[4bt sonoma]

Have been lurking on this site for a while and thought I would share my latest
project. I have a 99 gmc sonoma that i am putting a b3.3 cummins engine in. It
was originally a 4.3 v6 with a 5sp manual. I am reusing the nv3500 with an
adapter from phoenix castings.
So far I have the engine and trans put together with them hanging in the engine bay and am working on motor mounts. I had to modify the oil pan and front crossmember and trans tunnel so far to get everything to fit where I wanted it to and still be able to close the hood.

 

[teamleader]

How much did the engine cost and where did you get it?Is it the mech version?Are you going to use some type of hydro pump for brakes and steering.I haven't seen any brkts for ac installation.

 

[4bt sonoma]

I bought the engine off craigslist out of colorado. It is a all mechanical b3.3t 85hp 215ftlbs. I gave $3000 for the engine it is an 04 but was still new bolted to the shipping skid. I have had the engine running sitting on the floor and it works great. I am using an electric vacuum pump for the brakes. I looked into mounting a hydraulic pump off of the front acc gear drive but was having trouble finding part#s for the gear and drive plate that I would need from cummins. As far as the AC i havent got that far yet. I was thinking about getting a vbelt ac compressor and putting a second crank pulley on to drive it. It will be custom mounts for the compressor.

 

[4bt sonoma]

One other important bit of info I found out the hard way is. I bought an adapter set from phoenix castings to adapt the trans to the new engine. When I installed it the flywheel was to far away from the engine. I had to get a different flywheel adapter with less offset. Come to find out the B3.3 has two different bellhousing depths in the sae#4 configuration. The engine I got had the short engine side bellhousing(shorter by one inch). Phoenix casting came up with a flywheel adapter for me which of course cost about $150 more than the standard one. They said they had only ever made 3 of them before so it was kind of a 1 off piece for them.

 

[Mallo986]

B3.3

The 3.3 does have a shallow and deep housing in both number 3 and number 4....It might have been easier to change the housing...if you need part numbers or engineering drawings let me know and I can email or fax them..3.3 is a very smooth engine and performs very well.

 

[occupant]

Is the 3.3 engine hard to find?

I'm thinking it would be ideal for older half-ton trucks that came with small sixes stock (Chevy 235, Ford 240, Dodge 225).

You said yours was a 2004 model engine, do you know how much they are supposed to cost new from Cummins? Is it a non-EGR diesel or does it have EGR?

 

[4bt sonoma]

The quote I got from Cummins was $5400. It didn't take me to long to find the one I got. My engine does not have an EGR system. I did get the truck drivable yesterday but have a couple of issues. The motor mounts I used are to stiff so there is quite a bit of vibration at idle. Also I reused the clutch out of the sonoma and it is no good. There is also a small spacing issue still wit the bellhousing. I am .125 inches to close between the engine and trans which is keeping some pressure on the clutch no mater what. I have already pulled the trans back out and think I am going to make a spacer plate. Other than that the truck runs good with pretty decent power from the short drive I took it on.

 

[Mallo986]

B3.3

The B3.3 uses both a deep and shallow fhywheel housing.. if you make a spacer you will lose your pilot and things will get ugly quick...the answer is to check and see which housing you have...it would also be a good idea to check your offset........the housing you have can be cross check for depth/offset......I strongly recommend using as much as you can that will bolt together....I fully realize that somethings need to be made/built but I sure hate to see you go there, the results can be expensive...If you can get the engine serial# I can access the drawings on your housing as well as the other housing for you to compare.
Also the B3.3 is a very good engine, that actually has much less vibration than the 4BT...your idle might be set to low, or you might have some type of torysonal issue..If you like some help, let ,me know and I can email you drawing.. Steve

 

[Mallo986]

B3.3

The B3.3 does not currently use an EGR or after treatment, that may come with Tier 4.......Everyone needs to also keep in mind the B3.3 was never realeased for an Automotive application, so expect a tight governor and quick response.....sorry I'm not trying to preach, just give help.

 

[4bt sonoma]

Finally did about a 10 mile test drive yesterday and I was actually very impressed. It has decent acceleration up through the gears and more torque than you would ever need in overdrive. I finally figured out my flywheel spacing issue. The adapters I bought from phoenix castings are for a small block chevy
so I assumed I could use the existing 4.3 flywheel. Come to find out the 4.3 flywheel was much thicker than a 350 chevy flywheel. ended up buying a steel lightweight flywheel for a circle track car. It weighs 16lbs compared to 44lbs. Doing this also took care of alot of my vibration issues as the 4.3 flywheel was external balance and the aftermarket one is neutral balance.
Still have a few loose ends to straighten out before any long distance driving. Interior is not all together and still waiting on my softer engine mounts. I will try to post some pics sometime this week

Thanks Mallo986 for the part #s.

 

[ShadeTreeMech]

Keep us posted. I'm heavily considering the 3.3 vs the 3.9 due partly to the vibration issue and partly due to weight. I would think the 3.3 would have better fuel ecomony anyway.

 

[Prophecy]

Any updates on this?

 

[JakeDiesel]

Sounds nice. First I've heard of someone using the 3.3, I was thinking of putting one in a ranger but didn't know much about the 3.3 as I did the 3.9 or 5.9 other knowing that it is a b series engine. Will that adapter plate fit a 3.9?

 

[Mallo986]

3.3/3.9

nothing off the 3.9 will fit the 3.3...two totally different engines..

 

[jdemaris]

Have been lurking on this site for a while and thought I would share my latest
project. I have a 99 gmc sonoma that i am putting a b3.3 cummins engine in. It
was originally a 4.3 v6 with a 5sp manual. I am reusing the nv3500 with an
adapter from phoenix castings.
So far I have the engine and trans put together with them hanging in the engine bay and am working on motor mounts. I had to modify the oil pan and front crossmember and trans tunnel so far to get everything to fit where I wanted it to and still be able to close the hood.

I'd like to hear how you make out with fuel-mileage. MY neighbor has an Isuzu 4WD mini pickup truck. It was originally a 2.2 turbo diesel. The engine blew up and he replaced it with a Cummins 3.3 and loves it. Says it was a pretty easy swap. Says he's getting mid-30s for fuel mileage but with a lot more power.
There was an equipment auction locally - and they had a pile of brand new Cummins 3.3s - strapped to pallets and they sold for $2000 each.

 

[highlandercj-7]

Any updates on this beast yet? What kinda milage are you gettting?

 

[sirhannick]

This thread is useless without pictures, and quite frankly, I don't believe he did the conversion. If you don't have a camera, drive by my house since we're both in Illinois. I'm just north of Chi-town.

 

[95Z28A4]

The proof is in the pictures........

Here's the pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/


This has evolved into a mult-conversion thread. His first posting is on page 15. This thread presently has 40 pages.

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/showthread.php?t=112807&page=15

 

[gambrinus]

Simple question... "Why?"

Is the 3.3 that much smaller than the 3.9 ?

I know it's a bit lighter, but what are the overall numbers?

RW

 

[AzTraveller]

Someone somewhere mentioned that the B3.3 flywheel is "neutral" balanced (?). Any way of confirming or denying that?

If so, would I be able to bolt a flex-plate directly to the crank and connect a "neutral" balanced torque converter straight to it ?