I'm converting my 1992 Dodge B250 4x4 cargo van from the 3.9 V6 to a Cummins 4BT. This has been a lot of work so far as you can imagine, and I'm ready to stab the engine in.

I don't need the ECM to manage the engine now, but still want to run the dash gauges. I think I know the answer, but I wanted to run it by the experts here. Can I just run each gauge to its sensor directly without going through the ECM? I haven't figured out the speedometer yet, but the Cummins 727 isn't managed thr

ough the ECM either.

Thanks for any advice!

 

I don't think the ECM drives any of the gauges in your van...... It probably gets input from a few of them, but, that'd be about it.

 

That gonna be a super interesting vehicle when it's done. Not gonna be very freeway friendly, I imagine, but will be pretty cool nonetheless. I hope you'll share your progress here. Had you used the 4WD with the V6? How was it?

 

I bought this with the intent to swap in a 4BT. I'd never seen one before, and I now know why!

The V6 was a dog and made the van with heavy drive line very underpowered. It did go down the road fairly well, but will never go very fast on the highway. Too few gears with the 727. The 3.55 gears help though. I'll update pics once I have the Cummins sitting in it.

 

Definitely gonna be a one-of-a-kind Ram Van, haha! I have no personal experience with a 4BT, but depending on your configuration, it looks like you're gonna gain about 40ish footpounds of torque, loose a few horses, gain a couple hundred pounds of weight and greatly improve fuel mileage. Am I right?
A manual transmission sure wouldn't hurt, but then, you may as well have started with a different vehicle altogether. Haha!