cummins in a 1/2 ton
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cummins in a 1/2 ton
Has anyone successfully dropped a 12v cummins in their half ton ram? lemme know, keep in mind i have the nv4500 tranny in my truck so it would bolt right up. just wanna get an idea of how hard it would be
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Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Wisconsin
Did you put the NV4500 in? The 1500's had the NV3500. The V8 NV4500 has smaller shafts and a different bell housing than the Cummins versions.
Otherwise do some searches. This gets covered a lot.
Otherwise do some searches. This gets covered a lot.
Last edited by Gerehead8; May 17, 2011 at 01:50 PM.
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From: Sioux Falls, SD
Yup, Gerehead is right. No 1500s had the NV4500 from the factory.
Also as he suggested, if you do a search, you'll find a ton of info. The biggest chunk of info being that you'll have to seriously beef up the front end, as the 1500's front suspension isn't designed to take the weight of a Cummins.
Also as he suggested, if you do a search, you'll find a ton of info. The biggest chunk of info being that you'll have to seriously beef up the front end, as the 1500's front suspension isn't designed to take the weight of a Cummins.
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Don't want to rain on your parade, but I'd think about it for a little bit.
Putting a Cummins in a 1/2 Ton isn't a good idea. If it was, it would have come as an option from the factory. Can it be done? Of course! But why?
You'd have to beef up everything in the drivetrain. You'd need a different trans for sure (are you sure you have an nv4500 and not the nv3500?). And the used 9.25 axle wouldn't last long (hell, they blow up on a regular basis with the magnums). This isn't including beefing up the stock suspension, and brakes.
You can't ever tow anymore than you would normally have with a gas motor legally (think brakes, 1/2 ton brakes= no good for heavy loads), and if you have emissions in your state, you've got bigger problems. If you beef up the brakes, and get into an accident towing more than a half ton is allowed to tow, you STILL could be sued because your truck is still a "half ton".
Why do people even consider swapping a Cummins into half tons? Better MPG unloaded?... I'm sure you'd want to use the extra torque to pull something, that is until the 1/2 parts take a turn for the worst. Yes, you could upgrade everything, but by the time you do that, you'll still have the half ton frame, and you'll probably be close to the cost of a better truck if you would have just sold yours to begin with.
Sell the gasser, and buy a proper 3/4 ton or 1 ton. Don't make yourself a "wannabe" HD truck. It will disappoint for sure.
-JT
Putting a Cummins in a 1/2 Ton isn't a good idea. If it was, it would have come as an option from the factory. Can it be done? Of course! But why?
You'd have to beef up everything in the drivetrain. You'd need a different trans for sure (are you sure you have an nv4500 and not the nv3500?). And the used 9.25 axle wouldn't last long (hell, they blow up on a regular basis with the magnums). This isn't including beefing up the stock suspension, and brakes.
You can't ever tow anymore than you would normally have with a gas motor legally (think brakes, 1/2 ton brakes= no good for heavy loads), and if you have emissions in your state, you've got bigger problems. If you beef up the brakes, and get into an accident towing more than a half ton is allowed to tow, you STILL could be sued because your truck is still a "half ton".
Why do people even consider swapping a Cummins into half tons? Better MPG unloaded?... I'm sure you'd want to use the extra torque to pull something, that is until the 1/2 parts take a turn for the worst. Yes, you could upgrade everything, but by the time you do that, you'll still have the half ton frame, and you'll probably be close to the cost of a better truck if you would have just sold yours to begin with.
Sell the gasser, and buy a proper 3/4 ton or 1 ton. Don't make yourself a "wannabe" HD truck. It will disappoint for sure.
-JT
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 898
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From: California
Don't want to rain on your parade, but I'd think about it for a little bit.
Putting a Cummins in a 1/2 Ton isn't a good idea. If it was, it would have come as an option from the factory. Can it be done? Of course! But why?
You'd have to beef up everything in the drivetrain. You'd need a different trans for sure (are you sure you have an nv4500 and not the nv3500?). And the used 9.25 axle wouldn't last long (hell, they blow up on a regular basis with the magnums). This isn't including beefing up the stock suspension, and brakes.
You can't ever tow anymore than you would normally have with a gas motor legally (think brakes, 1/2 ton brakes= no good for heavy loads), and if you have emissions in your state, you've got bigger problems. If you beef up the brakes, and get into an accident towing more than a half ton is allowed to tow, you STILL could be sued because your truck is still a "half ton".
Why do people even consider swapping a Cummins into half tons? Better MPG unloaded?... I'm sure you'd want to use the extra torque to pull something, that is until the 1/2 parts take a turn for the worst. Yes, you could upgrade everything, but by the time you do that, you'll still have the half ton frame, and you'll probably be close to the cost of a better truck if you would have just sold yours to begin with.
Sell the gasser, and buy a proper 3/4 ton or 1 ton. Don't make yourself a "wannabe" HD truck. It will disappoint for sure.
-JT
Putting a Cummins in a 1/2 Ton isn't a good idea. If it was, it would have come as an option from the factory. Can it be done? Of course! But why?
You'd have to beef up everything in the drivetrain. You'd need a different trans for sure (are you sure you have an nv4500 and not the nv3500?). And the used 9.25 axle wouldn't last long (hell, they blow up on a regular basis with the magnums). This isn't including beefing up the stock suspension, and brakes.
You can't ever tow anymore than you would normally have with a gas motor legally (think brakes, 1/2 ton brakes= no good for heavy loads), and if you have emissions in your state, you've got bigger problems. If you beef up the brakes, and get into an accident towing more than a half ton is allowed to tow, you STILL could be sued because your truck is still a "half ton".
Why do people even consider swapping a Cummins into half tons? Better MPG unloaded?... I'm sure you'd want to use the extra torque to pull something, that is until the 1/2 parts take a turn for the worst. Yes, you could upgrade everything, but by the time you do that, you'll still have the half ton frame, and you'll probably be close to the cost of a better truck if you would have just sold yours to begin with.
Sell the gasser, and buy a proper 3/4 ton or 1 ton. Don't make yourself a "wannabe" HD truck. It will disappoint for sure.
-JT
