Keep throwing more at me, I can take it!

 

Aluminum is lighter, and transfers heat better..... not sure that the latter is the best for a diesel..... but, I am not a diesel mechanic (nor do I play one on TV)....

I would think cast iron would be more durable. Probably not quite as easy to work with though.

What are you going to do about cam timing switch from 4 cycle (one cam revolution per two crank revolutions) to 2 cycle (becomes one to one ratio)?

 

A very ambitious idea to say the least. I have a few questions related to the business part of it. If something has been answered i apologize, but I have read the whole thread so far. (I tend to skim)

What are you looking for in terms of sales? If you are doing it for fun and are not looking to make a profit on it, then great. But I dont know if I see a big enough market. These trucks are getting older and nice rigs get harder to come by. People are not going to buy a 2nd gen ram just to put this kit in. They will get the cummins to start with. That leaves people who already have one. Take away all those that already have a cummins. Now take away everyone who is up to the task of a motor swap, even if it is a smooth bolt in. Now take away anyone without the cash or who are not willing to spend it on a project like this. Then take away everyone who is not willing to take the risk on a largely unknown project and equipment. This leaves a very limited market. Sure, it might seem popular around you, but that is in part because they are close. If everyone starts experiencing a particular issue, you can bet they will all be beating down your door making for repair or replacement.

I personally would fall into this last category (and of course the money part). If I still had my ram, I would love an easy drop in kit to put a diesel in it. However i would be highly cautious of spending this much on a kit from across the country with who knows what kind of support would come with it.

I understand that every idea has to start somewhere. I am assuming you have at least the resources to do all the development and testing for such a project, and at least ideas for funding ( I remember something about sponsers?)

Also, the 12 valve cummins was regarded as one of the best diesels out there because of its combination of reliability, efficiency and capabilities and simplicity. I understand you are not trying to compete with the cummins, but this equation could be attributed to any successful engine, at least somewhat. I am not knowledgeable of the internals of engines, but this does not sound simple. And yes, these magnum engines at their core are good motors, but I dont think anything this drastic has been done to them, so attempting to predict their reliability seems to be a longshot.

 

The reason why I chose aluminum is yes, it is lighter, and transfers heat better. The latter may or may not be the better, I wanted the ability to cool it better, as alot of V8 diesels have problems with high EGTs (such as the International NaviStar IDIT, Detroit 6.5, etc.). That is the only reason. If cast iron heads can be made to cool well enough, I'd be fine with them.

 

The problem with aluminum heads is their propensity to warp, even name brand performance heads can warp heads. And you're talking about running the diesel compression, I see bad stuff happening.

 

Thank you for your opinion AppleIH! It is not intended for profit, but rather to give people (like me) a easy way to make the switch from gasoline to diesel, and ultimately, just to give them another choice. The amount of people who actually will end up using it is probably a very small number, but I chose using the Magnum block because it is sturdy enough, and parts are readily available, and if this idea should go down after engines have been produced, parts will still be very easy to come by as all the specifications will be released to the public. It's sorta a open-source engine, if you want to put it that way.

As far as being cautious, I hope you would be cautious . I won't release it till it has enough time to be tested thoroughly, but how will people know if it is a good product from a long ways away? Well, it just takes time. Support from mechanics will be alot easier, as it is very similar to the Magnum in many ways, and the stuff that isn't will be described well, and not need special tools that most shops won't have. So part of my idea to overcome that, is after I have tested it and made some publicity, I will get some people to do it with their trucks, giving them the engine for free, as long as they put it in and test it. Then they get all repairs due to faulty or misdesigned components for free. Once the engine is released to the public, then I have some references, and they have a free (and hopefully) great engine.

There is alot of unknown factors, and alot of complexity, but nothing ever has happened except someone tackled it head on. Mr. Roosa invented the pencil injector and the distributor style IP, something that brought the diesel engine into many more hands because the injection system was extremely reliable and wasn't half as much to buy. I have alot of knowledgeable people around here who are very interested, and we have been discussing it in depth. So it could be a complete failure, but at least we are THAT MUCH CLOSER! because we know what to do better. It may end up using a entirely new cast block, with the Magnum mounts and bellhousing, I want to try using the Magnum block first.

And also, it is somewhat just for the pure joy and fun of doing it - trying to do something no one else has done successfully yet - creating a cheap, reliable diesel engine using a existing gasoline block. Everyone else has failed so far, but we can learn from their mistakes - and their mistake wasn't using a gasoline block, it was in some design flaw or another, or not prepping the block to handle the new stresses properly. I can learn from their mistakes, and be that much closer to succeeding.

And yes it is a drastic thing to do to a engine, but drastic has a 50/50 chance of producing a drastically amazing product, correct?

BTW, I thought about retrofitting a T444E into the Dodge system, but that would be a true abomination.

Any head can warp, but you are correct about aluminum warping easier. I used to work with aluminum heads and oil pans almost every day when I worked on small single cylinder engines. Warping was very common, IF the bolts were tightened down to factory spec. I always added 20ft/lbs to the factory spec and that eliminated most of the warping, if you loosened the bolts in a proper pattern in very small increments. But I would like to avoid the extra step there, so call it cast iron

 

I'll finish answering the resource side later, I've gotta go eat supper.

And predicting reliability, all we can do is hope and try for the best, time will tell reliability... I if I said somewhere that it WILL be reliable, sorry about that. I meant the aim is to make it reliable.

 

"trying to do
something no one else has done
successfully yet" who knows it could be the beginning of a name brand...

 

TJI.


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