Past Wisdom

[4X4ForDad]

I bought a 1986 CUCV 6.2l Diesel. Questions are...who makes a tachometer that properly works? Use of a Gear Vendors OD? Instalation of Stan's Headers and 2 1/2 pipes with Magnaflow mufflers? Diesel fuel filtration add on?
Interested to see what others say before I spend the big $$$! thanks to all those who answer pro or con.

 

[shady]

For the price of a gear vendors, I'd just trans swap it to a nv4500 or 4l80.

Make sure the mufflers aren't a type with packing. Diesel soot will just plug that crap all up.

Other than that I got nothing lol.

 

[diesel4me]

I've had Thrush glass packs on my pickup since 2011--still sound the same,no plugging up so far...but they might only have 10,000 miles or so on them..mostly around town/back road cruising,not much highway use..makes the 6.2 sound just like a gas V8..

I have the OEM spin on fuel filter that GM only used on the earlier years...a Wix 24309 filter base is almost identical to the original,and it takes the same 33123 Wix filter (that has a water drain valve) too..
These filters hole nearly a quart of fuel and aren't prone to getting airbound like the crappy square ones GM went to on later 6.2's..

 

[tRustyK5]

I bought a 1986 CUCV 6.2l Diesel. Questions are...who makes a tachometer that properly works? Use of a Gear Vendors OD? Instalation of Stan's Headers and 2 1/2 pipes with Magnaflow mufflers? Diesel fuel filtration add on?
Interested to see what others say before I spend the big $$$! thanks to all those who answer pro or con.

M1009 or M1008?

 

[4X4ForDad]

M1009 or M1008?

1008

 

[4X4ForDad]

I've had Thrush glass packs on my pickup since 2011--still sound the same,no plugging up so far...but they might only have 10,000 miles or so on them..mostly around town/back road cruising,not much highway use..makes the 6.2 sound just like a gas V8..

I have the OEM spin on fuel filter that GM only used on the earlier years...a Wix 24309 filter base is almost identical to the original,and it takes the same 33123 Wix filter (that has a water drain valve) too..
These filters hole nearly a quart of fuel and aren't prone to getting airbound like the crappy square ones GM went to on later 6.2's..View attachment 362060
View attachment 362062

Thanks for the info.

 

[tRustyK5]

In a M1008 I would spend my money on a Cummins with matching OD trans and call it good. A 6.2 can be good, but as far removed from when it was last built it's just getting harder and harder to build a decent one anymore. You will likely spend a lot of money for a poor performing, somewhat unreliable platform. By the time you buy an OD trans, headers, new injection pump, a few boxes of glow plugs etc etc. you likely could have shoed in a 5.9 Cummins.

A 6.2 will frustrate you and probably disappoint you.

The other option is a big block or LS swap. Again, both are better bang for the buck than anything you can do with the 6.2 diesel.

 

[KirsL]

In a M1008 I would spend my money on a Cummins with matching OD trans and call it good. A 6.2 can be good, but as far removed from when it was last built it's just getting harder and harder to build a decent one anymore. You will likely spend a lot of money for a poor performing, somewhat unreliable platform. By the time you buy an OD trans, headers, new injection pump, a few boxes of glow plugs etc etc. you likely could have shoed in a 5.9 Cummins.

A 6.2 will frustrate you and probably disappoint you.

The other option is a big block or LS swap. Again, both are better bang for the buck than anything you can do with the 6.2 diesel.

Blasphemy! Couple guys in the one fb group broke 450hp with a 6.5! Stock bottom end too supposedly.

That said, a good stand alone filter housing is always worth adding. A lot of duramax guys run a cat filter setup.

Headers on a diesel sound awesome. But for what you'll spend you can turbo charge it and make more power.

Tinytach makes one that clamps onto the injector line, so very accurate.

I'd run a 4L80 or the nv4500 before the gearvendors.

 

[KirsL]

Had to find the numbers just to show.

Not cheap to get that kind of power and not just from the 6.5 but really any engine.

 

[tRustyK5]

funny, I don't think it's hard to get a 5.9 to make 450 hp...and live an easy life.

All I'm saying is if you want some modern day diesel power in a Square Body, the best bang for the buck is not the 6.2/6.5 platform. It's like comparing an old Dodge flat head 6, to a 2JZ.

I don't hate the 6.2/6.5's...hell I owned several and dailied a 6.2 powered pick-up for 7 years. You just need to keep reality in sight if the goal is modern day power.

 

[diesel4me]

I agree with Rene...the 6.2 is a poor choice for a high HP diesel..
They were never intended to be a powerhouse,GM made them to give more fuel mileage than anything else..(though you can't prove it by mine,its never gotten over 15 mpg very often)..

It is hard enough keeping one together in daily driver use,and overall in my opinion they are not a great design...the crankshafts being weak is one of their biggest drawbacks,then the blocks main bearing webs ,both are known to fail just using them "normally"..some go 400,000 miles without a failure,but many never made it past 50,000..

Now that they haven't been used since the mid 1990's,parts are getting harder to find,more expensive,and that is 2 more reasons not to bother with one..

A straight six Cummins has a lot more potential and is practically bullet proof with a few tweaks,an inline engine runs smoother,has more torque,and will outlast a V8 ,having more main bearings..

An inline engine is a lot easier to work on too,if and when you ever have to..the main drawback to the Cummins is they aren't available "cheap",everyone wants one,so they sell for more than a complete truck with one in it does often,at least around here..and most have been messed with too,it's hard to find an unmolested one..

A salvage yard I go snooping at often had a Chevy Grunman step van with a Cummins 4BT,and the adapter to mount a TH400 to it,and the transmission was in it too,they sold the complete setup (rolling chassis,with brand new rear leaf springs !) for $1800,in two days after they towed it in..which was cheap..then they scrapped the aluminum body off the van and got $750 for scrap..
The yard owner told me they bought 4 of those P-30's from a delivery company auction for $2000 for all 4...

 

[KirsL]

Oh I had to show that just cause basically.

I like my very mildly built 6.2, runs well but it's nothing crazy.

I would agree that for big known reliable power, you can't beat a 5.9 Cummins.

 

[longbedder]

Find a Banks Sidewinder turbo kit and an overdrive trans (4L80 or NV4500) and you'll be happy enough.

This all supposes that the engine you have is healthy.

I run a Stanadyne Fuel Manager FM100 filter setup and a Tiny Tach.