I have done both Diesel and Gas 318


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Posted by Paul (in NY) on Friday, March 11, 2005 at 7:19PM :

In Reply to: V8 vs. Diesel vs. Stock posted by Brad on Friday, March 11, 2005 at 6:19PM :

When you do any repower on a Power Wagon or M-37 or WC, some people feel you destroy the value, while others feel you increase the value. I support the increased value. However, my one requirement that I impose on myself during a conversion is that NO sheet metal can be cut, wacked or destroyed. It must look totally original on the outside. Any of my trucks could be reverted back to original power with no problem. With that said;
I have done both conversions; My Power Wagon has a stock 318-2bbl carb, NP-435, NP-200, 4.89's, AGR Performance Saginaw Power Steering and Power Disk Brakes on all 4 wheels. I run easily at 60 mph. I know it will go faster, but 'my opinion' is that higher speed is dangerous. These trucks are not designed in any way for high speed. The Power Wagon has pleanty of power. When I leave the state highway, its a 1600 foot climb to my home. Once I shift back to 4th when leaving the highway, I am in 4th all the way up the mountain, no shifting or luging the engine. Off road it runs great, but requires higher RPM's that I would perfer for a crawl speed. That aside, I did set it up for mostly on road driving. I cant give RPM readings at speed, I have just recently put a tach on and due to ice and snow, high speed testing/RPM's is not possible yet.

My Carryall has a Cummins 4BTA Diesel driving a NV-4500 5 speed/Overdrive tranny into a married NP-205 T case, 4.89's, AGR Performance Saginaw Power Steering, Hydroboost powering 4 wheel disk brakes. The Carryall loafs along at 60 mph at 1950 RPM. Again this is as fast as I drive them. I know without question higher speeds are very possible. The Carryall like my Power Wagon was set up for mostly on road driving, off road I still have 'power to sell' and with the diesel, and I can crawl much slower.

I am currently building a M-37. I am setting it up for 90% off road with a max speed of 40 mph. The M-37 will be powered by a Cummins 4BTA diesel, driving into a SM-465 four speed tranny driving into a NP-200 T case and 5.83 ring and pinions. It will also have AGR performance Saginaw Power Steering, 4 wheel hydroboost disk brakes, Jacobs Exhaust Brake and much more. Power going through the drive line will end up with a 74.6269 : 1 Crawl Ratio, meaning 1 RPM of the Engine will move the M-37 forward 1.5155" with 36" tires. With Tranny and T case in low, speed at 1400 RPMs will be 2.009 mph. However the M-37 could be set up exactly like the Carryall and run 60 mph all day long, just loafing along.

When the M-37 is completed next year, the complete 318/np-435 in my Power Wagon is being swaped for a Cummins 4BTA. In 'my opinion' you just cant beat the diesel with a big stick. When that happens the entire engine-drive line will be for sale.

Cost;
The 318/NP-435/4.89's is by far the cheapest conversion. 318's are abundent, NP-435's with left PTO port are a little hard to find, Hydraulic bell housings are a little tough to find. I never kept track of the $$$ on the 318 conversion, but I can tell you it was not a bank breaker.

The Cummins Diesel conversion will require a 5 or 6 speed tranny, NP-205 or equal T Case, 4.89's Power Brakes and Steering, and lots of fabrication. If your able to do everything yourself, lots of money can be saved. You need to budget at least $8000.00 for the conversion. If you have to have fab work done for you and hire other help, the $$$ keep adding up. You can see the 318 conversion and Cummins Conversion on my Image Event Site. Look at the Bumblebee, Carryall and M-37 Bandit Albums. The address is http://imageevent.com/moosecreekmaple

If your interested in the 318 conversion, I have a 318 fresh back from the machine shop, all new internal parts, NP-435 dual port Tranny, Hydraulic Bell Housing that I plan to sell. This was originally going to be the power/driveline in the M-37. Now with the diesel, this is all surplus. If you or anyone is interested, contact me by email for more information.

Paul





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