Thanks for the input fellas. Tinkerer, I got the 680E for $2,000 with extendahoe and EROP, so hopefully I’m doing alright. I’ve called around to all the nearby tractor yards and every 336 I see has either a broken crank or a spun main bearing, whereas 4BT and 6BT engines are plentiful and under 1/2 the price of a running 336. 336 Re-mans are $7,500, whereas a nice running Cummins can easily be had for under $3000. Also, I’m at 6,000 feet above sealevel so turbos are nice. I read that someone did a 6BT swap into an originally 336-equipped excavator and it was relatively easy, but those don’t have the same spacial constraints of a backhoe. That fella said he had a machine shop modify his flywheel.
Mostly, I don’t want to put another junk engine in this thing and be doing this again next year. I have a an electric forklift that would make fitting as painless as possible.
I’ll stay on the hunt for a decent 336, but if anyone has info about flywheel/bellhousing fitment, I’d love to hear it.