From: Chris Stansbury (chris_stansbury@hotmail.com)
Date: Fri Sep 26 2003 - 06:05:57 PDT
Hey Rick,
I understand what you mean about that bad gas mileage. A friend had a 5-ton
wrecker with the Conti gas engine and it only got 2-3 mpg! One thing to
consider is that the M54A1 came with a Mack ENDT 671 diesel engine. That
should be a bolt in operation more or less if you could find a parts truck
with a good engine. I haven't heard of anyone swapping in a Detroit, but
that doesn't mean it couldn't be done. If I were going to do it I would
definitely use the 9spd road ranger. The close ratios and overdrive would
really help hauling a load in those PA mountains. You could probably cut
out the engine mounts from the donor truck and fab them to work in your M54.
The biggest thing, literally, about the road ranger is the length of the
tranny. You could keep your military transfer case, but you will have to
move it back on the framerails in order to allow for enough room between the
tranny and t-case for a new prop shaft. Moving the t-case means shortening
the rear driveshaft and lenthening the front, which shouldn't be a big deal.
One other thing that may need modified is the floor pan if the shifters
are not in the same location and if you have to move the t-case you may have
to modify the shift linkage. The M54 drivetrain should have no problem
standing up to the Detroit power, but the tires and the brakes are another
story. I know there are lots of maybes and ifs in this letter, but it's the
best I can do without seeing the stuff in front of me. I hope this helps
and good luck.
Chris
www.steelsoldiers.com
"""Hi Listers,
Has any one been foolish enough to try to convert the Continental R6602 gas
engine in an M54 to a Detroit Diesel engine? I have a friend with several
different running Detroits, and I was wondering how difficult it would be to
do the change over. Is there a Detroit that could be bolted up to the trans
in the M54, or could the 9 speed Road Ranger be used with a civy or military
transfer case? I'm going to be building a cabin in a remote area, and was
hoping to use the 5 ton cargo truck to haul materials to the site. At
around 5 mpg, the M54 would be uneconomical to use with the gas engine.
This friend has these wrecked trucks with good drivelines, and I thought a
diesel with a 9 speed would be great for the 8 hour round trip. Would any
other engines work? Should I just try to get a good LDT multi-fuel engine?
Also, what about an air brake conversion? I saw that one posting a week or
so back, and found the kit to be quite expensive. Maybe I could go to my
local big truck parts house and get the pieces. Has anyone ever done the
conversion themselves? I appreciate any information on this foolish idea of
mine.
Thanks,
Rick
Rick Thiers
M.V. Sales & Hardware
1035B Fallowfield Rd.
Atglen, Pa. 19310 USA
610-593-1218 8-6 EST
http://www.mvsalesandhardware.com"""
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