Posted by Alex J [172.69.62.31] on Tuesday, April 03, 2018 at 15:52:09 :
In Reply to: That's encouraging posted by Don in Missouri [172.68.38.115] on Tuesday, April 03, 2018 at 11:55:52 :
Similar deal with my WC53, I wanted a narrow front engine and with minimal things driven by the belt. I relocated my tensioner and just have the Alt, water pump, and AC compressor being driven by the crank, the belt doesn't even cross to the driver's side of the engine except when on the crank pulley. Everything is offset to the passengers side, including the engine. Using a divorced NP205 and made up the offset there. Gave me plenty of room to get my steering shaft around the rear-geartrain which has the PS pump attached and mounted right below my hydroboost unit. It really did work out pretty slick in all honesty.
Workhorse vans are usually the best place to find them. But yea, getting one thats not worn out may be hard. The local ones that show up here are from the UTZ potato chip trucks and not a single one ever leaves their yard with under 300k on it. I got lucky on mine, it was pulled out back in 2005 from a 2003 chassis. Engine was built in '01. I bought it in 2012 and it had changed hands but lived in a pallet since it was removed by the original guy. I got everything with it, including the dash cluster and it had 83,614 on it when it was wrecked. Truck was rolled over in Salt Lake City in a snow storm in 2005.
I did, however, pay a good price for it.
I'll also caviat it with this. If I were to do it again, theres no reason why I wouldn't buy a crate version from Cummins at the $11k or whatever cost it is. Actually, the QSB 4.5 is even more perky than this engine, and quieter, but they have to be messed with more to get set free from their stationary ECM tunes. Don't you have friends with Cummins after running around with the 2.8 test guys?
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