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Old 02-11-2003, 11:39 PM
moparman318 moparman318 is offline
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Default the first dodge diesels

Does anyone know about the 4.0 liter diesel dodge put in trucks from 78-79? I have been thinking about swaping one of these into my truck and slapping a 5.9 turbo on it. I don't know of anyone that has one so it would be pretty cool. My info about these has been limited to what my chilton book says so anyone with anything would be very helpful. Thanks.
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Old 02-12-2003, 07:19 PM
TMAC TMAC is offline
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moparman318, don't know a lot about them other than I believe they were built by Perkins or Mitsubishi. Check out this site maybe it could help you.

http://www.sweptline.com/hist/bigtrucks.html
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Old 02-13-2003, 06:37 PM
TMAC TMAC is offline
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Here's another link. Someone selling one on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6783
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Old 02-14-2003, 06:59 PM
Thierry Thierry is offline
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think again as I am hearing from a couple people that parts are hard to get for these older diesels, you need to find a source of parts if thinking about doing this.
I would stick with the Cummins 6bt or
4 bt before going to an older motor.

I have converted a 91 ramcharger to a Cummins 6bt and I have a 85 Crew cab Dodge I will convert later this year or next year when I have some time.
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Old 02-18-2003, 01:49 PM
400Magnum 400Magnum is offline
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Those diesels were made by Mitsubishi, and were very hard to get the parts for them when they were new, so I can imagine that almost 30 years later, they're almost impossible to get parts for.

If memory serves me, the first year they were introduced they were not turbocharged, and they were so underpowered that they couldn't get out of their own way. The next year they included the turbo and were much better suited to pushing a truck. Also, they were very hard to start in cold weather, and were difficult to work on. As a result of the problems associated with them, they were discontinued after the second year. They didn't even get all that good of gas mileage, but everyone was scrambling to do anything that would ease the requirements for refined gasoline, so a diesel powered pickup seemed like a good idea.

My vote is to pass on converting your truck to one of these. If you can find an original one in decent condition for a good price, that's one thing. But to spend the time and effort and money on a truck that isn't going to be all that desirable in the end doesn't seem worthwhile to me. By the time you got it all working, you could have purchased a later model truck with the Cummins and be assured of a reliable truck for a long time to come. But hey, that's just my two cents. You have to decide what you want to do.

Another option to consider is a 4BT, which is basically a four cylinder version of the Cummins used in the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. It is a little lighter and doesn't make as much power as the 5.9L obviously, so that might be just about right for a half ton truck. Parts would be a lot easier to come by, and the basic recipes for building power would be the same as the 5.9L engines. Just a thought.

Good Luck!
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