6.5 with 4L80E to Cummins w/ a manual ?

[I_WANNA_GO_FAST]

Good evening guys,
I picked up a 1993 Chevrolet C3500 crew cab dually out of Texas. Rust free, Traveltime trainers conversion.
truck is used to haul my 44ft gooseneck race trailer. As you can imagine, she's a dog. I am looking to swap to an 8.1 vortec or a Cummins with a manual trans.
I was wondering if anybody here has done either successfully and would be willing to help me out.


Thank you in advance!

 

[Frank Enstein]

I would recommend a 12 valve Cummins with a 4L80E and a stand alone TCI computer. It's a tight fit but it will pull well and be reliable. If a manual is your speed get a 94 to 98 early Dodge with a manual trans and take the drivetrain out. The trucks generally rust apart but the drivetrains are very reliable. A 12 valve Cummins or a 4 BT are the only Diesels I would own.