help! M62 Conversion to diesel - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

eroscoe · 03-11-2011, 15:39

hello,
new to this forum been lurking awhile. i used the search button but couldnt not find what i need to answer my question. i have a 1956 M62 5-ton wrecker, we use it for offroad recovery when needed. my question is what is all needed to swap the gas motor in the truck to a diesel. love the truck and would never part with it but its a pig on fuel we trailer it anywhere we need to use it. i picked up some singles from Hundered dollar man with wheels now want to convert this. hopefully gaining power and fuel economy, so if all the wise mv nuts on here can help me in my quest it would be much appreciated.

Thanks Eric,

area52 · 03-11-2011, 15:47

Wheres MB?

What diesel are you putting in it?

eroscoe · 03-11-2011, 17:37

Manitoba, nothern canada just above grand forks north dakota. Not to sure on which diesel im open to suggestions

Ruppster · 03-11-2011, 18:15

First off, welcome to SS Eric. Nice to see more people joining in on the OD addiction.

I think what Area52 is being subtle about is your location doesn't tell us much. MB could be initials for a lot of places. The reason putting a location in your profile is a requirement by those in charge of this site is so when someone asks for help other members will be able to tell if they are close enough to you in order to offer help in person. IIRC the rules used to say city and state but were changed last summer and just specify state. While many Canadians know what you mean by MB a lot of us in the lower 48 don't. So to make up for us idiots you might want to edit your profile to spell out what MB means.

As far as engine options it all comes down to what your skills are. Since you didn't post much of an intro we can only assume what you have. Since I don't know I will start off with a few basic suggestions.

1.) The easiest option would be to buy a rusted out M54A2 series 5 ton with a multi-fuel engine. This will give you all the parts you need to convert it the same way the military did way back when. From what I understand the M54 cargo trucks use a transmission with overdrive but IIRC the M52A2 tractors had direct drive in fifth gear. If I'm wrong I know someone else on SS with more knowledge then me will correct my error. The trick with this option is engine parts won't be as easy to get as going to a local truck shop. Many common parts will need to be ordered.

2.) Find an M54A1 version truck. They had a Mack diesel engine in them that many people feel is a lot better then the multi-fuel engine. Still able to get parts for them but many parts might need to be ordered, just as with the multi-fuel.

3.) Buy an M800 series 5 ton truck with a Cummins 250 and move the wrecker body from the M62 over to the M8XX. The front end is longer on the M8XX trucks so don't even think about pulling the Cummins 250 out to put in the the M62 as it will not fit.

If you have a good mechanical background then you have many other options to look in to if you want to fabricate some custom parts. There's at least one member here that has put a Cat 3208 in a deuce and a half. It all comes down to what skills you have and what kind of equipment you have access to.

Hope this help.

Ruppster

eroscoe · 03-11-2011, 21:24

ok where do i start, well my name is eric 23 years old i live in central canada(manitoba) was raised into a 2nd generation towing and recovery company(one of the largest in canada). been playing and tinkering with pretty much anything i can get my hands on, our shop has 3 full time liscensed heavy duty mechanics we do all our own service in our shop. we have 10 large tow trucks 35ton or larger and not afraid to tackle almost any project.

during the day i drive a 2009 kenworth t-800 tandem steer tri-drive with a 75 ton century rotator on it. mechanical knowledge and skill i would rate my self a 7-8 out of 10. ive installed lift kits on my trucks and so on as well as swapped small blocks for BB in pretty much every chevy product.

sorry for not filling in my profile before posting also. i look forward to learning alot from this forum.

Thanks Eric

P.S. also attached a picture of my DD

supermechanic · 03-11-2011, 21:40

I put a big cummins in a gasser once, if you don't mind a little front end modification, any thing is possible.
Put the engine in place, bolt up the bell, start fabricating .
Not for the average mechanic, but a nice challenge for those who can think.
Good luck, welcome to this site, lots of good guys here, willing to help.
There is a man in Lynn Lake MB, who does this kind of stuff, take a look at some of his creations, may give food for thought. Welcome to the King of Obsolete's Website

fasttruck · 03-11-2011, 21:45

iF YOU THINK ABOUT SWAPPING WRECKER BODY ONTO M 183 CHASSIS A LOT OF PARTS COME WITH IT. rEAR SUSPESNION IS DIFFERENT, TRANS BELLHOUSING IS DIFFERENT TRANSFER CASE IS DIFFERENT (PTO) JUST FOR OPENERS. ENGINE FUEL PUMP FOR NH 250 CUMMINS IS DIFFERENT ON A WRECKER FOR AUXILARY THROTTLE FUEL CONTROL. THINK ABOUT GETTING A COMPLETE M 816 BEFORE TRYING THIS.

73m819 · 03-11-2011, 21:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruppster

Buy an M800 series 5 ton truck with a Cummins 250 and move the wrecker body from the M62 over to the M8XX. The front end is longer on the M8XX trucks so don't even think about pulling the Cummins 250 out to put in the the M62 as it will not fit.

If you have a good mechanical background then you have many other options to look in to if you want to fabricate some custom parts. There's at least one member here that has put a Cat 3208 in a deuce and a half. It all comes down to what skills you have and what kind of equipment you have access to.

Hope this help.
Ruppster

WRONG, a wrecker has a different suspension and has a double/triple frame.

I would put in a DD 671, the m62 has a standard SAE bellhousing, 671s are fairly cheap, should be able to get a SAE set up to match your trans, a lot are around, has a lot of toque, parts are everywhere, there is room for it without moving the transfer, ect.

A member here has one in his m52, also this was a REPOWER that the ISRAILES used

Ruppster · 03-11-2011, 22:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by 73m819

WRONG, a wrecker has a different suspension and has a double/triple frame.

While the suspension would be an easy enough swap the frame is a different issue. Thanks for the correction, Ron.

Ruppster

vtdeucedriver · 03-11-2011, 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruppster

While the suspension would be an easy enough swap the frame is a different issue. Thanks for the correction, Ron.

Ruppster

One more correction. The mult-fuel 5 ton cargo's were also direct drive from the factory. Only the Macks had the overdrive transmission.

Scrap the idea on the multifuel 5 ton motor in the M-62. from 2 mi to the gal of gas to maybe 5 in diesel with LESS HP and torque.......not worth the effort.