Project NighTrain - Diesel Swap

(ANNOUNCER)>> TODAY RYAN'S KICKING OFF PROJECT NIGHTRAIN. HE'S PULLING THE ENGINE AND TRANS OUT OF AN '87 CHEVY 1500. THEN IT'S A TV FIRST AS HE WEDGES IN A MASSIVE SIX POINT SIX LITER DURAMAX DIESEL AND AN ALLISON SIX SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. IT'S ALL TODAY HERE ON TRUCK TECH.

(RYAN)>> CLOSER THAN I THOUGHT!

(RYAN)>> HEY GUYS, WELCOME TO TRUCK TECH. WELL TODAY I'VE GOT A SMILE ON MY FACE CAUSE WE ARE KICKING OFF A SUPER COOL NEW PROJECT. NOW WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO BUILD UP ONE OF THESE BODY STYLE CHEVY TRUCKS FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW. THERE'S JUST SO MANY DIFFERENT COOL THINGS YOU CAN DO TO THEM, AND THEY'RE STILL AFFORDABLE. NOW THEY MADE THESE TRUCKS FROM 1973 ALL THE WAY UP TO 1987, MEANING THERE'S A BUNCH OF THEM OUT THERE. HAVING SAID THAT, WELL FINDING A GOOD ONE FOR A GOOD PRICE CAN STILL BE A CHALLENGE. THIS ONE HAS A NICE PAINT JOB ON IT, THE INTERIOR'S CLEAN, IT'S NOT ALL RUSTY, AND IT RUNS WELL. THE FACT THAT WE PAID LESS THAN $5,000 FOR IT, WELL WE'RE ALREADY OFF TO A GREAT START WITH THIS PROJECT. NOW THIS ONE IS A 1987, MEANING IT WAS THE LAST YEAR OF PRODUCTION FOR THESE TRUCKS BUT THE FIRST YEAR OF FUEL INJECTION FOR CHEVY PICK UPS. BUT THE FUEL WE'RE GONNA BE SPRAYING INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER ISN'T GASOLINE. WE'RE GONNA BE SPRAYING SOME DIESEL. SO LET'S GO CHECK OUT OUR COOL NEW POWER PLANT. THIS BEAST IS A TURBOCHARGED SIX POINT SIX LITER DURAMAX VEIGHT OUT OF A 2007 CHEVY 2500. NOW IN STOCK FORM THIS ENGINE MAKES 360 HORSEPOWER AND 650 POUND FEET OF TORQUE. PRETTY IMPRESSIVE FOR A STOCK ENGINE. YOU GUYS THAT ARE INTO DURAMAX'S, OR DIESELS IN GENERAL, KNOW THAT YOU THROW A FEW BOLT ON PARTS AT THIS THING ALONG WITH THE TUNE AND YOU CAN EASILY GET ANOTHER 100 HORSEPOWER. AND IF YOU THROW SOME HARD PARTS AT IT, YOU CAN MAKE

SOME PRETTY IMPRESSIVE POWER WITH THESE THINGS. NOW YOU GUYS MIGHT BE ASKING, WHERE DO WE GET ALL THESE USED ENGINES AND TRANSMISSIONS, AND OTHER SALVAGE YARD PARTS?

WELL I'LL SHOW YOU. NOW TO LOCATE OUR DONOR ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION WE

SIMPLY WENT TO PARTS LOCATOR DOT COM, ENTERED IN THE YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL OF THE VEHICLE WE'RE LOOKING FOR, TOLD IT WE WERE LOOKING FOR A COMPLETE ENGINE ASSEMBLY. AND SINCE WE'RE AFTER AN LBZ, WE SELECTED THAT, ENTERED OUR ZIP CODE, AND HIT LOCATE. NOW THIS IS SEARCHING A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. THEN ONCE IT'S DONE WE'LL SEE ALL THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO US. NOW OURS HAPPENED TO COME FROM TENNESSEE AUTO SALVAGE UP IN GREENBRIAR, TENNESSEE, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE COUNTRY, YOU'VE GOT A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS, YOU CAN FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, AND EVEN COMPARE PRICES. NOW IF YOU'VE GOT ACCESS TO A LOADING DOCK OR YOU'RE WORKING WITH A REPAIR SHOP, WELL MOST OF THESE GUYS WILL SHIP PARTS RIGHT TO YOU. IT'S A GOOD THING BECAUSE THAT SUCKER IS HEAVY. AFTER ZEROING THE SCALES TO ACCOUNT FOR OUR JACK STANDS, LET'S SET THIS SUCKER DOWN AND

SEE WHAT IT WEIGHTS. LOOKS LIKE WE'RE COMING IN AT ABOUT 965 POUNDS. NOW THIS IS A FULLY DRESSED ENGINE. THE ONLY THINGS MISSING ARE THE ALTERNATOR AND THE STARTER. OTHERWISE THIS THING IS COMPLETE, AND IT PROBABLY WEIGHS ABOUT 30 TO 40 PERCENT MORE THAN THE SMALL BLOCK IT'S GONNA REPLACE.

SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO COMPENSATE FOR THAT WEIGHT. BUT THE TRADE OFF IN WEIGHT IS GONNA BE MADE UP FOR IN TORQUE. NOW TRANSFERRING ALL THAT TORQUE TO THE REAR TIRES IS THE FACTORY INSTALLED AND MATCHING ALLISON 1,000 SIX SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. NOW IN ADDITION TO THE COMPLETE ENGINE WITH ALL THE ACCESSORIES AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, WE

ALSO PICKED UP A COMPLETE UNCUT ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND THE PCM. NOW THOSE TWO ITEMS WE'VE ALREADY BOXED UP AND SENT OFF TO A SHOP CALLED BT DIESELWORKS SO THEY CAN STRIP THE HARNESS DOWN AND MAKE IT A STAND ALONE HARNESS THAT'LL WORK GREAT IN OUR OLD CHEVY. THEY'RE ALSO GONNA REFLASH THE PCM TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T GET ANY ANNOYING WARNING LIGHTS, AND THEY'RE GONNA MODIFY THE TUNE FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE POWER. NOW LIKE YOU'VE SEE, THE TRUCK THAT WE'RE GONNA BE SHOE HORNING THAT DURAMAX AND ALLISON DRIVETRAIN COMBO INTO IS THIS '87 CHEVY 1500. IT'S A REGULAR CAB SHORT BED TWO WHEEL DRIVE TRUCK. NOT EXACTLY WHAT YOU IMAGINED WHEN SOMEBODY MENTIONS A HIGH POWERED DIESEL RIG. BUT THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA MAKE IT COOL, IT'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT. THE NOW THE GAS VEIGHT AND AUTOMATIC UNDERNEATH THE HOOD STILL HAD SOME LIFE LEFT IN THEM. THE TRUCK'S GOT 176,000 MILES ON IT, BUT THAT LIFE IS GONNA HAVE TO GET LIVED ELSEWHERE CAUSE WE'RE

GONNA GET RIGHT TO IT AND YANK OUT THAT DRIVETRAIN SO WE CAN GET STARTED ON OUR DIESEL CONVERSION. NOW FOR THE MOST PART THE PAINT JOB ON THIS OLD THING LOOKS PRETTY GOOD, BUT WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF CLEAR COAT PEELING ON BOTH THE HOOD AND ON THE ROOF. ON THE ROOF IT'S GONNA GET FIXED AND BLENDED IN, BUT THE HOOD IS JUST GONNA GET REPLACED. WE'RE GONNA END UP GOING WITH THE COWL HOOD SO WE CAN MAKE A LITTLE EXTRA ROOM FOR THAT GIANT DIESEL. NOW THIS THING IS A COOL MIDNIGHT BLUE COLOR. AND WHEN IT'S DONE, IT'S GONNA HAUL LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN. SO WE'RE GONNA CALL THIS THING PROJECT NIGHTRAIN. PLUS IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A TRIBUTE TO ONE OF THE BEST SONGS FROM ONE OF MY FAVORITE ROCK 'N ROLL BANDS, GUNS 'N ROSES.

NOW THE FIRST THING WE'RE GONNA DO IS GET RID OF THE FACTORY HOOD AND MAKE SOME ROOM TO WORK. NOW WE DON'T HAVE ANY PLANS FOR THESE PARTS ON THE TRUCK THAT ARE COMING OFF, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN WE WANT TO DAMAGE THEM IN THE PROCESS. WE'RE GONNA CAREFULLY DISASSEMBLE

THINGS TO AVOID THAT. YOU CAN SELL THESE PARTS ONLINE OR YOU CAN DONATE THEM TO A FRIEND WHO NEEDS THEM MORE THAN YOU DO. NOW YOU SEE ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TRUCK, THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF RUST. A LITTLE BIT OF SURFACE RUST HERE AND THERE, BUT IT'S NOT BAD FOR A TRUCK OF THIS AGE.

[ engine jack clicking ]

NOW ON A BIG TEARDOWN JOB LIKE THIS, I LIKE TO REMOVE THE PARTS THAT CONTAIN FLUIDS LAST. IT JUST MINIMIZES THE AMOUNT OF MESS YOU MAKE IN THIS KINDA MESSY JOB. NOW WE'RE PULLING THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION TOGETHER AS COMBO. IT TAKES A LITTLE EXTRA EFFORT THIS WAY, BUT AT LEAST WE CAN THROW IT ON A PALLET WHEN WE'RE DONE AND GET IT OUT THE DOOR.

(ANNOUNCER)>> AFTER THE BREAK RYAN'S TAKING A STAB AT THE FIRST TEST FIT OF THE DURAMAX. AND LATER WE'LL SEE JUST HOW MUCH ROOM WE'VE GOT FOR THE ALLISON TRANSMISSION, STAY TUNED!

(RYAN)>> HEY GUYS, WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOP. NOW WE'VE GOT THE DRIVETRAIN PULLED OUT OF OUR '87 CHEVY PICK UP.

AND WE'RE ABOUT TO HAUL IT OUT OF THE SHOP AND GET RID OF IT. BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT WE WANTED TO THROW IT UP ON THE SCALES AND SEE WHAT IT WEIGHED. NOW THE SIX POINT SIX LITER DURAMAX THAT'S GOING TO REPLACE IT WEIGHS IN AT 965 POUNDS. THIS THING IS 760 POUNDS, THAT'S THE ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, AND ALL THE ACCESSORIES. NOW THE DIESEL WAS COMPLETE WITH ALL THE ACCESSORIES BUT WITHOUT THE TRANSMISSION. SO WE'RE ALREADY ADDING OVER 200 POUNDS TO THE FRONT END OF THIS TRUCK AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN WEIGHED THE TRANS YET. NOW IN ADDITION TO OUR 965 POUND DIESEL ENGINE, OUR NEW TRANSMISSION WEIGHS IN AT ABOUT 350 POUNDS, BRINGING OUR NEW DRIVETRAIN TOTAL TO ABOUT 1,315 POUNDS. THE DRIVETRAIN THAT CAME OUT OF OUR CHEVY WAS ABOUT 760 POUNDS, AND THAT'S APPROXIMATELY A 73 PERCENT INCREASE IN DRIVETRAIN WEIGHT. THAT'S SUBSTANTIAL AND IT'S GONNA HAVE AN EFFECT ON FRONT RIDE HEIGHT, THE SUSPENSION, AND THE OVERALL WEIGHT BIAS OF THE TRUCK. NOW IN ADDITION TO BEING A HEAVIER TRANSMISSION, THIS THING'S ALSO PHYSICALLY LARGER. IT'S A LOT TALLER THAN THE TRANSMISSION IT'S REPLACING. SO I'M SURE I'M GONNA HAVE TO DO SOME TRANSMISSION TUNNEL SURGERY TO GET THIS THING TO FIT. I MIGHT HAVE TO CARVE UP THE FIREWALL AS WELL, BUT

WE KNEW ALL THESE THINGS GOING INTO THIS PROJECT AND WE'LL JUST DEAL WITH THEM AS WE GO. NOW BEFORE I EVEN GET STARTED MOCKING UP THE NEW POWER PLANT, I'M GONNA GET RID OF A FEW UNNECESSARY PARTS AND A LOT OF GREASE AND GRIME. NOW ALONG WITH CLEANING UP THE ENGINE BAY I'VE ALSO REMOVED HALF OF THE A/C BOX AND THE EVAPORATOR. THE REASON IS I'M HOPING THAT ONCE THAT ENGINE'S IN PLACE THERE MIGHT BE ENOUGH ROOM TO SNEAK THOSE PARTS BACK INTO POSITION AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO RETAIN SOME OF THE FACTORY A/C COMPONENTS.

THE BREAK BOOSTER, WELL IT'S STILL THERE FOR THE SAME REASON. I'M HOPING IT DOESN'T HIT THE ENGINE. IF IT DOES, WE'LL GET RID OF IT AND INSTALL A HYDRO

BOOST BREAK SETUP. BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT WHAT HITS AND WHAT DOESN'T.

IT'S ABOUT LOWERING THIS BEHEMOTH INTO POSITION.

I LOVE OUR KUNDEL CRANE. NOW WE ARE REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE OUR OVERHEAD CRANE, BUT YOU CAN STILL GET THIS JOB DONE WITH A HEAVY DUTY CHERRY PICKER. BUT IF YOU'RE GOING THAT ROUTE, YOU PROBABLY WANT TO REMOVE THE INNER AND OUTER FENDERS AND THE FRONT END TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE WORKING ROOM. NOW I'M JUST TRYING TO EASE THE ENGINE INTO POSITION. I DON'T WANT TO DAMAGE ANYTHING. BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT THE OIL PAN, WHICH IS ALUMINUM, IS ABOUT TO HIT THE STEERING LINKAGE. ALRIGHT, THAT'S PROBABLY ABOUT AS FAR DOWN AS IT'S GOING TO GO. ALRIGHT, WHERE'S THE JERK THAT THOUGHT THIS WAS GONNA BE A GOOD IDEA? THIS THING IS HUGE! ALRIGHT, NOW THE ENGINE IS MOSTLY IN THE ENGINE BAY, BUT IT'S HITTING THE BRAKE BOOSTER AND THE STEERING LINKAGE IS HITTING THE OIL PAN. I'VE STILL GOT TO GO BACK TOWARDS THE FIREWALL ABOUT FIVE, MAYBE SIX INCHES. SO I'M GONNA GET RID OF THIS BRAKE BOOSTER, SEE IF

WE CAN SLIDE IT BACK A LITTLE BIT, AND SEE WHAT THAT BUYS US. NOW BEFORE I REMOVE THE BRAKE BOOSTER, I'M GONNA SEPARATE IT FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER. AND TO MAKE SURE I DON'T SPILL A BUNCH OF CORROSIVE BRAKE FLUID ALL OVER EVERYTHING, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND DRAIN THE FLUID THAT'S IN THE RESERVOIR. TO DO THAT I'M GONNA USE THIS VACUUM BRAKE BLEEDER THAT WE PICKED UP FROM MATCO.

THIS TOOL MAKES QUICK WORK OF REMOVING THE BRAKE FLUID. THAT SURE BEATS THE OLD TURKEY BASTER THAT I USED TO USE. NOW IF YOU HAPPEN TO GET SOME BRAKE FLUID ON PAINT, DON'T PANIC, JUST DILUTE IT RIGHT AWAY WITH WATER.

THAT SUCKER SHOULD COME RIGHT OFF!

ALRIGHT, NOW IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE THIS MIGHT WORK. NOW WITH THE BRAKE BOOSTER OUT OF THE WAY, OUR GIANT DURAMAX FITS DOWN IN THE ENGINE BAY BETTER, NOT GREAT, BUT BETTER. HOWEVER IF YOU LOOK AT A PROFILE SHOT ACROSS THE TOP OF THE FENDERS WHERE THE HOOD WOULD BE, IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM. NOW WE ARE GOING TO BE INSTALLING A COWL HOOD, SO THAT WILL HELP, BUT I STILL THINK I CAN GET THE ENGINE TO SIT A COUPLE OF INCHES LOWER IN THE ENGINE BAY WITH A LITTLE BIT OF WORK.

(ANNOUNCER)>> UP NEXT, LOOKS LIKE THE OIL PAN'S GOTTA GO, STICK AROUND.

(RYAN)>> HEY GUYS, WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOP.

NOW LIKE WE MENTIONED, I WANT THE ENGINE SITTING LOWER IN THE FRAME RAILS. WE HAD A COUPLE OF THINGS WORKING AGAINST US. THE FACTORY ENGINE MOUNTS ON OUR DURAMAX WERE

RESTING ON THE FRAME PLATES THAT TIE IN THE CROSS MEMBER AND THE FRAME RAILS ON OUR '87, THAT'S WHAT WAS HOLDING THE ENGINE UP. THE OTHER THINK WORKING AGAINST US WAS THE ALUMINUM OIL WAS EITHER TOUCHING OR REALLY CLOSE TO TOUCHING BOTH THE CROSS MEMBER AND THE STEERING LINKAGE. NOW THESE DURAMAX ENGINES HAVE THE OIL PUMP UP FRONT AND THE OIL PUMP PICK UP HERE IN THE REAR SUMP.

SO I'M THINKING I CAN GET ANOTHER INCH AND A HALF OF REAL ESTATE BY NOTCHING THE FRONT OF THIS ALUMINUM PAN, BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT. THAT'S BY REMOVING THE PAN AND SEEING WHAT WE'VE GOT TO WORK WITH. NOW TO GET TO SOME OF THE UPPER OIL PAN BOLTS WE HAD

TO REMOVE THE FLEX PLATE OR THE FLYWHEEL. IT'S USUALLY A PRETTY STRAIGHT FORWARD JOB.

SO WE DIDN'T BOTHER GETTING ANY FOOTAGE OF IT. BUT IN THE PROCESS WE DISCOVERED THAT THESE ARE SOME OF THE TIGHTEST BOLTS I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED WHILE WRENCHING ON CARS AND TRUCKS. SO TIGHT IT INVOLVED AN EXTRA LONG BREAKER BAR AND TWO VERY LONG PRY BARS TO GET THE JOB DONE. IT ALSO INVOLVED ME, OUR VIDEOGRAPHER, AND THE PRODUCER OF THE SHOW, WHICH IS ALSO WHY WE DON'T HAVE ANY FOOTAGE OF IT. SO IF YOU'RE DOING THIS JOB IN THE DRIVEWAY, JUST KNOW GOING IN THESE BOLTS ARE REALLY TIGHT AND BE PREPARED. EAT YOUR WHEATIES TOO! NOW I'VE STILL GOT THE ENGINE SUSPENDED BY THE CRANE. I'M JUST USING THE TWO SCREW JACKS AS A LITTLE EXTRA INSURANCE AND A LITTLE EXTRA STABILITY.

NOW EVEN WITH ALL THE LOWER OIL PAN HARDWARE REMOVED, WELL IT WAS PRETTY CONTENT WHERE IT WAS. AND I DON'T WANT TO DAMAGE THE MATING FLANGE BY USING A BIG PRY BAR TO JUST PRY IT AWAY FROM THE UPPER OIL PAN. SO I'M USING A COUPLE OF SCRAPER TOOLS AND A UTILITY KNIFE TO SLOWLY PRY THE PAN AWAY AND CUT THE GASKET LITTLE BY LITTLE. I CAN HEAR IT BREAKING FREE.

NOW THE UPPER PAN IS MORE OF THE SAME EXCEPT NOT ALL OF THE BOLTS ARE ACCESSED FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE PAN. SOME YOU CAN ONLY GET TO ONCE YOU REMOVE THE LOWER OIL PAN. YOU DON'T WANT TO FORGET ANY EITHER. YOU LEAVE SOME IN THE BACK AND START PRYING ON THE FRONT, YOU COULD WARP OR EVEN BREAK THE ALUMINUM CAST OIL PAN. I'M NOT SURE WHAT KIND OF GASKET, ADHESIVE, OR SEALANT THEY USED BECAUSE THERE IS NO PAN GASKETS. BUT IT DEFINITELY IS GOOD STUFF. THIS ENGINE'S GOT OVER 200,000 MILES ON IT AND NEITHER THE UPPER OR LOWER PAN HAD ANY SIGNS OF ANY LEAKAGE.

PRETTY CLEAN IN THERE, THAT'S A GOOD SIGN. ALRIGHT NOW WITH THE OIL PAN OUT OF THE WAY, WE CAN FINALLY GET A GOOD LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, AND THE OIL PUMP PICK UP TUBE SITS ABOUT TWO INCHES BELOW THE OIL PAN MOUNTING SURFACE ON THE BLOCK. AND THE FRONT OF THE OIL PAN, WELL IT'S

ABOUT FOUR INCHES DEEP.

SO I KNOW WE'VE GOT ABOUT AN INCH AND A HALF OF PAN THAT WE CAN SECTION AND STILL BE IN GOOD SHAPE.

BUT BEFORE I GET TO CUTTING ON THE OIL PAN, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND DROP THE ENGINE BACK INTO POSITION SO I CAN MEASURE EXACTLY HOW MUCH NEEDS TO

BE CUT AND HOW DEEP INTO THE PAN THE

NOTCH NEEDS TO EXTEND. GOODNESS GRACIOUS! THIS THING IS HUGE!

ALRIGHT, BY NOTCHING THE PAN, WE'LL DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO GET NICE AND LOW. NOW THIS TAPE MEASURE'S ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH WIDE.

SO WE MIGHT HAVE TO GO BACK ANOTHER HALF INCH OR SO FOR SOME WIGGLE ROOM BUT I THINK WE'RE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE.

(RYAN)>> HEY GUYS, WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOP. NOW TODAY HAS BEEN ALL ABOUT TRYING TO WEDGE THE GIANT SIX POINT SIX LITER DURAMAX DIESEL UNDERNEATH THE HOOD, OR MOSTLY UNDERNEATH THE HOOD, OF

OUR '87 CHEVY PICK UP, PROJECT NIGHTRAIN. NOW WHEN WE FIRST LOWERED THE DIESEL DOWN INTO THE ENGINE BAY IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO BE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. BUT AFTER A LITTLE BIT OF WORK, A FEW MODIFICATIONS, AND A PLAN FOR A COWL HOOD, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GONNA WORK OUT SURPRISINGLY WELL. YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE ALL THE BELL HOUSING BOLTS, SO THAT'S A GOOD SIGN. AND WE'VE GOT A FAIR AMOUNT OF ROOM AROUND THE OIL PAN. AND ONCE IT'S NOTCHED, WE SHOULD BE GOOD TO GO. WE'VE ALSO GOT GOOD CLEARANCE AROUND THE EXHAUST MANIFOLDS AND THE SINGLE EXHAUST OUTLET IS IN A GOOD SPOT AS WELL. WE'VE ALSO GOT ROOM FOR OUR OIL FILTER, EVEN AFTER THE FRAME GETS BOXED FOR STRENGTH. BUT I WILL HAVE TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF TRIMMING HERE ON THE PINCH SEAM FOR EXHAUST CLEARANCE. AND WITH A FEW PARTS OUT OF THE WAY LIKE THE '87 FRAME MOUNTS, IT LOOKS LIKE I'LL BE ABLE TO USE THE GM OR DURAMAX ENGINE MOUNTS. I'LL JUST HAVE TO FABRICATE A COUPLE OF PLATES FOR THE MOUNTS TO SIT ON, WHICH LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE NO BIG DEAL. AND NOW THAT WE'VE GOT ENGINE POSITON KINDA DIALED IN, WELL IT'S TIME TO JACK UP THIS SCHOOL BUS

SIZED TRANSMISSION TO SEE IF IT HAS ANY HOPE OF FITTING UNDERNEATH THE FACTORY FLOOR. I'M NOT THAT OPTIMISTIC.

IT'S GONNA BE CLOSER THAN I THOUGHT. ALRIGHT, THAT'S UP AGAINST THE FLOOR AND WE'RE A

LITTLE SHORT, BUT NOT MUCH. NOW AT THE FRONT OF THE TRANSMISSION WE'RE ALREADY ABOUT AN INCH SHORT FROM THE BELL HOUSING BOLTS LINING UP. HERE AT THE BACK OF THE ALLISON, WELL I'M UP AGAINST THE FACTORY FLOOR AND THE REAR OF THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO COME UP ANOTHER COUPLE OF

INCHES TO LEVEL THE DRIVETRAIN OUT. SO I CERTAINLY HAVE SOME TRANSMISSION TUNNEL REARRANGING TO DO. NO BIG DEAL, NOTHING SOME METAL WORKING TOOLS CAN'T FIX. OVERALL I'M REALLY PLEASED WITH OUR HEAVY DUTY DIESEL DRIVETRAIN IS FITTING IN OUR HALF TON LIGHT DUTY TRUCK. PROJECT NIGHTRAIN IS OFF TO A PRETTY GOOD START. NOW IF YOU'VE GOT AN '04 TO '14 F-150 WITH A THREE VALVE ENGINE UNDER THE HOOD AND IT'S STARTING TO MAKE A LITTLE BIT OF NOISE OR CLATTER, YOU PROBABLY HAVE FAILING OR FAILED CAM PHASERS. IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM. NOW ONE SOLUTION TO THAT WOULD BE TO JUST REPLACE

THOSE PARTS WITH NEW ONES. BUT BEFORE LONG YOU'RE RIGHT BACK TO WHERE YOU STARTED. SO A BETTER ALTERNATIVE AND THE ONLY PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THAT PROBLEM WOULD BE THIS CAM PHASER REPAIR KIT FROM LIVERNOIS MOTORSPORTS. THIS KIT BASICALLY CONVERTS THE CAM PHASER INTO A FIXED GEAR, ELIMINATING ANY POSSIBILITY OF FAILURE IN THE FUTURE. IN INCLUDES A TIMING CHAIN WEDGE TOOL, THE CAM PHASER LOCK OUTS, NEW HARDWARE, AND A TUNER TO ACCOMMODATE THE LOCKOUT. YOU CAN ALSO USE THIS TO READ AND CLEAR TROUBLE CODES. AND AT UNDER $700 DOLLARS IT'S MUCH CHEAPER THAN THE DEALER. AND THIS IS A VERY DIY FRIENDLY PROJECT. THERE'S NO MAJOR ENGINE DISASSEMBLY AND THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE REALLY STRAIGHT FORWARD. SO IF YOU WANT TO GET YOUR F-150 RUNNING SMOOTHER AND QUIETER, CHECK OUT THE REPAIR KIT FROM LIVERNOIS MOTORSPORTS. NOW IF YOUR RACE CAR OR TRUCK TAKES RACE FUEL, WELL CHECK OUT THIS RACE FUEL CONCENTRATE. THIS STUFF WILL MATCH THE OCTANE AND BTU ENERGY RATING OF RACE FUEL WHEN ADDED TO REGULAR PUMP GAS,

TAKING IT AS HIGH AS 105 OCTANE. AND WITH IT BEING UNLEADED, WELL IT WON'T HARM OTWO SENSORS AND CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. AND IT'S ACTUALLY CHEAPER THAN DISTILLED RACING FUEL. FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECK OUT RACE DASH GAS DOT COM. AND BY THE WAY, THIS STUFF IS NOW THE OFFICIAL RACE FUEL CONCENTRATE OF ENGINE POWER, THE GUYS NEXT DOOR. HEY, THANKS FOR WATCHING TRUCK TECH, SEE YOU NEXT TIME.