Project: Doitall Dodge

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
The camper shell and tire trip is on for this weekend!

I ended up finding a nice cab high fiberglass Leer camper shell. Just the one I wanted!

AND

I ended up lining up that set of 325/85r16 Michelin XML tires. I found a set of 4 so I will have to find something for a spare. Perhaps something narrower and tall to save some space in back. These are a little bigger than I had planned at 38.5" tall (no load height) but they will work well. They are strong enough for the how heavy this truck is ( 7k or so ) without breaking a sweat. The steel belted sidewall is going to be nice insurance also.

I'm going to be a driving fool this weekend, and the truck has to earn its keep!

I am going to be trading the existing tires/wheels on the truck ( the 315s ) out for the stock rims and some 265/75r16s that came with the truck when I bought it. I am trying to get a better feeling for the gearing I might need in the truck. I currently have 3.55s and am wondering what to change to. 4.10s will put be back to where I am currently. 4.56s would be the same as the 265s and 3.55s combo. I am interested to see what this is going to do to the mileage on the truck.

The truck really isn't getting any taller other than the added tire radius ( about 2.25" ). I might even drop the front suspension down 1" to level the truck.

The tires are going to be taller and heavier, but the cross section is going to be about the same at 325mm vs 315mm. We will see....
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
max rated speed is at max load, 5000lbs per tire.

I think I can press the speed a bit with about 2000lbs per tire.
 

Rot Box

Explorer
I think 37s would be just about perfect with 4.10s. It just sucks that the trucks wheel openings are so small. That is why I am lengthening the fenders. I don't like lifts, but I like big tires :)

Honestly I would trade you my 3.54s for your 4.10s! :)

Did you have the pump timing 'bumped' or set to stock specs?

You should start a thread on your truck! What direction are you going to head with it?

With 37's and 4.10's figure about 1800rpm (VE pump Cummins rated peak torque) at 65mph. I run mine at 55mph with 4.10's and 265's (1800rpm) and I always see at least 24mpg driving to work and back. That being said 4.10's and 37's would be the ultimate combo :bike_rider:

I definatly would have traded you gears/axles a few months ago before I decided to build this truck, but now I'm happy I stuck with what I have. I was actually trying to trade my brother for his D61's because his have the 3.07 ratio wich would be really nice for a daily driver with a five speed :drool:

I had the pump bumped, but I'm not sure just how far they took it... It has a lot of turbo lag, and smoke when I first take off but that should go away when i get the 14cm housing. Although once the turbo spools it really sets me back in the seat and the smoke clears up.

As far as direction I don't know just how far I can take it. I don't ever expect it to handle the rocks nearly as good as my Hilux, but thats okay. Having my first kid (1 year old girl :)) the build will revolve around camping and exploring so my family can all have a good time outdoors. I'm almost done with my winch bumper, and next I'm planning on going with a 4" max front lift (I also like to keep them as low as possible), a shackle flip in the rear and probably GM 63" rear springs. Then Re-centered 12 bolt H1 wheels with some 37" MTR's. All that plus an oldschool aluminum shell and a front Detroit locker are all I really want, but we'll see how far I get...

Anyway I'll quit taking up space on your thread, and start my own once I get everything together :elkgrin:
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
Well dang that was a lot of driving!

I drove out to California and back to fetch some tires and a camper shell for the project.

The shell ended up being much nicer than I hoped. It has a carpet liner on the inside, sliding windows with screens on the side, and a fixed front window. Its not perfect...the struts on the rear glass need replaced as well as the rear lock system but for $100 I couldn't complain at ALL! It is a Snugtop and fits the truck like a glove, especially or just setting in on the truck and bolting it down.

P1010236.jpg


P1010237.jpg


P1010238.jpg


And you can see my new tires in the last one!

The tires are 325/85r16 Michelin XMLs as I mentioned earlier.

P1010239.jpg


They have 18 or 19/32nds. New they only have 21/32s They are in great shape. They are big, heavy, and tough as nails!

P1010243.jpg


Here is a teaser pic! Yup, those are going on there!

P1010244.jpg


I am glad I sectioned as much as I did out of the fender! It looks like everything is going to end up working very well! They are a little bigger than I had planned originally, but for the money they are an excellent choice I think! Its not often you can get a set of 38.5" tall ( no really that tall! ) tires with this much tread for $600 for a set of 4. I couldn't even get 2 new 37s for that!

Well onto the trip report....

I drove, drove, drove some more, drove again, then drove, drove, and drove.

The truck did great!

This is the first time I have had the truck on the road without the trailer in tow. This was a nice little 2000 mile fuel mileage test! This truck keeps exceeding my expectations the more I tinker with it.

On the drive down it was pretty windy heading across 40 going over towards California. It wasn't as windy on the way back, though I think it was still blowing a bit. Check out these mileage numbers!

186.6 miles, 09.92 gallons, 18.8mpg (top off, hauling water, commuting )
182.2 miles, 09.10 gallons, 20.0mpg (Durango to Gallup, windy, traffic )
186.0 miles, 10.22 gallons, 18.2mpg (Gallup to Flagstaff, windy, 70-75 )
149.6 miles, 06.35 gallons, 23.5mpg (Flagstaff to Kingman, windy, 63mph? )
213.6 miles, 12.27 gallons, 17.4mpg (Kingman to Barstow, WINDY!!!!)
216.9 miles, 11.16 gallons, 19.4mpg (Barstow, Crestline, Lebec , hell traffic)
205.0 miles, 09.74 gallons, 21.1mpg (Lebec, Paso Robles, Lost hills )
380.1 miles, 18.13 gallons, 21.0mpg (Lost Hills to Kingman, 63mph!!! )
147.7 miles, 06.70 gallons, 22.0mpg (Kingman to Flagstaff, 63mph )
268.3 miles, 11.01 gallons, 24.3mpg (Flagstaff to Cortez, 63mph!!!!!, Best!)

2136 miles total (That was with a tank of commuting and work )
104.6 gallons total

20.42 mpg average for the entire trip + a commuting/working week.

With a little trial and error I found out that holding the truck to 63mph netted the best mileage. It takes a little bit of patience on the interstate, and if the traffic is bad enough you just can't go this slow. Once the traffic thins out its well worth it to slow down and just lay back.

I think there is more left in this truck for mileage too. The motor is bone stock as far as I know other than the 3" straight pipe.

It will be interesting to see what the big new tires do to the mileage?
 

Rot Box

Explorer
Oh wow that's going to look good with those tires! :drool:

You just can't beat the fuel milage and power of these big trucks. No Dodge 318, 360, 440, or V10 could even come close to those numbers! :elkgrin:
 

dieselcruiserhead

16 Years on ExPo. Whoa!!
Metcalf very cool thread and boy those are some miles... There is some noise with the Cummins but boy they are infectious. Congrats on your build and work -- it should turn out excellently. It's one of my favorite old trucks! I have done two 4BTs now, I own the 4BTswaps.com forums and there are some very neat characters with your type of approach as well. Very interested to see how it all turns out and will be watching your heavy duty build!
 

BlueBomber

Adventurer
Nice topper, looks like it fits... snug! Also, i thought you were gonna paint over the spray paint art. are you getting used to it?
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
The entire truck is getting painted. I just haven't cared enough to rattle can over the other stuff. The sandblaster will fix all that soon enough!

The tires are getting me all excited. Hopefully I will be test fitting soon with the modded front fender. Looking at things I might have to tub the wheel wells out in the bed also? I would rather do it now and have room for the tires to move around.....

I lurked at the 4bt forum a lot. I came very close to installing one in my 78 F150. I think that would make a great truck, but for the money this was cheaper.

I should pull the 315s off tonight and install the 265s so I can test the mileage. I hope this will help determine the gearing needed for the new big meats. I am torn between 4.10s and 4.56s. plus a G56 6 speed is looking pretty good. Plus I can have the big tires mounted on the aluminum rims for test fitting purposes :)

I have a trip to Moab coming up in two weeks too. I need to pay a little attention to my Willys before I go.
 

BorntoVenture

Adventurer
Those mileage numbers are very nice, it's making me want to get to my diesel swap before next year!

Keep up the great work, can't wait to see more!
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
Small update,

I grabbed the inner fender I needed for the front at the junkyard yesterday. Hopefully I will be able to get the first sectioned fender on the truck this weekend. I have a moab trip coming up in two weeks also......

I also swapped the stock rims and some 265s back on the truck so I can dismount the 315s and have the new big tires mounted on those aluminum rims.

The truck is an entirely new animal with the small tires on it. I kinda like the lower gearing. With the 315s it was a little too tall for gearing I think. The effective gearing with the 265s/3.55 combo might be a little too low for lots of interstate travel, but I think for the 65mph highways around here, towing, and bigger tires it might work out better. I am going to do the trip to moab coming up with the small tires to see what mileage is towing the jeep. I got 18mpg last time...so we will see. I can start in 2nd now without thinking about it and don't even have to think about shifting out of 5th on the highway on the passes.

I am trying to figure out what to do with gearing.......
 

Rot Box

Explorer
Have fun in Moab! What trails are you going to run?

Like I mentioned earlier I have 265's with 4.10's and I don't like taking it over 65mph (although it governs out at 83mph) on the highway. I anytime I swap gears I try to match my cruising speed with the engines peak torque--or close to it.

This might help you determine what gears to use http://www.rocky-road.com/calculator.html

Keep up the awesome work :elkgrin:
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
I don't know what trails we are going to run. The group coming over is pretty mild. My little Willys is only on 32s but it still gets around pretty good.

I am stuck between 4.10s and 4.56s. I really need 4.30s. Those would be about perfect I think with the big tires. 4.56s will probably work pretty well. I think that is still higher overall than your 265s/4.10 combo.

The worst thing is that 4.10s are easy to do with junkyard stuff, while 4.56s is getting more complex.
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
Mini update...

I made the last patch panel and welded it in the fender. I need to grind down the welds a little bit still but its pretty much ready to go in. I started laying out the inner fender also. I sectioned and welded the inner brace in the fender also. I need to do a few hole patches and finish the front lower lip off.

There is one more brace that I need to install. It was half glued in with rubber stuff and tack welded on the other side. I need to find something to re-stick in that brace. I also need to mod it a little for the antenna...they are getting a little friendly.

I hope I can get the fender on this weekend and perhaps test fit one of the large tires.

Boy is the truck going to look funny with the 265s and sectioned fenders! I will have to run that way for a bit till I get them all done.
 

chet

island Explorer
very cool truck! I have had a few of the early dodge cummins. I would go for the 4.10's and some power improvements which are simple to do. That way you will have all the power you need. check out the diesel power mag's website they ran a series on hopping up the early motor.
 

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