Diesel World
Anyone that knows me knows that there’s gasoline running through my veins. I love cars, I live cars, if I’m being honest with myself maybe they’re even a little bit of an idol in my life. Early in my marriage I found a 1964 Cadillac 75 series presidential limousine on craigslist for $800. It was 11:00 PM but the add had just been posted so I called. Somehow I convinced him to pull the add and 7 hours later I was far from home at his house with cash and a trailer.
It was a basket case but was all there. I woke up early every day to piece the motor together. I went to bed exhausted after staying up late working on it on the trailer with a flashlight until the 429 roared to life and I triumphantly backed it off of the trailer. I was in heaven while patient wife was alone. She knew I was extatic about the project but I had simply been absent for too long. She sat me down and told me that she felt like “a car widow” and it really stuck with me. I do still get tangled up in projects until late at night but I’m much more careful with my time management now.
This story is relevant today because I have once again been spending all my free time (not all my family time) working on a Cadillac. As teased I have been putting a Cummins turbo diesel into a 1970 Sixty Special. But I have GASOLINE in my veins! Why a diesel?? Much like Thomas the Tank Engine I’ve never liked diesels. The fuel smells bad, the exhaust smells bad, they’re loud, they smoke, the whine of the turbo gives me a headache, they’re grimy, and they’re expensive! But dat fuel mileage tho… I frequently go on long trips towing a trailer and I wanted all the power so I built a 600 horsepower 428 super cobra jet FE ford for my F-250. It got 7 MPG and cost $252 to fill up both tanks. Ouch. After some soul searching I realized diesel was my only option for power and economy so I literally started googling “best diesel engine”
Although there’s lots of support for Ford’s Powerstroke, GM’s Duramax, and Dodge’s Cummins, the last seemed to be the clear winner for reliability and cheap power and a better option for the diesel beginner. But which one? I was reading all these terms “6BT, 4BT, 6BTA, 1st or 2nd generation, 12v, 24v, v-pump, p-pump, common rail etc.” and I had to sift through them one at a time. I won’t give you a full lesson on all the terms but the “12V” or “12 valve” seemed to be the one everyone wanted. So I bought one. I found a half finished Ford Cummins conversion project that had a lot of other parts I wanted and it was CHEAP.
The CL add.
Loading the project onto my hauler.
It was a 1st generation with the smaller and less preferred “v-pump” for injection but I figured I would just buy the bigger injection pump and switch them. Nope. Turns out without a core It would be cheaper to buy a whole truck. So I did. Thus began my slide down the diesel rabbit hole.
After cutting up the organ donor ford and stuffing the Cummins onto the covered patio I picked up a ’98 ram 2500 with a 12 valve p-pump for an astonishing $2500. It had a problem where the ignition switch would do nothing sometimes. Randomly. After testing the ignition switch and neutral/park safety switch I discovered a defunct alarm system that was killing ignition power. Randomly. I fixed it, the a/c and some other stuff and had a nice beat up p-pump truck. But it was 2 wheel drive with an automatic transmission. I figured I would convert it to 4×4 and a manual trans but it turned out it would be cheaper and easier to buy one that already had that stuff. So I did. Sliiiiiiide…
I sold my ’98 and bought a ’96 p-pump, 4×4, 5 speed truck. This was harder than it sounds. These things are more valuable than unicorn blood and were only sold in select markets. Mine came from Idaho and needed A LOT of work. It also took me 6 months to find a deal. That’s how I got “The
War Rig”
which will get it’s own post. During this time I also got a low-mileage 2002 Ford F-350 with a 7.3 liter Powerstroke for work. Sliiiiiiiide… 
So I have some diesel in my veins now. Stinky, slimy diesel. I actually carry gloves in my truck because the diesel pumps at the gas station are nasty. But what of this Cadillac???
Read back or remember that in January I got the v-pump motor running just sitting there on the back patio. That was a big achievement for me. I also pulled the Cadillac out of the weeds. Well the 2 have become one in a marriage of cool and awesome! Here’s a break down of what I’ve been able to get done:
-Three weekends ago Mr. Doctor, Mr. Coffee and I used the Zombie Jeep to pull Fatty Patty the Cadi out onto the street, then into the driveway. We pressure washed off 8 years of grime (and the Postal Jeep) and I spray painted all the wheels black and covered her with a cheap-o car cover because my municipality will fine me for having a non running car in my driveway (even registered and insured).
Free car wash!
Cut a slit and fed the lic. plate through to appease the authorities.
-Two weekends ago Mr. Doctor, Mr. Rage and I cut the core support and shoehorned the Cummins and torqueflite trans into place. It fit well. When I cut the steel tube mounting the motor into the Ford I had no idea I was cutting in the exact place that would be needed to mount the engine into an old Cadillac. Amazing!
Death-wheel on a 90° angle grinder: not recommended.
Mr. Dr. Guiding the 1200ish lb. load into place.
That’s a BIG engine.
Probably should have used a steeper angle of attack.
Almost there.
Not straight yet but resting in place.
Final resting place. And the hood ALMOST closes!
-Last weekend Mr. Doctor and I spent 12 hours fabricating an awesome transmission crossmember on Saturday then on Sunday Mr. Rage and I pulled the motor and trans back out. Next I fabricated 3/8″ steel plate mounts and drilled them and the crossmember to match then bolted them on with 7/16″ grade 8 hardware.
Crossmember with the ends cut off and the new plates welded and drilled for the Ram truck trans mount.
My safe welding footwear. Don’t be dumb like me. End plates welded to attach to frame.
Had to move the crossmember forward about 8″ and mount it between the frame rails instead of on top.
Outside weld.
Inside weld.
Both mounts scribed and center punched for drilling.
Clamped in place to mark frame for holes.
Both mounts bolted in place. Nuts inside of crossmember to be welded in place.
-Monday Mr. Doctor and I put the engine and trans back in and tack welded the tube mounts to the new plates.
-Yesterday I fished my welder inside of the crossmember and welded all the motor mount nuts to the frame so I could remove and install them easily by myself. I then pulled the fully designed mounts back out, welded them solid and reinstalled. I had the front of the motor supported by an engine hoist which I finally dropped into place for the last time before the car will move under it’s own power. I tightened all the mounts down then gave the motor a good rock back and forth. Only the car moved. They are one.
Bigger and beefier than they look.
After the car is up and driving I’m going to pull the motor, re-gasket it, add gussets to the motor mounts and paint everything.
-Today I’m going to cut the hole in the hood so it will close.
So I have a diesel Cadillac now!!! It’s ready to go! I just need to finish some minor details like a driveshaft, wiring, steering, a charging system, air conditioning, gauges, transmission linkages, a fuel system, a cooling system and a hundred other things. The goal is to have it totally ready by February for… an event.
Until next time rustlovers, Roll Coal!
(But really, don’t do that. It’s gross, it pollutes, it makes you look like an idiot and black smoke is horsepower lost out through the exhaust instead of being used by the engine)
