Questions for those of you who have done a 6.2 swap

[jg09]

Since "Big Blue" (my '62) has been brought back from the dead, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what direction the project will go in. A friend of mine keeps tell me that an LSx swap is the way to go, but I'm leaning toward diesel, specifically something on the simple side, like a 6.2 swap. Ultimately, I want to do something different with this truck. But I have a few questions regarding the swap and the end result.

What's the weight of the 6.2 compared to an SBC 350? Diesel engines are generally heavy, and I'm trying to actually level the front end sometime down the road. Will this be a substantial concern?

What transmissions are you guys using behind the 6.2? I've got a Muncie SM420 behind my 350 right now and I really would like overdrive. As far as manual vs. automatic, I'd prefer to keep it stick but if auto is the easiest/best way to go, I'd consider that too.

What do you guys think of the power/torque compared to a small block chevy? The 350 that Big Blue has is VERY tired out, and I wouldn't mind a bump in performance. I've heard that the 6.2 is real low performance motor. How is stock performance? How is the aftermarket for those engines?

What kind of fuel economy are you guys getting with the 6.2?

[woodwright]

Originally Posted by jg09

Since "Big Blue" (my '62) has been brought back from the dead, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what direction the project will go in. A friend of mine keeps tell me that an LSx swap is the way to go, but I'm leaning toward diesel, specifically something on the simple side, like a 6.2 swap. Ultimately, I want to do something different with this truck. But I have a few questions regarding the swap and the end result.

What's the weight of the 6.2 compared to an SBC 350? Diesel engines are generally heavy, and I'm trying to actually level the front end sometime down the road. Will this be a substantial concern?I want to say a 6.2 is a few hundred pounds heavier. Use your Google-foo. Stand on the bumper and measure how much it settles.

What transmissions are you guys using behind the 6.2? I've got a Muncie SM420 behind my 350 right now and I really would like overdrive. As far as manual vs. automatic, I'd prefer to keep it stick but if auto is the easiest/best way to go, I'd consider that too.You can run any tranny that will go behind a smallblock. Easiest and cheapest would be either a T5 or a NV3500. Both will handle a stock 6.2, and can be found pretty cheap. NV3500's came in 2 or 4wd.

What do you guys think of the power/torque compared to a small block chevy? The 350 that Big Blue has is VERY tired out, and I wouldn't mind a bump in performance. I've heard that the 6.2 is real low performance motor. How is stock performance? How is the aftermarket for those engines? Stock 6.2 power is compared to a TBI 350 from the 80's/90's. Easiest way to build power is with a turbo.

What kind of fuel economy are you guys getting with the 6.2?
My 83 K5 with a 4" lift and 33's gets over 20mpg. My 88 K5 with the TBI got 12.

You can usually find running 6.2's on craigslist for cheap.