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talk me into keeping my diesel engine...

original balzer

original balzer

1/2 ton status
Joined
Nov 17, 2004
Posts
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Location
roosevelt utah
I been kinda stoked to build my crew cab with the 6.2 diesel. I have wheeled one before and loved the low end grunt.

BUUUUUUTTTTT a stupid friend of mine just finished building and installing a 427 SMALLBLOCK! in his 83 K10 short bed.

All I can say is GAWD DAMN! That engine is insanely cool....and fast and purdy and fast and loud and fast. It gives me peepee chills.

I should mention its a mud racer and burns alky he estimates about 850hp and 4 gallons to the mile.

I know how to build gas engines, diesels not so much, I didnt want insane HP at first, Blah I dont know what I want.
 
I would kill for a Diesel in my K5 two words for you "Gas prices". If you do not drive it as a dd and have the money then build it. Speed is just a matter of how much money you have!

Me; I would go for the mileage and think bio diesel.......
 
I don't know about roosevelt but in Idaho diesel is about 60 cents higher than 85 octane right now, 91 is still 30 cents cheaper. Sooooooo if it were me I would invest a biodiesel setup and keep the diesel.:D
 
Keep the diesel if you drive it everyday, build a big block if your going to wheel it only or put a big block in it if you drive it everyday. With the price of diesel out here I have to at least 18 mpg just to break even with my gas motor if I switched to diesel.
 
IMO i think gas is the way to go, my friend has a stock tall deck 427, stock puts out a little above 400lbs, not bad on gas, tons of torque, it was actually out of his dads work truck, he drove it for years, and its still a beast. i know these engines are kinda of hard to find, but i love how realiable they are, gas isnt bad,tons of power...basically a diesel, they came in the old GMC 4500-6500s like home heating oil trucks....if ur worried about power, he has 38 boggers, sm465 and 4.10s, in low he can do 4wd burnouts sitting there at idle in his dirt driveway.its pretty cool. well i guess this is the end of my rant....sorry if this didnt convince u to keep ur diesel.:D
 
All diesel, all the time. Way too many ways to make diesel better. Way too many reasons to not go to gas. If you're into speed, get a newer diesel. If you're into a nice reliable rig to get to/from work everyday with the occasional off road, go 6.5 turbo. If it's a trail only rig, go 6.2. Gas blows chunks. Yes, I have gas. I hate it, mainly because it's gas.
 
stick with the diesel for mileage.

If it had a turbo, and you weren't so far away, i'd swap motors with you. I want diesel mileage.....im already used to teh burb being slow.
 
It gives me peepee chills.
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not sure what that means, but it sounds like you should see a urologist.

both of my trucks are gas, but given the choices you mentioned, i'd have to go with the boring but reliable and efficient; oil burner. if you do go with a gas big block, please be sure to fill up at exxon/mobile stations and make my stock jump a few points :wink1:.
 
I'm a caterpilar mechanic, and i don't know much about the 6.2s I have a friend who's a mechanc on them and swears he will not own one ever. I'm not as familiar with the chevys, I've always been a dodge guy. Engine makes aside, Diesel will outlast, have more low end torque, and in the long run be cheaper to maintain, and run than any gasoline engine.
 
6.2 engines are incredibly reliable, far more so than a gas counterpart, as long as it is used the way it is intended. That means no flooring it, no putting 25 000lbs behind it and expecting it to tow like a big pete...

Basic maintenance means a ton too, change your fuel filters regularly, and keep on top of oil changes not to mention keeping a close eye on your balancer, and all of the major concerns of IP and crank failures become a thing of the past then...

Sure, they have problems with cracking between the valves in the heads, and headgaskets, but that happens when you work the thing like a Cummins or something. Light duty diesel is just that, light duty use :)
 
Doing some quick math, after doing a fill-up today at lunch with current AZ fuel prices:

11mpg (my 350 K5) @ $3.07/gallon = 13.18mpg (what a diesel would need to get) @ $3.68/gallon for diesel. Anything above 13mpg burning diesel would be cheaper to run, assuming all other costs are equal. (maint., depreciation, insurance, etc.)
 
Russell said:
6.2 engines are incredibly reliable, far more so than a gas counterpart, as long as it is used the way it is intended. That means no flooring it, no putting 25 000lbs behind it and expecting it to tow like a big pete...

Basic maintenance means a ton too, change your fuel filters regularly, and keep on top of oil changes not to mention keeping a close eye on your balancer, and all of the major concerns of IP and crank failures become a thing of the past then...

Sure, they have problems with cracking between the valves in the heads, and headgaskets, but that happens when you work the thing like a Cummins or something. Light duty diesel is just that, light duty use :)
Click to expand...

Flooring it isn't a problem. Neither is pulling 25k - it's just going to be ridiculously slow.

The 6.2/6.5 are fairly reliable. The head cracking, head gaskets, and other issues are all preventable. It would have been nice if GM had done the prevention though :rolleyes:
 
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