1967 Travco 270 440 to Cummins 8.3 Upgrade

CamaroMan wrote:
So absolutely no way the M300 or whatever will hold up? beef up the front end / add stiffer springs?

The motor will not be working anywhere nears its full capability/quite the opposite.. cummins 5.9 is a common swap, and the 8.3 is only 500 lbs more.. tranny is 150 lbs extra..

What are your plan for the bearings, brakes, tires and wheels, steering components? Gas engines aren't real heavy, they hang of the vertical section of a frame and mmounts. You're into a heavy engine, they're mounted from the

Physically the 8.3 and Allison is much larger, the weight is spread over much more of the frame. The engine is 48" high, the turbo sits next to the valve cover on the right. The rattling mechanical injector pump sits high on the left of the motor. Measure 48" up from where your mounts would be, that's how much the motor will intrude into the motor home. That is also the noisiest hottest part of of an engine. When I said you'd have to make a new engine cover I meant one that would make it tolerable to ride next to for more than a few miles at a time.

When you're talking weights you haven't added in the radiator, intercooler,trans and oil coolers. You've got to find room for those also, they're big, heavy and need a lot of real estate in an area that normally is relatively small in a gas engine vehicle. You've got to plumb them with big hoses that don't like tight bends. Then you have to fill everything with a lot of gallons of oil, antifreeze, and tranny fluid.

You need a very large air cleaner and very large tubing that will feed the turbo. Remember, that's on the top of the engine, so it will add to the intrusion into the motor home.

One last thing that really bothers me. How long since that engine ran? Just from the picture it looks like it's been parted, you're looking at some big bills for valuable pieces that are missing. The turbo is gone, that exposes the inlet, exhaust, and lube system of the engine Are those sealed up really well?