It isn’t everyday that you can understand someone yanking the 454 out of a perfectly good square-body GM truck. Besides the immediate “but…big-block!” argument, there’s the contingent of folks who view a big-bore V8 as a better alternative to a diesel, and those who would rather hear the happy noises of a Mark IV block putting down torque over the clatter that signifies the arrival of a Cummins diesel. Then again, there’s a strong argument for the twelve-valve Cummins inline-six, too. Working with 95 less cubic inches, the Cummins can produce a tsunami of torque that the Rat could only match if it was built to the hilt inside and out. The Cummins is about as anvil-durable as they get, and any weight issues that come with a diesel swap will be quickly dealt with by the turbocharging system. If you want to play, you use the big-block. But when you want to work, you use a diesel. That’s the mindset of Mike Finnegan, who has found the weaknesses of the Ramp Truck, the 1974 Chevrolet C30 ramp truck that has been around for a few minutes now. The Chevy was always lauded in shows, but it had it’s fair share of issues and now that Finn is using the truck to haul around his ’55 Chevy, he’s learned a thing or two about dismal fuel economy, overheating and crawling up mountain grades while getting passed by triple-trailer semi trucks.
The answer was a twelve-valve…in this case, one yanked from what appears to be an Air Force tug Dodge. These stubby little trucks are a cut-down and rebodied unit that’s meant to drag aircraft across a flightline and to haul a couple of airmen out to work on whatever is broke. They’re geared to the moon and “usually” are well taken care of. So, we have a surplus Dodge, help from Power Driven Diesel and Diesel Conversion Specialists, and a Chevy that’s about to get a heart transplant that GM never saw coming. This is the first of a two-part series, but the meat and potatoes of how to jam a Cummins into a square-body is here. Check it out!
Good one! I can’t wait to see the road test
Shame – why take a nice hard to find truck and ruin it with the latest trend?? – Oh, that’s right Finn was into mini-trucks and such and it makes good press – I’d like have had a chance to buy before he does it……
Boring … The Cummins swap is as common as LS swap and both are lame at this point .,.. Now if he used a duramax I might have been interested but Im not gonna watch a video with the same engine swap I have see a 100 times before …
What is the cost for the parts truck? For all of the go fast goodies? Would we be better off buying a used modern diesel that the heater and ac weren’t cut out to fit the motor?
Removing the heater and ac is dumb. No reason it won’t fit. There are plenty of functional Cummins swaped square bodies out there.
I have no opinion on whether the engine swap is appropriate, but the straight six diesels do have the best sound, am I right?
Of course its a matter of opinion, but I think its a factor in why this swap is becoming more popular
Another Cummins swap – Yawn.
Not a fan…….the swap or the guy
well since roadkill is officially dead it figures finnegan would try this. seriously just fuse the dodge tug and the square body, both junk anyway now. with his talent not sure why he is content with his junk hacks.