easier that people think, no welding just need a specific mount set up that will bolt everything up easy and everything will clear under the hood with no major mods other than maybe needing new driveshafts, which i already figured with the SAS.
Theres no doubt that you can get 400 hp out of a 6.0 LS, but you can also get 400 hp out of a 318 too and the prices won't be too far off. The advantage here is, you already have the engine. Of course you did say, you wanted something different….Well I submit to you, a 400 hp 318 would be something different. After all, every one builds LS motors! My opinion of course, but it's really your money.The only reason i say high power in what i am looking to do is because the truck would break too much, power wise 400hp is plenty to do but what really works is range, and that's the main reason why i want to run a LS, i can make the good power and have better range per tank than what i am doing now.
Well, this is a new one on me. I never ran across anyone who wants to choose a t-case based on gear oil. The 205 does use gear oil, but its also because it's a gear driven transfer case. Most chain driven t-cases use ATF (Exception for the NP203) and the reason is because ATF is thin enough to lubricate the chain. A thicker oil wouldn't lube the chain properly and it would wear out. Theres nothing wrong with any of them, some are stronger than others, but most work as advertised.At this point in time I am more focused on trying to save for the axle swap, i'm not really in any rush for the motor swap. I do believe you are right on the t-case, i think i looked up the wrong part but i'm not set on a particular one just want one that takes normal gear oil. I did think about converting over to passenger side pumpkin at one point but seeing as i can't do everything in 1 shot so i'm a bit stuck with that.
At one time I had the same basic plan. (With exception of transmission choice) Sadly 4BTs aren't cheap any more. They've gotten so popular that they are commanding some pretty high prices, but if you search around, you can get lucky. There is also a side benefit, these engines were designed with an expected service life of 350K miles, so a rebuild may not be necessary right away. In my case I couldn't find an engine within my budget, but I did have a "Plan B". I already had a 6BT just sitting in my backyard, in another project that had stalled years ago. So I used it instead. Of course it meant I had to build the truck bigger, but that was no issue at all, other than it was a tight fit. The 4BT is definitely ideal, if you can find one. In the world of diesels there are a ton of them out there and many of them are ones most people didn't know existed. There are 4 cylinders by Hercules, Perkins, Case, and others. Theres a sweet modern turbo diesel used in some Jeep Liberty's called VM Motori, and thats not all. If you have access to big truck junk yards and marine salvage yards, they are full of diesels of all different shapes and sizes.For the longest time i was set on going with the 4bt with the 4L80E, truthfully i haven't fully gave up on that one yet,
A solid axle swap can get a bit pricey too, but it definitely resolves a known weakness in the Dakota, the problem is, it's not a bolt in swap and will require some serious fabrication. But i do think you're attacking this in the right way. Deal with the SAS and do the engine later.All and all the drivetrain swap i'm in no rush for and i am still open to going down the diesel side but for this moment i'm just wanting the bottom ball joints done and the SAS done, as long as my drive-train holds i'm good with what i got, just hate that damn kegger intake.
I would normally pick the 205 because they can still be found used, for relatively cheap. OTOH, you'll be buying an all new Atlas. I don't think you can find too many on the used market (But I could be wrong) If you do a Ford Dana driver side diff, you'll need a t-case with driver's side drop. Well there were 205s with a driver's side drop, and only Ford had them, but the last time Ford used them, was back in the mid to late 70s. (The Chevy and Dodge 205 were used for several more years) Fortunately Ford sold a lot of trucks back then, but I think these are slowly getting harder to find. With the Atlas, they are still making them, so I don't think theres an issue with finding the right one. It's just that the price is likely to be much more, but you also have better gear ratios in the Atlas (Its possible to re-gear a 205 -at added cost, btw it's also possible to twin stick a 205)I refer to t-cases that take gear oil mainly because i am a bit divided between the 205 and a atlas twin stick, 205 is more popular so service is easy if something breaks but i like what the twin sticks can do for digs plus they have good gear ratios, either way i do want a gear one specifically for the strength and durability they have, but its like you said they all do as advertised.
If you find one, snatch it up immediately. Don't turn down any if the turbo or anything else isn't exactly how you want it, because these engines have tons of configuration options available and moving stuff around isn't too difficult. These are fantastic engines, and surprisingly powerful, but I'm predicting that these will become the next big swap engine option, as swappers begin looking for more affordable alternatives to the pricey 4BT. The real nice thing about the Isuzu diesel is, theres still tens of thousands of them out there and you could find whole donor trucks selling for decent prices. You can't even buy a used bread truck cheap any more, because the secret is out about the popularity of the 4BT. Those used truck brokers now think they are sitting on gold.Yeah i know the 4bt is if growing in popularity and running as much as a used car even for a bare engine, one of the reasons why i am looking at the LS swap, for the price of a good 4bt i could have a donor truck and rebuild the motor, i did think about the 6bt but its too tight for my comfort and I've seen all the builds that used them. One motor i thought of using was one of those Isuzu turbo diesels, my old work truck had one and that little motor was so good i stopped the truck in the middle of a pit ( note i am talking about a NPR flat bed 2wd automatic) that i sunk into the mud under my own weight and that truck not only backed up but moved out without trying!! Loved that little truck and thought about using that engine, biggest thing i dug up on it is to make sure the turbo is on the passenger side if i did use it .
Thats great, hopefully it happens, would love to see it on it's new legsI know the SAS can be pricey but i did get luck and found a shop in Sanford that specializes in SAS on everything under the sun. The shop is called Plan B fab, they have there own CNC machine so they do everything in house, the owner said they can do my truck for $4500 and that is covering absolutely everything including sourcing the axles and fresh brakes, even keeping the height my truck is sitting at now but i'm thinking a couple inches higher to get better flew may not be too bad.
The Atlas is an aftermarket item, it was never offered as a factory unit. The 241HD has a 2:71 ratio low range, not too shabby. Now if you go with a diesel, you probably won't need low range for most wheeling because these engines produce quite a bit of torque. In my case, i would suspect that the only times I would use low is for pulling stumps, and yanking out really stuck trucks. As for the 241HD those have wider drive chains compared to the 241. Thats what gives them the strengthI didn't know the 205 can be converted to twin stick, ill have to remember that. I know the atlas would have to be new, off the top of my head i don't think any truck had one from factory which is why i lean more to the 205, but ill be happy with any t-case that can give me good low range so i can dig out if i get stuck, front dig is useful if i have cant get a good bite in the rear. I will look into the 241HD, as long as it has good low range i can live without twin sticks.
It's a 99. I was a lot like yours except not lifted quite as high, and mine was Solar Yellow, but everything else appears very similar….. This is what it looks like now;Yeah that's a tight fit alright, little to tight for me personally but looks like you got it set up good. What year is your Dak? from that fire wall it looks like a older model. Yeah i think that radiator will keep that monster cool lol.
Thanks. It's not finished yet, theres still a ton of stuff left to do.Truck looks good, i like what you did with the bed very simple and clean.
It's big for a relatively stock Dakota. I had just a 3" body lift and I cranked the torsion bars 2 inches. I was running 32" Dunlop Mud rovers. Yours was certainly taller than mine before all the changes.My truck really isn't that big, all it has is 3in body, rough country 5.5 suspension (3in basically) and 33s, i sit roughly the same level as stock full sized trucks.
It's still a great stanceRust isn't that bad on it yet but i do have a couple spots that are a little hidden. I would upload a picture of my truck as it is today but the website isn't letting me uploading anything. Look at my profile picture and you will see how she sits right now.