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From the What-If department:

Is the Magnum chassis in the Continental (1998-2000) that typically hosts the 3126 Cat engine the same chassis used for the C12 Cat in the Panther 425 edition? If so, and assuming I had more money than sense, would I want to try a swap?

btpete wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 9:03 am From the What-If department:
Is the Magnum chassis in the Continental (1998-2000) that typically hosts the 3126 Cat engine the same chassis used for the C12 Cat in the Panther 425 edition? If so, and assuming I had more money than sense, would I want to try a swap?

btpete
A Chassis swap?...an Engine swap?.. or a Coach swap?

Brian,

I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I believe that the Continentals with the Panther package have at a minimum, a more robust rear frame/engine cradle.
With enough money, pretty much anything can be swapped/modified/customized. One of our late members transplanted the body of a Safari coach onto an Alpine chassis (the best of both worlds). That said, as tempting as it may be, I would not recommend it. The engine and transmission are significantly heavier than the stock engine/transmission. The Allison 3000 series can't handle the torque of the CAT C12, so you would need to upgrade to the heavier Allison 4000 series transmission. The torque of the C12 is nearly double of the 3126, so you would likely need to upgrade the rear axle also. If the coach has the torsional suspension, it would not be able to handle the additional weight. So, in theory, with enough money and ability, it could be done. In reality, at a minimum, a whole lot of research and consideration needs to be done before something like this can even be considered. I just touched on only a few obvious point, I'm sure there are many more items that will be affected...

The swap question refers to engine-transmission. Or more likely, as TDJohn noted, engine-transmission-drive axle. I've read elsewhere that the typical coach configuration is right around 100 lbs per HP, which suggests that the 330 HP of a 3126B might be slightly undermatched to the 35 Klbs of my fully loaded coach and toad. Plus, most of my RV driving is in mountains at some point during the trip; it is fair to say the upward elevation change experience is "leisurely."

That said, I've no plans to attempt such a swap, it simply occurred to me to ask whether the Magnum chassis is the same platform for both engine-transmission combos. All in all, I think it would be interesting to discover what chassis differences exist between a 330 HP Continental such as mine compared to the 425 HP Panther, and what engineering would be required to convert to the C12.

As a thought experiment, where would you start when contemplating a swap project of this type?

Brian,
Interesting question, but one thing that already stands out is the radiator - I believe that the C12's use a side radiator versus the rear one on our older rigs? I think the engine and transmission mounts would be a royal pain, but stuff like the radiator and cooling fans would be a major undertaking (unless someone is really a glutton for punishment). I may be way off base, but I think changing rigs would be easier if a person was so inclined.

Yes, this kind of change would be WELL PAST difficult and bordering on the "we are only doing this to make a TV movie".

Yes, anything can be done-- as already mentioned, a gentleman I knew very well and worked with on developing several suspension mods "morphed" a Safari onto an Alpine chassis.

Practical-- not so much.