2004 Chevy Tahoe with a Cummins 4BT
Rich Bosch is a talented mechanic in Ontario, Canada where he runs a Youtube channel called Deboss Garage. The channel contains a variety of videos such as tutorials, reviews and builds. One build that really caught my eye was his diesel powered Tahoe.
The project started after Rich purchased a loaded 2004 Chevy Tahoe with a blown 5.3 L V8. The Tahoe also had bumper and hood damage from the previous owner hitting a tree. All these issues allowed him to purchase it for $1,600.
Then Rich purchased two 3.9 L Cummins 4BT inline-four diesel engines with NV4500 transmissions in a package deal. He then sold both transmissions and one of the engines for the original purchase price giving him a 4BT engine for free.
Rich installed the engine using a pair of custom engine mounts he built. The engine was mated to the 4L60E four-speed automatic transmission using a Diesel Conversion Specialists transmission adapter and flywheel. Since the transmission stayed in the factory location there was no need to modify the driveshaft. The transmission was controlled using a Baumann Electronic Controls stand-alone shift controller.
To help boost power a Holset HX30 turbocharger was installed along with a huge intercooler. Since this was going to be Rich’s daily driver it needed to be very dependable. New brakes, brake lines, cooler lines, larger transmission cooler, and new engine wiring was installed. The front end damaged was repaired using a Chevy Silverado 2500HD front clip.
Rich estimates he spent around 120 hours to complete the project. All that time and effort was well worth it. He now has a very dependable SUV that gets around 25-28 mpg all for under $7,500.
If reducing his fuel costs by 50% wasn’t good enough, Rich began building his own small biodiesel plant. It will allow him to make fuel much cheaper than buying it at the pump.
Watch all 18 videos of the project’s build series.
View all the photos from the build gallery.
Source: Deboss Garage