Cummins in a 1977 Chevy.

It is a one ton 1977 Chevy truck a buddy of mine has and is thinkin about selling to me. I have read several stories (Sentimental Value is almost exactly how I want mine to look) on it. But I am still clueless on what year of Cummins engine I should use and how  to position the new engine mounts. It has a 4 speed manual transmission behind the old V8. It was my uncles but is now my friends. It has a lift kit, and was also wrecked into a pole last year. I plan on putting a flatbed on it. it is a good 4x4 that I need around the farm, but I want a Cummins diesel. My older brother is a cummmins FANATIC and laughs at me for wanting to do this, but I like Cummins and like 1977 Chevy's so there you go. I want to put a rollbar on it, after the flatbed, and a brush gaurd just like in Sentimental Value. I just want to have a Cummins in it. NO DURAMAX OR POWERSTROKE!! (I have nothing against them, but Cummins is just better for my situation) I dont want to have to mess with a computer or anything, so I want one that is strictly mechanical.

So, I guess my question is, what year of Cummins engine should I get, and what is a way to postion the newengine mounts?

Also: In the story Sentimental Value, what brand were the new yellow shocks he had under that truck?  
Dream Truck: 1977 Chevy with a Cummins Engine, Flatbed, Rollbar with Lights, and a Brushguard with Lights.

Why does your brother laugh at you, you will no doubt have one badass truck when it is done. What you want is a 1989-1993 or a 1994-early 1998 12valve.If at all posibble try and find the 94-98 engine. They have the P7100 injection pump which most say is the most reliable pump/engine combo ever built and also has unlimited buildability.

As far as the motor mounts go thats something you will have to test fit the engine to find out.If you want to save some room on the core support and save some time on install look for a 1989 non intercooled. It wont have the power of the later models but would be the easiest to swap over.  
2006 Dodge ram 2500 Crew cab short bed, K&N intake, Bully Dog Triple Dog W/ Crazy Larry, Quadzilla boost fooler, Boost & Pyro on A-Pillar, Magnaflow Exhaust.


NEVER ARGUE WITH A IDIOT, THEY WILL LOWER YOU DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL AND BEAT YOU WITH EXPERIENCE!!!

Great idea the easy way of doing this is to buy a wrecked 98 dodge cummins,so you have all the accessorys(air cleaner,intake piping,air cooler,etc).call a large cummins dealer and buy the flywheel adapter to mount to the chevy trans and the engine mount kit(I found it easer to use the dodge mounts from parted out truck).
  first check youre trans angle the eng is suppost to be mounted with 3 deg angle.it also helps to compare the weight differance and add sandbags with stock eng to get what youre truck is going to do with exstra weight, then chain down youre frame to the axles before removing stock eng(trust me this will save you a lot of trouble).depending on front suspension you might need a little body lift.you might also decide in a differant trans or add on overdrive.theres been a lot of these repowers and its fairly easy.Good luck.  
A real toy for big boys.I installed a 5.9-B Cummins, P-7100 inline stage one pump,  banks cooler,5in exh,removable air bags for towing, 1in body lift,2in hanger lift,2 12in elect fans, customized mounting,(eng mounts,intake piping,trans adapter etc) Runs on home made bio-fuel at 70 cents a Gal.

i definately agree on finding a wrecked truck for a donor... but i'd find an older truck... like you said... less wiring... do some research and find a truck that doesn't have programmer option... something that you can't chip... mine was a 92 dodge... it had the intercooler and a fairly simply wiring harness... i actually used the entire wiring harness in place of the one in my jeep... no splicing things together... the only thing you'll have to worry about is that the speedo in your chevy is cable driven... the speedo in most of the 90's dodges is powered by a sending unit and a couple little wires...  but i know that most aftermarket speedo's can be equiped with an aftermarket sending unit...  but if they don't have an odometer then they're not technically street legal... there are a couple companies that offer odometers in with their setup's  
J.E.E.P: Just Everybody Elses Parts
1977 Jeep cherokee w/ 12 valve cummins, NV4500, NP205, DANA 60 front axle and DANA 70 rear axle...

ive got an 84' scottsdale short box 4x4 im doin a swap in
  got the same problem checked out a few on the web,they
  sit kind of (low) in the cradle,the mounts should sit
  in about the same location,my main problem is with the
 water neck and vaccume assymbly,there is a seam on the
  fire wall most valve covers ive seen sit right even with
  it and about 2" forward,its a bit of a crapshoot,lol.......