Old School Engine Discussion - Small Cam Cummins Driveability

You are describing a normal gutless Cummins LOL .
Back in the day they all were just like you are describing !!!

They put governors on these old engines so you where to run them at all day .
If she turns 2300 run her at 2200 when she drops to 17-1800 drop a gear and slam your foot to the floor and just keep doing that until she stops . By that I mean she stops dropping RPMS or stops going all together !

We didn't have torque from the engine in the day like now so we made it with gearing .
more gears meant more speed and power to pull thats why we ran two sticks and short rears 4:11 was a road gear 4:58 was pretty common . Heck there were even 5:what evers around back in the days just to be able to pull a hill better.

 

No we did not. Foot on the floor at all times.

I hate to put new drivers into one of those, they would be lost because the engines of today turn so slow compared to back then.

 

It's true. I ran a 62' KW cabover, 5+4 and center point steering as a teenager with a 280. They like to be driven about like a 6 or V92 detroit. The big cam is a whole nuther animal. The regular cam of the vintage, did not have a real "torque curve". That's why they had so many gears back then. You had to use them.

 

Oh John, I had a feeling this was the next step. There's all kinds of things you can do, but in the end, you still have a small cam Cummins, and switching to a Big Cam, won't do what you want. And that, years ago, was considered a big motor. ( most of us had 238 Detroits or 237 Macks) If I were you, I'd say later to the 855 altogether, and get a Cat or big Detroit. I put in my time with gutless motors ( you should sit behind that worthless L10 Cummins) and wouldn't drive a truck today with less than 500hp. 425 Cat was a popular switch for those Cummins. Sorry, still a cool truck. You'll get it worked out.

 

n14 is a bolt in just need to have the ecm wired up

 

I disagree about the 290 cummins being gutless. In its day that was a strong motor. A 290 would out pull a 318 Detroit in the hills all day long. And if it did not there was something wrong.

 

@SmokinCAT

 

Find a could Cummins shop that do injectors and fuel pump. They should set you up so they both work together for flow(more fuel). But after all that, your gonna need more wind. Bigger turbo. A Holset turbo was key for those, at least back then. I have a big cam Cummins park. This was my set up in it. Remember, if you run more fuel , keep an eye on the pyro.

 

Hi Admiral, comparing a 290 out pulling a 318 isn't a fair comparison. A 318 couldn't pull itself, much less a load. I drove a BC 300 ( shiny 290) 13 speed, and it was weird, going through the gears with a load, it was a total dog, but get in the big hole, that truck would do 65 down and up. What Hogleg is describing sounds pretty normal for a small cam, which is why a 13 speed is a must. Perhaps Hogleg is used to modern motors with different power curves. The BC seemed to run it's best at 17-1900 ( and Formula's, that's all you got.) I can just imagine what Hogleg would say if that truck DID have a 318.