Are you tired of the same old dime-a-dozen, LS, or Coyote swaps at every car show? Looking to shake up the status quo and turn some heads with your next build? Swapping in a diesel engine might be just what the doctor ordered. With monster torque and fewer parts than a gas engine, an oil burner is beefy, strong, and fast. To explore your options, you’ll want to get in touch with the “tour guides” from Diesel Conversion Specialists (DCS). They are the gurus of diesel swaps in trucks, loaded with tips and hardware that can even help make a Cummins swap in a muscle car a reality.
The legendary Cummins diesel engine has that distinctive clatter that everyone has come to recognize. A heavy-hitting and throaty rhythm can only be produced from an inline-six engine with a comparable displacement V8 counterpart.
To squeeze an inline engine into a car you have to be flexible with your plans, possess creative energy, and not be deterred by hurdles that present themselves when blazing your own path. Diesel pioneers are willing to climb mountains and keep going until they reach the oil fields of the promised land. (It doesn’t hurt to have a platform built for a big block either.)
The Cummins four-cylinder 4BT might be the best fit if you have underhood space considerations. Remember that you are sacrificing two cylinders and the rumble of that engine will make you feel like you’re in the front row of a 1955 Bill Haley & His Comets concert. Shake, rattle, and roll baby!
To ease the mental burden and stress of wiring, DCS offers a stand-alone harness option for your 12-valve or your VP44 24-valve. To simplify the wiring even further DCS suggests tackling the charging circuit using a one-wire Dodge alternator. You can even get it with a tachometer output.
They also have adapter plates to put several transmissions behind Cummins. For GM fans, their adapter plates will sanctify the marriage of a GM 4L80E, 4L60E, TH400, or TH350 to a Cummins. Just keep in mind that not all of these marriages were meant to last.
DCS has even slapped a 12 valve on a 6l90 and rocked double overdrive gears. A Frankenstien build with double overdrive, 36-inch tires on a dual one-ton truck with a 6-inch lift that was built in the late ’70s. That’s a wild ride that mirrors being a passenger in a moonshiner’s getaway car chase. DCS didn’t forget about the Ford fans out there. For you they have the 4R100, do we really even need to go on?
For those who desire the ability to do their own shifting, a manual is a must. DCS offers adapter plates, clutches, and flywheels. Whether there’s room for a ZF5 or 6, or space is only allowing for a Mazda Five Overdrive (M5OD,) DCS can get you on your way.
DCS has been in the conversion business for several years now. They keep designing products to aid in engine fitment. They have a high-mount A/C kit that helps make room between the frame rails by moving the compressor up and out of the way. This mounting setup is originally designed to get the Cummins into the 1990’s GM trucks. It boasts a GM alternator and also gives you a tachometer option.
To get that diesel-burning mill into your next build, you’ll want to check out DCS’ weld-it-yourself engine mounts. These mounts will hopefully give you the flexibility needed for your engine bay requirements and provide you with a set of isolators, so a crazy engine swap doesn’t mean you need an unforgiving (and not street-friendly) motor plate. You can even pick up a tight-fit-down pipe for that exhaust. Or just go through the hood, we don’t judge.
Remember, to be a pioneer, you’re still going to have to climb the mountain. But with a little help from Diesel Conversion Specialists, they’ll give you a pair of walkin’ sticks to get you to the top.
If you can Cummins-swap a ’68 Corvette…
