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Interesting article about old GM diesel trucks still in use

Yeah...never thought you could make land management or DNR green look good.
 
Cool but you can shield against rfi but it is costly. Simple to use old tech that just works.
 
Those 'burbs must have had 6.2's swapped in em back in the day.
 
Any idea why they are plugged in? could they have disabled the alternator output, and as a result have to trickle charge the batteries constantly?
 
Likely just to warm the oil. Old diesels aren't fond of cold.
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Likely just to warm the oil. Old diesels aren't fond of cold.
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Gotcha. I know diesels have block heaters, but given there wasn't any snow on the ground in the pictures I assumed it wasn't for heating purposes.
 
so is that just rain puddles or oil......:haha:

would be sweet to get ahold of any of those trucks!
 
clandr1 said:
Gotcha. I know diesels have block heaters, but given there wasn't any snow on the ground in the pictures I assumed it wasn't for heating purposes.
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Even just keeping the block warm makes for easier starts. I think it said at that point they're just doing what they can to keep em alive as long as possible.
 
Malarky, I'm sure those telescopes are a pretty penny, I'm sure they could spend a few grand for a rebuilt 6.2.

I am interested in the no alternator theory. No spark plugs no electronics, no need for an alternator except to start, and you get a damn good amount of starts with a fully charged dual battery set up.
 
clandr1 said:
Gotcha. I know diesels have block heaters, but given there wasn't any snow on the ground in the pictures I assumed it wasn't for heating purposes.
Click to expand...

Smokinthehippies said:
Even just keeping the block warm makes for easier starts. I think it said at that point they're just doing what they can to keep em alive as long as possible.
Click to expand...

mrschaeferpants said:
Malarky, I'm sure those telescopes are a pretty penny, I'm sure they could spend a few grand for a rebuilt 6.2.

I am interested in the no alternator theory. No spark plugs no electronics, no need for an alternator except to start, and you get a damn good amount of starts with a fully charged dual battery set up.
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Government vehicle. You know good and well half those glowplugs don't work any more and most of the batteries are a decade old.

They probably just plug them in whenever it's "cold" out.
 
there's a shop near here, they sell 6.2 take outs for $995...

clickity

I love my 6.2 burb more every day :pimp:


hijack over...:whistle:
 
62 fat guy said:
there's a shop near here, they sell 6.2 take outs for $995...

clickity

I love my 6.2 burb more every day :pimp:


hijack over...:whistle:
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Some nice stuff there for sale!--wouldn't mind having a few of those Detroits!..and the 10 and 20 HP air cooled engines...

Have you seen the Youtube video of the Detroit 4-53 powered square body Chevy pickup?...thing sounds awesome!...5 speed Clark tranny behind it..
 
just looked at a few vids :waytogo::waytogo:

that shop is 2 hours away, I can help with pickup
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Looks like the 'burbs do have diesels since they are plugging them in like the others. Swapped in 6.2L?
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Interesting indeed.

The article says that the oldest trucks working there now were new with the telescope - that means the '67-'72 Burbs must have had something besides a 6.2L (first 6.2L was in '82). Those Burbs even pre-date the crappy Olds diesel that made it's way into fullsize Chevies in the late '70's.

If they switched to 6.2s, they'd more likely just have upgraded to the square-body Burb that came with them from the factory.

I'm guessing those old ones were some sort of custom contract job with perhaps a Perkins engine (?).
 
That is possible--seeing its the government,they could have subcontracted some company to convert those older trucks to diesel--they may have used a Perkins or Continental diesel,or a Hercules industrial diesel--or even one of those Nissan diesels the old Scout II's had..it would be a lot simpler to swap in a 6.2,but they were not invented yet!..it could be they got the Suburbans from some other government agency in the 80's when they were ready to be auctioned off,after the 6.2 came out and they took them,and swapped those in?..


Or maybe they even convinced GM to install a 3-53 Detroit in them,I have seen listings in my 1947-72 GM truck 10 thru 30 series parts catalogs for parts for those engines, some were supposedly installed in a few 3/4 and 1 ton trucks in the 60's and 70's--I've seen a few of those in old pickups that guys installed themselves,but never a factory one,but that does not mean GM never built any--and military contracts would be a possibility..I did see a few old P series step vans with a 3-53 Detroit in them back in the 60's at a junkyard near my old house in my hometown..it would be cool to get a peek under those hoods to see just whats in there!..
 
You may have hit it on the head - if you think a 6.2l is cold-blooded, just try starting a 2-stroke Detroit in anything colder than tropical. That would explain why they're all plugged in for sure.
 
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