6.2 Diesel swap

[the baron]

Hi Guys ,
I swapped my bike ( 1979 Yamaha XS 650 SE) for a 1986 Burb.
just some question about a swap of the actual 6.2 Diesel engine it has now, I want to replace it by a stock gas 305 or 350 engine...

First option :
1. I presume the 6.2 Diesel is a Chevy block , if I want to put a 350 engine in it , is it just a "bolt out / bolt on" operation ?
2. can I use the same converter ( 700R4 tranny ) ?

Second option:
Part my current 79 C10 ( Olds 350 gas engine / TH350) & put that running gear into the Burb
1. seems easier & cheaper to do
2. I have already everything I need
3. Will I have to change the U joints & transmission shaft ? ( about lenght )
4. have a 700R4 for spare I can sell

why all this ?
1. because this 6.2 has a connecting rod problem...
2. I don't like Diesels , as they stink , smoke , lack power , cost a lot more to maintain & to use ( LPG cheaper than gas oil here in Belgium )
3. I'm broke , will remain so for the rest of my life , I presume

No pic's of the Burb for the moment , I'm going to pick it up next month

What do you think , Guys ?

The Baron
____________________________________________________
1979 C10 long bed , 350 Olds engine , stock
1986 C10 Burb , 6.2 Diesel engine down , resto project
1977 Impala sedan , straight six 250ci , "Ye Old Reliable"
1960 Girl Friend , frame still good , body has some dents

[rockman20]

I did not do the swap in my truck, but mine has a 350 now in place of the 6.2. (I would love to have the diesel back. No power? I've seen my dad's 3/4 ton conversion van smoke the tires with a 6.2 in it. He was pulling something at the time. You can actually get the tires to squeel a bit though on take off if you mash it.)

I am not sure about the bolt up process, but the converter, I believe, is still the diesel converter. I believe that you can use that. Which I would since it is a lot beefier of a unit then the gas ones are.

Some of the things to look out for.

1) The brackets will need to be adjusted. Especially the power steering and the A/C compresser. (If you use the diesel brackets)

The power steering pump you may need to keep from the diesel since mine ran the power steering and the power assisted brakes.

Wiring. Here you will have a bunch of extra wires. No longer will have the fuel pump (if you have a mechanical one on the 350) you no longer have the injectors, the glow plugs, etc. You will also need to run a wire from a keyed power source for the distributer since the diesel does not have one.

You will also need to wire up your torque converter for the lockup. Swervin has a great page on how to do this.

Like I said, I didn't actually do the swap on mine so I am just telling you what I have seen so far on my truck. You will be left with a lot of wires that go nowhere.

[the baron]

Thanks Rockman ,

tell me about those wires that go nowhere , I have it now on my converted 350 Olds Diesel to 350 Olds gas C10 ...

I'm more & more thinking to part my pick-up & use a lot of its parts to put on that Burb.
I just need one truck , and as the costs to overhaul my actual C10 are very high ( body rusted away , etc...) , I prefer to hold the Burb instead of the PU ( better shape , can carry my kids & girl friend , better interior , A/C , etc...)

I would hold the 79 front clip , fenders & hood , & put it on the Burb either , I just love the 78-79 front

The Baron
____________________________________________________
1979 C10 long bed , 350 Olds engine , stock
1986 C10 Burb , 6.2 Diesel ( toasted ) , restauration project
1977 Impala Sedan , straight six 250ci , "Ye Old Reliable"
1960 Girl Friend , frame still good , body has some dents

[rockman20]

I personally would take the burb as well. Don't get me wrong, I love the C10's, but when you are in a situation like you are now, you need to look at functionality as well.

Did you do the Olds diesel/Gas swap? What did you do with the Olds diesel block? Those make some great blocks for making some high performance Olds gassers out of. They are a lot stronger then the gas Olds 350 blocks which means you can pack more power with less fear of it breaking.

The nice thing about the swap is that you will never need to worry about the 350 overheating! The radiators they crammed into the diesel trucks is huge. Not to mention the nice oil cooler they have on the opposite side of the transmission cooler. I will be utilizing this when I get my 383 built.

Another question, is this an Olds 350 you plan on putting in the burb? If so, the transmission will not bolt up unless you get an adapter plate. I would also believe that the motor mounts would need to be swapped as well.

[the baron]

Rockman ,
no , I didn't the swap on my current C10.
It is my spare parts specialist who was surprised to see the conversion , he told me that the only solution to replace the olds 350 diesel engine by a gas one on the existing tranny was to put another Olds engine on it...
If I put the Olds engine in the Burb , it would be with the TH 350 on it , as a whole unit.
That engine/tranny is very good right now , it just leaks a little oil , no internal oil consumption at all
I could use also the Posi 12 bolts RR axle I have on the PU on the Burb ( pegleg 10 bolts now ).
I measured the wheelbase of the two vehicles , the Burb is 2 inches shorter than the C10 , so no body swap is possible , or maybe a stretched "Limo burb"

about a Burb vs. a PU , yes , I always wanted a Burb , I bought the PU because I needed a economical daily driver & it was a real bargain , as is the Burb right now...
And if it was no Burb , it would have been a Crew Cab...

The Baron
____________________________________________________
1979 C10 long bed , Olds 350 engine , stock
1986 C10 Burb , 6.2 Diesel ( toasted ) , restauration project
1977 Impala Sedan , straight six 250ci , "Ye Old Reliable"
1960 Girl Friend , frame still good , body has some dents

[rockman20]

Jegs or Summit produces an adapter plate to mate an Olds engine with a Chevy transmission. Here is the link. Adapter Kind of pricey in my opinion, but it is an option. You may want that OD transmission (if it is any good) for the fuel economy on the highway.

I know that on the Olds site I belong to, some people have made their own BOP-Chevy adapters. this would be a cheaper route and you have the engine and the transmission to use for templates.

[the baron]

Hey Rockman ,
My spare parts specialist told me yesterday that the Diesel/Gas swap is just a "bolt out/bolt on" operation...
The converter is the same , as the fixing on the 700R4 housing.
He is interested to have my 6.2 for parts ( he owns a 85 6.2 Diesel K20 ex-US Army ) , I will try to swap it by him for a 305/350...

I went to the link you gave , 54.99 US$ is not that pricy at all...

Thanks

The Baron
____________________________________________________
1979 C10 long bed , 350 Olds engine , stock
1986 C10 Burb , 6.2 Diesel ( toasted) , restauration project
1977 Impala sedan , straight six 250ci , "Ye Old Reliable"
1960 Girl Friend , frame still good , body has some dents

[rockman20]

I had heard from someone on this board that the diesel converter is actually a heavier unit then the gasser is. It works fine with the gas and I would actually prefer this over the gas converter just because it is a heavier unit.

So did you decide to keep the 700 and mount the Olds to it or are you going to swap everything from the C10?

Let us know how everything goes! And of course, pics are always great to see!

[arveetek]

The torque convertor on the 700 is different between gas and diesel. Most diesel convertors have a six bolt flange, while most gassers use only three bolts. The diesels have a lower stall speed than the gassers. The governors in the transmission are also different.

Now, that being said, the diesel tranny will still bolt right up to any small-block, and you can still use the diesel convertor. However, you will probably find that the tranny won't shift right. You can easily swap out the governor later, though, if you'd like.

The 6.2L and Chevy gas small-blocks share the same motor mounts.

You will need all accessories though, like alternator, PS pump, a/c brackets, etc.

My suggestion is to fix the 6.2L, and you will have a dependable, powerful, full-size tank that gets 20 + mpg.

[rockman20]

arveetek is the guy who informed me about the converter and the governor as well! Thanks for speaking up.

The governor you will definitely want to swap out. I swapped out mine. Very easy to do.

[arveetek]

Is your truck shifting much better now, RockMan?

[rockman20]

The lockup is still just a hair early, but it shifts SOOOO much better since I swapped the governer out. Thanks for the heads up on that! Saved me the cash on having a transmission shop tear it apart and redo everything.