I currently own a 1979 power wagon with an old leaky 360 in it. I need to find a donor truck with a Cummins engine and a strong drivetrain with a good frame for me to put the 79' body onto. What years should I be looking at to get the easiest swap with the most bang for my buck? Any suggestions would be helpful in getting started.

heres some pix...

http://rides.webshots.com/album/559358844DTOOyZ


heres some read....

http://forums.thedieselstop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/2729365/site_id/1#import

basically a 12v is gonna be the "easiest" way.

I currently own a 1979 power wagon with an old leaky 360 in it. I need to find a donor truck with a Cummins engine and a strong drivetrain with a good frame for me to put the 79' body onto. What years should I be looking at to get the easiest swap with the most bang for my buck? Any suggestions would be helpful in getting started.

The power wagon cab will need some serious firewall messaging to get it to fit over a cummins.If i were looking to do a cummins swap i would look for 97-98 12 valve truck just for the ease of wiring!!!!

Try to find a 1990 to 1993 dodge with the cummins. They are turboed and intercooled unlike the 89. Then convert it to a p pump. Plus the power wagon body shold almost fit pefectly.

Personally, I would be looking for an '89-'93 Dodge for the swap. The cab is the same general style so everything would be more of a bolt in than the '94+ style would be.

Whatever way you go, you should plan on finding a complete donor truck or else you're going to have a lot more money invested trying to piece everything together.

Try to find a 1990 to 1993 dodge with the cummins. They are turboed and intercooled unlike the 89. Then convert it to a p pump. Plus the power wagon body shold almost fit pefectly.

They weren't intercooled until some time in '92 iirc.

By the parts manual, the intercooler was available in 1991.

If it were me, and I really wanted to keep the '79 body, I would get a 1989-90 W250 with the Cummins engine and swap the fenders, hood, grille, radiator support, doors, and bed over from the 79 model. The cab is basically the same. I believe you will run into trouble trying to get the '79 grille and radiator support to fit with an intercooled model. One of the reasons for the bulged grille in the the 91-93 models was for more room to mount the intercooler. You may be able to have a custom intercooler made to get around this and keep the look of the '79 model.

Damn! Why didn't I think of this? :mr-t:

MADDOG

Oh yeah! I did!
And ZERO firewall massaging needed.

MADDOG

The cheapest/easiest way to go is with a non-intercooled (89-91.5). It will drop in, see above pic, and you don't have to make room for the intercooler. You'll need the intercooler if your going to turn up the fuel. Trying to stuff the intercooler in the older Dodge's is really the only challenge. Get a complete vehicle for the donor. Don't keep the gas trans or the D44, they not up to the power or weight of the 6B. I would swap your body onto the donor frame to keep all of the heavy duty stuff, cut and weld the frame if your's is a short bed.

[QUOTE=scout4bta;7405436]It will drop in, see above pic, and you don't have to make room for the intercooler. Trying to stuff the intercooler in the older Dodge's is really the only challenge.

The "see above pic" is a '93 w/ the factory intercooler. And you DON'T have to make room for anything, as long as you use the radiator core support and grill.
Man, some of the advise in this thread, blows!:shaking:

MADDOG

If you want to keep your 79 sheetmetal and grill, get an 89-early91 and have at it. If you want or like the sheetmetal and grill that JK has above just buy a decent truck and use it as is. Option #2 is really the easiest way to go.
Travis..