3176 to a C-12??

I have an old '96 FLD 112 that I traded a couple of horses for. It has a 3176, (not so)Super 10, and 3.90 gears. It has a 42 inch flat top and is pretty plain jane. Doesn't even have jakes on it. At 209 inches on the wheel base and dual moto mirrors, you can put a trailer in some small, hairy spots with it.

I plan on keeping the tractor around simply because it was the first one I owned. Nobody will give me anything for it, anyway. It has just a shade over 1.5 million on it...no overhaul. It's still running good and I drive it around 500 miles every night on my dedicated run. It's been a GREAT little truck and a great little engine, regardless of how many people told me that the 3176 was such a terrible engine. It's given me good service and it isn't very hard for me to get 7mpg with it pulling doubles. I keep it serviced and am pretty aggressive on the maintenance. It's pretty much gutless, though. Always has been. It runs good on the flats, just don't expect much on ANY hill or even the slightest incline. I'd most likely just get into trouble with too much power, anyhow. Maybe one day I'll learn how to drive a bigger truck.

I've done lots of little inexpensive things to it. I've taken the carpet out and replaced it with 1/2 inch thick soft rubber. I re-sealed the doors and took off the cardboard and fake quilted leather and replaced it with plywood covered in fabric. I did the same thing to the head liner. I removed the cubby hole over the driver's side seat and made a switch panel for all my extra lighting, a place for my inside/outside thermometer, the switches for my moto-mirrors, and my XM radio. Just to the right and still to the left of the CB, is a place for my ham radio.

I added lots of work lights to the rear and sides. I have LED strip lighting all around the underside of the dash to light up the floor to find stuff at night. I have the same strip lighting over head. I have an extra light chord that I use when I pull a buddy's trailer that has spot lights under it pointing out to each side and reverse lights, a combo I WILL DEFINITELY put on any trailer I ever own. YOu can light up 4 acres all around you while backing up at night. It's awesome.

It's not going to ever be any kind of show truck, but it's perfect for what I use it for. The heavy rubber floor mat and plywood/fabric combo on the inside of the doors and ceiling make the ride ultra quiet. I've spent 20 bucks here and there doing all that stuff to make it well suited for the night driving that I use it for. The things I've done haven't cost too much, except for the time I spent doing it.

As for serious repairs, it has had a new driveline, new steering wheel, steering column, steering gear, king pins, tie rod ends, drag link, leaf springs, and shocks recently. It drives like a new truck, better than some. New National seating seat with the back cycler.

I am planning on keeping it around for local work because it's so easy to get around in. I was going to keep it anyway, just because it was my first truck, but I don't mind putting another engine in it and running a while longer. The 3176 is running fine right now, and I do an oil analysis every other oil change, or 20-25 thousand miles and they all still look good. I expect that it'll run fine right up until a catastrophic failure. It's not going to go down slow I don't think. It is beginning to get a pretty good amount of blow-by, though. I am trying to plan ahead for what I want to do with it. I'd like to get an engine bought and have sitting, ready to go in it.

I'd like to put a little more horses under it and, while I'm not trying to tear the tranny out, if it went out, I doubt I'd be disappointed, as it'd give me an excuse to put an 18 speed in it.:smt093

I'm told that a C-12 would fit right up where the 3176 was. Anybody ever do that or have much experience with a C-12? A few others have said to get a 12.7 Detroit and it'd fit, too.

One thing's for sure. I AM NOT buying anything with a diesel particulate filter on in!!! And I'm not spending any money on anything EGR, either. IF (big IF) I bought a new tractor, it would be a glider kit. The guy that parks next to me has an '09 and it's been in the shop 12 TIMES to have the DPF worked on. It's been towed twice. The one time I rented a brand new truck (While we did the drive line and front end on mine) I was never so happy to turn in a truck. I can't believe how much time I spent on the side of the road doing re-generations. NO THANK YOU!!! Some of my friends and my Dad run EGR engines and they ALL have more maintenance and repair costs with '04 and newer trucks than I and some of my friends who drive older trucks do. I'd like to keep running this old thing for a while, if I can.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

The Detroit hasn't come in. Someone just told me it'd fit easily. I kind of doubt it, though. Would rather stick with the Cat. That thing has really done me a good job, even if it is gutless.

 

Thanks, kind of what I figured. The only reason I even considered a Detroit as a replacement is that I might be able to run across a good 12.7 easier than a C-12.

 

If I can get my stupid digital camera to work. Nothing really too spectacular about an old, plain jane Freightshaker, though. And I have some company decals on it I wish I didn't have right now.

It has those idiotic wheel to wheel full fairings on the sides, too. Add to that the stack in the back of the sleeper, and I think it looks pretty cheesy. Not only do I not like the looks of the fairings, but last week as I was putting batteries in the truck, I came really freaking close to "removing" them with a crow bar and burning them. THose things make the simplest of tasks on that truck so much more difficult than they need to be. Here I sit a week later, scratching my arm where the tiny bits of fiberglass are still apparently imbedded.

If I go ahead and put another engine in it, I'm gonna put 1/4 fenders on the back and steps on the tanks, and cab mounted dual exhaust.

 

I guess I'd consider it, but I really wanted a little more HP. One of the things I was told about changing to the C-12 is that the electronic part would be easy. Supposedly, the ECM just plugs into my dash. DOn't really know, though, because I've never done it, and that's why I posted the question. HAve you ever had experience doing this?