6.2 diesel 60 series (1 Viewer)

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6.2's suck, not as bad as the 6.5 but there is still a LOT better power plants to put in a cruiser. I think the only reason ppl do this swap is because the 6.2 is cheap.
 
6.2's have two bad raps against them. Early on they got a rep for cracking heads and they never had a turbo. I would not consider a diesel swap with an engine lacking a turbo, no matter who the original mfg is. Just do not go there, you will not be happy.

With a turbo and good heads the 6.2 would be just about the power level that I'd be looking for in a transplant engine for my 60. Since the 6.5's are floating around out there with better heads and a turbo, that is what I would focus on trying to find from this engine family.
 
6.2's do get great MPG, but they are slow slow slow, might as well leave the 2f. The turbo helped but go with a banks turbo because the 6.5 turbo is problem prone.
 
60Chopper
Thought I would check in with you, I'm on the road so, not a lot of time to comment, besides, as I said before, there are those here who know more about this than I. If you can source a 12HT there, it is probably your best bet. Probably not as great of fuel milage but most likely the easiest/best option transplant from what I was told offline and also discussed here. Anyway, good luck with the transplant. One other suggestion, sketch out what you want. If you need either to replace some wire or add some circuits, do that as you expose parts of your vehicle for other work, it'll save you some steps down the road. Same goes for paint, sound, and check your electrics everytime you uncover something. Good luck, cruisers are great vehicles.
 
6.2's do get great MPG, but they are slow slow slow, might as well leave the 2f. The turbo helped but go with a banks turbo because the 6.5 turbo is problem prone.
Elaborate, what problem(s)?

The only one that I've read of, or seen is the throttle control module (PID? PIM? something like that) over-heating due to it's placement. There are two ways to deal with this. The module can be moved up out of between the cylinder banks into the airflow. The stock loom has enough length to do this, but barely. There are aftermarket extension looms and mounts offered in kit form.
The other way to deal with this is to convert to an IP with a mechanical throttle, like those found on the marine and HMMV applications.
Note though that the marine IP's settings are designed for a continuous supply of 60*f water and are far more aggressive than what comes in any of the vehicle intended IP's. Would likely run like a striped arse ape, but keeping it cool would be a large challenge.
 
Thanks for the input fellas, some of the stuff you talk about is new to me, cruiserunc what is a 13bt?
Forgive my ignorance, we have little choice in Aus, and I suppose my limited knowledge compared to you blokes!
!

In oz you have a choice of 4-5 Toyota diesels that will fit in easier than any chev conversion.
The 12HT from a HJ61 will fit in very nicley and you can use your old gearbox.The downside is parts are becoming harder to get,although regular maintenance parts are ok.
The 1HD T is also a firm favourite and so are the turboed 1HZs. For these you need the gearbox that came with the engine but you can use your old t/case.
Parts are easy and comparitively cheap

If I was in the US I may consider doing a chev diesel conversion because they are cheap and easy to get parts for.
But as I live in Australia I would not look past a Toyota diesel.
The Toyota diesels need a turbo if you want some power.

The places in oz that do the chev diesel conversions usually want to use a rebuilt (by them) engine with their kit.
It usually ends up over $20K and in my mind ,not worth it.

Try the diesel forum on MUD for more info;)
 
G Day Fellas,
Thanks for the replies.
The 60 crapped out, been busy, think it's the coil, so doing the radiator and the new suspension comes tomorrow/today!!
Yeah, part availability is a big one for any re-engine and the rip of cost to have it done cause it is "chev" is not worth it. So gone off anything that's not easy to get bits for.
Don't know much about the 1uz but they seem the go, I am scarred of computers, need diagnostics etc, suppose I am a bit old school!
So I suppose the biggest problem is deciding which drive train to go for in Aus,with good parts etc.
Cruiserunc, doing as you mentioned and as I have parts off etc, will be treating them, have some por15 coming so can treat attach points etc and anything else I can get to.
How were the 100 series seats to fit, I believe that is what you have??

Amazing once you start pulling gear of what you find!
Though looks good so far, but it all needs recoat.
Does anyone have any experience with rustproofing? thinking of having the whole thing done as at the moment a complete strip is not possible?
GM60 I am in from Maroochydore at the base of the hinterland.
Thanks for the input Fellas
 
Hi 60chopper have you heard of the Perkins diesel engine ?.I know somebody fitted one of these 7.0ltr engines to a 40 series pickup in the U.k. I don't know much about this engine although that is another one to consider.Location of these is unknown to me so UK would be my first port of call.

Nathan.
 
Er i guess i should retract that engine then Rosco going by your reaction.
I didnt mean to sound like I was over reacting:eek::D

I was wondering why you chose it. The Perkins have a good reputation as far as reliablilty goes and are cheap and easy to find.
But they are after all mainly truck,marine and farm tractor engines.Not too quiet and big and heavy for the HP you get.
They would be great in a permanent trail rig,easy on the fuel with lots of low down torque;)

But the 12HT is the perfect blend for offroad and hwy cruising. I think the extra you pay for a 12HT would be recouped in installation cost and head aches.
 
Folks tend to get lost in comparing the GM 6.2's and 6.5's to the other offerings available in the US in 3/4 ton pick-ups. GM missed the target audience with this engine series, but did create a reasonably efficient V8 diesel for medium duty uses (like in an FJ60!) which was their apparent goal. The guy who buys a 6BT powered truck with the intent of pumping it up to 1200 ft-lbs. wasn't the market they were pointing at.

The 6.2's have had troubles with heads cracking and the 6.5t's have an easily solved problem with over-heating the throttle control computer. What I have read on these engines lately is that the currently available replacement parts address the problems.

I just wish that Kalifornia would let me put one in mine. I would look into them further if that was an option.

Really? It fits the rules for a swap in california if it came from a blazer or half ton suburban, as long as the chevy/jimmy is newer than your sixty (or eighty, since the 6.5 turbo was available in suburbans until 98 or 99).

6.2s are fine for what they are. Mine goes down the road fine, and deals with shuffling stuff around the yard, pulling trees out, taking loads to the dump, and what not. It's not built for putting a cord of wood in the bed and pulling a car trailer, but I have other duallies for that if I need to do that.

Main things to remember with a 6.2 is that the maximum sustained EGT is fairly low and that the stanadyne DB2 pump isn't all that forgiving. But, 16 mpg in a 4x4 crew cab dually with 4.10 gears and a non-overdrive, non-lockup TH400 is nothing to sneeze at. If you're not in a hurry (mine is the high output non EGR one, and it's 155 hp), and you're keeping your gross below its designed max of 10k, they do fine and are incredibly efficient.

For the OP, though, since you're in australia, you have different options. The 6.2 here I can get parts just about anywhere for. Down there, you have the same ability with the B, H, HZ, and HD series diesels, and if I lived down there, the 6.2 would be lower on my list of possibilities than those four.
 
So far I had not been able to confirm that there were Kalifornia 6.2's or 6.5's in anything except the 3/4t's. That would be great, and screws up my own swap planning if there are 1/2ton 6.2/6.5's out there in the '84-'95 vintage range. I'm not convinced that my local Ref would allow a Fed spec engine in a KA vehicle.
 
So far I had not been able to confirm that there were Kalifornia 6.2's or 6.5's in anything except the 3/4t's. That would be great, and screws up my own swap planning if there are 1/2ton 6.2/6.5's out there in the '84-'95 vintage range. I'm not convinced that my local Ref would allow a Fed spec engine in a KA vehicle.

The GM stuff I have here doesn't list an RPO code difference for the standard output engines - LH4 covers 82, and LH6 covers 83-87. The RPO code listing has different codes for CA vs. non-CA. Stanadyne has different listings for the injector pumps, though - but only for 84 and 85, and only for light duty - there's a separate listing for each of van and truck, and for cali and fed emissions. Everything else through 1991 as well as 82 and 83 don't show a different listing for california only trucks. Guess the definitive answer would be to search car-part.com for a motor in a junkyard near you, and look at the vehicle's emissions sticker. Memory serving me, the C in the vin is the light duty, and the J is the heavy duty. A C engine will have EGR, which the referee is likely to check. Also be warned, Gale Banks never bothered to certify his turbo kit for light duty engines, though IIRC he did sell a kit that played well with the EGR'd engines. Don't remember the exact details, and I'm more likely than not leaving my 6.2 non turbo. Have two other trucks with turbo diesels if I feel like messing with a turbodiesel.

Now I'm going to go hide before the mods smite me. Hey, he was talking about putting it in a 60 :hillbilly:
 
The 12 HT can sometimes be found at reasonable prices these days, much cheaper than they were a few years back, and they would be an easy conversion for a 60 for sure.
While the 12 HT is a great motor, it is a long way from perfect.

If looked after they seem to run forever, have good mid range and high speed grunt, and make a terrific towing rig.
The sad news is that offroad, in slow rough terrain, they are a dog, due mainly to their abrupt throttle response at low revs.

Offroad, the 6.2 is way better than the 12 HT. Way better!
To know the difference, you have to have done a fair amount of driving with 60's powered by each of those motors, in a wide variety of terrain.
 
i have a mate with a 6.5 ltr chev in his 75 ute slowest biggest slug ive ever been in butt thats only one, his brothers 75 ute with the std 1 hz diesel is far more better. in my old fj75 i had a 3f with custom ground race cam bit of head work and carby etc, on the way to work one moring pulled up at the lights next to a chopped down duel cab 100 series with a 6.5 and he couldnt keep up with the 3f .i would be very upset paying over $15 000 for this chev conversion but again maby he could tow 10 horse floats as the 3f may not haha
 
"Cruiserunc, doing as you mentioned and as I have parts off etc, will be treating them, have some por15 coming so can treat attach points etc and anything else I can get to.
How were the 100 series seats to fit, I believe that is what you have??"


I had a set of 100 seats from a 99. I would suggest several things. First, when you have the interior stripped out, install sound deadening materials and paint anything that is suspect (I know, sounds familiar!) :beer: anyway, second, move the hand brake to the center by 1.5 - 2 inches, (or 3.8 cm - 5.1 cm) seen several approaches to this but I would basically set the seats in place and get good feel for how much (or little you need to move the hand brake.) Either replace the shoulder straps with those from the FJ100 or turn the ones around (crossing them) and use your stock belts. The seats bolt directly to the front middle bolts. The outside bolts need to be mounted through the existing hole but will need schedule 8 bolts and some build up to meet the base on the front door side mounts. The rear bolts are drilled through the floor pan. use either a piece of flat or channel steel and a set of schedule 8 bolts there. I used a cut down console from a new Navistar LP 4700. Fit perfect (once I made it about 4" shorter) great place for storage, and drink holders. The rear mount for the former console, I mounted a three receiver 12 volt plug base with an inverter mounted above it. Run your wires now and test your heated seats, power seats function while you have some time. I also removed the rear heater (plugged the heater hoses near the firewall and plan to use this heated water for another project later) and added a second rear heat switch, use them for the heated seats, only hooked up the high side of the heated seat function.

One thing to remember, these seats mount about 2-3 inches behind where you are used to sitting in the 60. I am 6'1" so it is fine for me. May be more of a challenge if you are under about 5'9" or so. From a safety factor however, it is great. Gives the driver/passenger better protection with a far better safety placement of the seat (and you!) behind the B post.

So, like anything else, nothing is easy but when you finish, you really have a set of seats that are killer comfortable, heated, electric, great headrests, you can almost fully recline (for sleep, too old for anything else in the 60) and they have adjustable armrests.

I may try to take some pics when I have time but at the moment, I am really beating up the road/airways at the moment.

************Rear Seat . . .

Forgot to mention the rear seat, I had the original seat recovered to match the front seats. The FJ100 99 model had a 50/50 split rear seat. That seat is too wide to fit in the back of the FJ60. Another option I have seen, was a 60/40 set of rear seats from a FJ100, using the 60 side mounting it on the passenger side, and giving you some space on the drivers side to mount something like a small 12V cooler. I had a set of rear seat/shoulder straps so I left them in place, the main modification I added was a set of head rests, I'll probably do a write up about that mod, used some abs plumbing pipe, 2x4 lumber painted with black bed liner, and headrests from a Lexus LX 330.
 
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i have a mate with a 6.5 ltr chev in his 75 ute slowest biggest slug ive ever been in butt thats only one, his brothers 75 ute with the std 1 hz diesel is far more better. in my old fj75 i had a 3f with custom ground race cam bit of head work and carby etc, on the way to work one moring pulled up at the lights next to a chopped down duel cab 100 series with a 6.5 and he couldnt keep up with the 3f .i would be very upset paying over $15 000 for this chev conversion but again maby he could tow 10 horse floats as the 3f may not haha



If that 6.5 is slower than a stock 1HZ, there is something not right with the 6.5.
Have you ever wondered how companies like Brunswick are still in business after all these years if the diesel V8's they've been fitting were slower than the motors that they replaced!

Thesedays I don't see much point in spending 15-20 grand on any engine conversion for a 60.
You can pick up an HJ 61 with a 12HT pretty cheap her in Oz, 6 grand or so depending on condition etc.
If you had 20 grand you could try and track down an '97 80 series with a multi valve turbo diesel.

I fitted up my 6.2 almost 9 years back and it didn't cost anywhere near 15 grand, but I did save some by doing the fitting myself.
I can tell ya that there is no way I'd still have the thing if it was slower than a 1 HZ!

The 6.2 is no drag motor. If you want to be a red light racer you can easily and cheaply fit a 350 gasser.
The 6.2 is no slug either, provided it is set up right, which is obviously not the case with some motors.
 

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