[mudbone]

Howdy all. 1st of all let me say I'm new so if this has been batted around already please forgive me. I've got a bee in my bonnet about the new Cummins R2.8 RePower engine. Sounds great but it just doesn't quite have enough ass in its pants for what I want. And the 5.9/6.7 is too much(I don't need to tow 30K lbs.... 10K would be way more than plenty). So! To that end I'm trying to get some consensus and an idea of who at Cummins I could bother about a 3.9/ISB -170 RePower program. It certainly sounds as though plenty of you guys in here would be interested in such a program. I just spend some time reading some old posts about wiring harness nightmares and other oddities that could be addressed with a comprehensive package like the 2.8 RePower. So what does the community think about such an idea? And does anyone know who, specifically, at Cummins I could start to chew on? Thanks.....

 

[95Z28A4]

Good look getting Cummins to bite on that idea.

Here's some ISB170 builds........if you haven't read them yet.

1964 c10 isb 170 3.9l

Start of 64 Chevy build. Old truck sitting in back. Thought it would be cool to start another money pit, just didn’t want another LS motor build so thought a odd ball ISB 4 cylinder would be expensive. So opened the wallet and here we go.

www.4btswaps.com

ISBe 170 NV4500 in a ‘71 bronco

Thought I would share my build, 71 bronco Euro III ISBe 170 common rail mounted to a nv4500

www.4btswaps.com

2008 Dakota 4X4 quad cab ISB170

Finally have enough parts to start working o this truck. The clutch and trans arrived this week so we started to strip the truck today. The flywheel from Southbend was a bolt on so I did not have to deal with adapters or change starter to get it to work. The ISB 170 has a 149 tooth flywheel...

www.4btswaps.com

ISB170 Allison 1000 Install into WW2 Dodge

This truck is a native to this forum. Its been around here since 2005 and was previously "Lee's WC". I bumped his old thread a few times but it appeared that the general public was under the impression he still owned the truck. I bought it from him back in May last year without the front clip...

www.4btswaps.com

And this one is a QSB 4.5 build.

QSB 4.5 into 1974 Dodge W200

I've been trolling this forum for a while now and there are tons of very useful information that's been quite helpful along the way so far. So I thought I'd share one of my "side projects" I've recently been working on. I'm an Engineer for a Generator company, long story short, I was able to...

www.4btswaps.com

 

[char1355]

There's no major issue with the ISB 3.9 but you must remember it is mostly computer controlled. Also, only has SAE transmission adapters so that can limit the choice of transmissions. The power steering pump can be an issue. If you source an engine you need to be sure it has all the electrical parts including even the accelerator pedal. Replacing missing items is expensive. The most common transmission used was the Allison 1000. There are adapters that can let you use some manuals like the NV4500.

 

[EVguy]

Its a great idea but I agree that its unlikely Cummins would be interested. Making the 170 emissions legal is going to be the biggest hurdle. If they put out a 200hp crate 3.9 I can see a market but it may not be large enough to cover the costs. Its pretty cheap to pick up a used ISB170 and rebuild it compared to a $15K (rough estimate) crate version. The Allison is a good trans, NV4500 not all that good as far as gear ratios go. If there was a market the trans adapters would follow.
You can see from the number of posts on this forum that its not a popular choice. Head over to the old 4BT forum and it gets daily posts and lots of projects under way.

 

[Snuggletough]

I'm just the opposite. I have done ISB170, R2.8. 4BT, 12 valve, 5.9 and 6.7 commonrail swaps.

I've had the absolute best results/finished product with 12 valves. I'll cram a 12 valve into a 33" long engine compartment. With the right gears and tuning it's an absolute blast to drive, great MPG's, dirt simple, tons of power, no downside whatsoever.

If you can fit an ISB170 you can fit a 12 valve. The rear geartrain engines are almost the same length as the 6.

Really, if you can fit an R2.8 you can fit a 12 valve. 12 valve weighs more, but it's packaged much friendlier for a vehicle (especially a LH drive North American one) than the 2.8.

I really don't think Cummins cares about folks doing conversions or 20+ year old engines.

 

[char1355]

Must remember the ISB3.9 is sort of a US market engine. It has been used in a lot of delivery van applications over the years. Not sure if it is still in the Cummins catalog or not. In other countries they get the ISB4.5 which is a lot more powerful. The latest version which meets Euro 6 2017 smog regulations can be had with 210 HP and 626 lb ft of torque. That's a lot of power from the 4 cylinder. Heaven only knows what one of those in a crate would cost and of course you can't import it into the USA. Might bring it into Canada and sneak it across the border.

 

[EVguy]

I believe the Cummins ISB170 was a joint venture with IVECO and so in Europe they have the same basic 3.9 engine only branded IVECO