Booth755 wrote:how much has this build cost so far if you dont mind
imtryign to get a ball park number so i can start saving during deployment?
Hi Booth. For various reasons I'm not going to publicly mention how much I have into this build.
However, if I were to start from scratch again here are some numbers I'd take into account.
These are used/craigslist prices. Cummins 6BT's seem to go for around $2,000 here in the western WA area. Then you have the cost of the trans, which varies widely by type (check craigslist). Next, Dana 60's seem to go for $200-$500, depending. T-cases can be up to $800. As a minimum, plan $1,000 for nuts, bolts, hoses, and other nickle and dime things.
That gets you the basic major components to start the build.
Start the build, by no means get close to finishing it.
Next, research the drivetrain, suspension, steering, braking, electrical, fuel system, interior, and bodywork components you want and keep a running list of the costs of the parts.
Then, consider how much of the work you will do yourself or farm out to others. For all the work you farm out double the costs of the components the mechanic, electrician, body guy will install. Labor generally doubles the cost of parts.
Finally, you have to decide on how deep you want to go. Is this going to be a basic swap or are you going to take it down to a media blasted frame and replace every nut and bolt on the truck, like I did.
There is one other consideration and it will cause the cost of the project to go through the roof. If a person's ego dictates they must have all brand new, name brand, top of the line parts it will be crazy expensive very fast. There are certain parts that should be high quality (brakes, shocks, etc.), but most parts can be used, recycled, or re-purposed parts.
Using the guidelines above come up with a cost,
then double it. No joke. I would say if you were to set aside $10,000 during deployment you would be well on your way to having a nice conversion. By being frugal and smart there are a lot of guys that have done it for less by doing the work themselves.
Good luck and stay safe on deployment. Resbum