Parts from truck that caught FIRE

[JeepManiac]

Hello,

I have looked into several different engine and trans swaps for my J20.

Recently a 1997 Dodge cummins 12v with NV4500 came up for sale that had been in a fire. I would want it for the trans and tcase, and there is another complete 12V engine for sale from someone else locally.

The trans shifts into all gears, but that's all I can check. The fire was pretty severe, whole cab is toast. Top of the engine is destroyed as far as anything rubber or plastic goes. Externally the trans and tcase looks fine.

My concern is the high temperatures it may have faced could have damaged the synchros, or bearings or both. I have not had experience with this before. Truck costs $700, tow costs $80, and to dispose of the truck after I'm done costs $300 here in Kodiak, AK (I know, its retarded). So I'm nervous to invest at minimum $1,080 with these concerns. What do you guys think?

[fxtechphx]

Just my thought, see if someone can inspect the trans and tcase, if possible. If you cant ,are you willing to waste 1k on a gamble.

[tgreese]

Condition of the oil in the transmission might tell you something. Might convince you to rule out a purchase. Heat from a fire rises, so the transmission should only have seen radiant heat from the fire. Plus it's shielded by the floor. Condition of the underside of the floor may also be telling.

[SJTD]

Pretty sure the shifter has a rubber bushing between it and the schmeckle that sticks outa the case.

Bad because it may make the shifter feel sloppy if it got cooked. Good because it would have insulated the guts from the hot stalk. Just be aware of where any shifter play is coming from. Might not be a bad thing.

[JeepManiac]

I ended up snagging it. $600 + $80 tow.

Now I have to figure out how guys are mounting these 12v 5.9's. I cannot find the specific info about what guys are doing about motor mounts in FSJ's for either 4bt's or 6bt's

[SJTD]

Since you have the stock frame mounts I'd be trying to mod them to fit. Dodge spent some money designing them to match the motor's power and vibration.