6.5 diesel na initial swap report

[dangerranger83]

So a swap like this isnt to hard to do, like any mods, just take your tim and do your resarch. What years of 6.5 N/A should a person look for and in what vehicle did they come in? Did the transfercase bolt to the GM tranny or is it devorced? Sorry for all the questions, may have more later.

 

[bobbywalter]

So a swap like this isnt to hard to do, like any mods, just take your tim and do your resarch. What years of 6.5 N/A should a person look for and in what vehicle did they come in? Did the transfercase bolt to the GM tranny or is it devorced? Sorry for all the questions, may have more later.

i run the ford 208 with a gm input and a clocking ring...its a married setup. likely going to a 241/205 doubler


i tried to research it at gm forums, but the info i needed wasnt available through extensive searches...or at least the ones with the answers never seen my questions


my advice is only install it in sas applications, with a fresh turned up mechanical pump, fresh injectors and a hx35 turbo to whatever tranny setup you want.

engine wise theres hit and miss but diesel depot has some outstanding options. 6.2 or 6.5 wont matter with a turbo and good pump/injectors. prices are actually increasing for these as it seems more people are running then longer....go figure eh??

 

[dangerranger83]

When I do this, plan on going with an EB D44, I have those in my local J/Y just sitting.

My only big thig is finding a manual tranny that has a manual driverside drop t-case for it. I look everywhere for more info on this kind of swap, but there little to read or find on it.

i have no plans on using it for doing anything major, more or less fuel economy, just trying to find a diesel that can suit these things I want from it while still being reliable but not over kill for my truck either. Any recommendations are welcome.

 

[bobbywalter]

i would run a s10 setup from a 4.3. trans and manual t case or the fullsize gm 5 speed. the fullsize likely will have a 241 which is good as long as its been fluid changed regular, there are slip yoke eliminator kits as well.

hard to find local to me, but they are out there in mass some places


for a s10 setup iirc, the 88-92ish units were the 231 type, this with an old school ranger would be good as you could adapt the speedo cable. finding 4.3 units on the otherhand like mentioned can be tricky.

all around a fullsize manual like a nv4500 would be decent and offer the most options down the road.


looking at the pic in your avatar, you could be better suited with a benz/vw/cummins 4 cyl. the 6.5 is limited in economy. but runs on a wide array of fuel.

 

[dangerranger83]

Didnt know that a 4.3 tranny could hook to a 6.5, that helps alot (told you I didnt know much about gm vehicles). But I do know that a tranny from a 4.3 will bolt to v-8.

My only thing is finding an engine/tranny combo that will run a pass. side trans case plus keping it all manual.

I heard that a cummins 4 cylinder could be a bit much weight for a D30. But my dads truck that I will be buying will get the diesel swap and it still has a D28 ttb that can be upgraded to a D35. It will be my economy truck. My current truck will be my play truck.

Now I know where theres a mercedes car sitting at my local j/y that has a I6 cylinder turbeod diesel in it but why its exactly sitting there Im not sure, no body damage. But finding a 4wd tranny to adapt to in may be a trick, unless I go with a divorced case.

With gas prices expcted to hit $4 a gallon this summer and could go higher in the future and know a diesel is easily 30% more efficent, it looks the way to go. Not looking to go a blow black smoke going down the road but my current truck gets 10-12 mpg in the summer, so does my dads, we are both running the same set-up.

Above all, just trying to keep this kind of swap as simple and cheap as I can. And I dont want to run an electric fuel pump. Ihave a bro-in-law that is a diesel mechanic so I may be able to get help from him when it comes to engine stuff such as rebuilding and what not.

Like I said, any and all help is welcome. Right now get my current truck done and start saving money for this swap, in the man time, research as much as I can.

BTW, your truck looks awsome, people give me shit about my truck, I can only imagine what they would say to me if I was driving yours. They just dont understand.

 

[Boggin]

that is pretty awesome,, no that is very very awesome,, the fact that you even attempted this made even you be pretty awesome,, and the truck just looks so right.. i love it

 

[bobbywalter]

When I do this, plan on going with an EB D44, I have those in my local J/Y just sitting.

My only big thig is finding a manual tranny that has a manual driverside drop t-case for it. I look everywhere for more info on this kind of swap, but there little to read or find on it.

i have no plans on using it for doing anything major, more or less fuel economy, just trying to find a diesel that can suit these things I want from it while still being reliable but not over kill for my truck either. Any recommendations are welcome.

Didnt know that a 4.3 tranny could hook to a 6.5, that helps alot (told you I didnt know much about gm vehicles). But I do know that a tranny from a 4.3 will bolt to v-8.

My only thing is finding an engine/tranny combo that will run a pass. side trans case plus keping it all manual.

I heard that a cummins 4 cylinder could be a bit much weight for a D30. But my dads truck that I will be buying will get the diesel swap and it still has a D28 ttb that can be upgraded to a D35. It will be my economy truck. My current truck will be my play truck.

Now I know where theres a mercedes car sitting at my local j/y that has a I6 cylinder turbeod diesel in it but why its exactly sitting there Im not sure, no body damage. But finding a 4wd tranny to adapt to in may be a trick, unless I go with a divorced case.

With gas prices expcted to hit $4 a gallon this summer and could go higher in the future and know a diesel is easily 30% more efficent, it looks the way to go. Not looking to go a blow black smoke going down the road but my current truck gets 10-12 mpg in the summer, so does my dads, we are both running the same set-up.

Above all, just trying to keep this kind of swap as simple and cheap as I can. And I dont want to run an electric fuel pump. Ihave a bro-in-law that is a diesel mechanic so I may be able to get help from him when it comes to engine stuff such as rebuilding and what not.

Like I said, any and all help is welcome. Right now get my current truck done and start saving money for this swap, in the man time, research as much as I can.

BTW, your truck looks awsome, people give me shit about my truck, I can only imagine what they would say to me if I was driving yours. They just dont understand.

so you are planning a doubler? ok then a 203 205 would be likely the most possible cost effective setup. and actually help balance the 6.5 out a bit.


either way you go....if you use a fullsize trans, manual t case will be easy to work with and use a 208 for passenger drop if you want a single case...or find a passenger 241 drop, they are around too.

if you want a single case drivers drop, any of the s10 setups from a 4.3 or a drivers drop 241 on a fullsize trans will work great.


for a doubler the the s10 or fullsize 231/241 into a 205 or d300 is real easy to do. go to pirate and look up duffy machine. very cheap...twin stick the 205 and you will be pimp.

 

[bobbywalter]

that is pretty awesome,, no that is very very awesome,, the fact that you even attempted this made even you be pretty awesome,, and the truck just looks so right.. i love it

truck looks different now.....not right....not even to me


eventually though i will get to the sheet metel. almost a million on the sheet metal and hoping to cross that line before i do something about the cab or creature comforts....we were supposed to work in fla all winter but turned out i am stuck up here. which is great. (but the idea of ice fishing with a tan on my days off didnt hurt my feelings) just driving to florida every other week sucks.



if you seen this thing in person you would probably puke or run in fear that you would need a tetanus shot

 

[dangerranger83]

My truck is in the same boat as yours when it comes to rust and people needing a tetanus shot when looking at it.

I may try to find an s10 with a 4.3, just need to try to find one.

So when you used the clocking ring for the 208, did you use the gm one and it bolts to the 208 allowing for a pass. side drop?

Looks to me the easiest way is to do the 4.3 tranny with the 6.5. Plus decided to go with a D35 and 8.8 rear end (hope to find a 31 spline). I have no plans on lifting the truck, as a matter of fact, make it look like a sleeper truck.

Hell when I drive my truck, it gets a third stick when I hop in it.

 

[dangerranger83]

Okay probably a no brainer but I assume the 6.2 has the same bellhousing pattern as the 6.5.

 

[bobbywalter]

if you want a passenger side drop, just use a passenger side drop case. a 208 case and fullsize trans makes that simple. but that requires a jeep/dodge/gm passenger side axle or a custom build.


a clocking ring wont be needed in that case.



thing is. with a d35 ttb this swap is not easy like an sas setup..but the driver drop s10 trans and t case work well with it. more importantly its not cheap due to needing a smaller starter like a powermaster/meangreen type. and you will need to seriously modify the oil pan and run a different steering gear and steering link setup..

i have seen an explorer with this so i know it can be done, i just do not have all of the details on that.

in my case i was planning a 2 inch relocation forward with the ttb k member and slight mods to it to clear the shorter starter etc.

 

[dangerranger83]

One thing that I was thinkong about is if I had to use an auto tranny, the torque converter. For an automatic the rpm shift stall on it will be much greater on a gasser the a diesel thats that one of the things I have come up with so far that could get in the way. Running a manual will eliminate the need for this problem (in theory that is).

As far as oil pan mods., im up for a challenge. Ya stuff like that is easier said then done but if not done, theres nothing to be said.

In the end, it will still be cheaper to make it a diesel, then to buy a diesel. But before really anything can happen, ned to see what my local j/y has before anything can happen then I can decide what to do from there. Hell I like the thought of a detroit 353 too.

 

[bobbywalter]

if you use the th400, 700r4 or 4l80, the torque converter is a non issue. all have oem application converters


when looking for a diesel, go through the military liquidators/auction type sights and the diesel military guys on ebay. they have cost effective takeout.
odds are your cheapest setup can be had locally if you know what to look for. i pulled an engine from a hummer that had some miles on it and i didnt like the way it run, then was pointed to a cucv with no miles on it...less then 15 k and pulled that for 100 and got a whole gm turbo setup for 200 and a hx 35 with that too...these are what i ended up with while buying trading through various other engines and transmissions over the past 3 years. lately finding good 1-300 dollar runners has not been happening. cheap engines seem to be 800 and up.

personal ability and desires have a huge factor in cost of any conversion.
for me i can certainly claim its cheaper to build one then buy one for an rbv that will have the performance i need to run my total package.

 

[bobbywalter]

another 4200 mi trip.....clackety clak clak clak....


reverse is fading but its still running way into 400k

yeah its like that

 

[dangerranger83]

So why havent you put a turbo on her yet? No need for it or just no time?

Need to get new pics of her up and on here.