diesel vs bigblock

mopar · Aug 11, 2009

first off this for a 72 k5 blazer that i want for sand and woods 12v cummins and rockwells or big block chevy and 60s i have the parts for eather but iam stuck

WHITE TRASH1 · Aug 11, 2009

Wow thats a can of worms... First thing I'd think about is you'll need a whole lotta tire to make that cummins be in a happy rpm range with 6.72:1's in the pigs.

Personally I'd do rockwells and the big block.

Binder · Aug 11, 2009

Think of it another way. What exacly do you want to do with it? If you want HP look at the HP numbers of the diesel campared to the BB. I'm sure in the end you won't want to put that heavy and probably under powered diesel in a wheeler.

Digger 5 · Aug 11, 2009

Sorry but sand and Diesel are a bad mix. You need wheel speed, Hp, a rpm range and light weight. I rarely do sand in 4wd. I'm usually in 2 hi.

J_SIN · Aug 11, 2009

I cant imagine a diesel with rockwells would be any fun in the sand.

PUO-BANNED · Aug 11, 2009

I'm waiting for th deisel guys to chime in on this one :redneck: I think it could be done with the right setup :corn:

leadfoot067 · Aug 11, 2009

a 12 valve cummins with the correct mods is 550hp and 1000-1200 foot pounds...easy and it will stilll get 10-12 MPG...it generally will only turn 3500 rpms or so though...better have a good selection of gears in a manual or a very built auto behind it...i think 6.72s would be waay too much gear for the cummins..IMHO

t1h5ta3 · Aug 11, 2009

leadfoot067 said:
a 12 valve cummins with the correct mods is 550hp and 1000-1200 foot pounds...easy and it will stilll get 10-12 MPG...it generally will only turn 3500 rpms or so though...better have a good selection of gears in a manual or a very built auto behind it...i think 6.72s would be waay too much gear for the cummins..IMHO

most 12v guys in the 500+ crowd are turning closer to 4k rpm, the smart guys are running close to 5k rpm. belive it or not, its easyer on the motor... but pump work is spendy..

my 2 cents ... big block and 60's

Money Mark · Aug 12, 2009

Use the diseel gas engine and top loader axles.....BEST combo for your application.

Stacks · Aug 12, 2009

I think that is a tough choice just because I would use a diesel in the woods and a BB in the sand. If you play your cards right you could use the diesel and get some good numbers out of it. You are probably going to have more money in the 12 valve by the time you get it modded and do pump work a bigger turbo and sticks. So money wise I would say the BB and I am a diesel guy.

Lucky Jeff · Aug 12, 2009

700 bucks for injectors.. 1800 bucks in pump work.. 4 grand worth of twins.. 5k+ RPM... 7-800+ easy and 1400+ ft lbs.. So I guess if you can build a BB to do the same for less. You'd probably have less gauges to watch.

mopar · Aug 12, 2009

well i think iam going to go with my 454 i think it will be easyer for me to build and git more hp but less tq so i think it will be the best of both worlds thanks guys for your input

sly-yota · Aug 12, 2009

shane, like we talked about..im thinking the BB and rockwells would be the way to go...:awesomework:

Boomer · Aug 12, 2009

I love the 12v, but in stock form it doesn't rev very fast or very high. And if you turn it way up, then you have to put a bunch of money into the transmission to get it to handle all of the added torque.

I say go with the big block. I've kind of debated between an AMC 401 and Cummins 4BT in my CJ8. While I would love the fuel economy of the Cummins, I think the 401 would be WAAAAYYYYY more fun. And for how much I really drive it, fuel economy isn't that much of a concern anyhow.

Digger 5 · Aug 12, 2009

Boomer said:
I love the 12v, but in stock form it doesn't rev very fast or very high. And if you turn it way up, then you have to put a bunch of money into the transmission to get it to handle all of the added torque.

I say go with the big block. I've kind of debated between an AMC 401 and Cummins 4BT in my CJ8. While I would love the fuel economy of the Cummins, I think the 401 would be WAAAAYYYYY more fun. And for how much I really drive it, fuel economy isn't that much of a concern anyhow.

A buddy of mine has a 4BT in a flatty and it is a great combination. His only real issue is that that damn thing is rattling itself apart!!

Lucky Jeff · Aug 12, 2009

Dave at PDR has a twin turbo 4BT in his 74 Bronco and he loves the thing. Drives it everywhere and does great offroad.

PUO-BANNED · Aug 14, 2009

Lucky Jeff said:
700 bucks for injectors.. 1800 bucks in pump work.. 4 grand worth of twins.. 5k+ RPM... 7-800+ easy and 1400+ ft lbs.. So I guess if you can build a BB to do the same for less. You'd probably have less gauges to watch.

Stock 454 with headers, intake, and a good carb :awesomework: spend the other $6K on building the rest of the rig :kiss: