Topic: What's the best rat rod diesel?

[Power]

Looking for a diesel to out in a 36 Mack... Looking for hp/tq bang for buck.  Power stroke, 4bt,6bt,24valve etc?

[hotwheels]

I'm still kicking that around myself. From some of the research i've done, The ford powerstroke 6.0 or the cummins 6bt are the best choices. But i am leaning towards a 24v cummings, because of parts availability.

[Power]

4bt is basically the same as 6bt with two less cyl.... If I can get either one n the p pump version then 300 hp & 600 tq is readily avail. Not sure about the 24valve? Of be more concerned with size and dealing with ECM! The 4&6bts are all mechanical.

[hotwheels]

That's why i like the 6bt, it's mechanical. When you find em, everyone wants a pretty penny for em. One of the builds i'm doing, the guy was going to give me a 6bt and the tranny, but changed his mind because he felt the 6bt was worth more then all the work going into his build. I've been finding the 24 valves for around 4,500 bucks for a complete 2 wheel drive truck. So everything i would need would be there, tranny, computer, engine, everything.......

[Large_time]

Looking for a diesel to out in a 36 Mack... Looking for hp/tq bang for buck.  Power stroke, 4bt,6bt,24valve etc?

I am not one to dictate what is BEST for a diesel... It all is personal preference in my opinion.

I have a 93 Cummins 6BT, I think it is perfect for a rat rod.

The Cummins industrial engine is fairly available in all kinds of things, and has a bunch of available power depending on the setup.

If I was to do it all over again, I would still go with a Cummins 6BT in the intercooled range of 1994 to 1996 I believe.

Some things I would hunt for:

Cummins 6BT from a Truck... Not an industrial one or from a F600/F700. With a truck donor you will have all kinds of stuff to use (Power steering Pump, Radiator Hoses, Radiator, Car stuff you will end up buying instead of having on hand)

Look for a P Pump... quite a bit easier to tune for power and the pump looks cooler.... I have the VE pump that will still be able to produce 450 HP safely.... The P-Pump will crank out much more easier.

If you have the room in the cab for a clutch pedal go with a manual trans... the setup of the automatic transmission with pressure (Hobbs) switches is proving to be slightly difficult and you will save space with a usually shorter and stalkier trans than compared to an automatic. You will appreciate the cab room you gain with the trans not eating it up.

The Cummins 6BT is truly a 2 wire hook up to run... One to the Fuel Shut Off, and one to engage the starter.... they have a cold start +12V heater grid on the heater but its not necessary. So you get a flip switch and a push button and get on to cranking the beast up.... Plus the wire to the alternator to get some +12 back to your battery or batteries.

You may be able to source a 6BT from a Bread Truck or delivery truck.

Don't rule out a rolled or salvage truck from an auction... It is unlikely to find these Cummins trucks at salvage yards... at least I haven't found one yet here in Michigan.

Try Searching Craigslist via Search Tempest (a search aggregator for Craigslist) for the following "Cummins, Cummings, 6BT, Intercooler, P Pump, Diesel, Deisel, 4BT, Onan, bread truck, Doritio, Lays, and Turbo"   You will be digging through all kinds of stuff with those search terms but you will come across some guys that cant sell their stuff because their spelling isn't the greatest....

Hope that helps,

[obama]

I like the Cummings motors from about 1993 thru 96 Dodge diesel truck 2500 or 3500, get it as complete as possible as said before.  I personally would even keep the truck frame if I could make it look right and just swap the cab.

[Large_time]

I like the Cummings motors from about 1993 thru 96 Dodge diesel truck 2500 or 3500, get it as complete as possible as said before.  I personally would even keep the truck frame if I could make it look right and just swap the cab.

Your so right, building your own frame is cool, but next time I will use the stock frame to speed things up.