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Just offered a 6.2! Help Diesel Guys!

Redwookie

Redwookie

1/2 ton status
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Posts
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Location
Charleston, SC by way of the PHX
Hello All,

So I've never owned a diesel just gassers but have been interested in giving them a try for a while now. I have a friend who has an '86 burbo that was rolled. It had a strong running 6.2 n/a in it. It's mine with anything else I would need out of the truck to convert my '89 K5 from it's current 350/tbi. First do you diesel folks think it would be worth the time and trouble to do the conversion? Like I said anything I need parts wise is mine for $300. I have 35" tires, 700r4, and 3.73's. Do you see this as a problematic set up for the 6.2? Would the gears need changing? Is this motor a total dog? What if I turbo charged it eventually? What kind of mileage could I possibly get out of this set up if I try to get a little more power out of it or just as is (maybe turbo or whatever to get it up to the gassers hp/torque neighborhood)? Thanks guys for any help!
 
Redwookie said:
Hello All,

So I've never owned a diesel just gassers but have been interested in giving them a try for a while now. I have a friend who has an '86 burbo that was rolled. It had a strong running 6.2 n/a in it. It's mine with anything else I would need out of the truck to convert my '89 K5 from it's current 350/tbi. First do you diesel folks think it would be worth the time and trouble to do the conversion? Like I said anything I need parts wise is mine for $300. I have 35" tires, 700r4, and 3.73's. Do you see this as a problematic set up for the 6.2? Would the gears need changing? Is this motor a total dog? What if I turbo charged it eventually? What kind of mileage could I possibly get out of this set up if I try to get a little more power out of it or just as is (maybe turbo or whatever to get it up to the gassers hp/torque neighborhood)? Thanks guys for any help!
Click to expand...

I will try and answer before all the negative guys that never owned one start talking. :D
The 6.2 in your truck will do fine, it will get 18-20 MPG and the one thing you want to be carefull with is the 700 with your 35" tires and 3.73
If you don't drive it much with OD and only put it when you are cruising on flats you should be fine.
With a Turbo you will probably have the same mileage or 1MPG less but much more power.
I would say the N/A 6.2 is just shy of the gasser in HP and a little more in TQ.
With a Turbo it will be more than the gasser in both.
But now I realize I should have said no it's bad then asked where you were going to dump it.:rolleyes:
And if it's a good running engine with all the necessary parts for the conversion for $300 it's a good price.
 
I would jump on it. They may be slow but there are alot of benefits one bein the MPG!! Especially for a DD I would do it in a heartbeat
 
I do not think it will be worth the conversion. You should just go ahead and bring it to my house. :D

I have/had (blew a head gasket) a 6.2L in my suburban. I liked it. I have 4.10s, 35's, and a th400 and got around 17mpg. Power was decent. I am awaiting a rebuild and a turbo. I am sure I will like it more!
 
Thanks guys for the info! I may just go ahead and do it then. Sorry guys. :). I may just sit on it for a while and rebuild it first. The gasser I have right now still runs great and gets about 15mpg if I keep my foot out of it.
 
If you do go for the swap, ask to bring the whole burb over to your place and park it nearby. That way you can get anything you need from the truck as you do the swap.

The engine would be happier with 4.10 gears with the 35s, but will do just fine with the 3.73s. I once ran 2.73s with 35s and a very tired 6.2L :D It was slow as all get out, but got the job done using very little fuel.

I'm personally very happy I went the way of the diesel. With the turbocharger, it is stronger than any vintage gas V8 I've run in the past by a long shot. Stock on my old 86 wasn't bad either, despite the mosquito fogging due to a bad valve.
 
Ive had two 6.2s and LOVED both! The only reason Im dropping a 406 in my K10 is because I want the horsepower. When it was my DD it was a great truck. 20 MPG consistantly. It had a turbo and would hang with alot of other trucks speed wise.

My old beater is C10 with a N/A 6.2 its got 235s and 3.73s so its got plenty of power. I turned the pump up on it this summer and now it hardly ever pulls the torque converter out of lockup on the hills around here.

Only reason I dont drive it around in the winter is I just really hate messing with Diesels in the colds temps.
 
Oh man I would to fall in to some thing like that. It would be hawt to have a diesel and all the parts to make my truck run. Do it man for those of us who want but cant.
 
It's personal preference. I'm more power hungry then mpg hungry. I honestly think you'd be better off putting that $300 in your 350. You could get a cam, and intake manifold, maybe some headers, and be on par with the 6.2's low end torque with alot more hp and peak tq. You won't get the same mpg though. I'll agree that a turboed 6.2 is a big step up in the tq department from a 350 though... unless you want to spend some serious mula.
 
Well I guess the responses here amongst my K5 brethren is very positive! Do the diesel swap! I will do it, and post it if you guys wanna see it. I'll document the heck out of it! LOL. So are there any diesel experts or a good shop that'll help me out that you guys know about here in AZ?
 
Fabrimacator21 said:
It's personal preference. I'm more power hungry then mpg hungry. I honestly think you'd be better off putting that $300 in your 350. You could get a cam, and intake manifold, maybe some headers, and be on par with the 6.2's low end torque with alot more hp and peak tq. You won't get the same mpg though. I'll agree that a turboed 6.2 is a big step up in the tq department from a 350 though... unless you want to spend some serious mula.
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No way any cam will make a 350 = the 6.2's off idle and bottom end tq. Just not gonna happen. Peak tq maybe, but at the expense of low end for sure.

It is personal preference, but it's also in how you expect to use the vehicle. 20-24 mpg is awefully easy to get used to. No carb flooding, or computer is really nice off raod. The 6.2 is FI after all, it will run upside down and be happy doing it right until it loses oil pressure anyways. For a diesel it's not a heavy bastard either, more than a small block, but less than a big block. The fact it's all bolt in sure doesn't hurt either.

I got rid of a healthy 355 in favor of a NA 6.2 in 2002 and never regretted it once. Wheeling with the diesel was a total epiphany...absolute control, no stalling ever, and the off-idle torque was amazing. I had my 6.2 backed with an SM465, and at Blazer Bash 03 in Moab i did the majority of the technical stuff with both feet flat on the floor. It'd do more at idle than it ever did with the 355. Lastly, I could afford to drive it regularly again...pretty much doubled my mpg's.

Rene
 
tRustyK5 said:
No way any cam will make a 350 = the 6.2's off idle and bottom end tq. Just not gonna happen. Peak tq maybe, but at the expense of low end for sure.

It is personal preference, but it's also in how you expect to use the vehicle. 20-24 mpg is awefully easy to get used to. No carb flooding, or computer is really nice off raod. The 6.2 is FI after all, it will run upside down and be happy doing it right until it loses oil pressure anyways. For a diesel it's not a heavy bastard either, more than a small block, but less than a big block. The fact it's all bolt in sure doesn't hurt either.

I got rid of a healthy 355 in favor of a NA 6.2 in 2002 and never regretted it once. Wheeling with the diesel was a total epiphany...absolute control, no stalling ever, and the off-idle torque was amazing. I had my 6.2 backed with an SM465, and at Blazer Bash 03 in Moab i did the majority of the technical stuff with both feet flat on the floor. It'd do more at idle than it ever did with the 355. Lastly, I could afford to drive it regularly again...pretty much doubled my mpg's.

Rene
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Off idle the dies wins but I honestly don't think its THAT big of a difference. A mild 350 setup right will make 250 ft lbs at 1500... Very respectable when you consider the 6.2 makes 257 ft lbs peak. A little higher stall converter and you won't notice it.

Your also giving up a good 100 hp. Hills will be slow and mudding will be significantly impacted.

I'd take the 300 and put it into the tree fitty.

Also FI doesn't have any problems offroad. The computer is tucked under the glovebox and it'll let you know when you need to fix something.

I drove my buddies diesel crew cab dodge... not sure if it was the 12v or 24v. It had trouble gettin up the curb in his drive way from a dead stop. I expected it to just leap up it with a tap of the throttle. Had to give it almost 1/2 throttle to get up it.

Again... it's personal preference and what you want to do with it. I'm just not a fan of N/A 6.2's. Now turboed is a different story.
 
Manual tranny makes a huge difference too...your buddies Dodge was obviously an auto. I've wheeled both hard, there is no comparison. Mud racing maybe, but for the 350 to really outshine the 6.2 it'll have to be giving up a fair bit on the low end of the rpm range.

For rocks, it's a joke in comparison...especially with the manual tranny. The amount of finesse and absolute control in beyond comparison.

For street I agree a turbo is almost a 'need' though. I am fine with NA, but it won't keep up with a similar sbc truck.

My point is that there is no way $300 into a worn smallblock is ever gonna get it to surpass the diesel in many key areas.

Rene
 
tRustyK5 said:
My point is that there is no way $300 into a worn smallblock is ever gonna get it to surpass the diesel in many key areas.

Rene
Click to expand...

Depending on what your doing... again thats where personal preference comes into play.

Yes it was an auto.

I agree it's a different story when your talking about manuals but in an auto its not hard to get a sbc to have the same low end balls. The 6.2 is a dog of a diesel IMO (nothing personal). 257 ft lbs is pathetic for a diesel. Hell the stock 350 makes 300 ft lbs at 3200... not hard to get another 50 + ft lbs out of it for 300. The right cam will REALLY help flatten out the tq curve. Add an intake manifold and headers and you've got a respectable motor.

I really don't see the need for more "control" on rocks. Low gear is more then enough control with an auto. Again it's another story with a manual. I'm gonna guess the OP has a slushbox which makes the gasser that much more desirable.

By the way... you don't have to be a mud racer to see the difference. A stock 350 will outshine a 6.2 in your average mud hole on your average day of wheeling.

I'm not trying to start a war here... just giving my 2 cents.:crazy:
 
Well ya'll have some pretty good points going both ways. That being said I love using my Blazer as a DD. I have taken the time and effort to make the truck very comfortable and to be sure all the bells and whistles work (ie. A/C, cruise control, stereo, dialed in alignment). I love to wheel also, but I get my rocks off having a truck that's very capable on or off the road. I don't do the extreme rock crawling cuz I like my truck not looking like it just went through a spin cycle!(prefer trail riding) I don't mind a few scratches and dings b/c it's a truck after all not a vette but yeah. I think the diesel would be awesome if it can make the SAME kind of power I have now and get 20+ mpg. Honestly I'm not a hypermiler or some shizz but i'd like to try for 25mpg! Again to each their own that's just what I want outta my Blazer:)
 
Redwookie said:
Well ya'll have some pretty good points going both ways. That being said I love using my Blazer as a DD. I have taken the time and effort to make the truck very comfortable and to be sure all the bells and whistles work (ie. A/C, cruise control, stereo, dialed in alignment). I love to wheel also, but I get my rocks off having a truck that's very capable on or off the road. I don't do the extreme rock crawling cuz I like my truck not looking like it just went through a spin cycle!(prefer trail riding) I don't mind a few scratches and dings b/c it's a truck after all not a vette but yeah. I think the diesel would be awesome if it can make the SAME kind of power I have now and get 20+ mpg. Honestly I'm not a hypermiler or some shizz but i'd like to try for 25mpg! Again to each their own that's just what I want outta my Blazer:)
Click to expand...

well it sounds like you just need to go ahead and drop that 6.2 in. sounds like a perfect fit. you could turbo it down the road if you wanted
 
I'm with ya dfl. I think the deciding part is over with and now it's on to the logistics. I have done exactly zero with diesels and am currently living in a high rise down town. Even my tools are at my parents house lol. I have a buddy who owns a hot rod/body shop but amazingly he's up to his eyeballs in work right now so I gotta find a reputable shop/tech to do the conversion for me I think. I don't know any shops(diesel) or guys though cuz I grew up doing my own work. So any help local guys would be appreciated!?
 
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