5.9 Cummins, NV4500, Hydro-boost, and Disc Brakes

[evo45]

Amazing build dude!! I cant wait to see this beast finished. Keep up the good work!

 

[Trango]

Excellent writeup and great pics - thanks a ton for the inspiration!

 

[ranchand]

Nice work! Can't wait to see video.

 

[Flat Black]

Just a bump for updates...

Did you get your alternator? (received or installed)

Cheers

 

[mudguppy]

"in the mail" - ever heard that one before???

been finishing up small things: shifter, trans cover, re-adjusted throttle linkage, and working on mounting headlights.

maybe tomorrow and i can get some install and proper shake-down done........ me hopes.

 

[Flat Black]

what did you decide to do about the headlights? (location, multiple lights, etc)

 

[militarysteel]

so about how much $$ are you going to have tied up into this bad boy when all is said and done?

 

[monstermog]

Very Nice, Well Done!...Way to go! Great pics....just enough info to make my NV4500 go up in price!!!LOL! Congrats on the build/conversion. Doing a simular project not as far along as you are...still bringing some parts together.

 

[oldMan99]

Very nice!

Subscribing. I want to see what the final finished truck looks like, how you like the power, what speeds you can easily get to and maintain and the MPG!

Question; Since the front brakes do approximately 80% of the work, would it be feasible to convert just the front axle to Disc?

 

[mudguppy]

so about how much $$ are you going to have tied up into this bad boy when all is said and done?

i have almost every dollar accounted for on a spreadsheet (except for the odds and ends spent during the swap week.... that was a crazy week.). lemme check it out and get back with you.

what did you decide to do about the headlights? (location, multiple lights, etc)

got some Hellas coming to put in the grill and mounting the headlights next to the signals. you know, your idea. i think it's going to look pretty sweet.

... Question; Since the front brakes do approximately 80% of the work, would it be feasible to convert just the front axle to Disc?

well, i guess you could. do you mean with the original air-pack and single circuit system? i dunno how well the disc and drums will play together on a single circuit.

if you did a master cylinder swap at the same time i'm sure you could do it using a MC designed for disc/drum. my MC is 50/50, so it would not push enough fluid to a drum system. i'm sure you'd still want a proportioning valve as well.

 

[mudguppy]

so about how much $$ are you going to have tied up into this bad boy when all is said and done?

i've still got an engine, trans, radiator, and misc parts to sell off. conservatively, once i sell these parts off i'll be into the swap portion of the project for about $4k.

 

[davidkroberts]

nice build, are you still waiting on the altenator?

 

[mudguppy]

yes.

shoot me, please.

 

[rango]

just read all 8 pages and wow, you really planned this out, and i must say your attention to detail is obvious.

i hope the rest of project goes smoothly for you

 

[mudguppy]

Update

the good news: i received my alternator parts yesterday. so this means the shop should have my alternator assembled and ready for pickup this afternoon.


the bad news: it's 35° and raining outside. it was 33° and sleeting this morning, so it's improving... technically.


so if the weather improves this afternoon or tomorrow then i should be able to slap that bad-boy on there. then i can complete the electrical checks to ensure that this stuff that i haven't done before is doing what i thought that it was supposed to do.

then i can drive it to adjust the brakes.

then it's on for a shake-down run.

then it's video and play time.


i've got headlights to install, aux lights to mount, diesel guages to mount, and i still have to decide on tach and speedo selection. plenty to do, just can't wait to get 'er driving.

 

[srodocker]

cant wait to see a video of it!

 

[mudguppy]

UPDATE - She's Running!!!

well, got my alternator back from the shop first thing yesterday morning. bolted it in and clearance was actually better than i thought. i fired it up and was getting nothing out of my alternator.

couldn't figure out why, but remembered that the breakers on the equalizer were open. i'm not sure what this has to do with anything, but since i have the voltage sensing wire from the regulator attached here, it wasn't reading anything so it wasn't charging. closed the breakers and i have a charging alternator.

so i started to venture out a little bit at a time; first up/down the street, then around the neighborhood a few times. i came back and put a few screws onto the rear proportion valve after some brake checking. i may end up putting a few more on, especially once in try some wet road braking. checked fluids again, topped off radiator, and went for a drive.

this thing is a blast to drive. the 'quirks' are a bit different and there is another small learning curve required. one of the most noticeable is the size of the engine - it's much smaller and it feels smaller when coasting. the truck has a much easier time 'pushing' the engine and the tendancy for driveline surge is a little higher. but this is easy to adjust to.

power? yep. 300+ hp through the truck makes it accelerate now. not only that, being able to hold it in a gear for up to 4000 rpm if desired... well, no more gear shortage. i hardly ever wind it up that high, but for the shakedown i definitely wanted to push and see if things were going to hold.

trans? smooth. man it's nice having a modern transmission. ratios are almost exactly the same, so first is just as tall as before. but the let-off torque of the 5.9 seems to be much higher than the MF. OD is quite a bit [numerically] lower. i don't have a tach functioning yet, so i can't give actual rpms. i have them calculated to be 2100 rpm at 66 mph and 1750 at 55.

brakes? WOW. you know how nice it is to be able to stop a bobbed deuce like a 2011 F350? well, that's what it's like... no chit. i know that wet/slick pavement will completely change the game, but.......... oh my it's nice. i need to write Steve a gushing email for him to use for promotion. this is the brake system that any deuce should have.

other - i mentioned before that the hyd pump is a higher capacity than the PSC pump, but i also think i had the PSC pump ratio'd too low. slow speed maneuvering is much more responsive now.

negative - i do have a pretty bad vibration at around 55mph (est.) under WOT. i believe it is the jack shaft since it is not quite dead-nuts aligned. but since it's only at that speed and under full power, it's not a huge issue yet and it can wait until further diagnosis and better weather.

NO, i haven't taken any videos yet. i have family in this weekend (weather's bad anyway), so maybe Monday-ish.

To-Do:



shoot...... lots...

• Lights - i mounted headlights yesterday and i need to mount and wire the aux lights. awaiting relays to wire up the headlights
• Guages (instrumentation) - this is becoming a PITA. i would like to go with Stewart-Warner, but their custom support is hot-garbage. if i can't find anyone that knows anything about anything to talk to me, then i'll go with something else. anyone got a good SW tech number?
• Guages (Performance) - i received my EGT and Boost mounts the other day and i need to finish mounting the guages. no biggie, except the boost line port on the manifold is open so when i get on it she lets out an ear-piercing whistle through that hole.
• Brakes - i still need to do some more panic braking and some inclement weather braking to fully dial it in.
• Air - i have none, so i have no 4wd. i need to contact Viar because i can't find the compressor on their website that i previously selected.
• Loose items - lots of wires and hoses need to be strapped down and/or loomed. i hate the clean-up part, but it's necessary.
• Cooling - right now, this is completely unknown. i drove her pretty hard yesterday and the radiator never got too hot to touch; so the fans never came on. Cummins typically run pretty cool, but i need to know if it's working. i may just crank the adjustable thermostat as low as it goes. Same deal with the hydraulic cooler - the reservoir was warm-ish, but i don't think the fan ever came on. i don't know how hard i'll have to work it to get these items to test, but it looks like it'll be pretty tough in this cool weather.
• Winch, hydraulic conversion - that's Phase 2. don't worry, you'll know.

i'll take some 'completed' pics once i get the lights finished (mounted, at least). i owe Steve some finished pics so he can use them for his brake kits.


whew..... getting it running has been a huge weight lifted. i feel better.

 

[sixb]

Absolutely amazing!! Not sure what in the world I would ever do with one of those but I gota have one hehe.

 

[Deuce_and_a_Half_Dragon]

can't wait for the video. Is the whistle worse than a whistler turbo?

 

[Unforgiven]

Mudguppy,

Kudos on the excellent fabrication skills.

How much energy do your custom disc brakes dissipate? The individual stock Deuce brake drums dissipate 12,000 watts each.

In other words, can your brakes handle a full-sized, loaded Deuce?