HanksDeuce: 8" Lift, Bobbed, External Cage, A/C and more Project!

[welldigger]

Is the 6bt cummins longer or shorter than a MF? If it is shorter maybe you could find an allison out of a one ton GM truck and have it beefed up.

If I ever build a bobber its either getting the 6bt or a duramax. I don't hate the multi-fuel, however, it is lacking in every single aspect.

 

[blackrock]

I hope to use as much as possible from the Waterloo Specialties power steering kit. The Cummins 5.9L engine has a power steering pump, so I should be able to use it. I will let you know if I have anything left over to part with.


I used an on-line gearing calculator and it told me that in 4th gear I would need to turn 2500rpm to go 60mph. Sure it sucks, but it's doable. I may even put 3200rpm governor springs in the Cummins.

online calculator. . . . . .darn engineers , have to use "outside" sources to achieve their goals. . .

 

[w3azel]

I would definitely add the 3200 spring. I believe 2500 is when the cummins starts to defuel. The dodge I had, with P7100 pump, would only climb to 3000rpm at full throttle and a long stretch of road. Engine pretty much maxes itself out at 2500 maybe 2700 under load. Your going to feel like your making your engine scream at 60mph and you'll have no passing power.

 

[HanksDeuce]

So I bought a Cummins 5.9L and Allison AT545 out of a 1997 Freightliner/Thomas Bus with 46k original miles. Yes I know there is a bit of surface rust around the engine, but a quick sand and repaint will take care of that. Below are some of the pictures from removing the engine/tranny out of the bus. I really scored when it comes to engine/tranny mounts. Most trucks have frames that are 34" outside/outside. This is the case for the bus and deuce. I am able to reuse the heavy duty transmission mounts that are on the Allison AT545 bellhousing and bus frame. I only have one motor mount that is underneath the crank pulley. This will mate up perfectly with the factory deuce cross member that has a plate bolted to it for the front engine mounts and radiator. I will remove the plate, reuse the cross member, and only use it for a motor mount.

The Cummins 5.9L + Allison AT545 combo has an overall length of 70-1/2". If I can keep the front engine mount centered over the front deuce cross member then my intermediate driveshaft will be 10". The factory deuce intermediate shaft between the transmission and transfer case measures 11" or so when it is fully compressed. Freightliner put a HUGE radiator and intercooler combo on this setup, and my measurements show it will stick down 17 inches from the top of the deuce frame. It still fits inside the deuce frame rails that are 28-1/4" inside/inside and the hood will be able to shut! I snagged the radiator/intercooler mounts off the bus as well. The bottom of the radiator combo has a rubber mount on each side that mounts on top of the 34" frame with 2 bolts on top. The top radiator combo mounts are angle brackets with long rods that fall back at a 45 degree angle to the top of the deuce frame with small brackets.

As always, hundreds more pictures can be found on my personal build website. http://www.hanksdeuce.com (modifications)

 

[Yarz]

Very cool! I will be following along

 

[HanksDeuce]

After I removed the engine/tranny out of the donor bus I removed the deuce multi-fuel engine and Spicer 3053A transmission. I took my time and worked smarter not harder. Feel free to poke fun at me for using a 6000 lb capacity portable crane to remove bits like the front grill/brush guard. I don't mind! Total reach on the crane is almost 14 ft. A cheap option to store both the deuce and Cummins 5.9L engines is to purchase a 6x6x12 from your local lumber yard. Cut it into 1 ft pieces and put it under the existing bellhousing or motor mounts. Although not shown in my last few posts the Cummins engine is supported by 3 pieces of cribbing on each side with a 1/2" piece of allthread going through it with jam nuts on each end. Makes it easier to move and no need to move/replace the cribbing.

The only negative about the whole engine removal process is that the large portable crane doesn't fit in my garage. In order to store the deuce and Cummins 5.9L engines in my garage I first have to transfer them from the large portable crane to my smaller 2 ton engine hoist. I can live with that.

Tons more pictures can be found on my personal M35A2 build website. http://www.hanksdeuce.com

 

[Danger Ranger]

Well that's just freaking awesome Hank. Glad to see this going well for ya. Keep those updates coming please.

 

[smoothoperator]

Very nice!

 

[timntrucks]

that is one awesome lift where did you find that one. it must go up 10 ft

 

[HanksDeuce]

that is one awesome lift where did you find that one. it must go up 10 ft

Tim, I got the portable crane from GL in Texas. Someone already bought it from me when I'm done with the engine/tranny swap. It goes up over 13 feet.

 

[HanksDeuce]

Finally got back to working on my deuce. For the past few months I've been really busy at both my day job (engineer at a chemical plant) and at the website consulting business that I own.

Attached are a few shots of the companion flange that I purchased from Drivetrain America in order to use the factory deuce driveshaft from the tranny to the transfer case. Cost was $200 + $11 shipping. A custom driveshaft would have been a helluva lot more.



I then mocked up the gigantic intercooler and radiator setup from the Freightliner / Thomas Bus into the deuce frame. It is going to take A LOT to shoehorn this intercooler/radiator combo into the deuce! I removed the 2 inch hub spacer and mounted the fan clutch directly on the pulley. It will be close, but the hood does appear to shut over everything. The Horton fan clutch is 12v, and a replacement 24v fan clutch is $650. Yikes! Looks like I will be using that fancy Solargizer apparatus I purchased a while back complete with the enclosure and 24v/12v fuse blocks. The technician at Horton said the fan clutch draws 3 amps (12v).



Today I finished installing the custom Black Rock Fab passenger side bellhousing mount on my Cummins 6BT. Next, I installed the new 24v starter that I purchased a few months back after removing the existing 12v unit as a trade-in. If the rain holds out tomorrow I will install the driver side bellhousing mount and measure for a future custom front engine mount that attaches to the bracket below the crank pulley.

 

[m-35tom]

hank, since the fan clutch is a fixed load you can use a 4 ohm, 40 watt resistor is series to operate it from 12 volts. otherwise you need a vanner equilizer or you will have battery problems.

what do the neighbors think??

tom

 

[HanksDeuce]

Tom,

I planned on wiring the 12v fan clutch using my PCMDS that I purchased last year. It isn't installed yet, but do you see a problem with running several 12v and 24v taps from the distribution box?
Link here: http://www.pulsetech.net/PCMDS-PulseTech-Pulse-Charge-Monitor-Distribution-System-7377.aspx

All of my neighbors love the deuce. They all want to go for a ride when I'm finished.

 

[moving chicane]

The pcmds can only be used for small temporary 12 volt loads. As far as I know there isn't any sort of converter built in.

 

[whiskey357]

make sure you don't turn sharp or all you have left is a pile of road kill...looks nice not sure iffn you are going to drive it or show it.....both sounds nice...lots of work and money ....so do you use a ladder to climb in the thing ....???

 

[HanksDeuce]

My goal is to make it a daily driver for commuting to work (20 miles round trip). Parades will be much easier with the automatic transmission because I won't have to push the clutch and brake pedals in each time a youngster jumps out in front for that special piece of candy that caught their eye. Just don't look for me getting frame deep in the local mud hole like all of the other fellow rednecks around these parts. I'd probably snap an axle or two, and they don't have anything that could pull me out if I got stuck.

I don't need a ladder to climb in. I'm 6'1" so I just put one of my feet on the side step, pull up on the grab handle on the side of the cab, and I pull myself up. Most of my passengers require a boost so I carry a collapsible 2-step ladder in the bed when they ride with me.

 

[blackrock]

My goal is to make it a daily driver for commuting to work (20 miles round trip). Parades will be much easier with the automatic transmission because I won't have to push the clutch and brake pedals in each time a youngster jumps out in front for that special piece of candy that caught their eye. Just don't look for me getting frame deep in the local mud hole like all of the other fellow rednecks around these parts. I'd probably snap an axle or two, and they don't have anything that could pull me out if I got stuck.

I don't need a ladder to climb in. I'm 6'1" so I just put one of my feet on the side step, pull up on the grab handle on the side of the cab, and I pull myself up. Most of my passengers require a boost so I carry a collapsible 2-step ladder in the bed when they ride with me.

Cause hes just a little guy FINALLY!!!!! WORKING ON IT AGAIN!!!!

 

[KaiserM109]

One question, since the transmission you pulled out was an overdrive transmission and I doubt if the Allison AT545 is and your new engine probably has the same RPM range as the old, what about your top end speed?

I have considered re-powering my deuce and that was a major issue that came up.

 

[blackrock]

I hope to use as much as possible from the Waterloo Specialties power steering kit. The Cummins 5.9L engine has a power steering pump, so I should be able to use it. I will let you know if I have anything left over to part with.


I used an on-line gearing calculator and it told me that in 4th gear I would need to turn 2500rpm to go 60mph. Sure it sucks, but it's doable. I may even put 3200rpm governor springs in the Cummins.

read above

 

[KaiserM109]

read above

Hey, thanks for the pointer. We slow readers, it’s that lysdexia thing, have a hard time managing these long threads with 266 posts.

Like I said, at one time (and possibly still, though I’m now working on an M923 to replace the deuce) I was considering re-powering my M109. A couple of years ago someone listed a place to get different ring-and-pinions for a deuce. I apologize that I don’t have time to search for the reference, but I think that would be better than over-reving the engine.