1978-79 Dodge Power Wagon Diesel Repowered

[PlymouthShelbyCuda86]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JucIH7qX00

While this 1978 Dodge Power Wagon pickup-with-the-Cummins actually began life with a gas engine (the 360 V8, to be exact), I'm wondering if, out of all the MY78-79 PWs that were specified with the Mitsubishi 6DR5 (CI655-100 in Chrysler circles) normally-aspirated diesel engine, were repowered by the Cummins (Dodge-spec) engines from 1989-98 (with the original 12-valve head) or 1998.5-2002 (ISB, with 24-valve head)?

Since the 24-valve version of the Cummins 5.9 engine (renamed ISB) didn't appear until mid-1998, I'm guessing any repower attempts on the 1978-79 Dodge diesel PW pickups (those that appropriately say "DIESEL POWER" on the front fenders) would have encompassed the 12-valve version used from 1989-early '98, since the majority of these diesel PWs didn't really last very long overall.

Also, while the 4.0L Mitsu mill was used on the D/W100 and D/W200 series Power Wagons, the Cummins engines used since 1989 were restricted to the D/W250(0) (only those with a higher GVW rating) and the D/W350(0) series (Ford used a similar practice of offering the Navistar-built 6.9L and 7.3L only on F250 models with the higher GVW rating, and all F350s).

~Ben

[cordes]

So is that your truck?

[PlymouthShelbyCuda86]

So is that your truck?

No, not mine.

~Ben

[135sohc]

The cummins 6 cylinder engine is way to heavy for a half ton chassis. IIRC the full dressed engine is ~1200lbs~ by itself. I dont have production figures but from the little I have searched on this engine in the past there were not many ever installed into the trucks/vans. Horribly underpowered would only begin to describe the situation.

[Vigo]

Horribly underpowered is pretty easily (if not cheaply) fixed with a 5.9 cummins, but yes an early 12v would definitely be very slow in that truck with big tires UNTIL it was modified.

[PlymouthShelbyCuda86]

Horribly underpowered is pretty easily (if not cheaply) fixed with a 5.9 cummins, but yes an early 12v would definitely be very slow in that truck with big tires UNTIL it was modified.

The 6DR5 was only an option for the D/W 100, 150, 200 and 250 series but not any of the 350 series.

The Cummins was never fitted to any of the later B-vans, either. Might be due to the engine's length not being able to clear the doghouse.

~Ben

[Vigo]

Yeah, I think the length is what holds it up. Chevy and Ford both went to putting their v8 diesels into 3/4 and 1 ton vans (still rare) but dodge never did for that reason i suspect.

[RoadWarrior222]

I didn't "notice" that mitsu diesel until the other day... has me wondering what you can do with it with boost. Will that fit in a B-van?

[PlymouthShelbyCuda86]

I'd think the only Power Wagon Diesels to be refitted with the Cummins 5.9 would be those in the 250 series (3/4 ton) since, as I said before, the Mitsu 6DR5 was never offered in the 350 series (1 ton). Even so, you'd have to switch to a Dana 60 in the rear (what front axle was commonly used with the 1989-93 Cummins-powered Rams?).

~Ben

[shayne]

commonly used 1st gen cummmins ram axles were the dana 60 with 3.55 gears and a manual trans, or the hard to modify dana 61 with 3.08 gears and an auto. other ratios were available but the dana 61 isnt worth the trouble.

[thedon809]

I had to pull an intake manifold off of a ford diesel van. What a nightmare. The cummins is damn heavy. I rebuilt one. I sat it vertically and used an engine crane to put the crank into place.