S1800 Fire Truck to 4x4

[Bulldog6]

I am considering purchase of a S1800 firetruck. Beautiful truck and low miles. I would have preferred diesel [I think this has the MV446], and would love a 4x4. It presently has a Allison tranny. If obtained the bed would be stripped down and a military 5 ton bed put on it. I have had one of these before and wanted to build it up to my liking but ended up selling it and going another direction. My questions are;
1. What are my options as far as finding 4x4 axles that would work with minimal fabing?
2. If I decided to do a engine swap...and with the caveat that I prefer all mechanical diesels, what should I put in it? Note- The DT444 is not mechanical, but is readily available...and I am not fond of the size of the DT466, though clearly a tough engine. ????DT360, Cat 3208, other... ????
3. I am hearing the mpg on the MV446 is terrible. Possibly worse than the Ford 460 engine in the F series. Can anyone shed light on this?

 

[Chris Cooper]

I am considering purchase of a S1800 firetruck. Beautiful truck and low miles. I would have preferred diesel [I think this has the MV446], and would love a 4x4. It presently has a Allison tranny. If obtained the bed would be stripped down and a military 5 ton bed put on it. I have had one of these before and wanted to build it up to my liking but ended up selling it and going another direction. My questions are;
1. What are my options as far as finding 4x4 axles that would work with minimal fabing?
2. If I decided to do a engine swap...and with the caveat that I prefer all mechanical diesels, what should I put in it? Note- The DT444 is not mechanical, but is readily available...and I am not fond of the size of the DT466, though clearly a tough engine. ????DT360, Cat 3208, other... ????
3. I am hearing the mpg on the MV446 is terrible. Possibly worse than the Ford 460 engine in the F series. Can anyone shed light on this?

3. They’re all terrible. A buddy had an SII with a 345 and you could actually SEE the needle on the fuel gauge move at 65 mph.


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[Bulldog6]

Yes, I had another confirm these stories earlier today. They had filled a 50 gallon tank on one, at a station know to me to a destination known to me. The distance was about 50-55 miles. They ran out of gas... At this point I am passing on the truck I had in mind. It's just not worth it!

 

[Juice4320]

There is no 2 ton truck that gets good fuel economy in comparison to a passenger vehicle. They are built to carry heavy loads. Hauling heavy loads burns more fuel. Are you looking to build a loadstar into a daily driver? I have a loadstar with a 4 yard dump box. It hauls gravel and firewood when I need to do such things. What does it get for gas mileage? Who cares, I need to haul heavy things. If I put a dump trailer behind my pickup it gets crap mileage too.

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