Travco 270 getting a Cummins Diesel swap

[77Travco]

Very cool indeed! I will be watching this thread closely. \n\nI am currently working on my brothers Chevy pickup with a Cummings 4BT swapped into it. I am getting ready to rewire the whole truck. This is his second 4BT in a Chevy like this, this one has a TH400 and the other has a granny 4 speed. Both run and drive very well and get mid 20's for fuel mileage.\n\nI know this is not Travco related but I thought ya"ll might find it of interest. Here are a few pics below.

[jeeprobb]

Hi all sorry for the delay, I have been trying to use the good weather to my advantage so here is where I am. The Cummins went between the frame rails almost as though it was made to, a little scary actually! I was able to use the original frame half of the motor mounts, new Cummins rubbers, and the Cummins engine side of the mounts. The motor is sitting in now and the tranny is bolted to it so here are some photos.

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[jeeprobb]

If you look close at these pics. you can see how I cut the slot in the frame side of the motor mounts about 3/8" deeper this allowed the Cummins to settle down into the factory Dodge mounts. The Cummins/Dodge OE mount rubbers have offset studs so they are adjustable. I rotated them so that the motor is set back as far as it could be and this is going to allow me to mount the radiator in the stock location (more on that later).

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Next is the Allison, considerably bigger than 727 but not undoable. According to Allison the AT545 weighs 242 lbs. dry, not terrible but also heavier than the 727.

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This tranny came from behind a Cummins so it and the torque converter were designed to work within the diesel RPM range.

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[jeeprobb]

That is all of the pics I have for now as it got dark on us:) I will try to post again soon with more and the other "adjustments" I had to make. Thanks for looking. Robb

[77Travco]

Slotting the bottom portion of the original mounts, and using the top portion of the Cummings mounts, is basically what it takes to bolt in the Cummings in place of the 440 ? \nThis is very good information to know! Keep us updated on your progress!

[Acesneights]

Slotting the bottom portion of the original mounts, and using the top portion of the Cummings mounts, is basically what it takes to bolt in the Cummings in place of the 440 ? \nThis is very good information to know! Keep us updated on your progress!

\nyeah right ??? That is dangerous info... \nNow I really wanna do it. \nRob, don't be stingy with the pics...we will pay for the film.. \nI'm probably gonna use a built 518 for the trans but I'll see how you make out first. The Ally 545 is one tough bastard. You will not kill that anytime soon. Does that Ally have the Driveshaft E brake ?? Looked like it in the pics. That is a home run right there.

[Acesneights]

Looks like you got airbags in the front so tha should help although at some point I could see you adding a few leafs.

[jeeprobb]

I know who would have thought that the big block mounts would work! Jury is still out as it has not run yet, but so far everything looks good. Yes the Allison does have the shaft e-brake and it is about twice the size as the Dodge unit so should work out well. I will definitely add more pics and if you guys have questions don't be afraid to ask. Robb

[Acesneights]

That's good. The Allison one might actually do something compared to the joke that Dodge used. Might as well nail a shoe to a stick and call it the emergency brake shoe.

[jeeprobb]

Oh yeah, as far as the weight goes. Cummins states that the 6bt weighs in at 975 lbs. most people think it weighs alot more than that but it does not. The 440 weighs in at around 650-700 lbs. so the difference is not that great. I am actually hoping that the extra weight will settle the front end down some. The air bags were already in the front and rear, an upgrade done by the P.O. I think they have taken away alot of the side to side sway. I think I read somewhere that a steering stabilizer is another upgrade worth doing. More pics and details coming soon.