Diesel Engine Upgrades Archives | Big Bear Engine Company

4BT Vs. 6BT Cummins: Which Is The Better Swap Candidate?

By Featured Writer: Mike McGlothlin There’s no question that diesel swaps have become commonplace in cars, trucks, and off-road culture in recent years, and the Cummins name is at the top of the most desirable candidates you’ll find. But of the six-cylinder or four-cylinder B-series variety, which mechanical-injection power plant is a better choice? For…

Outer Limits: How Much Horsepower Can The 6BT Cummins Handle?

By Featured Writer: Mike McGlothlin For years, the 6BT Cummins has been the hot-rod engine of choice for many in the diesel pickup game. It might’ve left the factory rated at a docile 160 to 215 horsepower between the years of 1989 to 1998, but enthusiasts have proven time and again that those numbers can…

Outer Limits: How Much Horsepower Can You Make With The 4BT Cummins?

By Featured Writer: Mike McGlothlin Thanks to sharing much of its mechanical makeup (and even some of the exact same hard-parts) with its big brother, the 6BT, the 4BT Cummins can support a substantial amount of additional horsepower. Exactly how much remains to be seen, as specific parts combinations vary from application to application. However,…

6BT vs. ISB: Comparing the P-pumped 12-Valve Cummins To Its 24-Valve Successor

By Featured Writer: Mike McGlothlin The promise of medium-duty capability in a light-duty application has always made the 12-valve 6BT 5.9L Cummins an easy sell for Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 owners. The cast-iron inline-six is about as robust as an anvil, features a simple 2-valve per cylinder design, and—thanks to having the kind of…

Everything You Need to Know About Engine Break In Oils

Oil is the blood that keeps an engine alive, this sacred fluid lubricates, cools, cleans and prevents wear. If oil changes are not carried out at the required intervals, metal, dirt, soot and other particles can build up in your oil, (a lot of this is too small to be caught in the filter) also…

Are Gas or Diesel Engines Better for Off-Roading?

Gas or Diesel Engines for Off Roading? First, We all know the Cummins 4BT is considered King of Hill when it comes to off-roading diesel engines. The low end torque output mixed with the reliability of a Cummins Industrial Engine can't be beat. That being said we are opened minded here at Big Bear... we…

P7100 Fuel Pump Modifications for the 8 Valve 4BT

4BT Engine History and Background The Cummins 4BT has mostly been utilized in applications such as box trucks, small industrial vehicles and agricultural equipment. The 4BT is pretty much just a downsized version of the famous 5.9L 12V Cummins as these engines share almost all of their parts such as pistons, connecting rods, injectors and…

Best Axles for an Off-Roading Jeep Equipped with a 4BT

Let’s talk about axles... If you’re into off-roading in a Jeep you might be pretty much up-to-speed when it comes to axles and which are the best to use - or are you? For the uninformed, all wheeled vehicles have axles and they’re used for steering, driving, and braking, so they’re pretty important. The axles…

The Best Turbocharger for the 4BT and 6BT Engine

When looking at more horsepower and torque for a Cummins 4BT or 6BT Performance mod you are definitely going to want to focus on a larger turbo or setting up a twin turbo situation. For the laymen out there, a turbocharger compresses the air flowing into the diesel engine, squeezing more air into the cylinder,…

There are crate engines and then there are crate engines that rock. Weighing in at a little over 500LBS the Cummins® R2.8 is the lightest and smallest out of the ISF family. Its four-cylinder burner will get you 161 HP at 3,600 RPM and the best part of 270 LBS-FT of torque at 1,500 –…

Different Types of Motor Mounts One of the last steps before dropping in a Cummins 4BT or 6BT into an automotive swap is making sure the engine fits snugly in-between the motor mounts. Motor mounts act as both a buffer between the engine and the chassis as well as fastening the motor to the vehicle.…

Purchasing a new 4BT or 6BT extended long block crate engine can be an overwhelming task. We understand that many customers don’t think about engine replacement until something goes wrong. One day you’re out clearing land in your skid steer or hauling cargo around town in your Step-Van and boom.. a rod goes right through…

13 Popular Modifications to Increase Horsepower in a Diesel Engine

The number one question with any engine, whether it be gas or diesel, is how do I get more horsepower? Raw power is the name of the game. We want to go fast and we want it now! The good news is that there are plenty of ways to add more power to a diesel…