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m35a2 mods/performance upgrades

Cummins86

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Anchorage Alaska
Hi guys, my buddy and I are going to be working on our m35a2's and we were curious as to what turbocharger can replace the stock one, if the injectors could be honed, intercooler fabed for it, modify the headbolts(ones that will handle higher level of boost) how to turn up the fuel pump. I am curious as to how much boost the stock turbocharger puts out, how much it can handle. How much boost will the stock headbolts can handle. These deuces will be operating on diesel fuel only. I am trying to get a feel for what can be done to increase the power output of these LDT 465 motors. Please give me any information you can, Im a cummins guy, ive never worked on these motors nor do i have much knowledge on the performance of them. Thanks alot!!
 

SMOKEWAGON66

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...Well before anyone else starts in, Ill go ahead and say it. The search button is your friend. Most of these questions have been brought up, debated, answered, etc at some point in the forums. That being said, all I can say is, Im in the same boat as you lol...not much knowledge about these engines. Ive read alot of threads in here and there is tons of knowledge floating around. Wish i had more to offer up then that. so good luck! [thumbzup]

And welcome aboard!
 

Titanium Soldier

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Mojave California
I would put stickers on it, maybe a wing in the back, donk it a few feet, and then a 15inch exhaust tip? maybe some chrome spaypaint for the wheels too!!!! should make it go faster..... JK welcome to the forum, and you will meet smoke when you get down here.. Pretty sure he is the only one on base with a personal guntruck
 

Cummins86

New member
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Location
Anchorage Alaska
I would put stickers on it, maybe a wing in the back, donk it a few feet, and then a 15inch exhaust tip? maybe some chrome spaypaint for the wheels too!!!! should make it go faster..... JK welcome to the forum, and you will meet smoke when you get down here.. Pretty sure he is the only one on base with a personal guntruck
How did i know you were gonna say something T. HAHA good to be here, cant wait to get to CA bro. and 15 inch exaust tip aint big enough!!! :grd:
 

Loco_Hosa

Member
462
4
18
Location
Ethel, Wa
Hi guys, my buddy and I are going to be working on our m35a2's and we were curious as to what turbocharger can replace the stock one, if the injectors could be honed, intercooler fabed for it, modify the headbolts(ones that will handle higher level of boost) how to turn up the fuel pump. I am curious as to how much boost the stock turbocharger puts out, how much it can handle. How much boost will the stock headbolts can handle. These deuces will be operating on diesel fuel only. I am trying to get a feel for what can be done to increase the power output of these LDT 465 motors. Please give me any information you can, Im a cummins guy, ive never worked on these motors nor do i have much knowledge on the performance of them. Thanks alot!!
Alrght. I will spout back what I have read. My truck is stock, so this is only what I have read. When you add that new inspection port to your engine (You know, the one you didnt want) dont start going round saying "Well Loco said I could" I will simply laugh at you.

I know, your excited, but this truck is not ever going to be fast with its current engine. All you can hope for is less slow. Also, the "Modification and Hotrodding" forum is a good place for these questions. :)

Searching inter-cooler will net you DAYS of reading material.

Your questions, with short answers:
what turbocharger can replace the stock one? This has not been covered much. The general opinion I have read is that the stock ones are more than sufficient, but there are gains to be had by adding one with a waist-gate. This can be obtained from some of the LDS engines (5 ton multifuels)

Can the injectors be honed? The way I understand anything can be honed. Oh! you mean can it do any good? It COULD. The stock injectors may be either the single or double port design. You have to remove them to find out. These do not inject a mist, they inject a stream. This results in less power but helps it be less picky with fuels.

intercooler fabed for it? Silly question. You asked if you CAN fab an inter-cooler. I dont know if you can. I know I CAN fabricate up an inter-cooler for a non turbo Chevy if I wanted to, it just wont do any good. For putting one on the Deuce, the intake is heated with engine coolant, so the question of how much good an Inter-cooler will do comes up. Wreckerman just did a thread with some awesome info about this, you should search, "Threads started by Wreckerman" and do some reading. :)

how to turn up the fuel pump. Wow. I was a noob once, (Kind of still am) and I guess I didn't use the search as much as I should have, but this question is kind of asinine. Im not just being a dick, but when you enter the Deuce forum, its a sticky-ed thread, at the top, first one you see. This the most frequently asked question on the entire forum. "How to turn up the fuel, with pictures!"

Im not trying to be a jerk, Im not, but we have answered this question 1,000,000,000 times.

how much boost the stock turbocharger puts out, how much it can handle. How much boost will the stock headbolts can handle. The most boost I have seen used in my reading was around 25psi.

Alright, here is some of Loco's knowledge. Your thinking of this engine like a Cummins. The cummins is an INCREDIBLE engine. The block and lower end are INSANE, able to handle around 450hp without modification. It was (As I understand) an engine that was used on marine applications with water to air inter-coolers and put 400hp out comfortably. It was de-tuned for the trucks. That makes it great for going butt humping FAST.

The LDT is not a cummins. It will never be a cummins. If you treat it like one, your going to snap a rod, or if you avoid that then the block will actually come apart near cyl #6. Your best bet if you want Cummins performance? Put a cummins in it. Fits well, and is an awesome improvement.

Now, what other members have done to get some power from these engines. You start with a pyro and boost gauge. Next, we bump the fuel up till the EGTs reach about 1100. Not fast enough? Then time to add a water injection system. The good news now? Your faster, and still multi-fuel!

Your still going to top out at 56mph, so lets throw some 395 series tires on it, (46 inch tall) and/or an overdrive kit. Either of these options will cost approximately $1500.

You are still unhappy with your performance, you want more. You could now loose one of your rear axles, and shorten the bed. You are now 3000lbs lighter, and much peppier. You can try to add a thicker head gasket, or whatever blah blah blah, or just send your LDT to me and buy a cummins for it. Now, your FAST.

I would be NEGLIGENT to not post some stuff about this out dated braking system, so allow me to quote what I told another gentlemen yesterday.

tire size = mph?

I have experienced brake failure on my own Deuce, and THANK GOD I was in a parking lot. Still terrifying.

Im not however saying you should not do as your considering. An overdrive kit and 395s sounds like 1/2 of a GREAT plan, and should put you right around that 65mph/2200rpm sweet point you want. I suggest that you try with just the tires or just the OD kit first, and see if you think you will find the other to be necessary or if 62mph feels good enough to you.

Now lets look at 2/2 of this plan. First step I would suggest is for ever $10 you put towards speed, you put AT LEAST $5 towards stopping. There are a few dirrection to go on this. You can upgrade to 6 wheel disk brakes, which is a big and awesome job. Bit pricey, and involves getting calipers off an F450 or something. OR build a second (Backup) braking system. This could be in the nature of an exhaust brake, or some kind of pinion brake.

Keep in mind, you are taking the lives of everyone else on the freeway into your hands. That is no reason to not do it, and not enjoy your own truck though. We all just want our hobbies protected. We can best to do that by taking care of our members and everyone on the streets around our members.

The main point they want to get across is that you need to check your brake fluid daily, and twice a year remove all six brake drums, thoroughly inspecting any rubber component. When they fail, the entire world seems to speed up, and life gets scary.

I aint done the math, but loading a deuce with 10,000lbs of payload (its surface street load rating) would put a lot more strain on the brakes (I would think) than than tires that are a bit taller and 10 additional MPH.

Sidebar for all you Nay-sayers. Yes, this MAY increase the load on his brakes, but didnt we have a member on here DIE on the freeway because the rest of the traffic didnt realize he was doing 50? Thats not a "it could happen" that DID happen. Its dangerous to do 45-50 on public freeways also.
 

Warthog

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Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
OKC, OK
I always wonder why the new guys always want to hotrod a 60 year old design motor. It is what it is. It wasn't designed to be hotroded with today's technology. With that being said I am all for making improvements for safety and comfort.

Why not change out the motor with something that will handle 1200hp.

Also make sure you upgrade the stopping system before you go faster than the truck is designed for.
 
Last edited:

Heath_h49008

New member
1,557
101
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Location
Kalamazoo/Mich
Most guys have similar minds... "New toy! How fast can I make it go?"

I'm of the club of "New toy! How can I make it into a Swiss Army knife, and last forever?

He'll learn to search, and read...
 

BadMastard

New member
392
5
0
Location
Duvall, Wa.
Hey Cummins86!

LocoHosa covered almost everything you'd ever want to know about the deuce and speed modifications. My two cents is pretty simple though. I've driven my multifuel at 72 mph gps speed on a very very good freeway. My tires were new, my suspension tight and dashboard Jesus standing by. You're going to find that the engine isn't the weak point in going fast. The whole truck is. You're going to have to monkey with the suspension/frame all day long to make it more stable to take the power, braking and road conditions, and do it safely.

If you really want speed out of it, throw in a big block motor, like the 454. Increasing your redline will make your truck faster than you'd believe. Probably too fast for it to hold together. Bob it, and it will run like a modern truck for acceleration, but still your top end isn't going to be there. Does solve braking capability as my bobber stops on a quarter. It would still be nice to have dual braking systems though.

If it were me, and I'm quite a bit like you, I'd go for making the engine hyper efficient, which is something most people wouldn't or couldn't do. Add a wastegate, water injection and meter out the fuel better. Cool the oil system better, reduce the drivetrain drag. Power steering maybe. Things like this would net you a faster more modern truck. After all, it's your truck, do what you want to it! Enjoy monkeying with it, if you're not the die hard gotta be stock type.

Oh, and you're in Alaska. You really really really want to change out NDT's to something with tread. You're also going to want to weigh down the back end. Remembering some of the roads up there, you also need more torque. 10% grades slow us all down. Plus winter kit- fuel heater, cab heater (not the water type), battery pads, cab padding, engine padding, oil pan heater, block heater, etc, etc, etc.

Have fun! You're also fortunate that all the people who'd tell you "you can't go that fast in a deuce safely" live in the lower 48. Mostly. We don't have to worry about you running over people as much as moose.
 

oddshot

Active member
777
114
43
Location
Jasper, Georgia
Hi guys, my buddy and I are going to be working on our m35a2's and we were curious ...
Welcome aboard ... and count this as your lucky day!

Loco_Hosa put up one of the best and most generous posts to a nube I have ever seen on this forum.

Some folks around here don't like nubes ... they don't like people modifying these trucks .... and they don't like people asking questions that have been asked before.

Yeah ... I know ... but that's just how it is.

There is a lot of good information in this site ... some folks have problems with the search function ... but if boil your topic down to just a few words ... and plan on reading a spell ... you'll eventually find what you're looking for.

Yeah ... I know ... but that's just how it is.

Good luck with your truck ... mine is a bobbed two axle ... and after almost 9 months of almost daily driving ... I still love the ever-lovin' chit outta it!

Try to include pictures ... we LOVE Deuce porn.

oddshot
 

Loco_Hosa

Member
462
4
18
Location
Ethel, Wa
Welcome aboard ... and count this as your lucky day!

Loco_Hosa put up one of the best and most generous posts to a nube I have ever seen on this forum.
oddshot
Why thank you for the kind words! I figured that if I organized this into a somewhat polite and well written collection of my thoughts, I could quote myself and use it next time someone ask about hopping up their truck without searching.

Idk, I think just spamming, "USE THE SEARCH" is a useless and impolite way to raise a post count. Just my $0.02
 

blakeke

New member
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1
Location
Montrose, PA
I echo the OPs first question. What would you guys say would be the ideal way to have the turbocharger/fuel metering set up? It seems to me that D>C>>no turbo unless you like the whistle (which is cool and C and D are about the same functionally). But even the D seems old, and I don't really understand how the fuel metering works either. It seems like there must be a more modern turbocharger that would do a better job, maybe a compound one with a wastegate. The LDS one works, but even that is old, and I don't get the impression that it makes a huge difference. Aiming for efficiency and reliability. I'm kinda a noob still, but my recommendations for the OP are lockout hubs for the front, and jatonka's filter kits. A winch is great fun. I LOVE my dump bed. Drink holders. I haven't done it but I'd recommend padding your door so it won't hit your funnybone so badly. A3 rims with 14.5 tires I'm pleased with, but I'm not terribly handy and I was kind of scared of the split rims. I won't burden you with my wish list but all of that has turned out well for me. Except chains. I and I imagine in Alaska you will want chains. Or so I hear. Have fun :D
 

simp5782

Feo, Fuerte y Formal
Supporting Vendor
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My LDS has a Schwitzer 4LE-303 that came off a newer model mack ENTZ-675 and others. it can put out 27lbs of boost. I think the LDT might be hurting if you arent careful with it. It is for sale :D
 

JasonS

Well-known member
1,643
126
63
Location
Eastern SD
My LDS has a Schwitzer 4LE-303 that came off a newer model mack ENTZ-675 and others. it can put out 27lbs of boost. I think the LDT might be hurting if you arent careful with it. It is for sale :D
I would be interested in seeing a pic of this.
 

simp5782

Feo, Fuerte y Formal
Supporting Vendor
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Here are some. the outlet is 4". The downpipe is still hooked the to the turbo. 3" inlet into intake and 3" turbo inlet. Pictures of it on the truck.
 

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crazywelder72

New member
701
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Location
Winchester Ma
I always wonder why the new guys always want to hotrod a 60 year old design motor. It is what it is. It wasn't designed to be hotroded with today's technology. With that being said I am all for making improvements for safety and comfort.

Why not change out the motor with something that will handle 1200hp.

Also make sure you upgrade the stopping system before you go faster than the truck is designed for.

funny, i havent even solidified the purchase of my first m35a2 and i am already researching a exhaust brake. that truck is a bear to stop with 6- 53" tires.
 
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