Nice install. Im surprised your stock fuel filter has not leaked on you yet. I am doing the same thing to my 6.2 in a few weeks.
CK5
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One Piece at a Time: My 1985 Diesel Suburban
- Thread starter AgDieseler
- Start date
What did they charge you for a rebuild? I have a few DB2's I want to rebuild at some point.
I've replaced the bleed screws a couple of times over the years, but other than that it's been reliable. I know that's not always the case, and I do have some ideas for a replacement.
Suggestions are welcome.
Mine was $790, and it was a full rebuild that included honing the housing for the advance piston. I work with the good folks at the Dallas branch.
David
Thanks for the write-up. That info is quite valuable. 
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You bet. Glad to share.
We just finished a 550 mile camping/hiking trip, and it performed very well. M&D does great work.
I'd like to finish the exhaust and then get back to the charger, but a few other items have popped up. During the IP change, I noticed a significant freon leak from two of the hose end crimps, so there's that. I'm going to have the system evacuated and use this opportunity to build the intercooler/radiator/condenser stack. And just today, injectors 2, 5, 7, and 8 failed on the Duramax.
Looks like it's going to be a diesel-themed holiday.
David
We wish you a Diesel Christmas,
We wish you a Diesel Christmas,
We wish you a Diesel Christmas,
And a happy new year!
^^^haha wtf 
Hilarious! Yes! First, need to take a whitetail, then the work resumes.
Here's a quick snap of our hiking rigs from this past weekend:
Early morning shot in the Wichita Mountain:
Hard to believe this is in our "backyard":
David
That is very cool. Make us flatlanders very jealous...
Look at them damn rocks all stacked up like that. Gotta just love nature...
So here's a short winter update. Didn't manage to take a deer, but was able to have a great time camping with family and friends.
My AR made lots of good .308 brass for reloads:
And I added an engine to the rear of the suburban, though it will be coming out tomorrow:
Gear is stowed and the shop is ready for work. Soon, I'll start preparing for the road trip to Northern NV, but first, that LQ4 has to get on a stand.
Lots of work ahead in 2016.
David
My AR made lots of good .308 brass for reloads:
And I added an engine to the rear of the suburban, though it will be coming out tomorrow:
Gear is stowed and the shop is ready for work. Soon, I'll start preparing for the road trip to Northern NV, but first, that LQ4 has to get on a stand.
Lots of work ahead in 2016.
David
Taking a few moments to plan, here's the build program for 2016:
- Intercooler - a big part of making the engine live a long and happy turbocharged life.
- I've always delayed this because it meant rerouting my AC, but since I noticed two leaking crimps during the injector pump R&R I'm now free to pull the system apart and rework. I have a takeout Duramax intercooler hanging on the wall. Time to bring that guy down and see how it fits around the radiator.
- Front swaybar - like many of us, the factory one was sacrificed to accommodate superior steering.
- We do a lot of road trips, and more stable highway manners are needed, especially when there's a crosswind. I've looked at the Ford axle-mounted swaybars on their front 60s, and I don't much care for that setup, plus it's intended for a high pinion and different spring width. Since it looks like I'd be modifying a factory setup, I'm probably going to go ahead and bend one from scratch using solid stock.
- Interior organization - the Overland Dysfunction Rendevous has me in prep mode.
- Two spares, tools, spare parts, and camping gear take up a lot of space, and that's okay when the plan is to arrive in one location, unload, camp/hike, and only reload once you're ready to leave. It's time to restack and rethink my packing method to allow for easy and routine access since we'll be loading up and moving each day, plus the addition of water, multiple days of food, and the option of sleeping in the truck. A CargoGlide comes to mind, but it's an expensive solution unless I can find one used. Need to keep thinking on this one.
I have a duramax intercooler in my stepside. Give me a day or so and I can get some pictures for you. It does fit but you need to trim the core part down some, like 2 or 3 inches if I remember. I also relocated the inlet/outlet. It fits but takes some planning to make it all fit. Here's a picture showing the intercooler tubing routing.
Appreciate any photos you can share. I'm on a similar path of logic as to modifying the core ends. My radiator was built slightly larger than factory, but the Duramax intercooler looks like it's within that 2 or 3 inches you described. I have the Peninsular upper intake, so I should be able to flip that 180* and route the tubing similar to yours, though I'll probably have to modify the PS reservoir mounting bracket.
At a point, I'm just going to have to pull everything apart and see how it might fit.
David
OK I took a few pictures of how it looks with everything together. I have to going looking on my computer to find the in progress ones.
The first picture shows how close the inlet is to the radiator. It's also pushed as high as I could get it. Don't mind the funky looking welds, was my first tig project.
Second is a larger view. Like I said it's tight bUT it does fit.
I cut the intercooler core down to a 1/2" smaller then the opening.
The first picture shows how close the inlet is to the radiator. It's also pushed as high as I could get it. Don't mind the funky looking welds, was my first tig project.
Second is a larger view. Like I said it's tight bUT it does fit.
I cut the intercooler core down to a 1/2" smaller then the opening.
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It's hard to see in this picture but the outlet tube runs under the driverside battery tray.
The close up shows the square tube that I used to extend the outlet pipe. I used 1/8" aluminum angle to make it, has held up to 25 lbs of boost.
The last picture shows were I had to open the front section to fit the bulge of the intercooler. I put b the expanded metal in to add some structure back but keep extra airflow.
I have to find a picture of it but I removed the inner box tube. It's the pieces that are on either side of the a/c condenser, you have to add some means of supporting the core support. The ones I made also clamp in the intercooler. So two birds, one stone.
I know there is more that I'm forgetting at the moment. But that will get you started.
The close up shows the square tube that I used to extend the outlet pipe. I used 1/8" aluminum angle to make it, has held up to 25 lbs of boost.
The last picture shows were I had to open the front section to fit the bulge of the intercooler. I put b the expanded metal in to add some structure back but keep extra airflow.
I have to find a picture of it but I removed the inner box tube. It's the pieces that are on either side of the a/c condenser, you have to add some means of supporting the core support. The ones I made also clamp in the intercooler. So two birds, one stone.
I know there is more that I'm forgetting at the moment. But that will get you started.
y5mgisi
1 ton status
On the sway bar, I think I was looking at Dodge ones. They are wider than ours so they should go outside the frame ok but more importantly they are connected by links to the axle. So you can place the links away from stuff. I think that's what my plan was to keep a sway bar after cross over.
I like that idea. That front suspension is laid out similarly to ours, and it might be able to use the factory mounts on the suburban. There are a few three-quarter and 1 ton Dodge trucks at my local yard. Might just check them out this weekend.
David
David
I've been thinking about a sway bar as well, not really sure how to go about doing it.
y5mgisi
1 ton status
There was that one guy on here that did the kind of "anti rock" style unit with good success too. I'll see if I can find it.
