My journey to 40mpg with a 1ton diesel.

[slowmover]

On the grille block. Just closing off the upper portion to smooth flow across the hood is likely enough (the trade-off). Diesels run cool until they don't . . and the change is almost instantaneous (is how it seems). Vital to have gauge.

The wiper arms will come off with two stout flat-blade screwdrivers 90-apart and prying upwards. Hit the area underneath with a penetrant first (I wouldn't do this, though; safety trumps 1/100th mpg).

As to using EVANS in the big truck FE world a bit of consensus is that the temps the engine will run afterwards are so high the head gasket fails. IOW, if it wasn't designed for those temps, don't. On light duty trucks (as we have) the FORD guys have some success, but given the very high cost of conversion I'd look for other First Gen CTD owners who've done the conversion first.

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[oil pan 4]

If you have a transmission cooler up frount there do not block that part of the grill.

[Shortie771]

What oil are you currently running in your truck? Changing to a thinner oil can help to reduce efficiency losses do to friction. Another member has reported great gains in his 3/4 ton 6.7L cummins diesel by switching to some Amsoil Series 3000 Synthetic 5W30 Heavy Duty Diesel oil.

Diesel Dave: "The biggest change recently which put me over the top was switching to some 5W-30 synthetic oil, which has bought me another ~5-10%."

[Diesel_Dave]

Regarding your goal stated in the original post (40 MPG) I would say its doable but don't get too far ahead of yourself. Take things slowly. Do one thing at a time. Research mods before you do them so you understand the benefits and risks. Perhaps most importantly, keep good records. You're off to a good start in the mid 20s. The path to 40 is a bunch of small steps of 1 or 2 MPG (or less).

I'll agree with oilpan that a newer turbo would probably help quite a bit. I'd have to look Ito it a little more to see what your options are. One easy option might be a junkyard turbo off the common rail 5.9s (mid 2000 model years). That wouldnt be a bad option and shouldn't be too expensive. A better option might be a turbo of the industrial 5.9s of the same era. That turbo would be better suited to the lower rpms you will run. The 5.9s in the Dodge trucks spin a lot faster than the off highway engines, primarily to show a high HP rating, wheras industrial engines want lots of low end torque.

Like oilpan said, as long as you're talking all mechanical turbos, the swap is pretty easy to do.

[Shortie771]

Diesel Dave,
Funny how you show up right after I get done mentioning you. Did you get a notification saying "somebody used your name, check it out (Link)" or is it just those hairs on the back of your neck?

Seriously though... Dave has done a very good job with his truck and I am sure he has a lot of useful advise that can help you to accomplish your goal.

[mikeyjd]

It was getting a bit on the warm side today so I opened about 10% of the grill in the middle bottom section. After that it was holding slightly warm but doing well.

[Diesel_Dave]

Originally Posted by mikeyjd

It was getting a bit on the warm side today so I opened about 10% of the grill in the middle bottom section. After that it was holding slightly warm but doing well.

If the grille block is affecting the final coolant temp (after warmed up) at all then you've overblocked it. You want the thermostat alone to determine the final temp. If it isn't you may not be doing any damage (yet), but you're playing with fire because the thermostat is wide open and you can overheat in a hurry if you're not careful.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by Diesel_Dave

If the grille block is affecting the final coolant temp (after warmed up) at all then you've overblocked it. You want the thermostat alone to determine the final temp. If it isn't you may not be doing any damage (yet), but you're playing with fire because the thermostat is wide open and you can overheat in a hurry if you're not careful.

Yeah that was my plan to make sure it didn't exceed normal operating temps. It did climb up past it though so I pulled over and cut the slits and the temp corrected itself about a quarter mile later.

[mikeyjd]

Thanks again for all the advice guys. And I am trying to take it slow. Its hard for me not to get ahead of myself sometimes. I guess I should approach this as maybe a 1year project instead of a 1month project

[Diesel_Dave]

Originally Posted by mikeyjd

Thanks again for all the advice guys. And I am trying to take it slow. Its hard for me not to get ahead of myself sometimes. I guess I should approach this as maybe a 1year project instead of a 1month project

I'm not sure how many miles you put on the truck, but a 40 mpg tank is 1,400 miles--so just driving a 40 mpg tank can take a month.

BTW, I have to ask a couple questions. Where do you live (climate wise) and what type of driving do you do with the truck? These things will determine what types of mods may be off-limits for you and also what types of numbers will be acheivable. I personally do mostly commuting with my truck (kind of a waste, I know). I see you have a Festiva as well--I assume that's your commuter vehicle.