Project 67 GMC custom 6.5 turbo diesel

[mal68ibu]

More pics.

[mal68ibu]

Last one for this series. This is just where I mounted the glow plug relay.

[mal68ibu]

Progress dipped a little the last couple weeks. I ended up spending more time looking for info and small stuff, than working on the big stuff. I got all excited when I found a 97 6.5 turbo in a local salvage yard (I needed a dipstick, and oil cooler line fittings), just to find out AT FIRST that the dip stick and tub were not the same, and the oil cooler fittings were 1/2 inch. So ended up being alot of work for nothing. However if you need I have practically brand new oil cooler lines for a 97 and later 6.5 that I cant use. Still have GM tags on them. Anyways that made me look really hard for parts. I ended up with dorman lines (just got the first one today, and the other to follow), got the fittings at napa, and ordered....and didnt use the dip stick from the dealer. The factory dip stick interferes with my intercooler piping. I took measurements and the 97 stick and tube works great. We deceided to mount the engine and trans oil coolers inbetween the frame rails at an angle to the ground so when the bumper splits the air it rolls up into the coolers. I picked up another NOS oil cooler this weekend to use for the trans, so fabbing up mounting brackets will be simple. The diesel fuel filter has been mounted to the block off plate on the firewall, and all the diesel fuel feed line and pump has been plumbed. I played around with some unused gates hoses I had and made some custom coolant hoses/pipes. The short term goal is to run juice to the glow plug relay and starter, add fluids and fire it up this week. I've claimed be prepared to fit it at least once a month for the last few months but this time I think it may be for real. The tank has been mounted. We dropped some barrel nuts that were turned down to leave a lip, into the bulkhead rail and welded them in for the rear mounts and throughbolted the front mounts into the bed floor. Drilled holes on each side of the tank for diesel out on one side, and WVO, out, return, coolant in, and coolant return (to heat the grease). Heres some new pics.

[mal68ibu]

More pics

[SkullCandy]

What kind of fuel mileage are you looking to get?

[mal68ibu]

I'm hoping on the low side 17mpg, but I'm not that experienced with diesels. My friend who is helping me with this thinks that 23mpg is not unreasonable, but to be honest my right foot is made of lead. I also don't know how some of the mods will affect mileage. But to be honest it has to be better than the 10 I was getting with the 350.

[6772owner]

So is there special fuel line needed for the diesel fuel? Does it attack standard steel/aluminum line and AN braided hose?
BTW the swap looks awesome, love the piping setup. How about some pics of the air intake setup?

[mal68ibu]

I don't have the air intake even started just yet. The diesel doesn't mess with "fuel" grade hoses. However the veggie oil will mess with the rubber hoses. All the weep hoses for the injectors are viton, and the rest of the hoses are Parker Superflex. It holds up really well to bio fuels. I've added a few new pics. Only thing thats changed on the motor is all the weep lines are installed, using the original steel feed tube that runs across the engine. The dorman oil cooling lines are install, with a little bit of modification to get them around the frame. Fabbed up engine and trans oil cooling mount and installed. The engine oil lines are for all intents and purposes in the final resting place. I'm just going to install some loop straps to keep them there. I need to trim down the factory hard lines for the tranny, and just run new hose to the tranny cooler. Which I still need to get fittings for. So no start yet. Need to hook up the tranny cooler, add fluids, run some temp. wiring and fuses, and add fluids.

[6772owner]

Ok cool, the pics on page two had a pipe attached to the turbo inlet that led me to believe that you had an air intake figured out.

Looks like you are getting close to test firing that bad boy, if you dont mind me asking, what do those 6.5's go for now-a-days? Are they pretty easy to come by? Sorry for all the questions, great build.

[mal68ibu]

The green engine is another guys build and that was his exhaust. Aparantly there are 3 slightly different blocks for the 6.5 (feel free to correct me if I am wrong). I have the early one that is a 599 casting (92-93) and its all mechanical injection and has a less desirable cooling set up. 94-96 or 97 is electronic injection and better cooling inlet, and 97 or 98 and later have oil squirters for the bottom of the pistons, and I don't know if there are any upgrades to the coolant intake. Also som 93's and 94 and later are EGR engines. I looked specifically for a 92, 93 engine so that it would have all the mechanical injection stuff on it and no EGR. I got a smoking deal on mine because the owner thought it had a rod knock. Just turned out to be a nailing injector. The truck recycling yards out here want $2500+ for 92 and 93 turbo engines. They are just not showing up in the self serve yards. They are easy to come by if you are willing to shell out the cash for one.

[6772owner]

Ok thanks, I appreciate all the information, this looks like a very interesting set-up to me. My 67' K10 could use a swap in the future and I would like to go diesel without having to give up both arms and a leg. Sounds like the 6.5 could be a viable option.... Awesome job and I will be watching this one.

[mal68ibu]

Since my last post I found out that my injection pump took a dump on me while it was hanging out on the shelf not doing anything. I have the wiring all hooked up, engine turns over great but no juice. I bought a remanufactured unite from Badger Diesel with a military grade hydraulic head. In hunting around for a new pump I found out that the older style head unit I had has historic hot start issues. The military units do not. So I got my new pump and put all the crap back on the motor and it fired right up once we bled all the lines out. I just forgot to line up my marks on the pump and the timing is off a little. Next step is to put an oil pressure gauge on it and make sure I have good pressure and adjust the pump. Assuming that is all good. I need to make up a manual waste gate, do the brakes, and finish off the veggie oil fuel system, rut it a little longer and make sure I don't have any leaks anywhere. Then put the sheetmetal back on it. Sounds simple enough. Oh ya somewhere in there I need exhaust.

[djw32]

Very cool! How many gallons will that ss tank hold?

David

[Lippyp]

I'm assuming these big US diesel engines must be torque monsters as they don't seem to put out a lot of HP for the size. My wifes daily driver Nissan X-Trail 4x4 has 173 horses from a 2.0L four pot oil burner and it goes like stink (six speed manual box helps)

[dieselarmy13]

Originally Posted by Lippyp

I'm assuming these big US diesel engines must be torque monsters as they don't seem to put out a lot of HP for the size. My wifes daily driver Nissan X-Trail 4x4 has 173 horses from a 2.0L four pot oil burner and it goes like stink (six speed manual box helps)

These old engines are a tad bit different than what you are used to driving. They do have a good amount of torque, but speed demons they are not. What they are though is a good, dependable, fuel efficient, readily available alternative to a gas burner.

I've driven diesel X-trails, as well as many other euro market diesels when I lived in Germany, (my favorite being the Benz C220) and they are a whole different story. It's a shame that the US is finally, albeit slowly, letting these superb TDI's gain acceptance over here.

I am in no way putting this engine down, as I work on them almost everyday, and have found a soft spot for them, and for that reason have been following this build from almost day one.

[Lippyp]

I wasn't knocking them really, just curious as to how they perform. I know you guys over there don't have a huge number of small diesel engines, the model after my current daily driver Isuzu Trooper had a diesel with a Caterpillar designed injection system on it thats absolutely atrocious and results in the sump filling with diesel to the point the engine starts to run on it until it explodes! Here in the UK we have a lot of diesel engined cars, both mine and the wifes dailies (2.0L X-trail and my 3.1L Trooper) are diesels and frankly I wouldn't go back to a modern small petrol again as I love the torque these things put out.

[mal68ibu]

The take holds 11 gals of diesel and 44 gals of grease. Stock this engine is 220ish HP, and 440ish torque. With the mods I'd be happy with 300HP and 500-600 TQ. Combine that with the fuel economy and this murders anything reliable that runs on gas that I can put under the hood. My 300 HP small block I had in there only got 10mpg if I feathered the gas. I've been given mpg numbers for this engine ranging from 15 to 23. I'll find out when I start driving it. As far as your euro diesels, they are 10 times the daily driver that this will be. I tried to talk my wife into a TDI, but she wanted a civic. I will always have my gasoline gulping tire frying chevelle.

[dieselarmy13]

Originally Posted by Lippyp

I wasn't knocking them really, just curious as to how they perform. I know you guys over there don't have a huge number of small diesel engines, the model after my current daily driver Isuzu Trooper had a diesel with a Caterpillar designed injection system on it thats absolutely atrocious and results in the sump filling with diesel to the point the engine starts to run on it until it explodes! Here in the UK we have a lot of diesel engined cars, both mine and the wifes dailies (2.0L X-trail and my 3.1L Trooper) are diesels and frankly I wouldn't go back to a modern small petrol again as I love the torque these things put out.

No hard feelings at all, and I didn't think you were knocking them. Sucks to here about your experience with good 'ol American ingenuity I never have been a big fan of alot of Cat's engines. They've had some good ones, but they have definitely had some questionable designs over the years.

[Sinister]

Cool build. Subscribed.

[mal68ibu]

Ran more wires today. Checked some stuff off my list. Got the timing a little closer.......not perfect............but closer. And found that I have a nasty oil leak. Had a beer and went home for the night. Tomorrow is another day.

[dieselarmy13]

Originally Posted by mal68ibu

Ran more wires today. Checked some stuff off my list. Got the timing a little closer.......not perfect............but closer. And found that I have a nasty oil leak. Had a beer and went home for the night. Tomorrow is another day.

That sucks. Where's it leaking from?

[mal68ibu]

Oil leak is fixed. I'm almost too embarrassed to admit that I never installed the rear main when I was reassembling the motor. Time consuming but easy fix, as it was still in the gasket set box. While the truck was on the lift I bolted all the accessories down added a new belt, and ran my new break lines. I'll have a pic of my handywork on that one. Also cleaned up some of my frame clearances and welded a chip into the frame where I had to cut alot of metal out of it. Alt. is hoodked up and charges the batteries. I haven't posted too many new pics as not much has changed. Next I have to modify the break pedal, bleed the breaks, secure some hoses and wiring, and run some wiring into the cab. Suck, Suck and more Suck!!

[ERASER5]

No more four eyes! Are you going to use the holes for air intake?

[mal68ibu]

AS a matter of fact the pass side hole will be the air intake. The drivers side will just have a screen in it to match its mate. I'm planning on have a "ram air" set up for the air intake, similar to 66-68 vintage GM muscle cars. That inboard headlight was in the way anyways.

[djw32]

Originally Posted by mal68ibu

Oil leak is fixed. While the truck was on the lift I bolted all the accessories down added a new belt, and ran my new break lines.

What year truck did you pull the accessories from? If you have a pic, please post it.