Over the last few years, we have focused all of our energy on designing and manufacturing products for the Cummins R2.8 for specific vehicles installs. We put a lot of time and energy in the design and function of all of our parts, to make the install simpler and easier. We want to document everything we have learned so you all can understand why we did what we did, and how it will make your life easier.
We strive to make our kits look, and function as if the OEM did it when the vehicle was new.
The items we take into consideration are
- Adapter Design - Not All adapters are created equal, there are 3 style of adapters. All with there own pro and cons. Before we machined our first adapters we looked all all 3 designs, and looked at the vehicles there were going into to decide what would be best for the installs.
- Bolt on Spacer Adapter
- Pros
- 100% bolt on
- Retains the Cummins Rear Cover
- DOC can remain on the turbo to remain Emission compliant
- Cummins Starter is Retained
- Can be made in many different lengths to help with placement of the engine in the firewall
- Works with bolt Auto and Manual Transmissions.
- Adapter works with a slew of transmissions as they mimic the rear of the block there adapting to.
- Off the shelf Flywheel and Flex plates.
- Cons
- Cost more then other adapter solutions, because there are more machine parts
- Rear Cover
- Pros
- Can reduce the length of the drive train
- Cons
- Requires you to tear down the back of your brand new engine
- Starter Location Changes
- Chevy LS
- Requires the Starter to be Relocated to the lower Passenger side which is the same side as the turbo, so the DOC will no longer fit, and no longer Emission Compliant
- Exhaust has to go straight back which causes clearance issues to the firewall in almost every vehicle.
- Starter is located further down then the Cummins starter, Which can cause Driveshaft and Upper control arm clearance
- Added cost of buying an additional starter
- 8HP70
- The Starter on the eco diesel is right where the injector pump is on the R2.8. Relocation of an injection pump was an absolute no for us.
- The only other option was to retain the Cummins starter and due a 2 piece rear cover, which would end up being the same as our Bolt on spacer design.
- Requires custom Flywheel/Flex plates for each type of Transmission
- Bellhousing
- Pros
- Retains the Cummins Rear Cover
- DOC can remain on the turbo to remain Emission compliant
- Cummins Starter is Retained
- Cost Effective Solution (less parts to be machined)
- Cons
- Shorter is not always better. Not every install will benefit from the shorter solution. We have found in almost all cases we need to add length between the Trans and Engine to get things to package correctly. (more details in the vehicle specific section)
- Only Works with Manual Transmissions
- Requires custom machining on the Cummins Flywheel to use a given Flywheel/Pressure Plate
- Drivetrain Placement
- With all of our Kits, our goal is to package the drivetrain in the chassis with ZERO sheet metal modifications.
- We will first try to leave the Transfer Case in the stock location that way you do not have to get new drive shafts, modify sifters, or do a new transmission mounts. In some vehicles this is just not possible, so we design and manufacture all the parts to change the location as needed.
- Drivetrain Mounts
- When it comes to a diesel engine, the mounts play a major roll in how much vibration will be translated into the chassis of the vehicle. All engine mounts, and transmission mounts, are not created equally.
- Before we started production on our engine mounts, we went through about 10 different designs and isolators before we found a set that fit this engine the best. If you use too hard of a rubber you will get more vibrations transferred into the chassis, and if you use to soft of a rubber you see premature failures. The engine and trans isolators need to work together, because even when using our engine side mounts you can notice increased vibrations if you are not using a correct transmission mount isolator.
- Cooling Packages
- During the beta, and into the first set of Jeep Kits, we soon found out that this engine produce alot more heat the the stock Jeep 4.0L engine put out. Which pushed us away from ever using a stock vehicle radiator, and into the aftermarket radiators.
- Then we learned that not all aftermarket radiators were created equally. After about 5 different cooling pacakges, we were able to design a cooling package that we can send out to a customer in Texas with 120° days to a customer in Alaska that will see sub zero temps.
- These new packages utilize a denser fin spacing to allow more fluid across the core, and we went to OEM's for the electric fans that can pull 50-100% more airflow (4400-6000 CFM) then a standard bolt on fan(2800-3100 CFM).
Vehicle Specific Installs