Building a rig that is capable of full time living, and capable in any location and condition is a big undertaking. Doing it on a budget with an older rig brings even more challenge to the table, but this truck is turning into an adventure rig unrivalled by any million dollar rig. The 12 valve cummins and NV4500 five speed transmission are an unbeatable combination. Maintaining stock power, and addressing the handful of failure points, will give you a drivetrain that can handle a lot of load and will be reliable for more than a million miles.
Last season, we fixed all of the existing oil leaks, covered the KDP, and deleted the PCM, leaving a strong reliable engine. The transmission had been rebuilt and the fifth gear issue remedied. Throughout the first travel season, I was able to identify so issues creeping up, which are most likely a product of the truck having sat for so many years. The clutch and flywheel have been on the list for quite some time, and the new South Bend kit made a huge difference. The clutch release is smooth and forgiving now, and the backlash has basically disappeared. The old control arms, though a nightmare to remove, seem to have been the issue behind our front end issues. This is a big relief, since it was the only part of the front end that hadn't been addressed.
The final checkmark would finally hit the To Do List when the engine was no longer leaving puddles of oil behind, but this job got drastically larger than I had hoped. A quick observation once the engine was thoroughly cleaned revealed a leaking head gasket. Luckily it was only pushing out oil, and not experiencing any cross contamination of coolant. Once the head was removed I was able to inspect the cylinders, and I am so happy to say that this engine has a lot of life left in it, so it is time to get the vital components in tip top shape. The Tappet cover was beginning to leak, so was replaced with the upgraded Billet Tappet cover, which seals using an O-Ring instead of a gasket. The turbo was completely rebuilt, and new injectors ordered. I got the head decked and new valve seals installed, and on the reinstall every seal and gasket was replaced. I upgraded from head bolts to head studs, which should keep my engine nicely sealed for a million km to come.
The engine fired easily after bleeding and is running beautifully. Next week we will take a closer look into the hiccups and upgrades that happened over the past month of work.
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