TOW RIG OVERHAUL! 2nd time... diesel swap

[moremudd]

My buddies Dad put some kind of Cat engine and the manual trans in his Dodge after he broke the Cummins that was in it ( tons of boost ) . He has complained about it ever since , he had to do a 4 inch body lift to squeeze the trans in that I guess he can shift 8 or 12 times , according to his story the noise of the engine and transmission is considerable compared to the Cummins , he has spent a lot of time putting in more and more sound deadener as time goes on , the torque and towing is awesome . But just make sure the extra noise is within your level of tolerance , everyone is different of course , but I guess its all grins when he's pulling 20,000 lbs at 80 mph through the Smokie Mnts .

 

[Van Gui1d3r #838]

My buddies Dad put some kind of Cat engine and the manual trans in his Dodge after he broke the Cummins that was in it ( tons of boost ) . He has complained about it ever since , he had to do a 4 inch body lift to squeeze the trans in that I guess he can shift 8 or 12 times , according to his story the noise of the engine and transmission is considerable compared to the Cummins , he has spent a lot of time putting in more and more sound deadener as time goes on , the torque and towing is awesome . But just make sure the extra noise is within your level of tolerance , everyone is different of course , but I guess its all grins when he's pulling 20,000 lbs at 80 mph through the Smokie Mnts .

Excellent point. The noise doesn't typically bother me after the long tube to straight pipe duels on the 454... and that straight 6 duramax is an extremely quit diesel. The tranny I know nothing about but tremec is known for building an extremely strong tranny with extremely easy shifting... which may have nothing to do with noise but I find car transmissions are much quieter and shift the best. This isn't a car tranny but they still focus on making a great transmission.

On the body lift side, all my buddies tell me I'll have to, but I'll cut and weld before I lift anything if i can. I won't know till i get the garage done and set the engine and trans in with the cab off.

Update, engine is mine.... transmission is the next purchase before I can start mocking **** up. This is the dead spot for a bit because garage can't any attention until I finish the house...

 

[moremudd]

If the noise is too much you can add sound deadener until its comfortable , I wouldn't imagine you will have much issue with a transmission being ridiculously loud that isn't coming from a commercial vehicle thats intended to stay in service for a few million miles .

 

[Van Gui1d3r #838]

If the noise is too much you can add sound deadener until its comfortable , I wouldn't imagine you will have much issue with a transmission being ridiculously loud that isn't coming from a commercial vehicle thats intended to stay in service for a few million miles .

The trans is a commercial trans designed for a million miles of service...

 

[moremudd]

Well **** , you got me on that one LOL , I have the opinion that all the commercial equipment is noisy by design of massive gears, bearings , and synchro's , or lack of . But my knowledge and experience is very limited to high mileage equipment , like Kenworth dump trucks , and a few Whites , The oneFfreightliner fuel truck I drove had a Cat engine and I was shocked how loud it was , the noise echoed right up the shifter and made your fillings come loose .

 

[Van Gui1d3r #838]

Well **** , you got me on that one LOL , I have the opinion that all the commercial equipment is noisy by design of massive gears, bearings , and synchro's , or lack of . But my knowledge and experience is very limited to high mileage equipment , like Kenworth dump trucks , and a few Whites , The oneFfreightliner fuel truck I drove had a Cat engine and I was shocked how loud it was , the noise echoed right up the shifter and made your fillings come loose .

I'm hoping this one doesn't. Like I said, tremec is notorious for their heavy duty car transmissions... they shift like a hot knife in butter and hold up to anything. So with any luck, their commercial trans are good. If it's half as quiet and serves its purpose, I'll be happy.

But it's ideal for my build, it has low, then 1st through 3rd are under drive gears, 4th is 1:1 then 5th is an overdrive and 6th is a double overdrive... all the gears down low for hauling and starting and the gears up top to get mileage unloaded.

Pattern is
R 1 3 5
L 2 4 6

 

[gstubbz]

Can't wait for more! Your truck is certainly a great motivator for the plans I have with mine. I'm thinking you'll be hacking the firewall to fit it though.

 

[Van Gui1d3r #838]

Can't wait for more! Your truck is certainly a great motivator for the plans I have with mine. I'm thinking you'll be hacking the firewall to fit it though.

Guaranteed!!! I haven't measured it but the number I've been told is it's about 9 inches longer than a 12v cummins... which barely fits... dog house if I need to haha. And supposedly it's 4 to 5 inches taller... maybe it'll fit bought wise... he'll I need to build engine mounts either way right!?

 

[moremudd]

It will be one hell of a sturdy tow vehicle and should be a pleasure drive , I didn't know about that transmission until this thread , It looks very well built and seems to be made by a very reputable company .

 

[Van Gui1d3r #838]

I searched and searched and searched to find that tranny... I only came across it because I wanted a doubler overdrive but a granny gear and bam, 7 speed tremec popped up. Seems to have the right gear ratios....

Honestly, I think the Dana 80 will be the weakest point in the drivetrain... maybe a Dana s110 or s135??? Has to be a wide track rear though, making it a proper dually pickup