It has been done before, but it costs several thousand dollars. It is called a P-pump conversion.

 

i paid $18,500 for mine and it had about 80,000 miles on it

 

I have had both and in very similar HP applications like a 215/440 12v 5spd 3.54 gears and my 235hp 24v 5spd 3.54 gears. They both got similar mileage after bombing, the 12v got about 3 more miles to the gallon than the 24v out of the box. the 12v in stock form same tires ect would pull right witht eh 24v and on the steeper grades the 12v seemed to hold its torque a little better where the 24v no matter how much harder oyu pushed ont he pedal wasnt giving you a drop more fuel side by side empty or loaded with the same loads i liked the 12v better.

my last 12v was a 180hp version tied to a 6spd used for heavy towing and constant abuse and it was bombed with a #10, 370's and a hybrid HX35 lits life span is still going, i had the motor open once to do the seals on it pan ect and figured bearings and head gaskets checked cylinder taper ect. for as much HP as i was putting to it and the loads i pulled and the cold sub zero starts it had to go through in montana it had no more wear at 400k miles than the 235hp 24v that lived a highway life and had to have the pan seals, HGasket etc done to it so it was out also and cylinder taper ect was also check both were pulled and checked by cummins Northwest in missoula at the time and they said on both not to mess with a rebuild or rebearing anytime soon. ultimately it was everything else around the truck that came apart but i never turned a wrench ont he engine aside from tuning it, checking the timing once a year and adjusting the valves every 100k, it needed one lift pump and a set of seals, the injectors and then the fuel lines done.

My current 24v is a 245hp 2002 with a 6spd with an Edge EZ 3.54's and 315/75 16 tires, it pulls really well the snap is there below 2000 rpm more so than my 12v right now, but take the EZ off and she is a anemic dog, even with smaller tires. as to EGT's being cooler on the 24v head yes and no ive kinda felt like the 24v head or setup doesnt seem to build the torque of an equally fueled 12v. Dont get me wrong both are great engines and the 24v seems to lug better in the 1500 rpm range than my current 12v but that will change. Mileage wise my 12v with a #10 and 13.5 deg timing is only getting 20 mpg and 17 in town. my 24v without the EZ gets 13-14 in town and 16 on the highway, with the EZ the number raise 1 mpg more. Towing the 12v gets 12-14 mpg 14 when im nice, the 24v gets 12-14 also

so take that for what its worth. oh yeah my 12v is a 53 block with 140k miles on it and i gotta fix the dowel pin, front and rear main seals and set the timing. my 24v has 84k miles needs front and rear seals, is on its third lift pump and second injection pump but its not a 53 block.



I love em both for what they are. currently though i will be selling the 24v as i bought the 1998 qc sb 5 spd 12v 4x4 for $13500 and paid $28k for the qc sb 6 spd 24v 4x4. Barring suspension which is not what we are discussing and BTW was just done by the PO on the 12v I figure i can do alot of repairs and cut down on the amount of time i will eb driving the truck by taking some money back from the sale of the 24v and getting a little jeep cherokee or something for running around in so i dont entirely wear out my tow rig this time

 

Wow I'd think the accident must have been pretty bad if they had to replace a lot of driveline parts.

Not saying it's not a good truck, if they did a good job fixing it I'm sure it's fine. What driveline parts did they have to replace?? This is a salvage title truck?

 

I would not be afraid of the 24 Valve. I have a 24, my Dad has the 12. Both are easy to work on, 12Valve mods seem to be cheaper, both respond very well to the BOMBs. I know many 24 valvers on the original IP, almost no one on the original LP!! LP's are cheap and easy to change.

 

I have the thought that the differences are the cam basically. The 12 valve came through on the Dodges with the commercial cam, 2500 rpm, and had to have a cat to clean them up for the pickup light duty EPA. The 24 valve has a different cam and/or cam timing, higher rpm, and no cat which cuts low end torque and allows the 12 valve to pull with it. I though this was the case and the engine I have in seems to prove it, it has so much more low end torque than the original. In other words if you want to go there, the 12 valve is a full commercial engine, the 24 valve is set up for pickup truck use to comply with EPA restrictions. In pulling there is quite a difference in the commercial model 24 valve. Most of it is in the cam timing, which is retarded to achieve lower nox. They did the same to gas engines starting in about 1968. I used to advance the cams on car engines to use for light truck use with good results and better economy. Visually without measuring, the 24v commercial cam is just about one tooth advanced over the Dodge 24 valve engine. Before setting up the engine downstairs, I plan on checking the advance and doing the cam advance.

Ok, so with the different cam or timing, most of the disadvantages of the 24valve are eliminated. That leaves just the electronics that are disliked by most.

 

I was at Mikes custom diesel ,in northwood no.dakota for dyno day , and they had truck that they were converting from vp to p pump , I've also raed about it here , so it is being done.

 

I would be interested in the P pump conversion but as yet, have not seen one talked about that got the mileage that the vp44 would on the 24 valve.

 

I like the 24v, but just dont like the injection, and lift pump. Other than that; i dont see why the engine itself is any worse or better than a 12 valve. I do wish my truck had lower EGT's. They can get pretty toasty pretty quick. It was fine before the GSK though. Only got it to 1300* once.

Eric

 

After helping my brother try to get his 2001 diagnosed and fixed, man am i glad I own a 12V.
I'm so tired of APPS, TPS, PCM, ECM, MAP......all of electronic controls and sensors are a pain and extremely expensive. In our area we lack a diesel specialist and have to do lots of guessing.......guessing gets real expensive on 24V's!

 

I like the 12V for simplicity

everything has already been stated.. but i wont bash a 24V.. they do idle louder.... ill be happy with either or...

Tx

 

If it was in an accident - why are you still looking at it. Sounds as if it has been TOTALLED, likely has a rebuild title. THIS is the main issue you should be considering - forget about the engine type. I would keep looking, there are others out there, if they were asking $10k for it then it might be worth it, otherwise - keep on looking.

Please, spare yourself, do not purcase a rebuilt, heavily damaged vechile, even with low miles, you don't want to live with regrets!

 

I agree. Too much can be hidden by a good body-man/mechanic. Buy a non-wrecked.
Dave

 

With my timing at 16, no cat, no muff, and 4" downpipe and exhaust, I doubt a 24v idles louder than mine

 

I bet they do. They have a defnate louder idle than a 12 valve, just because they do. More of a rattle at the engine compartment. The exhaust, i dont know. I think mines as loud, or louder, at the exhaust, but not the engine compartment.

Eric