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59 Chevy / Cummins -7

2K views 24 replies 11 participants last post by  wvbuzzmaster 
#1 ·
The engine is bolted in place.







Here is the clearance on the firewall.
There is enough clearance so I can pull the rear valve cover to adjust the valves.
The exhaust manifold can even be taken off with out pulling the engine.



 
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#2 ·
That looks just awesome, Ray! Like it should have been there all along!
 
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#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
I'm digging that. Man you're going to get some looks and questions when you fire that thing up. Are you setting this up to pull a 5th wheel or something? Lets hear some details/spec's!

EDIT: Nevermind, i just went back and found the rest of your threads... I think what you are doing is great. The old dodge was nothing more than a vessel to carry around the Cummins anyway...
 
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
I forgot to put the support bracket back in between the frame rails when I was making the motor mounts so that is being taken care of now.
A piece of 3/16 x 2 inch angle iron is bolted across the underside of the frame rail.



The brake lines that go across the front are clamped to the back side of the angle iron bracket.
A piece of 1/4 x 2-1/2 inch flat steel is welded to the drivers side of the frame and angle iron bracket.
This supports the steering box and the brake proportioning valve is bolted to it.
The angle iron cross brace is also welded to the frame rails.



A little paint and it's all finished.



I keep forgetting to put these links to the other post in .....

http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/13304-59-chevy-cummins/

-1 http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/13395-59-chevy-cummins-1/

-2 http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/13700-59-chevy-cummins-2/

-3 http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/13805-59-chevy-cummins-3/

-4 http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/13863-59-chevy-cummins-4/

-5 http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/14009-59-chevy-cummins-5/

-6 http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/14147-59-chevycummins-6/
 
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#7 ·
If I were closer, I'd be begging for a ride when your done! Great job!
 
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#9 ·
Going to be interesting to see how much it squats when you set it back on the ground. I can't remember if you took a measurement before you started the project and I'm too lazy to look.
It's setting on the ground in the first photos.
I didn't take a measurement before but it doesn't seam to have squated any more than it did with the 6.2 in it.
 
#10 ·
One way to tell when you have it all back together is have the alignment checked. Might need a small adjustment if it squatted any.
 
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#14 · (Edited by Moderator)
Naturally the exhaust pipe is too long before it makes the bend coming out of the turbo.
I shortened it 2-1/2 inches and it fits good now and clears the firewall.


The Dodge truck had a drive shaft that was in two sections and my truck had a single drive shaft.
My old drive shaft on the truck had a slip U-joint that slid in the back of the transmission.
The Dodge transmission has a U-joint clamp bolted solid on the tail shaft and the slip joint is at the end of the first drive shaft.
So I need to come up with a single drive shaft that has a slip joint built into it

I cut the slide end off the front of thr Dodge drive shaft and separated the U-joint from the second drive shaft.
This gives me a slip joint with a U-joint that fits onto the U-joint clamp on the Dodge transmission and a slide section that can be welded onto the front of a drive shaft.
I'm going to take this down to the local truck repair garage and have them make a drive shaft with this slide joint on one end.


Here it is pulled apart a little so you can see the splines.
There is a rubber boot that fits on this and I'll put that back on once the driveshaft is made.
 
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#16 ·
It's all looking great as always, Ray. That should take care of the drive shaft very well. I've had a few made over the years and have never regretted that decision. Those folks know how to get it right!
 
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#19 ·
New drive shaft made by Valley Truck Parts in Traverse City, Michigan.
The price quote was $350 to $400 and they ended up only charging $341.55 so I'm really pleased with that.
They cut the old piece of drive shaft off my Dodge slip joint and welded the slip joint to the front of the new tube.
A Chevy yoke was welded to the back of the tube.
New U-joints were installed on both ends and a new rubber sleeve was put on the slip joint.
The whole thing was then balanced.
 
#20 ·
Nice looking drive shaft! Glad it was bit cheaper than the quote.
 
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#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
When doing a swap like this, it's the little things that can sometimes eat up your time.
I realize that this doesn't look like much but it is the end result of about 3 hours of work.
This is the linkage to connect the shifting rod on the steering column to the shift lever on the transmission.


The old Chevy transmission had a shift lever that came out of the side of the transmission and the lever rotated all the way forward for "park" and backward for the gears.
So when you pulled the shift lever down on the steering column, it pushed the transmission lever back to put it in gear and pulling the steering lever all the way up put the transmission in park.

The shift lever on the Dodge transmission comes out of the top of the transmission and it rotates all the way back for "park" and forward for the gears ( just opposite of the Chevy transmission ).
The Dodge uses this linkage to transfer the up & down movement of the steering column shift bar to the forward & backward movement of the transmission lever.

The lever sticking up on the left has a rod that connects to the transmission lever.
I welded on another lever in the center that the steering column shift rod attaches too.


This Dodge shift linkage had to be set up in my frame so it was square to the transmission to prevent it from binding when moving.
The center lever that was welded on had to be in the right location and the correct length so the shift indicator on the steering column would correspond correctly to the gear shift locations in the transmission.
The Dodge frame was formed at an angle where the support bracket bolted to the frame.
My Chevy frame is straight so the support bracket had to be cut and re-welded to fit the frame.


Here's how it looks from under the truck.
Things like this is why it is a good idea to get a complete donor vehicle when doing a swap instead of just buying an engine off someone's garage floor.
 
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#23 · (Edited by Moderator)
Things like this is why it is a good idea to get a complete donor vehicle when doing a swap instead of just buying an engine off someone's garage floor.
Of all the things you have said so far I think this bit of wisdom carries the most weight. It seems in these transplants you can never have enough parts around. I've been through this on a number of vehicles over the years and it seemed I was forever going back to the donor and either looking to see how they did something or looking for a part that I might be able to make work.
I'm really looking forward to your first drive. The torque is going to amaze you.
 
#24 ·
Glad you got that figured out, Ray. Nice shifter linkage you have there.
 
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