6.2 chev in 40

[dargreg]

So far so good for the mounts however it does look like rubber problems in the future,I think you will make a good call by useing the truck mounts.Center of my mounts were 10 1/2 in back from shock tower to the bottom bolt of the block ,you can go from there.Any further forward you run into fan to ran clearance.You maybe have an inch to play with.

 

[FJFOOL]

I've been on and off about doing this swap, have a 350 and TH400 in now , a little concerned about rpm's at hi-way speeds. The 700R4 would be the better choice for sure. How is the interior noise ?That engine looks good painted chev orange, great build. How did you wire up the glow plugs? Thanks

 

[dargreg]

The glows are wired to a 12 volt ford type solonoid with a push button swith with light,As for the noise it is surprisingly quit with the bed liner on the floor and firewall. John from E4 cruisers says its quiter than a lot of SBCs he,s ridden. The solonoid is just above the fuel filter in the pic.

 

[handcannon]

Dargreg or others with diesel experience.

Bringing this back up. I'm a NOOB to diesels.

I'm looking at an 83 Chev w/6.2/700R4 2WD complete drivable rig. In post 23 first pic you have what I think is a fuel filter (Fram P3594). Is is stock? Is it also a water separator? The rig I'm looking at has a similar unit except that the cannister is from NAPA and has a drain on the bottom of the cannister. It also has what looks to me like an aftermarket electric pump in the fuel line just before the filter. The kid that owns it wants to take the complete filter and aftermarket pump off to put on his I think 84 4x4 GMC diesel saying that it is all aftermarket. I'm concerned about possibly not having any water separator on the motor when he takes it off. His 84 has something that looks very different in the same location on the firewall. It has a lot of wiring hooked to it and fuel lines also. It has a cover and wire clips on the front of it that looks like the cap on a master cylinder. He started to remove the cap and fuel started to spray out. I'm thinking it is a newer/different version of the filter that is on the 83.

The pickup had been setting for 6 months so the four year old batteries had to be charged first. The motor sounds to me like it may have valve problems, rougher and noisier than the Isuzu truck at work. When you put your hand in front of the exhaust it has a flutter to it that also makes me think of valve problems. Can a bad injector pump/bad injectors mimic bad valves? After a short low speed drive (expired plates) the motor sounded better but still had the flutter in the exhaust. I was unable to come up with a compression tester on short notice. The motor felt stong and the tranny felt good on the short drive.

He's asking $300 US for it. The bed is in good shape and I need a bed to replace a very badly rusted out bed on a trailer. I can get enough other parts off it, along with the bed, to make it worth the $300. I'm just very curious/wanting to learn about the filter/water separator situation. And just maybe the motor is good enough (with repairs) to be put in my 40.

Don

 

[dargreg]

The motor is definatly good enough for your 40.82 and 83 blocks were high in nickel and have proven very strong.The heads had a problem with cracking between the valves there is a fix for that.Yes a bad nozzel will give you a miss but usually pics up on ecceleration.Your friend probably had a elec pump for primeing as do I. Unless he has removed the mecanical pump,you should never run an elec pump and mechanical at the same time. You most definately want a water seperater on the system.Tell him he can have it back when you get the rig home or offer him an extra no more than 50 bucks to keep pump and filter you,ll be money ahead. As for the price grab it .Where I come from 1500 to 2000 for a worn out 6.2 or 6.5

 

[handcannon]

dargreg

Just to give you an update, I went ahead and bought the pickup. I cleaned it up (very messy) and the interior of the bed is cherry and shows that it lived most of it's life with a canopy. I'm driving it for a while to see if the motor may be able to be used without much in the way of repairs. It has sat at least 6 months, maybe a lot longer than that. Bad batteries made it difficult to get it started at first, even had problems this evening with good batteries so I'm thinking the alt is not working right (voltmeter does not work). Surprisingly the motor is running better as I get more miles on it. What I was thinking could be bad valves may be just sticky from setting a long time. My hopes are going up that I may have a new heart for my 1971 40 without having to pour some money into a rebuild right away.

On another topic, you stated early on in this post that you were using a stock 4 row rad. Is it still doing a good job of cooling now that it's getting warmer? It was up in the mid 90's today and is going to get warmer tomorrow and for the next few days. We can even get a few 100+ days during the summer here on the west side in Oregon. Just wanting to plan ahead in case I may need to look for something other than a 4 row stock size replacement for my rad.

Hope you don't mind me bugging you with questions as I progress on this. You've been a big help so far and I appreciate your help answering my questions.

Thanks
Don

 

[dargreg]

The shroud Ive built seams to do its job quite well I ll have to admit I was a little concerned at first but have no worries at all as the deisel runs cooler than the gas engine.I have a hard time getting up to temp I have a 180 stat in it.I recently changed to 3.70s though for the highway and still have real low gears with the 465 . And you are by far not bothering anybody thats what the post is for and thats why we are here.

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi All:

"DarGreg," impressive build!!

Thanks for sharing with us!

Regards,

Alan

 

[corbinwelter]

nice!! i bet that is one heavy SOB

are those 2.5" SOA? looks kinda like my height

 

[dargreg]

Ya she came in at 2800 kg at the scales,And yes its OLD MAN EMU springs and shackels gives extra 4inches over SOA.

 

[cruiser812]

So I am looking at doing the same swap, and currently have a 1995 TBI GM 350 in the cruiser. My question is can I use the flywheel from my gasser on the diesel or do I need to buy a new flywheel.

 

[dargreg]

No ,you have to go with the 6.2 or 6.5 flywheel they are externally balanced.

 

[bsevans]

I found your comment about waiting for the 6.2L to break-in humorous. My 6.5L Turbo Diesel Tahoe took 80/90,000 miles to break in.
Maybe you are using non chrome rings. Apparently the non turbo 6.2L runs much cooler than the 6.5L Turbo Diesel. I found the 6.5L TD to be the hottest running engine I have ever owned. I've had this vehicle since it was new, which is over 14 years. It’s a great engine. On the freeway on cruise control without a trailer I get 21mpg with 3.42 gears.

 

[dargreg]

I found your comment about waiting for the 6.2L to break-in humorous. My 6.5L Turbo Diesel Tahoe took 80/90,000 miles to break in.
Maybe you are using non chrome rings. Apparently the non turbo 6.2L runs much cooler than the 6.5L Turbo Diesel. I found the 6.5L TD to be the hottest running engine I have ever owned. I've had this vehicle since it was new, which is over 14 years. It’s a great engine. On the freeway on cruise control without a trailer I get 21mpg with 3.42 gears.

What most engine builders refer( break in) is setting the rings,and cam.If we had to put that many miles on our raceing engines we,d be out of buisness.However to the layman 10 to 20,000 kms usually has your engine to a point where it is trained to your driveing habits

 

[handcannon]

dargreg

More questions!

Is that the stock exhaust manifold you used? Do you know where I might find pictures of the military exhaust manifold? Apparently it is more like a header than stock. Also, do you know if there are any manifolds with a larger output diameter? What configuration and size of exhaust system did you use? Pics? Which intake manifold did you use, the C code with the EGR web in the intake? The pics I have seen of the J code intake don't have the EGR in there and I wonder if the EGR web in the C code intake can be removed without compromising the structural integrity of the manifold.

Obviously, with these questions I am currently looking at what I can easily do to make the 6.2 as open and free flowing in the intake/exhaust area as possible without spending a huge bundle of cash (which I don't have)

Also, do you have any pics of the motor compartment looking directly down on the motor? If you do that would help me visualize the clearances to the inner fender panels and other components under the hood.

Your help and advice is really appreciated as I plan and forge ahead into new territory for me, a diesel engine swap.

Don

 

[DieselFumes]

dargreg

More questions!

Is that the stock exhaust manifold you used? Do you know where I might find pictures of the military exhaust manifold? Apparently it is more like a header than stock. Also, do you know if there are any manifolds with a larger output diameter? What configuration and size of exhaust system did you use? Pics? Which intake manifold did you use, the C code with the EGR web in the intake? The pics I have seen of the J code intake don't have the EGR in there and I wonder if the EGR web in the C code intake can be removed without compromising the structural integrity of the manifold.

Obviously, with these questions I am currently looking at what I can easily do to make the 6.2 as open and free flowing in the intake/exhaust area as possible without spending a huge bundle of cash (which I don't have)

Also, do you have any pics of the motor compartment looking directly down on the motor? If you do that would help me visualize the clearances to the inner fender panels and other components under the hood.

Your help and advice is really appreciated as I plan and forge ahead into new territory for me, a diesel engine swap.

Don

Stick with a J code manifold, you can pick them up cheap. however you can remove the egr from a C code with no problems, yes the military exhaust manifolds look like headers. If I were you then I would search for a military hummer intake and exhaust manifold, (They can be bought cheap even if you have to buy a whole military surplus hummv motor) the military intake manifold is completely open,(open plenum) the J code is a dual plane (split down middle) and C code is also dual plane with more metal restriction to hold the egr. Also the J code injector pump I believe has a lil more pressure to it or HD internal component
(don't quite remember, but the is a difference in the injection pumps too.

Stay away from the early 80's heads... and you can retro the 6.5 heads onto the 6.2 with the turbo setup and everything if you want very simple and cheap just gotta part it together.

With all that said I am surprised at how many people put the 6.2 in FJ's as they are heavy motors with small power I have owned quite a few of them and love them in a slow old truck, just kinda thought it was not an ideal setup for 4x4 in a small truck. Seems like a smaller turbo diesel would be a better choice. Just my opinion. even though I would like to drive a 6.2 FJ bet it is still a fun ride on the street!

 

[handcannon]

With all that said I am surprised at how many people put the 6.2 in FJ's as they are heavy motors with small power I have owned quite a few of them and love them in a slow old truck, just kinda thought it was not an ideal setup for 4x4 in a small truck. Seems like a smaller turbo diesel would be a better choice. Just my opinion. even though I would like to drive a 6.2 FJ bet it is still a fun ride on the street!

Thanks for the info on the 6.2. I am new to the diesel/6.2 scene so I do appreciate any info I get. As far as the weight of the 6.2 goes, I don't think they are all that much different than the F/2F which is in the neighborhood of 700 lbs. I was planning on rebuilding/warming up a GM 292 I-6 because I like the low end torque the I-6 motors put out (including the F/2F). I just wanted more HP that the extra cubes of the 292 would give. Considering that, I had a chance to buy a 1983 Chev pickup with the 6.2 for real cheap and try it out, and the consensus is I LIKE IT! Just like the I-6 motors, lots of low end grunt, only more of it, AND good fuel mileage which the I-6's can't come close to. A smaller turbo diesel could have caught my interest, but in this part of the world there are not many to choose from. The Toy diesels are not common or cheap, the Cummins 4BT is more common but not cheap, the Mercedes Benz is more common but I'm not comfortable with how hard to find or cheap parts would be, the Isuzu truck diesel is very plentiful here but has yet to be proven to be an inexpensive or easy swap (Astr and others in the diesel forum are working on it) so that leaves the 6.2/6.5 GM diesel.

As you can tell, I'm not a hot rod nut so although the SBC are good motors for Toy swaps I'm more interested in the "tractor" type motors. Consequently I have been researching and reading on the GM I-6 and now the diesel motors. So, with that said, anybody that has something about diesels that I can learn, I am a dry sponge.

Don

 

[DieselFumes]

As far as learning about the 6.2's I HIGHLY recommend dieselplace.com for their forum, you can literally read for weeks there to fill your "sponge"
that is where I lean when I needed 6.2 diesel advice for my trucks.

hope that doesnt go against forum rules for another site like that if so I am sorry,

but you can learn a tremendous amount there and possibly find someone that has done a similar swap. AS it is a very popular motor and easily swapped, once you understand what makes them tick they are cake. I recommend making a post their for some advice on how and what to build for your 6.2 there are some great guys (just like here) to help you with your project... How bout posting some before pics of you rigs.

off subject some of those 6.2's can almost run on milk with no gaskets and an IV of oil... I had one that would leak about a quart an hour and had WELL over 500K miles on it, smokefogged the neighborhood and took about 20 minutes to start, but it was a $300 truck and would run all day once it was started and left on!

6.2's are cool motors and sound killer with some large exhaust and 2 chamber flowmasters KILLER!

 

[dargreg]

X2 on everything,as for the heads 150 bucks cross drills the water gallery between the valves and inserts a valve guide , End of cracking problems for good.The 6.5 heads are better in the stock versions however the update to the 6.2 heads makes them better again.I just unhooked the EGR in my manifold works great there is a little over 1500 miles on the rig now and still wondering around 21 mpg. with the 3.73s.Of all the rigs Ive built this is the one Im going to keep.I love the torque,the sound,the economy,and the confused looks it gets.As for the weight well they are roughly the same as the 2f.As for a straight down pic on the engine thats about the only ones i really didnt get but will do that today.

 

[handcannon]

As far as learning about the 6.2's I HIGHLY recommend dieselplace.com for their forum, you can literally read for weeks there to fill your "sponge"
that is where I lean when I needed 6.2 diesel advice for my trucks.

How bout posting some before pics of you rigs.

I had one that would leak about a quart an hour and had WELL over 500K miles on it, smokefogged the neighborhood and took about 20 minutes to start, but it was a $300 truck and would run all day once it was started and left on!

6.2's are cool motors and sound killer with some large exhaust and 2 chamber flowmasters KILLER!

Thanks for the info! I already found three diesel web sites, dieselplace.com; thedieselpage.com; and GM-Diesel.com. Of the three dieselplace seems to have the most current info and is the easiest for me to navigate through.

For $300 for the pickup I think I got a bargain. The body is very straight, only some minor dents. I think that it is high miles because of the worn and sagging drivers door hinges. But the bed shows that it had a canopy and had very little cargo carrying. I think it was primarily driven only on the highway. The paint is peeling real bad, typical older GM. It sat for 6 mo since it was last run and who knows how long it sat before that. At first after getting it started it ran rough (sticky valves?/injectors?) but after running it for two weeks it smoothed out a lot. The rear main drips a bit. There is an intermittent air leak somewhere in the fuel system, I think between the air/water separator and the injection pump. One of the PO's added an electric pump and clear gas style fuel filter in the line just before the air/water separator. The small air bubble in the clear filter never changed in size at any time, even when there was air in the fuel line. I found out that all I had to do was crack open the air release petcock on top of the air/water separator and let the electric fuel pump run until fuel bubbled out, then just a bit of cranking and it would run good. This happened at least four times in two weeks. Shut the motor off after it had been run for at least thirty minutes and let it set for at least an hour and somewhere air would be sucked into the fuel line as it cooled.

Pics will come after my wife gets home from work. I struggle with computers. I haven't posted pics frequently enough to get the process ingrained into my brain.

dargreg

Can you point me to more info about this cross drilling to keep the heads from cracking?

I'm going to be using a 700R4 so using a gear calculator I found online I think I'm going to be good with the OD and 32" tires with the 4.10's that are in the 40 right now. I am considering going to some 35"s eventually. I will be putting a 203 doubler in when I do the swap so if I need to I can swap over to 3.73's and still not lose too much of my low gear. By the way, I plan on this eventually becoming my DD.

Those confused looks you talk about getting really crack me up, I look forward to getting those looks also!

Both of you guys are really appreciated! My sponge needs a lot more info and I know more questions will be coming as I think of them.

Thanks much!
Don