If Rudolph Diesel's plan came to fruition, the vast majority of old trucks would have come with mechanical diesels like this and we'd all be better off for it.
@@elisalazar3097 nah it's Americans being dumb af. Because there will always be some soft headed pig who will say that a gas hog is better than a diesel because that's all their brain can handle
Awesome! The 4bt’s are significantly more expensive than the 6bt, if space isn’t a concern it often makes more sense to go with the 6. Either way, IMO they are the crown jewel of diesel engines. I have a swapped vehicle and I think I would pull the engine for another swap before I’d ever think about selling it.
They may be considered the crown jewel here in the states but it can be argued in the diesel community that other diesels are far superior. It comes down to what one plans on doing with the engine.
Theirs better options the 4bt is just more common….om606 would be a crown jewel….Cummins are cheap and throw away engines in the commercial world not having wet sleeves make overhauling them to expensive to justify if they have worn cylinders
@@oddlyrightoddlyright2475 that and they're designed to be a little lighter so they can be put in trucks and equipment and not be ridiculously heavy. But I agree they're pretty much bottom dollar industrial engines and they didn't hold up in farm equipment
I have a 73 F100 and my 302 spun a bearing. It was a hot piece of mess to begin with so I decided to rebuild another 302 and swap it in. well instead of just dumping another 302 in, I had it bored, heads done, new intake, cam, etc. by the time I was done I was about 5k into the engine. yeah its better than the boat anchor that was in there but 10mpg and 65mph is about the best it gets. I could have bought a 4bt and swapped it in for less by the time all the smoke cleared.
I have no inclination to do anything with a 4BT, idk why I even clicked the video, but I can say one thing for sure, I thoroughly enjoyed the video lol
Just caught your video a couple years late Lol. I am a 73' to 79' dent side Ford lover, Back in the early 80's just out of high school got my first one a 75' F250 high boy before it was over that truck was on 18/44s a 490 ci BB Ford pushing 823hp on the dyno right @ 1 mile per gallon of good fuel. A couple of friends of mine were Detroit Diesel guys they were putting 453 and 471T DDAs in theirs pretty nice little set up. So my old 75' I decided to make it bigger with with 2 1/2 ton rockwells and 48s and do a Detroit swap... Well that never evolved when she was tore down another friend of mine rolled his truck and needed a body and offered me to much to refuse for mine then others wanted the big block military's and tires so she never ended up finished. So let's click to now last year found the back yard find of history for me, a pristine 1979 F 350 4x4 with a 453T DDA with a RTO 6610 10 spd over drive transmission still playing with her. I can see the 4 BTA light good mpg plenty of go. the only difference in the Detroit and the Cummins is weight the detroit is 1200lbs and the transmission is 1200lbs. But she is cool and gets good MPGs and even has a real 2 stage jake brake. But Love your truck real cool ride!
Considering putting one in my ‘68 Lincoln 🤔 thinking 6BT at first but the length is a killer and I don’t want to be chopping the chassis around, the appeal of a mechanical all torque motor for cruising with about 4 times the mpg is great, especially when it’s already got a patina’d Fallout look
7:30 Correction, they run hot but take a while to warm up on the big cast iron blocks. From what I've learned, the combustion chamber is under way more pressure and heat compared to a petrol. That's why diesel parts are so heavy duty. Great video and cool truck.
Great article! I can relate to this. I drove a 1974 F250 2wd for 13 years. I put an Isuzu 4BB1 in it in1979 and turbogharged it in1982 . It gave me 27 mpg and was very dependable--noisy as hell, though.
Did the same with a 68 f100 everything you said is spot on. If I wasn’t working on the road right now I’d drive mine everyday over my 3500 cummins. zf5 speed 3.55 gears and 35 inch tires is perfect combo. Can get 30 mpg driving 60 mph on flat ground 24-26 is the normal hiway.
You solved the one thing I hate about those beautiful 70s Fords, the fuel economy. I sold my 79 f150 with the 351M because it got 8.5mpg highway and it was slower than my 2.7 i4 Tacoma. Well done!!
I had a '79 Ford F-250 with the 351M. In 1984, I changed the timing chain to a double roller indexable set at 4° advanced. The cam was ground 4° retarded at the factory, so that made the cam normal. I put a Thrush turbo muffler instead of the factory muffler. The fuel economy went from 9mpg to 15mpg @ 70mph.
Have you looked at getting an auxiliary gearbox? Gear Vendors make an auxiliary box that goes behind the transmission and will double your transmission gears. A 5 speed becomes a 10. It'll give you a double over drive for non-towing highway use. It's basically having half gears between the main gears. It is awesome!
I’m doing something similar, putting a Ford 256D out of a Ford tractor (came out of a 5000, rebuilding it into a 7700 motor) into an ‘87 F-250. Your video has some good information, thanks a lot for sharing!
Crazy cool. That 4BT is still making really good power. Probably way more than my 67 F100 4x4 with a 428. I bought my 67 specifically to put a 4BT in it....but retired from state service before it could get it done.
At work we have a 4bt case skid steer vibrates terribly and everything broke on that rig we worked it to the ground but the engine never skipped a beat
In the “middle” of a 6bt nv4500 swap to my 1967 f100 (on a 1978 3/4 ton 4x4 frame)...thanks for showing lots of the details... hope my truck works as well as yours.
Excellent video thanks. Allow me to be a devil's advocate little punk... I have a business rebuilding manual transmissions and cummins engines 4bt, 6bt, 24v, CR, 6.7's etc. My personal diesel truck is a 215 p-pump dually 12 valve with nv4500 and 3.73's. Just this morning I closed off the AFC and took a 60 mile trip at 60-65 mph, 1800 ish rpm. I made 23.8 mpg measured at the same pump. (Turbo is a 60/67/12) I don't know what rear end you have but try to imagine you went alllll the way down to 2.92 gears and threw in a 6bt... A customer of mine built a single wheel 89 f250 with 3.31 rear end and taller rear tires. The effective final ratio after the tires was 2.92. He wanted a 4bt originally but we talked him into a 6bt. We built him a Nv4500 with gear vendors o/d unit, and a 350hp/950ft lbs ish 12v VE pump engine. This man is getting just about 30mpg highway at 60mph, his truck doesn't shake, the 6bt sounds better, and he has a lot more power with an engine that is a bit less stressed. He is retired and uses it to pull a small 22ft camper. He travels the country in this thing (really wish he would let us do a video on his build). Because of this, I am throughly convinced that any swap project which has room for a 6bt should go with a 6bt over a 4bt in almost any situation. That means the only benefit to a 4bt is getting it to fit into smaller vehicles. Once you realize that the 4bt weighs so much (barely less than a 6bt) you start understand how bad of an idea it is to throw a 4bt into something just because it will fit. No a bronco ii frame/suspension is not adequate to support a fully dressed drive-train that weighs over 1100-1200lbs.
Honestly that's a really good idea for an old truck like this. I have a stock '76 F250 with the 360 and T18, it handles 80 no problem (unless the wind noise bothers you). I also just remembered that I'm running regular tires lol. That's really cool and I hope it holds up well for you
Weve been working on a 4bt in a ranger. We were starting with an ifs 200s ranger, and changed up to an 88 ranger with the leaf spring front end to help pick up the weight. Was alot easier to figure out the geometry and reinforcment for the new axles and the 4bt. Plus alot more engine bay room to start with. Motor is mounted, now everything else goes together haha
I was thinking of 4bt swapping my 07 Ranger 4x4. I want to keep the axles and M5OD-R1HD manual transmission, though. I just want a basic, non-computer, mainly stock Cummins and Ranger. So think the stick manual transmission and transfer case will hold up unless I beat on it. The original 8.8 axles should be fine. I’d also like to swap an 83 Ranger dash in.
Good vid, I've got 4 older 6bt dodges, was humming and hawing about getting a 4bt into a 2wd XCLB dodge 1500.. I'd push the power up a bit in it, probably shoot for 300hp, 5x16 injectors and an HE351cw would probably work quite nicely About the cons of the expensive repairs, the one good thing about the 4bt is you can get a good set of pistons from a 6bt that melted a hole in one!... Aftermarket parts are plentiful too, and if you've done engine work on gassers, it's really not much different
I have a 3-5 year plan for my bronco which at one point was a coyote swap. However, I have always wanted a diesel bronco so its still on the table. Thanks for the info, great video.
Thank you for this video! Very good info! I’m considering the 4BT swap on my highboy. Main reasons are the fuel economy and it seems to fit much better. I don’t want to modify my firewall to get the 6 to fit.
I have a 2008 jeep wrangler rubicon that is repowered with a 4BT. It has had the cummins since 2012. I think it is the perfect power plant for a jeep, if you like diesels. It has noticeable noise.but it isn't like you can't hear the radio. It gets great fuel mileage off-road, around 24-46 on the highway.
Ty for this vid, very useful info. I'm turning one of my 78 ford's into a overland rig and have the 4bt option. I think for my application I'll stick with the original plan of using my 99 7.3 supercab running gear and frame. The 7.3 is heavy but for the price difference and I'm planning long trips and would prefer to cruise at 75-80 since some states have adopted the 75mph speed limits.
Just found your channel. I love old iron (especially Fords), and your no B.S. presentation style. I've subscribed, an am diving into the playlist. Keep up the great work.
Thanks, thought the ‘P’ pump would be the only choice for anything used in a engine swap to gain a bit of performance. Now realise the VE pump would be best for my intended use. Thanks for that :)
Awesome looking truck. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I remember trucks like this Ford. My grandparents had a 1976-77 F250 Camper Special they used to tow a 5th wheeler trailer around the country. If only they were powered (at the time) by Diesel engines, either a Cummins 4bta, or possibly a 6bt.
I had a ‘78 that was my grandpa’s truck. I always wanted a 4BTA in it. I ended up just massaging the 300 six that was in it, and on 35’s with 4.88 gears it was pretty stout. I loved the 205 for its strength, but hated the 1.96 low range. The Dana 44 front was the weakest link. If I can ever get my hands on another one, I’ll never let it go!
so much common sense it hurts. thanks for taking the time to make the video! i was considering a 4bt into an f100 but i dont think its for me right now. i do run an 89 idi on vegoil tho....smells great.
Nice review..thank you...I happen to have the exact same engine i pulled from an Oshkosh truck that came in the scrap yard..engine was replaced with reman low hours...Same Injection pump as yours...I have a 79 Bronco i plan on installing this in...
Awesome no nonsense truck! I have a 1964 Power Wagon that will be getting a 4BT in the near future. I appreciate the engine buying tips. I'm probably going to start with a used engine.
You make some extremely good points in your vid. With gas prices so low right now im having a hard time convincing myself to make the 4bt swap. I did the math and it would take about 7 years for the swap to pay itself off 😂
Doing a diesel swap is not just about fuel mileage vs pay back, it to me you love driving diesel engines, I bought a new 2018 6.7 2500 ram, the diesel option is 9k over gas, will take years to recover the premium, but if you ever have resale, that's where you win! Same with diesel swaps, but I love diesel motors, I also own a 95 ram 4x4 12v, a 12v winnebago pusher, a mercedes 190D and currently doing a 4bt swap into my 88 grand wagoneer, once you get hooked on diesel motors, nothing else will do... so diesels are not for everyone, my wife mostly hates them, she loves the 6.7 [all stock] so before you swap drive some diesel powered vehicles and get to know the quirks and fun of them, you'll get converted or you won't, my 0.02...
Your power to the ground figures are very respectable )) More power really only puts the rest of the drive train in danger of being destroyed. People in Australia have been putting 6BT in old Nissan Patrols...........and they just blow the diffs to pieces ;) I priced one of the new Cummins 2.8, 4 cylinders and they were min Aussie $10k.
great video! thanks for sharing... i have a 1997 4BTA sitting on my pallet rack that im looking at dropping it in 79 short bed Chevy K10... its manual and i plan on running an NV4500 so it cruises on the highway... my only concern is the vibration factor that i hear so much about... im all into the sound and heat deadening so maybe that'll help, but what im really after is daily drivability, reliability, good mileage and good enough power to occasionally haul a car trailer long distance whenever i need to...
i completely agree...i am doing a p pump24 valve with a zf 6 speed on a dually ford frame with a 79 chev crew cab and an 89 grill...you did a good thing here, very nice...Yah bless...doug
I bought my 4bt for $1100. My dad is a cummin's collector and i knew right when i saw it for sale what a deal it was. Going to tune it and put it in a beefed up dodge dakota.
That truck is AMAZING! How much did it cost you to make? This is such a logical and sensible built. This is the best of old school and advencment in technology. Deeam vehicle eight here.
Thanks for making this video. Really answered a lot of my questions. I have the exact same year and color truck even have the off road lights on the front and 4WD. Mine has the 300 six and gets 9 mpg on a good day and doesn't have enough power to pull a leaf off a picnic table. 480 tq on a chassis dyno is well over 500 ftlbs at the flywheel. Big increase over stock with such mild mods. What blows my mind is 20 mpg in a 6000+ lb 4 WD truck. Amazing! I've thought of converting mine to a diesel even thought of a Detroit (love the sound) several times but I just can't swing the cost. I have a spare 351W in the shed and will probably throw a 408 stroker crank in it and call it good.
fyi, you can get an Isuzu 4BD1T which is kind of the analogue to the Cummins B series, for a considerably smaller sum. Just make sure it comes out of an NPR box truck or you'll have to change the pump out for an on-road pump. Luckily though, China is still making lots of the Isuzu diesels under some license. You can get brand new pumps from there on the cheap.
I put a 12 valve in my ‘79 Supercab. Going to change the 4:10 out to something else. I have a gear vendor overdrive on it but 70mph is giving it all the onions.
That's the way large cast iron block diesels warm up. Small sub-3 L automotive diesels like the VM 2.8 and 3.0 VM and MB diesels don't take long to warm up. VM has a viscous water heater to assist that.
You seem like the practical type haha. Yes, it would for the most part. Building your mode of transportation can be cheaper if done right, but it is not easy. The finished product though... completely worth it to me (I am not the practical type). Thanks for watching!
I want to build a 4bt 4door S10 dually. Tucked handcrafted tubs and shortend axle(not a full size truck axel). Proportionately eye-pleasing. With a in bed hitch to tow my Civic.
great video. I run a 96 gmc k1500 manual.. 5500 empty. this setup would have it hovering at 6k. I have a welded frame, and this would finish nicely my sarcastic over weld. for gm swaps in the half ton..torsion 4x4 is much better off for the front engine weight increase. Nice ford you have, my first was a 1974 f100. I loved it. my gmc just went past 385k, my old ford was at 330.
@@RustyJunkExhibition I thought that maybe there was video of what I mentioned so I went and found it and then felt silly for my comment. Thank you for the way you responded. New sub.
If you did want to pull fifth wheels all the time, you need only gear it down to about 4:10, maybe 4:30 or do, and she'll rip hell out by its roots. But then you lose your great highway mileage... I have to say that I don't usually like the thought of hybryidizing a Ford and a Dodge, but that IS a sweet truck. And if ya gotta make a Frankenstein, I can't think of two better trucks to use!
Love to do this to my 05 Silverado, it's got the very anemic V6. I use that truck the same way this truck is used except no trailer hauling and my truck is about 1000lbs lighter
Very nice build. I look on it with envy. Ideal for myself would be to do it with a Ford chassis. If international had built a 6 cylinder idi I would consider that swap as well.
Used to be able to buy the whole bread truck for less than a grand around here, now you're looking at 2500-3000 for a 4bt, if you're lucky it'll still have an injection pump hanging on it for that money.
Chad McKinney I think is his name bought a metric crapton of 4BTs and has been scalping them. Even ones where the oil pan has no drain plug and allowed the oil pan and bottom end rust out.
Excellent video. I have a couple of project vehicles that I want to put a diesel in. I like diesel drive characteristics. My wife has a '18 Ram 2500 Tradesman Crewcab 4wd 6.7L. 3.42 ratio 6sp auto. I have a '16 Ram 1500 Tradesman Quadcab 4wd 3.0L 3.92 ratio 8sp auto. Cummins has a R2.8 crate engine. That is probably a better engine for most swaps. I hope to install one in my '96 Jeep ZJ. And a '78 Dodge B-100 van, that will be converted to 4wd. The key to enjoying a small diesel engine swap is axle gearing and double overdrive transmissions. My wife's truck is an absolute beast!!! That 370hp, 800lb/ft tq Cummins is more capable than the truck is rated for. My Ecodiesel with the 8sp ZF trans and 3.92 ratio is great off road. But would be better with a 4:1 ratio transfer case. On icy roads my truck is a dream to drive. My wife's truck is hard to manage unless in low range. The example you gave with the Chevy 1 ton would work very well with a doubler box and an overdrive stick or auto transmission. Most likely your truck could use a doubler too. Unfortunately any diesel swap incurs costs. The R2.8 Cummins costs $8k as a fairly complete crate engine. And it will pass 50 state emmisions up to a '99 body.
I like what you did and how you went about it. I'm currently working on a similar project with a 12 valve in a 4x4 Ford E250. I won't need to turn things up just do what's good for fuel mileage.
Really nice right to the point video. Could you tell me in you opinion, what is safe boost limits and a injector swap out on a 5.9 ISB/Vp 44. My profile pix is what I own. The 207hp is fine on the flats, but hardly on the hills.
8:23 good! Nice to see someone care about reliability and drivability, sure this thing would be great up here in Wyoming! My suv is normally aspirated and my god does it struggle 😂
@@mwilliamshs When you already swap an engine and tranny with all the mods in plumbing, electrical, linkages, mounts and cross members, than welding a recess into the firewall is not much extra effort.
@@mwilliamshs Lack of room is swapping a chevy 350 in a Jeep CJ. Or a Detroit 6V53TI in a pick up truck. I have put a chevy 350 in a datsun z which is also an example of lack of room. There are lots of 6bt swaps in chevy and ford trucks at car shows and yes, there is plenty of space.
You are right. Trucks from the 70's up to the Mid 90's had around the same power levels. This 4BT is out performing most stock gas trucks up to the Mid 90's. Especially in the fuel economy, and torque departments. Thanks for pointing that out!
That's great power to the wheels for a slightly messed with 4bt at 4400 feet of elevation Edit: I'd only really swap in a 4bt into anything mainly for better fuel economy
@@RustyJunkExhibition Hey, don't know if you have caught some of these comments or not, but if you are anywhere along our test corridor when we are out there in the Rockies, (Denver, Idaho Springs, Silverthorne, Dillon, Steamboat, Kremmling, Winter park, Granby), but fire me your contact info to magnumv1066 at gmail and when we get in your neck of the woods we'll meet up for lunch sometime. Thanks for posting your project and using our good old 4B!
@@austinblevins6804 highly doubt that. Once the ENTIRE cost of swapping is figured in, and that diesel is often higher than gas I can almost guarantee you won't. Not in the lifetime of that truck/engine
Nicely down truck, I have a 1985 GMC 2500 frame and a 1966 Chevy C20 cab and bed 4bt Cummins VE . I’ve had the motor in a rat rod that I built , but it was too much motor for it.
After watching a chode that put one of these in his jeep, and his inability to make a decent UA-cam video, finding your video, has been, well..... refreshing!!! Great job on the good and bad points. Kudos!!!!👍🏼👍🏼
Got four 4bt engines one is the same as yours the other came out of a street sweeper the last two out of sailboats got them all for free! I want to swap in a 1988 f150 4x4! What is the best trans for the 4bt! Overdrive is a must! Hwy to around town daily driver! I'm not about speed I plan on keeping it for the rest of my life!
Great video , you put it all out there with very good facts . It's an awesome engine but like you said it expensive and has limits as do all engines . But sadly most ppl think it's way more than it is . I'm a 6bt guy myself but if I had a 4 I'd make good use of it .
If Rudolph Diesel's plan came to fruition, the vast majority of old trucks would have come with mechanical diesels like this and we'd all be better off for it.
Word🎉
Government regulations 😂😂 government knows what’s best 😂
@@elisalazar3097 nah it's Americans being dumb af. Because there will always be some soft headed pig who will say that a gas hog is better than a diesel because that's all their brain can handle
12 valve for life !!
No, his plan was for the engine to run off of different oils made from plants from which are grown all over the world do some research 🧐
I’m a GM fan, but hats off to this rig! One of my favorite era of Ford truck. And simple, utilitarian, timelessness.
Forever one of my favorite 4bt trucks, simple and good looking
You mean super good looking!
Awesome! The 4bt’s are significantly more expensive than the 6bt, if space isn’t a concern it often makes more sense to go with the 6. Either way, IMO they are the crown jewel of diesel engines. I have a swapped vehicle and I think I would pull the engine for another swap before I’d ever think about selling it.
They may be considered the crown jewel here in the states but it can be argued in the diesel community that other diesels are far superior. It comes down to what one plans on doing with the engine.
idk I'll stick to my 2018 cummins
Theirs better options the 4bt is just more common….om606 would be a crown jewel….Cummins are cheap and throw away engines in the commercial world not having wet sleeves make overhauling them to expensive to justify if they have worn cylinders
@@oddlyrightoddlyright2475 that and they're designed to be a little lighter so they can be put in trucks and equipment and not be ridiculously heavy.
But I agree they're pretty much bottom dollar industrial engines and they didn't hold up in farm equipment
The 4BD1 Isuzu is far superior to the 4bt Cummins in design and construction. It is simply better built and comes factory with a rack pump
I have a 73 F100 and my 302 spun a bearing. It was a hot piece of mess to begin with so I decided to rebuild another 302 and swap it in. well instead of just dumping another 302 in, I had it bored, heads done, new intake, cam, etc. by the time I was done I was about 5k into the engine. yeah its better than the boat anchor that was in there but 10mpg and 65mph is about the best it gets. I could have bought a 4bt and swapped it in for less by the time all the smoke cleared.
A fresh 302 sounds sweet! You'll just have to build another truck with a diesel
@@RustyJunkExhibition well if my superduty doesnt behave it might loose its v10!
I have no inclination to do anything with a 4BT, idk why I even clicked the video, but I can say one thing for sure, I thoroughly enjoyed the video lol
This is definitely pushing me more towards my idea of a 6BT into a K5 Blazer. Great MPG, an engine I know well, and more torque.
Sounds like a great project. K5s are a solid platform for a serious off roader.
But isnt the 6bt too heavy to put in a blazer?
Awesome man how did that work out. I'm here in 2024 researching to do a 6bt in my Ramcharger
The best full disclosure 4BT video I've seen. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
I have a 1974 F100 and want to do a 4bt swap in it. THANK YOU for all the information you provide in your video. it is really helpful!
One of the best looking trucks on the web and having a 4BT is icing on the cake.
Brother, you have made one honest truck and video. People like you make this world work.
Just caught your video a couple years late Lol. I am a 73' to 79' dent side Ford lover, Back in the early 80's just out of high school got my first one a 75' F250 high boy before it was over that truck was on 18/44s a 490 ci BB Ford pushing 823hp on the dyno right @ 1 mile per gallon of good fuel. A couple of friends of mine were Detroit Diesel guys they were putting 453 and 471T DDAs in theirs pretty nice little set up. So my old 75' I decided to make it bigger with with 2 1/2 ton rockwells and 48s and do a Detroit swap... Well that never evolved when she was tore down another friend of mine rolled his truck and needed a body and offered me to much to refuse for mine then others wanted the big block military's and tires so she never ended up finished. So let's click to now last year found the back yard find of history for me, a pristine 1979 F 350 4x4 with a 453T DDA with a RTO 6610 10 spd over drive transmission still playing with her. I can see the 4 BTA light good mpg plenty of go. the only difference in the Detroit and the Cummins is weight the detroit is 1200lbs and the transmission is 1200lbs. But she is cool and gets good MPGs and even has a real 2 stage jake brake. But Love your truck real cool ride!
Considering putting one in my ‘68 Lincoln 🤔 thinking 6BT at first but the length is a killer and I don’t want to be chopping the chassis around, the appeal of a mechanical all torque motor for cruising with about 4 times the mpg is great, especially when it’s already got a patina’d Fallout look
7:30 Correction, they run hot but take a while to warm up on the big cast iron blocks.
From what I've learned, the combustion chamber is under way more pressure and heat compared to a petrol. That's why diesel parts are so heavy duty.
Great video and cool truck.
You did a good job with the body swap. Usually I can spot a body swap, but I didn’t spot this one until you pointed it out.
Thanks for the compliment. She fakes it pretty good.
Great article! I can relate to this. I drove a 1974 F250 2wd for 13 years. I put an Isuzu 4BB1 in it in1979 and turbogharged it in1982 . It gave me 27 mpg and was very dependable--noisy as hell, though.
Did the same with a 68 f100 everything you said is spot on. If I wasn’t working on the road right now I’d drive mine everyday over my 3500 cummins. zf5 speed 3.55 gears and 35 inch tires is perfect combo. Can get 30 mpg driving 60 mph on flat ground 24-26 is the normal hiway.
You solved the one thing I hate about those beautiful 70s Fords, the fuel economy. I sold my 79 f150 with the 351M because it got 8.5mpg highway and it was slower than my 2.7 i4 Tacoma. Well done!!
I had a '79 Ford F-250 with the 351M. In 1984, I changed the timing chain to a double roller indexable set at 4° advanced. The cam was ground 4° retarded at the factory, so that made the cam normal. I put a Thrush turbo muffler instead of the factory muffler. The fuel economy went from 9mpg to 15mpg @ 70mph.
Thanks for doing this video. I’m looking at putting a 4bt in my 82 bronco, I want that fuel economy! Right now I’m getting 7-10 mpg with my stock 351.
Have you looked at getting an auxiliary gearbox?
Gear Vendors make an auxiliary box that goes behind the transmission and will double your transmission gears. A 5 speed becomes a 10. It'll give you a double over drive for non-towing highway use. It's basically having half gears between the main gears.
It is awesome!
I’m doing something similar, putting a Ford 256D out of a Ford tractor (came out of a 5000, rebuilding it into a 7700 motor) into an ‘87 F-250. Your video has some good information, thanks a lot for sharing!
Now THAT is an interesting sounding project...
I hope you will post a video of that when you finish!
Crazy cool. That 4BT is still making really good power. Probably way more than my 67 F100 4x4 with a 428. I bought my 67 specifically to put a 4BT in it....but retired from state service before it could get it done.
Great truck. A test drive in the video would have been the cherry on top.
Great build. As for the noise and vibrations and people not liking them. I have a '95 power stroke. It's straight piped, I love the clatterstroke.
6.5 guy but here I am. Nice build and look forward to future content. 👍
At work we have a 4bt case skid steer vibrates terribly and everything broke on that rig we worked it to the ground but the engine never skipped a beat
In the “middle” of a 6bt nv4500 swap to my 1967 f100 (on a 1978 3/4 ton 4x4 frame)...thanks for showing lots of the details... hope my truck works as well as yours.
The 6bt will be nice. They run smoother than the 4bt. And they're easily upgraded..
Thanks so much! I'm doing a 4bt swap rigth now and when I saw your project I really got all motivation that I need
Very well put together vid I own 2 6bta Dodge diesels. Nice to see the old truck with the best diesel out there installed.
Amayzing build, and you've racked up some incredible mileage on top of that! Congrats on your bad ass built!
Excellent video thanks. Allow me to be a devil's advocate little punk...
I have a business rebuilding manual transmissions and cummins engines 4bt, 6bt, 24v, CR, 6.7's etc. My personal diesel truck is a 215 p-pump dually 12 valve with nv4500 and 3.73's. Just this morning I closed off the AFC and took a 60 mile trip at 60-65 mph, 1800 ish rpm. I made 23.8 mpg measured at the same pump. (Turbo is a 60/67/12)
I don't know what rear end you have but try to imagine you went alllll the way down to 2.92 gears and threw in a 6bt...
A customer of mine built a single wheel 89 f250 with 3.31 rear end and taller rear tires. The effective final ratio after the tires was 2.92. He wanted a 4bt originally but we talked him into a 6bt. We built him a Nv4500 with gear vendors o/d unit, and a 350hp/950ft lbs ish 12v VE pump engine. This man is getting just about 30mpg highway at 60mph, his truck doesn't shake, the 6bt sounds better, and he has a lot more power with an engine that is a bit less stressed.
He is retired and uses it to pull a small 22ft camper. He travels the country in this thing (really wish he would let us do a video on his build).
Because of this, I am throughly convinced that any swap project which has room for a 6bt should go with a 6bt over a 4bt in almost any situation. That means the only benefit to a 4bt is getting it to fit into smaller vehicles. Once you realize that the 4bt weighs so much (barely less than a 6bt) you start understand how bad of an idea it is to throw a 4bt into something just because it will fit. No a bronco ii frame/suspension is not adequate to support a fully dressed drive-train that weighs over 1100-1200lbs.
Honestly that's a really good idea for an old truck like this. I have a stock '76 F250 with the 360 and T18, it handles 80 no problem (unless the wind noise bothers you). I also just remembered that I'm running regular tires lol. That's really cool and I hope it holds up well for you
This truck is a "hodge podge" of AWESOME!!
Weve been working on a 4bt in a ranger. We were starting with an ifs 200s ranger, and changed up to an 88 ranger with the leaf spring front end to help pick up the weight. Was alot easier to figure out the geometry and reinforcment for the new axles and the 4bt. Plus alot more engine bay room to start with. Motor is mounted, now everything else goes together haha
Looking to swap a ranger any tips?
I was thinking of 4bt swapping my 07 Ranger 4x4. I want to keep the axles and M5OD-R1HD manual transmission, though. I just want a basic, non-computer, mainly stock Cummins and Ranger. So think the stick manual transmission and transfer case will hold up unless I beat on it. The original 8.8 axles should be fine. I’d also like to swap an 83 Ranger dash in.
Meant to say I think the stock manual transmission and transfer case will hold up.
@Mike Tonon it will not, sorry bud even the R1HD can't take the torque
Good vid, I've got 4 older 6bt dodges, was humming and hawing about getting a 4bt into a 2wd XCLB dodge 1500.. I'd push the power up a bit in it, probably shoot for 300hp, 5x16 injectors and an HE351cw would probably work quite nicely
About the cons of the expensive repairs, the one good thing about the 4bt is you can get a good set of pistons from a 6bt that melted a hole in one!... Aftermarket parts are plentiful too, and if you've done engine work on gassers, it's really not much different
I have a 3-5 year plan for my bronco which at one point was a coyote swap. However, I have always wanted a diesel bronco so its still on the table. Thanks for the info, great video.
Thank you for this video! Very good info! I’m considering the 4BT swap on my highboy. Main reasons are the fuel economy and it seems to fit much better. I don’t want to modify my firewall to get the 6 to fit.
I have a 2008 jeep wrangler rubicon that is repowered with a 4BT. It has had the cummins since 2012. I think it is the perfect power plant for a jeep, if you like diesels. It has noticeable noise.but it isn't like you can't hear the radio. It gets great fuel mileage off-road, around 24-46 on the highway.
Damn that’s super clean, and done right imo.
I like how it’s basic and not over done. Great video, very informative.
Ty for this vid, very useful info. I'm turning one of my 78 ford's into a overland rig and have the 4bt option. I think for my application I'll stick with the original plan of using my 99 7.3 supercab running gear and frame. The 7.3 is heavy but for the price difference and I'm planning long trips and would prefer to cruise at 75-80 since some states have adopted the 75mph speed limits.
Just found your channel. I love old iron (especially Fords), and your no B.S. presentation style. I've subscribed, an am diving into the playlist. Keep up the great work.
Awesome, thank you!
Thanks, thought the ‘P’ pump would be the only choice for anything used in a engine swap to gain a bit of performance. Now realise the VE pump would be best for my intended use. Thanks for that :)
don't listen to keyboard warriors and you'll be amazed what you can learn out there
Awesome looking truck. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I remember trucks like this Ford. My grandparents had a 1976-77 F250 Camper Special they used to tow a 5th wheeler trailer around the country. If only they were powered (at the time) by Diesel engines, either a Cummins 4bta, or possibly a 6bt.
I had a ‘78 that was my grandpa’s truck. I always wanted a 4BTA in it.
I ended up just massaging the 300 six that was in it, and on 35’s with 4.88 gears it was pretty stout. I loved the 205 for its strength, but hated the 1.96 low range. The Dana 44 front was the weakest link. If I can ever get my hands on another one, I’ll never let it go!
Bro I got a 78 Ford F150 ranger that was my great grandpa’s
so much common sense it hurts. thanks for taking the time to make the video! i was considering a 4bt into an f100 but i dont think its for me right now. i do run an 89 idi on vegoil tho....smells great.
Nice review..thank you...I happen to have the exact same engine i pulled from an Oshkosh truck that came in the scrap yard..engine was replaced with reman low hours...Same Injection pump as yours...I have a 79 Bronco i plan on installing this in...
Awesome no nonsense truck! I have a 1964 Power Wagon that will be getting a 4BT in the near future. I appreciate the engine buying tips. I'm probably going to start with a used engine.
You make some extremely good points in your vid. With gas prices so low right now im having a hard time convincing myself to make the 4bt swap. I did the math and it would take about 7 years for the swap to pay itself off 😂
Doing a diesel swap is not just about fuel mileage vs pay back, it to me you love driving diesel engines, I bought a new 2018 6.7 2500 ram, the diesel option is 9k over gas, will take years to recover the premium, but if you ever have resale, that's where you win! Same with diesel swaps, but I love diesel motors, I also own a 95 ram 4x4 12v, a 12v winnebago pusher, a mercedes 190D and currently doing a 4bt swap into my 88 grand wagoneer, once you get hooked on diesel motors, nothing else will do... so diesels are not for everyone, my wife mostly hates them, she loves the 6.7 [all stock] so before you swap drive some diesel powered vehicles and get to know the quirks and fun of them, you'll get converted or you won't, my 0.02...
With crazy rise in gas... how does it compare now?
diesel for life . they burn better than gasoline as well
Great summary! This was very helpful as I plan my 4BT swap into a 1992 Dodge B250 4x4 Ram Van
Your power to the ground figures are very respectable )) More power really only puts the rest of the drive train in danger of being destroyed. People in Australia have been putting 6BT in old Nissan Patrols...........and they just blow the diffs to pieces ;) I priced one of the new Cummins 2.8, 4 cylinders and they were min Aussie $10k.
great video! thanks for sharing... i have a 1997 4BTA sitting on my pallet rack that im looking at dropping it in 79 short bed Chevy K10... its manual and i plan on running an NV4500 so it cruises on the highway... my only concern is the vibration factor that i hear so much about... im all into the sound and heat deadening so maybe that'll help, but what im really after is daily drivability, reliability, good mileage and good enough power to occasionally haul a car trailer long distance whenever i need to...
Thanks for the video i been watching a bunch of videos im swapping a 4BTA in to my 1960 f250 4x4
A little confident huh 😏 awsome sales man .I don't doubt a word you said.
i completely agree...i am doing a p pump24 valve with a zf 6 speed on a dually ford frame with a 79 chev crew cab and an 89 grill...you did a good thing here, very nice...Yah bless...doug
I luv how you reused the granny 4 speed shifter
I bought my 4bt for $1100. My dad is a cummin's collector and i knew right when i saw it for sale what a deal it was. Going to tune it and put it in a beefed up dodge dakota.
That truck is AMAZING! How much did it cost you to make?
This is such a logical and sensible built. This is the best of old school and advencment in technology. Deeam vehicle eight here.
Thanks for making this video. Really answered a lot of my questions. I have the exact same year and color truck even have the off road lights on the front and 4WD. Mine has the 300 six and gets 9 mpg on a good day and doesn't have enough power to pull a leaf off a picnic table. 480 tq on a chassis dyno is well over 500 ftlbs at the flywheel. Big increase over stock with such mild mods. What blows my mind is 20 mpg in a 6000+ lb 4 WD truck. Amazing! I've thought of converting mine to a diesel even thought of a Detroit (love the sound) several times but I just can't swing the cost. I have a spare 351W in the shed and will probably throw a 408 stroker crank in it and call it good.
Just wanted to point out, that 460 will VERY quickly cost you more in fuel the the 4BT swap would cost up front.
I love it. Broncos are awesome, and I want a 4BT in a 4x4 with a manual transmission.
I have a 4BT in a 78 GMC 4x4 Suburban and love it!
Nice build, and great to honestly hear what the truck is and clearly is not.
Giddyup!
fyi, you can get an Isuzu 4BD1T which is kind of the analogue to the Cummins B series, for a considerably smaller sum.
Just make sure it comes out of an NPR box truck or you'll have to change the pump out for an on-road pump. Luckily though, China is still making lots of the Isuzu diesels under some license. You can get brand new pumps from there on the cheap.
I put on in my 1954 Ford custom line and love it
I put a 12 valve in my ‘79 Supercab. Going to change the 4:10 out to something else. I have a gear vendor overdrive on it but 70mph is giving it all the onions.
I like your manual locking hub conversion.
I have an '02 wrangler with a blown motor........ that's why I'm here.
Go with a VW tdi engine lots of kits for Jeep swapping lots of power and mileage and a lot lighter and cheaper.
Tdi for the jeep all day that cast iron 4bt is way too heavy
Ive wanted to build a 79 4 door ford truck with a 6bt. I wanted the 6bt because the truck will be used for work, pulling trailers daily
Awesome video man. I've got an 82 GMC K15 I'm thinking of doing a 4BT swap with.
That's the way large cast iron block diesels warm up. Small sub-3 L automotive diesels like the VM 2.8 and 3.0 VM and MB diesels don't take long to warm up. VM has a viscous water heater to assist that.
Well ya answered most of my questions but one, would not it be cheaper, easier, and more efficient to just buy a 12 valve, Dodge?
You seem like the practical type haha. Yes, it would for the most part. Building your mode of transportation can be cheaper if done right, but it is not easy. The finished product though... completely worth it to me (I am not the practical type). Thanks for watching!
I want to build a 4bt 4door S10 dually. Tucked handcrafted tubs and shortend axle(not a full size truck axel). Proportionately eye-pleasing. With a in bed hitch to tow my Civic.
great video. I run a 96 gmc k1500 manual.. 5500 empty. this setup would have it hovering at 6k. I have a welded frame, and this would finish nicely my sarcastic over weld. for gm swaps in the half ton..torsion 4x4 is much better off for the front engine weight increase. Nice ford you have, my first was a 1974 f100. I loved it. my gmc just went past 385k, my old ford was at 330.
A k1500 is a great 4bt swap
Would have been cool to hear it and perhaps have shown an in cab video of a run down the road. Enjoyed. Thank you for sharing.
Check out my other videos for this content. Thanks for watching!
@@RustyJunkExhibition I thought that maybe there was video of what I mentioned so I went and found it and then felt silly for my comment. Thank you for the way you responded. New sub.
@@jerryferguson5461 It's all good! I love the feedback.
Good presentation. And explained very well. I've done. The 4BT and 6BT and Mercedes 5cyl turbo diesel swaps. Super Nice F2500 swap. Way to go man.
Tysm for the informative video. I'm thinking of putting a 4bt in a 1996 Ford E150 conversion van.
Really nice truck & video, thank you for sharing. I've always wanted to do a diesel swap in one of my old trucks, now I know I want to do it.
Thanks, it was good to remind people about matching engine to frame.
If you did want to pull fifth wheels all the time, you need only gear it down to about 4:10, maybe 4:30 or do, and she'll rip hell out by its roots. But then you lose your great highway mileage...
I have to say that I don't usually like the thought of hybryidizing a Ford and a Dodge, but that IS a sweet truck. And if ya gotta make a Frankenstein, I can't think of two better trucks to use!
Love to do this to my 05 Silverado, it's got the very anemic V6. I use that truck the same way this truck is used except no trailer hauling and my truck is about 1000lbs lighter
Very nice build. I look on it with envy. Ideal for myself would be to do it with a Ford chassis. If international had built a 6 cylinder idi I would consider that swap as well.
I remember 8 years ago when you could get a 4BT with transmission for $1200. Now they want $2500+ for them.
Used to be able to buy the whole bread truck for less than a grand around here, now you're looking at 2500-3000 for a 4bt, if you're lucky it'll still have an injection pump hanging on it for that money.
Chad McKinney I think is his name bought a metric crapton of 4BTs and has been scalping them. Even ones where the oil pan has no drain plug and allowed the oil pan and bottom end rust out.
Beautiful build. Just plain simple.
I think this will be the way I go with my 63 Jeep Gladiator.
Excellent video. I have a couple of project vehicles that I want to put a diesel in. I like diesel drive characteristics. My wife has a '18 Ram 2500 Tradesman Crewcab 4wd 6.7L. 3.42 ratio 6sp auto. I have a '16 Ram 1500 Tradesman Quadcab 4wd 3.0L 3.92 ratio 8sp auto.
Cummins has a R2.8 crate engine. That is probably a better engine for most swaps. I hope to install one in my '96 Jeep ZJ. And a '78 Dodge B-100 van, that will be converted to 4wd.
The key to enjoying a small diesel engine swap is axle gearing and double overdrive transmissions. My wife's truck is an absolute beast!!! That 370hp, 800lb/ft tq Cummins is more capable than the truck is rated for. My Ecodiesel with the 8sp ZF trans and 3.92 ratio is great off road. But would be better with a 4:1 ratio transfer case. On icy roads my truck is a dream to drive. My wife's truck is hard to manage unless in low range.
The example you gave with the Chevy 1 ton would work very well with a doubler box and an overdrive stick or auto transmission. Most likely your truck could use a doubler too.
Unfortunately any diesel swap incurs costs. The R2.8 Cummins costs $8k as a fairly complete crate engine. And it will pass 50 state emmisions up to a '99 body.
extremely accurate and honest review of this swap. Great video
Glad you liked it!
I like what you did and how you went about it.
I'm currently working on a similar project with a 12 valve in a 4x4 Ford E250. I won't need to turn things up just do what's good for fuel mileage.
I have no clue how that'll fit though
Pretty cool this popped up on my feed! Looks like you got some fancy wheels on it now.
It was weird putting shiny parts on the Ford! So cool you found the video.
Really nice right to the point video. Could you tell me in you opinion, what is safe boost limits and a injector swap out on a 5.9 ISB/Vp 44. My profile pix is what I own. The 207hp is fine on the flats, but hardly on the hills.
8:23 good! Nice to see someone care about reliability and drivability, sure this thing would be great up here in Wyoming! My suv is normally aspirated and my god does it struggle 😂
Thank you I am looking at putting one in my 1964 f100 and this was a very informative video
Interesting choice when there is plenty of room for a 6BT. I have only seen the 4BTs in Jeeps. Sweet truck.
6bt would require firewall mods at the least
@@mwilliamshs When you already swap an engine and tranny with all the mods in plumbing, electrical, linkages, mounts and cross members, than welding a recess into the firewall is not much extra effort.
@@redmunchkin so "plenty of room" = if you cut, fabricate, and weld it in
@@mwilliamshs Lack of room is swapping a chevy 350 in a Jeep CJ. Or a Detroit 6V53TI in a pick up truck. I have put a chevy 350 in a datsun z which is also an example of lack of room. There are lots of 6bt swaps in chevy and ford trucks at car shows and yes, there is plenty of space.
Considering the 95 crew cab 4x4 dually that I had came with only 169 horsepower. Because it was an automatic transmission. Your 4 banger is damn good.
You are right. Trucks from the 70's up to the Mid 90's had around the same power levels. This 4BT is out performing most stock gas trucks up to the Mid 90's. Especially in the fuel economy, and torque departments. Thanks for pointing that out!
That's great power to the wheels for a slightly messed with 4bt at 4400 feet of elevation
Edit: I'd only really swap in a 4bt into anything mainly for better fuel economy
Thanks man!
@@RustyJunkExhibition Hey, don't know if you have caught some of these comments or not, but if you are anywhere along our test corridor when we are out there in the Rockies, (Denver, Idaho Springs, Silverthorne, Dillon, Steamboat, Kremmling, Winter park, Granby), but fire me your contact info to magnumv1066 at gmail and when we get in your neck of the woods we'll meet up for lunch sometime.
Thanks for posting your project and using our good old 4B!
Spending thousands to save pennies on fuel
@@rslover65 over time you'll save that much if not more
@@austinblevins6804 highly doubt that. Once the ENTIRE cost of swapping is figured in, and that diesel is often higher than gas I can almost guarantee you won't. Not in the lifetime of that truck/engine
Nicely down truck, I have a 1985 GMC 2500 frame and a 1966 Chevy C20 cab and bed 4bt Cummins VE . I’ve had the motor in a rat rod that I built , but it was too much motor for it.
Thinking of putting a 4cyl comercial fridge diesel in my K10
After watching a chode that put one of these in his jeep, and his inability to make a decent UA-cam video, finding your video, has been, well..... refreshing!!! Great job on the good and bad points. Kudos!!!!👍🏼👍🏼
Got four 4bt engines one is the same as yours the other came out of a street sweeper the last two out of sailboats got them all for free! I want to swap in a 1988 f150 4x4! What is the best trans for the 4bt! Overdrive is a must! Hwy to around town daily driver! I'm not about speed I plan on keeping it for the rest of my life!
Just finished my 4BT OJ Bronco...needs a better turbo but nice drive witht he E40D and US Shift 4....
Been looking into doing this swap on a 53 Chevy 3100. Ty for all the info.
Great video , you put it all out there with very good facts . It's an awesome engine but like you said it expensive and has limits as do all engines . But sadly most ppl think it's way more than it is . I'm a 6bt guy myself but if I had a 4 I'd make good use of it .