Hello Kaleb,

It was my understanding that the Frito-Lay delivery vans were having serious 
issues with the SB Chevy that was in them and that a Cummins sales agent got 
wind of this and proposed a drop-in replacement.  While 4BT engines are 
available, the engines with the SB Chevy bolt-pattern are highly prized.  The 
engine that is in the truck that I am looking at came from a forklift so I am a 
little bit concerned about high-mileage but if it checks out when I see it then 
I think I will be okay.

Todd Smith  '85 300CD 248K


This was posted on the vegoilfuel yahoogroup
http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/Facts/diesel_sales.htm

The Cummins B series (3.9L 4 cylinder and 5.9L six cylinder) diesel was 
developed in the early 1980's as a joint venture between Cummins and Case 
tractor.  Cummins was to provide the engine expertise, Case the production 
volume.  In 1984, an active step van/ bread truck repower program for the 
Ford E350 and GM P30 chassis was successfully promoted by Cummins.

As  B production capacity expanded, Cummins began actively seeking a major 
OEM entry for the 6B 5.9L engine in a pickup truck chassis. The 6B was seen 
by Dodge as  a possibility for the aging Ram 250 and 350 which had no diesel 
option. In late 1986, Dodge and Cummins reached an agreement to target the 
1998 model year for the ram diesel.  Cumins accepted the engineering 
challenge of mating the engine to the existing Dodge Ram chassis. As unseen 
technical problems surfaced, the introduction was rescheduled for the 1989 
model.

The first year forecast was for  less than 8,000 Dodge diesel pickups, with 
sales expected to grow by 3,000 trucks each following year.  Ram diesel 
sales for 1989 surpassed 16,000 trucks and the numbers have continued to 
grow.

Cummins data indicates that the life of the B engine in a medium duty truck 
is slightly over 300,000 miles. Estimated engine life in the pickup is 
unknown because few engines have failed or worn out, and there are numerous 
reports of over 800,000 miles.



-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Kaleb C. Striplin

yea, you can pick up he old frito trucks pretty cheap.

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