What year Cummins should I look for?

Discussion in 'Heavy Duty Diesel Truck Mechanics Forum' started by Binderdavemays1, Dec 5, 2024.

  1. OLDSKOOLERnWV

    OLDSKOOLERnWV Captain Redbeard

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    So your truck has a 1979 Small Cam engine? Big Cam came out in 76-77 time period, you must have one of the leftover blocks they tried to salvage instead of scrap.

    You can find a decent engine for around $5000 “sometimes”, but not likely to get a warranty.

    Engine in that truck have the valve covers painted with adhesive Cummins logos on them….?
     
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  3. 201

    201 Road Train Member

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    Oh, here's a crossroads every truck owner faced, what to do?:dontknow: On one hand, can't go wrong with a rebuilt, it's the most important part, however, lot of wrecks, and more to come, got to be plenty of motors out there, if they weren't running upside down, that is. Are you considering the gubment may require ALL trucks to be emission compliant soon, maybe a newer motor is the answer. You know as well as we do, the $23gs is hard to swallow, and tip of the iceberg. I didn't read what you are going to do, but trucks, emission compliant ones are all over. In bet $23 grand would almost buy a decent Volvo.:biggrin_25525:.just saying, costs are spiraling out of control, look at classic cars. Make sure it's what you want, because you'll never get your money back. The truck seems nice enough to maybe update it. Remember, you'll get back a SC 350 in perfect shape, that's already outdated. Since you are at this crossroads, I'd get a 500 Cat and show them what an old Cornbinder can do!
     
  4. AModelCat

    AModelCat Road Train Member

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    Unless you can get the "new" engine on a dyno you really won't know if its any good or not. Startup and 15 seconds of cold idle while sitting on some wood blocks at the salvage yard only proves it starts, idles and has oil pressure.

    Personally I would never risk dropping in a used engine based solely on that tiny bit of information. You might find it pisses oil out of every seal when hot, it might make enough blowby to haze out your entire backyard. It might have a bad miss under full load. Unless the used engine came out of something I knew the complete history of I would not chance it.
     
  5. BoxCarKidd

    BoxCarKidd Road Train Member

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    Cummings replaced the sc with the bc because they saw a better way. I thank the sc's were all long gone in road trucks before your truck was made. There are some 1984 army trucks on a farm here with 240 small cams.
    The best big cams were III. They had twin spin on oil filters on the engine. 1986, 7, early 8's?
    Maybe look at army surplus? My concern there is that the liner o - rings could rot out even if a new engine in a storage box. The trucks here are low mileage and never been in.
    Yellow can be great but if you are making a living with this the time could cost you ever thing. Even staying with the same brand engine can be tough. If you find a 30 day warranty and it takes you 2 weeks to get it going you really only have a 14 day warranty.
     
    201 Thanks this.
  6. SmallPackage

    SmallPackage Road Train Member

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    I’ve been around this stuff for 40 years and I will tell you the same thing my grandfather always said. You have to look at a used engine the same way as the “used” one you already have. If you don’t know the history of the one you have and why it failed you will never know the history of the “used” one either. A used engine should only be bought as a core to rebuild if the one you have is not rebuildable. Like a hole in block, broke crank, something else that makes it scrap. Or a used engine could be bought to use in a truck that is missing its engine, but always expect to rebuild it anyway.
    Cummins is no longer the “small block chevy” of diesel engines it used to be. Meaning it is no longer cheap and easy to rebuild them like decades ago. 2 or 3 grand was norm up until 30 years ago. Parts are still around but they are aftermarket and much more expensive. All the old guys that could build them in a day with their eyes closed and make them run strong and reliable are passing away with every year that goes by.
     
  7. Star Rider

    Star Rider Road Train Member

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    I like the small block chevy reference. The truck in my avi I paid $1200 for the kit and inframed it in my driveway. Big Cam 1. The manual I bought from Cummins was $50 and is still the most I ever paid for a book to this day, lol
     
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  8. BoxCarKidd

    BoxCarKidd Road Train Member

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    I meant to mention a couple of places: Not advertising for them. They are still both in business and there has to be many others.
    Trucks and Parts of Ohio. I went there to buy a truck but did not. They had a water dyno, mounted and ran used engines on it. All the engines had a tag on them. Oil pressure, temperature, blow by and and such. They were rowed up three high in pallet racks. Do not recall the warranty.
    Kerns in Atlanta: They buy a lot of insurance wrecks and such. Some are low mileage. Pull pan and look at liners. If OK replace rod and main bearings.
    Do not expect to buy an engine from companies like them for $5,000.
     
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  9. little cat 500

    little cat 500 Road Train Member

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    in frame kit round about 3k do it yourself if you have a year to come up with big money
     
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