At 09:43 PM 10/26/02 -0400, you wrote:
>On Sat, 26 Oct 2002 10:10:18 Mr. Plow wrote:
>>So, what are the advantages of a diesel for 4-wheelin??
>>I'm thinking specifically of the 360 diesel that they put in the Rams.
>>Obviously the low-end torque is there. I know these engines usually last
>>significantly longer than the normal gas engines (with proper maintenance).
>>So what else is there that would make me wanna put a diesel in my trail
>>rig?? :)
>
>You already mentioned most of the benefits that I'm aware of. Mostly the
>monster tractor-style torque at very low RPMs. I'd think it's more suited
>to my driving style than to yours :-).
Great mileage, gobs of torque without winding up the engine, very little
engine heat developed at idle (makes cooling while crawling a non-issue),
no carbs to flood (just keep oil in the system and it can run upside-down),
500k-1 million mile overhaul interval if properly cared for, and that ohh
soo cool sound. Also, no smog regulations (yet anyway) in sunny California.
>I've also heard that diesel fuel is more stable than gasoline. Supposedly
>if you manage to puncture your fuel tank and spill fuel all over the
>ground, you don't have to worry so much about blowing yourself up. You
>can also carry cans of extra fuel in the bed with less risk.
Yes, diesel has a higher flash point, very difficult to ignite when
spilled...at least compared to gasoline. I had an injector line break on
my bus a few weeks ago and spilled diesel fuel down the side of the engine
and over the exhaust manifold for 15+ miles before I stopped and found
it. It did not ignite :)
>Keep in mind that the Cummins from the Ram is a huge, heavy beast of a
>thing. I seriously doubt that there'd be any way to get one in a Dakota.
>But you're welcome to try, it might be entertaining for the rest of us :-).
The 6B/ISB-T5.9 is HUGE and might be a chore to stuff into a Dak. It
was/is used in the full size Rams in place of the 5.2/5.9 however, so there
might be more room than I think in the Dak. The 4B/ISB is the same engine
sans two cylinders and might fit much easier. Check out the 4Wheel Parts
magazine from a few months ago for an article on a Jeep CJ with the Cummins
4B in it. The 4B and 6B engines have the same rear-end so a 727/518
transmission from a diesel equipped Ram should mate fine to either and work
happily with your drivetrain. You might want to put beefier axles in to
keep them intact...and make some accommodations to the front suspension as
the 6B Diesel is easily 200 lbs heavier than the 5.2/5.9 engines.
The Diesel may be slower for MOST people when used for drag racing, but
it'll pull anything and will happily putt-putt anywhere.
It'd be fun to put one of these in a Dak...maybe one day the wife will let
me tear into the brand new truck... ;)
Kevin
Kevin Sellstrom, W6KTB E-Mail:ksellstr@softcom.net
***Wilton, California***
'99 Dodge Dakota 4x4, 5.2,
'69 Dodge D200, 4x2, 318, NP435,
Also: '83 Volvo 244Ti, '85 Volvo 244, '68 Volvo 122S, '98 Specialized
Rockhopper A1FS
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Feb 06 2004 - 11:47:19 EST