TowRig.com - Diesel Discussion and Tow Tech

If you could order any engine/tranny combo in any "NEW" truck (don't you just love these questions) what make of truck would you go with?

Meaning, if a Ford, Dodge, Chevy, GMC truck could all be ordered with a Cummins or Duramax or Powerstroke etc. with any tranny combo what brand would you go with and why or why not?

GMC Truck because I hate the new Chevy front, can't stand the new Dodge that does not have a real Crew Cab, and the Ford interior just does not "fit" me (but I LOVE the outside!). DMax engine with Alli because I firmly believe (I guess you coulda figured that one for yourself. ;) ) it is still the best all around general use combination going. But after seeing the Edge graph of the CTD 600 in the other thread, I might well go with that as long as I could still get the Allison and put the chip on it. :D

Oops, just realized you didn't want anything on the engine/tranny, just which chassis you would choose IF you could get any engine. :o

Yeah I forgot to add the tranny part to the above question at first, which I just changed, so if you could as an example order a Cummins/Alli with any truck you wanted. Wouldn't it be nice if we had options like this, don't the big rigs have similar options where you can order multiple engine/tranny combos? :pimp:

Ford with a Cummins and NV5600 for me, please. I'll take black. rotfl

Oh, one more thing to add. GMC also wins over Ford for me (the only real competitor for my business) in the IFS 4x4. I genuinely do prefer the IFS if it's not going to be a "real" wheeler...

379 Extended Hood Pete With A C-15,475 Cat With Jake, 13 Speed Overdrive, Flex Air Suspension, 3.55 Ratio On 24.5 Lp Tires!!!!!!!!!!! You Did Say Any, " Turn The Fog To It" That's My Vote

Hmmm, good point. The Pete is a bit much for me, but I think I'll revise my "wish" list to a FL60 with Cat and 6 speed Allison 2200 (or better) and otherwise as you listed. Or maybe an International/Navistar MD (whatever it's called) CC with a big Cat. They look sharp too with that new(ish) retro styling. Not sure what's really available, but as it was listed, "any" engine. :pimp:

But in all seriousness, I think we should limit our choices to the Big 3 options listed. ;)

This is about pickup chassis, not large trucks.

I would take a C7 Cat/Allison in a late Chevy 1 ton SRW with a Caddi nose. :pimp:

If it had to be a new truck as in 05+ I'd say the Ford F350 Dually 4x4. If I could pick an almost new it would be an 03-04 Dodge. If it could be ANY truck I would say 96-98 Chevy 3500 Crew Cab Dually 4x4.

05 Ford F350 4x4 Crew Cab, 12 Valve Cummins, Allison Auto or NV5600, 205 T-case, GM interior. waytogo

I know I was a little bit of a wise guy with my reply. However in late Feb. I have just ordered a new truck for my self and I am awaiting for the delivery. I order a 5500 Cab & Chassis with the Duramax/Allison combo but I didn't have any other diesel choose. I would prefer either the Cat or the Cummins but I had to go with what was thier. I did find out yesterday at one of my job sites that had I ordered a 6500 it to would come with low profile wheels & tires and a 25500 lbs. gvw but had a 210 Cat with 6 speed Eaton. The truck pulled in on my job with the balance of a pre-engineered steel building we are contracted to build. I will let you know when mine comes in and tell you what its tows like.

F350 crew cab, short bed, single wheel, cummins and a Nv5600. waytogo

I'd get a Cummins 600 (or maybe 855 :eek: ) with a Fuller 10-speed in a Chevy K5500 with a modified pickup bed.

Oh wait is this supposed to be realisitc? I guess if my K2500 had a Cummins 600 I'd be happy.

SRW F-350 with a Cummins/NVG-5600 for Me .
The Ford Chassis and body structure is just a work of art to Me.....
I came real close to ordering a F-350 P/S but I could not give up the Cummins engine choice.......
Ford has a fine body/chassis combo.
Tom

I would go with a Ford F-550 Crew Cab with a MBE 900 Detroit diesel (330 HP 1000 Ft-lb torque), and an Eaton Fuller dual range 10-speed. You said "any combination".

I bought the dodge because it has the cummins. I enjoy my truck immensly, but my dream truck would be an 05 Ford F350, 4x4 dually longbox, with an NV5600, and a CTD, and Fords intergrated brake controller, with a 20k lb towing limit. :D rotfl waytogo :pimp: :stir:

Well coming from a racing family and a father who specialized in transmissions for 40 years I am going to have to say definetly GM, the Chevy 502ci burnout and the TH-400 transmission.He says that the rest are inferior and I'm gonna go with him on that(he was rated 14th in the country as a transmission specialist),but I'm going to agree with another member on one thing .I like the styling of the 98, and the crew cab dually is the only way to go for me.So there it is, 98 Chevy 3500 Crew Cab Dually with a 502/400 and a 3.09 diff.

Interesting choice. The newer Allison IS much stouter than a turbo 400 3 spd trans and with todays fuel prices....it has no overdrive and a poor geared 1st gear that wouldn't get along with 3.09 gears. A 502 is also an interesting choice. I'm guessing a big gas tank would be desired so you could skip every other gas station? rotfl :D

I'm just going with his personal favorite on the 400 but I know the 502 would not only be for the power but for my personal satisfaction too :D the gas ,...thats what dual tanks are for.As I said I'm from a racing family and to me (I know it seems like insanity) power overrides mileage when you are towing a car out of the mud or tying to get up a nice hill with a car attached to you.lol.I need the truck as a towrig for people hat call me to fix a car thats stuck in the yard from sitting or anything else that pops up,plus when i buy cars for parts that have anchored themselves in the ground.So my uses would be different than the average hook a trailer and gooooooo :)

You'd need a diesel for that kind of stuff... :D

I'm not familiar enough with Diesel yet,(I do my own work) but maybe in the future.I'm just happy I finally got a truck,lol.

ford 4x4 (w/ chevy interior maybe) w/ cummins 600 and allison would be pretty sweet i think

New GMC 4x4 Crew Cab dually with the 600 Cummins and NV5600. waytogo

2005 F-250 600 Cummins NV 5600 for me also.

2004 1 ton chevy dualy with a 6-71 two stroke detroit and a heavy manual trans and a big rear end. screw emmisions laws a 2 stroke detroit with pipes is the coolest sounding engine ever waytogo

My Dream Truck:

'02 F350 Crew Cab 4x4 Dually Body and Chassis
International DT466
Allison 4000 series auto Tranny

waytogo

nothing to fancy for me
just a 06 F-250 extended cab short bed with a 7.3, no 6.0 for me

mine would be a 93 d350, ext cab, getrag, white with... wait a minute. nevermind:D


daryl

06 f350 4x4 Ranch King supper cab long box non duely. Internationals T444E engine,the new 6 speed allison trans, leaf front springs, Dana 60 front, Fords 10.25-inch full floting rear axle 3.73 gears limited-slip, with 4 wheel anti-lock disk brakes of corse. That new bright yellow paint looks so cool, ya that too.:stir:

burnout
Probably 06 ford superduty, 98 12 valve cummins, NV 5600 Tranny, and my lady sitting in the passanger seat.

"F350 crew cab, short bed, single wheel, cummins and a Nv5600."

hehehe... I've got a ZF6 and its red, not black. My signature isn't showing it, but this truck has a 325/600 Cummins with the ZF6, BHAF, Donaldson and 2.2 degrees of advance. I love it.

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/pics/data/500/34408Truck_and_trailer.jpg

Very nice! Did you do the swap? waytogo

Yes, I did the swap.

I hang out at diesel-resource.com. I go by cummins_superduty there too. There are some pictures in my gallery.

Here is another guy putting a new Cummins into a late model Ford truck.

http://www.cummins-conversion.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=166

I'd want an F550 chassis, with a 02 Chevy HD cab/front clip, C7 330 hp With allison auto or eaton 7 speed eaton with 4.11 gears. I would be soooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy.

Don't mean to burst your bubble, but...

- 02 Chev front end is IFS. (Weaker than a straight axle)
- A Cat 3126 (C7) weighs about 1350 (1450) pounds
- it runs at 2300 RPM WOT.
- it makes 860 ftlbs of torque.

So... no way a pickup truck Allison will stand up to the torque.
No way a Chev IFS would stand up to the weight, about 500 pounds more than a Duramax.
4.10 is the wrong axle ratio. Should probably have a 3.55 or 3.73, depending on how fast you drive. Need RPMs in the 2000 range.
No way a C7 will fit under the hood of an 02 Chev.

Ditto on some of these points for the 466.

6-71s are dogs compared to our modern diesels. 230 HP. Heavy, like 1800 pounds.

Allison 4000s are heavy, big and noisy.

And we haven't even started to talk about cooling issues, ie radiator area and fan sizes.

Don't mean to burst your bubble, but...

- 02 Chev front end is IFS. (Weaker than a straight axle)
- A Cat 3126 (C7) weighs about 1350 (1450) pounds
- it runs at 2300 RPM WOT.
- it makes 860 ftlbs of torque.

So... no way a pickup truck Allison will stand up to the torque.
No way a Chev IFS would stand up to the weight, about 500 pounds more than a Duramax.
4.10 is the wrong axle ratio. Should probably have a 3.55 or 3.73, depending on how fast you drive. Need RPMs in the 2000 range.
No way a C7 will fit under the hood of an 02 Chev.

Ditto on some of these points for the 466.

6-71s are dogs compared to our modern diesels. 230 HP. Heavy, like 1800 pounds.

Allison 4000s are heavy, big and noisy.

And we haven't even started to talk about cooling issues, ie radiator area and fan sizes.

If youd like a bubble bursted, a C7 cat weight 1295 lbs, and make peak power at 2400 rpm, not 2300 and has 2600RPM no load. There more than one allison Tranny, not just the 1000 series and 4000 series, there are models in between. A 3000 series would be plenty. Note i said F550 chassis with GMC Cab/ front clip, the 550 chassis is SFA, why would i want iFS? a front clip is hood and fenders. By the time you get into 19.5 inch wheels, 4.11 is about perfect for that C7 when used in towing apps. And if you dont think a C7 will fit in an 02 engine compartment, think again, they are out there. There are pictures, But they are confidential ad im not getting fired this week.:)

I got a pic of someone's dream truck, it's an 89 F350 with a 270hp DT466:cool:

"a C7 cat weight 1295 lbs"

Dry, without transmission adapter, flywheel, clutch, fan, 20 litres of oil, etc.

"and make peak power at 2400 rpm, not 2300 and has 2600RPM no load."

Which still means it needs to be geared 3.73 to have some legs.

"There more than one allison Tranny, not just the 1000 series and 4000 series, there are models in between. A 3000 series would be plenty."

And how heavy are they ? And what size of cooler do they need ? Lets get practical here. Going to run coolers in the bed ?

"Note i said F550 chassis with GMC Cab/ front clip"

I assume the clip part mean IFS.

"the 550 chassis is SFA, why would i want iFS?"

Because Chevy guys crow at how well they ride. I thought that was your point.

"a front clip is hood and fenders."

You meant a Chevy body on a Ford frame then.

How long is a Chevy engine compartment, from firewall to rad ? Have you measured a 3126 lately ?

"By the time you get into 19.5 inch wheels, 4.11 is about perfect for that C7 when used in towing apps."

err... probably not. Not for me. You've got 860 ftlbs remember ? Is your 3000 transmission going to be a 6 speed ? Double OD ?

"And if you dont think a C7 will fit in an 02 engine compartment, think again, they are out there. There are pictures, But they are confidential ad im not getting fired this week"

I'm certain that someone, ala Monster Garage can stuff a C7 with a big truck Allison into a Chevy body on a Ford F550 frame. At this point I would have to ask why, when you can buy everything but the Chevy body in an F650. They called them Supercrewzers. Or they did when they made them. Now they are just F650s.

"
"Note i said F550 chassis with GMC Cab/ front clip"

I assume the clip part mean IFS.

"the 550 chassis is SFA, why would i want iFS?"

Because Chevy guys crow at how well they ride. I thought that was your point.

"a front clip is hood and fenders."

You meant a Chevy body on a Ford frame then.



A front clip is almost always refered as the front fenders, hood, radiator support, and everything that bolts to the front of the radiator support.

It wouldn't be all that hard to get a C7 and allison into a Chevy of that year. First off, the C7 is really only like 100-150lbs more than a ISB E Cummins, dry. A D60 front axle should be able to handle it without much fuss, especially one equipped with King Pins.

The C7's RPM range can be extended with computer programming IIRC, all one has to do is tap into the ECM and adjust it. Fas as I know. I would think 2,800-3K would be enough RPM's.

I always had the idea of a late model 3500HD SRW with a C7, completely beefed Allison 1000 or a compatible larger series that would work, Cadillac Escalade front end, and a D60 front axle out of a very late coiled Ford F350 that would be 4 linked.

See signature.;)

Based on what exists in the light pickup market today, I'd have to go with Cummins in a Dodge Megacab ....but with a Ford torqshift 5spd auto. Ford truck with the Cummins is a close second. Will someone please make a bulletproof 5 or 6 spd auto for high torque diesel applications :popcorn:!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I always had the idea of a late model 3500HD SRW with a C7, completely beefed Allison 1000 or a compatible larger series that would work, Cadillac Escalade front end, and a D60 front axle out of a very late coiled Ford F350 that would be 4 linked.

That's an excellent idea. I'd totally go with that, minus the Escalade conversion. Its too much for me!
If I was at home, I would put up a pic of my ultimate tow rig. Its a 1997 Chevy 3500HD with a Dana 60 in the front, both axles with lockers, and MT tires. Right now it has a utility bucket body on it. but if it was me i would put a flatbed or a regular Dually bed on it. Either way it would have to have stacks!

Ford truck with a cumminsand allison automatic.waytogo

I would go with a cummins engine, allison tranny, in a ford 4 door dually 4x4

97 ford body 99.5 7.3l powerstroke allison trany and cummings name it sounds cool

well... it can happen... what i want anyway... an F-650 with a cummins and a 7 speed manual. i say for becuase its not a special order to get a 4x4 in something that large. ford also gets another plus as it is a live front axle.
Grant

I would go with a 05 F450 crew cab long bed powered by a 03 7.3,TorqShift 5 speed with splitters,atlas two,D60 and Visteon 10.5 with 4.30 gears locked front and rear with four wheel steer,a set of warn 16k front and rear with the stock for revolver style wheels and a set of bfg rugged trails in 33's and tow command.Something that could know the power waggon around a bit and the perfect four wheelers daily driver.

meant knock not know to early today

I would want a brand new o6 f-450 4x4 crew cab dually with a 10 ft. solid aluminum flatbed. I would want a cummins motor preferably the 5.9L 600 high out put backed by a bad ass 9-speed manual transmission and a 14 inch clutch. and 5 inch chrome stacks of course.

dodge body
ford running gear
chevy interior parts

that was till the 08 superduties were released
now i think i need a new 450

I believe the 450's are reduced in power arent they? 325/600 is what Ive read.

I have owned all 3 and like my 05 GMC bestest. But I know, no two rigs are the same, so you enjoy yours and I will wave at you as I pass you on the steep grades, just kidding, to be honest you always seem to want what you don't have. I think my neighbours new truck has two turbos now...:cool:

All newer diesels should have compound turbos, makes it even easier to get big power!

all i can say, is FORD has twin turbo's...

Wow, Ford is Hauling A$$ past Dodge......new engine obviously helped alot.

New Cummins engine, Fords 5R110 is the best automatic in this market hands down, Ford truck, and the fuel economy of a Toyota prius. Or dont I get to choose the last part lol.

i want a dodge mega cab long bed dually with a cummins and an alison

, Fords 5R110 is the best automatic in this market hands down, .

Your kidding right?

I want a Ford Super Duty Crew Cab Long Bed 4x2 with the 7.3 PSD and a 6 speed MT...Oh wait, I have that! :D

i would have to say 05-07 lifted cc red dually..... with cummins and the torque shift tranny..... its designed by allison and imo is the best tranny hands down

the torque shift tranny..... its designed by allison and imo is the best tranny hands down

First off, while I happen to disagree that the Allison is better, 6 speed, manual control of the gears, thats just an opinon difference. But second, the torque shift is not designed by Allison! Its very similar, but it is all Ford design.

i dont no i though thats what i heard when they first came out by i am prolly wrong.... but i beleive that the torque shift can hand more power then the allison (right outa the box)..... allison may have all of its fancy features and what not as well as this limp mode i have been hearing about when to much power is sensed by the computer but torque shift is more durable and.... the torque shift might as well be a 6 speed..... it has 6 forward gear ratios

need a superduty with a 5.9. i love the manual i just need more than 6 gears! maybe 8 or 10:pimp:

'06 chevy 3500 crew cab lwb, drw, 4x4 w/ straight axle front end and a 610 CTD with allison 6spd. and a np205 tc

My would be Dodge Ram with 600 series Cummins and ATS Transmission or a Allison

I'm with 9612vcummins. Cept the allison would be heavily modded for all the power a fella could send to it!

being a big dodge man its hard for me to admit this but... If i could order an F450 pickup with the new cummins 6.7 with a P7100 pump and non of the other crap they have piled on these new engines, and a double over 13 speed there would be 2 in the driveway right now

being a big dodge man its hard for me to admit this but... If i could order an F450 pickup with the new cummins 6.7 with a P7100 pump and non of the other crap they have piled on these new engines, and a double over 13 speed there would be 2 in the driveway right now
You could build that, except use an 8.3 Cummins with a P-pump. It would be way too costly to adapt a P-pump to a 6.7, vs just using an engine that already had it.:cool:

i'd have to go with an 08 F-450 4x4 common rail cummins diesel backed with a NV5600. Real truckers don't tow with automatics(sorry allison supporters). GM lost all my support when they did away with the 6-spd man.

My current truck

2008 Chevy with LBZ Duramax with the 6 speed Allison.

2008 Ford F-450 CrewCab Long bed DRW C-7 cat with 350 hp and 5R1100 trans.waytogo

Ford F450 DRW L/Bed / 330 cat / allison 6 speed

Dodge Mega Cab dually 4x4, Cummins 6.7/Allison 6 spd., black on black.waytogo