My journey to 40mpg with a 1ton diesel.

[Big Dave]

Let's face it ecomodders are a very small subset of the hot rod world.

The TurboDiesel Registry used to have a loudmouth who made exorbitant claims of MPG but he admitted he never drove over 40 MPH at any time. I tried to interest him into a road trip and put the performance out for all to see, but he was never interested.

With my gearing 40 MPH means 750 RPM. I wonder what kind of MPG I could get at that RPM?

Aero mods would be less effective at 40 MPH than at 55 or 70.

But I drive the superslab a lot and 40 MPH vehicle truck will have the drug-sniffing dogs on it before long. People here in Indiana might not shoot a truck going 40 MPH on the Interstate, but they might throw a chair at it.

Yeah, Ford trucks have a big problem in the MPG department. They are very solidly and sturdily built, and that translates to HEAVY. 7,800 lb curb weight. Not good for MPG. It's a good thing I live in pool-table flat Indiana.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by mikeyjd

Any good advice for someone wanting to learn this kind of thing hands on?

Swapping the turbocharger is not as hard as you think. Most swaps should only require basic tools, as long as you don't try to put a holset HE351VE on there.
I would say go with an HE351CW or some type of HX40 with a T3 flange and 3'' exhaust out let (which most HX40 are anyways).
The problem with the HE351CW is that I think it might have a 3.5'' exhaust outlet on the back of the turbocharger.
If you want to use a turbo with a 3.5'' outlet talk to me first because I have the hard to find cummins 3.5'' to 4 inch elbow, a 3.5 down pipe flange, a 3.5'' V-band clamp and a 3.5'' v-band clamp adaptor.

[mikeyjd]

[Shortie771]

Off to a good start. Be sure to watch your temps closely for a while to be sure you dont overheat. I'm sure you get plenty of air from underneath the engine bay, but you never know.

So, what is next on the list? I am looking forward to seeing your progress, maybe if you get some good numbers I can convince my brother to mod his 2500HD diesel.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by Shortie771

Off to a good start. Be sure to watch your temps closely for a while to be sure you dont overheat. I'm sure you get plenty of air from underneath the engine bay, but you never know.

So, what is next on the list? I am looking forward to seeing your progress, maybe if you get some good numbers I can convince my brother to mod his 2500HD diesel.

The next thing on the list of mods is passenger wiper delete ( it would already be done except I can't figure out how to get the darn thing off lol) and a full synthetic oil change. I'm picking up a kill switch for it today as well. After that I plan on tackling the radiator fan. After that I'll probably fashion some rear wheel skirts and a front air dam. I'm also looking to do a ram CAI to keep a balance with getting enough air to the engine and really like diesel_Dave's results there. I have an aluminum ladder rack that is gonna be my Framing for the aero cap and I'll probably do that in conjunction with the underbelly pan. I really want to do allot of engine mods but that is still just a little out of reach for me till I gain some experience. I don't want to risk ruining a perfectly well running truck. Also looking into getting a better thermostat (205degree+Evans coolant+new hoses)

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Swapping the turbocharger is not as hard as you think. Most swaps should only require basic tools, as long as you don't try to put a holset HE351VE on there.
I would say go with an HE351CW or some type of HX40 with a T3 flange and 3'' exhaust out let (which most HX40 are anyways).
The problem with the HE351CW is that I think it might have a 3.5'' exhaust outlet on the back of the turbocharger.
If you want to use a turbo with a 3.5'' outlet talk to me first because I have the hard to find cummins 3.5'' to 4 inch elbow, a 3.5 down pipe flange, a 3.5'' V-band clamp and a 3.5'' v-band clamp adaptor.

OK. I'm intrigued here. You say its pretty simple and I don't doubt you. I guess it comes down to how much fe would be gained and how much would it cost to do it. I'm definitely interested though. I do want to go all out with each mod so im not overly interested in medium upgrades over what I already have. But like I said this is new territory for me and I'm learning allot every day. I'm sure I will waste some time and money in the process. My goal is to minimize it as much as possible. :-)

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by UFO

I think that is a way cool project. 3.08 gears would be amazing.

Yeah my gearing is really short (I can shift into 5th at 30mph without lugging the engine) how hard is it to track down the 3.08 gearing setup?

[kafer65]

I had to remove my cardboard grill block in my slant six. I would get hot at stop lights. You may not have that problem with your diesel. I did notice an improvement in torque when I did the fan delete. I just changed back to cold air intake since I noticed it ran stronger in cooler air. I've also lighten it to under 4000 lbs with me in it. The slant is only 450 lbs though. I've got a 3.55 rear and an automatic with overdrive hooked to an old Chevy vacuum lockup switch. It will lock at idle if I have enough speed to be in 3rd.

[Shortie771]

If you start to overheat with your grill block setup, you may want to look into doing an adjustable grill block. There are a few out there. I have seen some that use springs, servo motors, cables and mine just hinges from wind speed. They all work fine, some are just a bit more involved.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by Shortie771

If you start to overheat with your grill block setup, you may want to look into doing an adjustable grill block. There are a few out there. I have seen some that use springs, servo motors, cables and mine just hinges from wind speed. They all work fine, some are just a bit more involved.

I'll just cut some slits in the bottom portion until its staying where it needs to be. I don't plan on messing with adjustable grill blocks as it seems like it would be more effort than it would be worth.