Getting ready to turbo my 6.2L!

[arveetek]

Aw, gee......you guys are great!

I've been planning to do a write-up for a while now. When I get it all done, I'll post it for ya'll. And I'd be honored to have it linked to your site, Jeff!

Casey

[bigblock73]

Sweet Casey, looking forward to it.

[firefighterpickett]

Thanx to Casey and all the others who helped with advice, as of tonight my 76 blazer offically has a running 6.2 in it! I counldn't have done it without all the help.

[arveetek]

Originally Posted by firefighterpickett

Thanx to Casey and all the others who helped with advice, as of tonight my 76 blazer offically has a running 6.2 in it! I counldn't have done it without all the help.

Congrats dude! How do you like it? How's it running? Tell us more about it! You might start a new thread...this one's getting awfully big and it loads slow for us dial-up users!

Casey

[Beefcake]

just wondering if that things still running, or if you have done anything else with it??

[arveetek]

What, my truck?

Yeah, it's still running, and running great. I've only logged around 5 or 6K miles since installing the turbo, but it's doing just fine. I'm in the planning stages of installing an intercooler sometime in the not too distant future. At 14 psi boost, I think the intercooler would be a wise idea to help the engine last longer.

I think I'm maxed out on what my current injection pump can do. I'll probably need to upgrade the pump and injectors to do what I want it to, but that will probably have to wait.

Tomorrow I am planning on replacing my timing chain with a gear drive set made by Diesel Services Group. It should eliminate some smoke I have at startup as well as advance injection and cam timing. Hopefully this will translate into more power and better fuel economy.

Other than that, haven't done much else except drive it!

Casey

[odee]

So, from the pictures is turbo on arveetek truck and grapes in the same place? Do the crossover for the banks manifold go to the front of the engine then over to the right side? Any one got pics of a early eighties cab with ac and stock 6.5 turbo manifold and turbo on a 2wd truck? How tight is the exhaust with the bank manifold out of the turbo?

[grape]

Mine is a modified 6.5 factory manifold. There is absolutely no way the stock A/C will fit with my 4" downpipe. The other issue with the stock 6.5 set up is the crossover in ther rear runs right in the way of the passenger side front driveshaft in my K-5. I have to build the crossover from scratch, which at this point in the game shouldn't be a big deal.

[odee]

grape, how is or what did you do to modify your manifold? My truck is a 2wd so I don't have the front driveshaft to worry with, just the a/c box.

[grape]

I'm using a larger framed T4 exhaust housing and wheel, all I had to do is cut the T3 flange from the 6.5 manifold, then I used 2x3 .090" wall rectangular tubing with 15 degree angles cut on the top and bottom to move the turbo slightly forward and keep it level. Then I just welded a T4 flange on the 2x3. since I was going to the T4 sized exhaust, i cut the stock manifold way down where it starts to narrow up to the flange just to get the flow up.

[odee]

thanks for the help Grape, I guess I'm just gonna take a spare block and head and slide it into a spare cab and frame I have with the a/c box in place and see what I will have to do to make it work. I would really like to get the stock 6.5 parts to work because I have a couple of intakes and exhaust manifolds.

[67_C-30]

Hello Guys,

I'm pretty new around here, but I figured I could get more help on 6.2 diesels on the 73-87 forum, even though I'm working on a '67 C-30. I am building a '67 C-30 Dually, and I am going to use the 6.2 out a rolled over '86 Suburban. The engine has less than 80,000 miles and runs great. I want to make a custom wiring harness to control the engine functions, and I am going to use mechanical gauges to keep up with the vitals. I plan to bypass the glowplug controller since it doesn't work great anyway, so that's not a problem. I have built a custom battery box so I will have both batteries. Basically, my biggest question is how many more wires will I need to operate the engine. How many wires will go to the injection pump, and what all will I need to do to make it run in my 1 ton? A simplified wiring diagram would great if anybody has one. This turbo set-up looks like a great project for down the road, but I need to get it in truck and running before I think that far ahead. Any help would greatly be appreciated!

[grape]

1 switched 12 volt wire to the top of the injection pump is all you need for it to run.

[67_C-30]

Grape, Thanks for the info. I thought that was it, but it just seemed a little TOO simple. I never seem to get out that easy!! -lol Another quick question, Do you guys like the 84-up filter system, or the 82-83 system. I have both, so I can fit either one to my '67. Thanks again,

[arveetek]

The 84 up system is much easier to change and bleed, but has been known to leak around the switches in the filter base. The 82 to 83 style is much simpler, but is harder to bleed the air out of the system after changing. My personal opinion is go with the 82-83 dual spin-on filter setup. That's what I have on my '81. I also relocated the secondary filter to the firewall. The original spot on the back of the intake manifold was a bear to get to. Very hard to change, had to unscrew the fuel lines each time you changed the filter. Now I can just grab it and spin it off.

There are two wire terminals on the pump, with a third terminal on the fast idle solenoid if it's there. It's just a solenoid plunger that pushes down on the throttle lever to speed up the engine when it's cold. Sometimes these get removed during service and never put back on.

The center terminal on the pump is the fuel-cut off solenoid. This keeps the engine running when 12v+ is connected to it. (You can just use your original coil wire here).

The other terminal on the passenger side of the pump is the HPCA (housing pressure cold advance). This basically advances the timing when the engine is cold for easier starts. The HPCA and the fast idle solenoid are wired together and connected to a temperature switch located elsewhere on the engine. Or, you could simply put a switch in the cab and turn it on when the engine is cold, and shut it off after it warms up a little bit.

Casey

[67_C-30]

So basically you would also need is another 12V wire going to one side of the temperature switch to make the fast idle and HPCA work? I would like for all the functions to work correctly. How does your turbo 6.2 crank when its cold? Do you have the glow plugs wired to a solenoid or does your glowplug controller still work? Thanks again,

[arveetek]

Yep, 12 volt + from an ignition source to one side of the temp switch.

My 6.2L cranks fast and starts good when it's cold, down to about 5 degrees. After that, the block heater is a must. It's also very vital that you have two strong, matched batteries, excellent battery cables, good grounds, and a fresh starter. This makes all the difference for a good starting 6.2L. My truck wasn't starting very well last winter, I had to leave it plugged in all the time. I put new batteries in last fall, and it starts so good now, I haven't plugged it in but a couple of times.

I actually made my own automatic glow controller out of a time delay relay and solenoid. It keeps the plugs on for about 15 seconds. I also have a momentary switch inside to over-ride the plugs manually on really cold days, plus to help with after glow when needed. There's another switch that shuts the auto function off during warm weather. I've found that during the summer, I only the glow plugs for the first start of the day. Unless it's sat longer than 8 hours, I don't need to glow to get it started. This helps save the glow plugs and puts less strain on the electrical system.

As far as glow time goes, it depends on what kind of glow plugs you have. The stock plugs are either 9G's or 11G's, but they burn out very easily if left on more than 10 seconds. The better kind are called 60G's, used in the later 6.5L diesels. They don't burn out nearly as often, and can be left on for longer periods of time. The best plugs are known as "quick-heats," and aren't supposed to burn out at all. You can get them from www.kennedydiesel.com

Casey

[67_C-30]

Casey,

Thanks again for a very informative post! I checked out your website, and found all of the pics of your turbo conversion. (I liked your first truck, BTW , it kinda looks mine does now! ) I saved most of the pics showing the exhaust pipes, and overall set-up for future reference. I have a Garrett T3 from a fairly low mileage Buick Gran National. Do you think it would work, or is too small? I know it came on a 3.8 Liter (231 cu in) engine. It has a wastegate, so I was thinking maybe it has the capacity to feed the 6.2, since being a Diesel, it will obviously be kept at lower RPM's than the 3.8L was. I have seen these adapted to bigger V8 gas engines with success, but I'm not an expert on Turbos by any means. I am going to retain the 4 speed SM420 tranny that is in my one ton. I am going to replace the big 5.14 geared (yes, you read that right, 5.14!) Eaton rearend that is in now with a 14 bolt with 3.42 gears so it will more highway friendly. I have 3 trucks these "4 speed grannies" as they're called, and I love these transmissions. I think the diesel will really work well with this gearset, because they will make a worn out engine seem strong. I can't wait to get started on this project!

[arveetek]

Whether the turbo you have would work or not is well beyond me. I simply found a turbo off a similar sized engine, but I do know there's a lot more to turbos than meets the eye. Yes, the 6.2L is a low rpm engine, but it is still a high CFM engine. It pulls a ton of air even at idle. So I can't really say.

The best advice I can give is join www.thedieselpage.com and study other turbo sites and see what info you can come up with.

Casey

[67_C-30]

Where could I get the time delay relay that you used to make your automatic glow plug system? Thanks again!

[arveetek]

I actually used an old time delay relay out of an RV furnace (I have an RV repair business), but you could probably find one at Radio Shack. I think Peninsular Diesel also offers an adjustable time delay relay made specifically for the GM diesel glow plug systems.

Casey

[Beefcake]

casey,

wanted to thank you again for all your expert advice.... I've learned more from just reading your responces than years of shop time.

[arveetek]

Originally Posted by Beefcake

casey,

wanted to thank you again for all your expert advice.... I've learned more from just reading your responces than years of shop time.

Awww....shucks! That's really swell. I just simply love to share my love for Chevy trucks and diesel engines, and to share my experiences with both!

Casey