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Repower Specialist Uses Cummins "For Everything"
Cummins 3.3L industrial engines work great to repower smaller gas and diesel-powered vehicles, according to Jacob Kraybill, Cedar Grove Mechanics. He has used them to repower both a Ford Ranger and Toyota Tundra. He uses larger, heavy-duty Cummins diesels to repower full-size trucks, too.
  “I use Cummins because I used to work in a diesel repair shop and had connections to surplus engines,” explains Kraybill. “I think the 3.3L Cummins is the best fit for a diesel in a small pickup that I’ve seen. It’s a little lighter and higher speed engine than some.”
  When Kraybill repowered the Ranger, he used a Cummins that came to him in pieces due to a factory defect. He retained the diesel flywheel and built an adapter ring to connect it with the flywheel from the Ranger’s original gas engine. This allowed him to also use the Ranger’s pressure plate and bell housing on the transmission.
  He built his own engine mounts and mounted the accessories, such as power steering and vacuum pump. He also added an intercooler from an International truck with a 466 cu. in. engine. He had to chop it short to fit on front of the Cummins.
  “Eventually I had to go with a racing pressure plate and clutch kit, as the original couldn’t handle the torque,” says Kraybill. “I ran the Ranger for 30,000 to 35,000 miles and got 30 to 31 mpg before selling it.”
  Kraybill’s next repower was the Toyota, which he did for a friend in Alberta, Canada. This time he went with a new Cummins. Again, he fabricated an adapter ring for the diesel-to-gas flywheel conversion. However, he immediately replaced the pressure plate and clutch. Eventually, he swapped out the light transmission for a heavier transmission designed for a 6-cylinder engine. He also added a water-methanol injection system instead of an intercooler.
  “I did the Toyota in October 2011, and my friend says he’s getting around 29 to 30 mpg with it,” says Kraybill.
  In the case of the full-size Ford 250’s he repowered, Kraybill used 5.9L Cummins diesels. In one case, he kept the original transmission. He used an adapter kit, engine mounts, transmission controller and harness, as well as additional parts from Diesel Conversion Specialists (www.dieselconversion.com). On the second repower, he replaced the PowerStroke 6L engine as well as the transmission. This time he used the Cummins engine and a Dodge transmission and transfer case.
  “In the newer body style Fords, there’s a lot more room under the hood,” says Kraybill. “You just mount the engine and transmission and hook up the drivelines and linkage. That works the nicest, and it saves a lot of time and money.”
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cedar Grove Mechanics, 7997 Manito Lake Rd., Fortuna, Mo. 65034 (ph 573 723-0699; jkraybill@martinmachinery.com).


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2013 - Volume #37, Issue #2