1983 G20 van build - looking for advice

[kir_kenix]

With how few miles you are going to put on this vehicle (just using it to get supplies and such) I doubt you will ever even come close to breaking even with an engine swap. I know that you mentioned lowering your emissions and all, but maybe you could take that money and invest it in some other area of your life to lower your consumption. For most folks, switching over to LED light bulbs in their homes is going to negate carbon emissions many, many times over what a diesel swap is going to save.

Don't get me wrong, I love these sorts of projects. Diesel powered vehicles have a lot of advantages over their gas counterparts. Sometimes those advantages will never outweigh the cost/effort/time/headache that it requires.

Maybe giving us some more data, such as yearly mileage expected, load (weight) expected in the box, trailer you will be pulling, and how long you are planning on keeping the vehicle would give us a better idea on what to suggest. For example, I have an early 90's Dodge 1 ton van with a gas v8. It gets terrible, terrible mileage. I have considered dropping in a Cummins/manual transmission several times. But when I consider that I only drive the van 2-3,000 miles a year to buy/store milk replacer, it doesn't seem the best use of my resources.

Good luck on whatever you decide. I will follow this thread to see what you can eek out of this old girl, but having realistic expectations going in will give YOU a better idea than what WE can give you flying blind.

[BabyDiesel]

Your idea is intriguing to me, kv1. What you are planning is nearly exactly what I just scraped... a 6.2 conversion on my 1988 K5 Blazer. I personally did not have the time to perform the swap due to college. I have done my research on what all it takes for the 350-to-6.2 swap and while it is not terrible, you need to be wise. A lot wiser than I was! Anyways...

- The 6.2 you choose needs to be checked over thoroughly for block cracks, crank cracks and main web cracking. These motors just have a knack for developing these issues. If you can have reputable background on the motor and/or listen to it run, by all means the better!

- Make sure that the accessories come with the engine. Does not seem like a big deal till you are scouring junkyards in the snow looking for brackets, pulleys, ect... I know all too well

- The fuel tank will need to be pulled, drained and cleaned. New fuel lines will need to be run also. I suggest bypassing the mechanical pump in favor a quality (NOT Mr. Gasket) diesel fuel pump. I think 5-8 psi. is what you are after, it does not take much to feed the injection pump. While you are at it, this would be a good time to have your injection pump and injectors checked for problems the stock fuel filtration system is okay, but you can make an inline filtration system on the frame that will work better.

- Cooling system. The stock radiator WILL NOT be sufficient to cool the 6.2. A diesel puts out more heat than a gas motor. A radiator meant for the 6.2 or 454 that will fit your vehicle will be what the doc prescribed.

- Glow plug relay can be bypassed to a switch in the cab to make better use of the glow plugs. If you are unsure of what this is exactly, Google will be your friend, as there are even diagrams out there detailing this!

- Basic tune up parts such as glow plugs, timing chain, injector lines, vacuum lines, etc.

- Hydroboost brakes is a must!

- the stock gasser exhaust is sufficient for the 6.2 (barely). I would delete the cat, as roflwaffle mentioned earlier, and change that demonic y-pipe! It is a flow killer.

I know this seems like a lot of stuff needed, bud. I do not want to kill your dreams, but I do want you to have a idea of what all your plans have in store for you.

& btw, I'm pretty sure I have left somethings out and if at all possible, buy a complete truck and swap the drivetrains. When you're done, sell the truck and keep your awesome van!

Maybe oilpan4 will chime in and give some wisdom. He is smart when it comes to the 6.2's.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[BabyDiesel]

If by any chance I have scared you out of the diesel (which I hope I have not!), then I want you to know that there are options you can do when it comes to the small block V8's.

swap to tbi swirl port heads - ChevyTalk - FREE Restoration and Repair Help for your Chevrolet

At the bottom is 1983G20Van. He has done some neat stuff when it comes to low-end torque production in small blocks, which is what's going to give you fuel economy in these vehicles. While not very scientifically accurate, he claims having a trip of 21 mpg with a 400 sbc going 65-75 with A/C on.

He says he didn't get there without tuning his beast and having the right setup though. But! It is possible

[Fingie]

Why not put a 2-2.5liter 4-banger turbo diesel? and a manual tranny with 6 gears? most energy goes for accelerating, but less to maintain speed. Its a van, not a sportscar.
Just add "gentlemen are never busy" sticker at the back

[kv1]

@kir_kenix,

Thanks for the advice, but i switched my lighbulbs to cfls and the power usage in my home comes mainly from my and my roomates computers, because we routinely do not sleep for weeks to finish projects (we are architecture majors). If I do the biodiesel conversion then run cooking oil, I will drive the van a lot more and let people borrow it etc so that they don't have to drive their trucks. Regarding money, and time, yeah, i know it makes no sense, and I'm pretty much spending all I have to get this done.


@everyone else, thank you so much for the advice, I read all of it thoroughly and I'm sorry if I don't get to respond to each comment made. I am writing all this down and I intend to keep the information organized.

@BabyDiesel thanks for the advice! Please comment more and write me anything you can suggest.

@fingie -- yeah that is the best solution by far. I don't have enough budget though to adapt engine mounts and I'd rather stick to something that "just fits".


I saw another CL ad yesterday; a guy was selling a diesel longblock. I call him, and he says he has another complete engine (j-code 6.2L military engine) from his dually which was totaled by a tree falling on it. He's been doing cooking oil for 4 years and all of his trucks are j-code military diesel engines. These shouldn't crack i don't think. I will be buying the engine, a torque converter for a 700r4 transmission, and his cooking oil setup which includes a centrifuge and micron filters. Thankfully I found this guy, who can also tell me everything I'm missing when it comes to doing the conversion. Finally took some pics of the van. Literally about to go pickup the engine right now and bring the van to mechanic. Here's pics of the van with the 350 still in there:

Here's the album:
https://imgur.com/Gvm5yMz,8kKWHFL,EC...fOVf8w,x52dGdy


Pics:

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Fingie

Why not put a 2-2.5liter 4-banger turbo diesel? and a manual tranny with 6 gears?

If it wasn't for EPA guidelines, some Yanmar or Kubota engine could be a reasonable option.

[kv1]

Yesterday, I bought the engine and dropped off the van with the mechanic.

The engine sat for a year under a tent outside, so I hope it is still good. Tony, the guy who sold me the engine, was a cooking oil pro, who had his own setup (i hope to buy it off him), and fueled his two trucks with it. The engine came out of a truck which was totaled by a tree falling on it.

Regarding putting the engine on, he told me it needed a fuel return line, and a wire harness for the glow plugs, and another battery.

He sold it to me for 750$ including the torque converter.

Here is the album:
imgur: the simple image sharer

[kv1]

So, I need to compile a list of changes needed for the diesel adaptation.

So far, I have:

1) Fuel return line needs to be hooked up and found in scrapyard.
2) Glow plugs wire harness needs to be found and hooked up.
3) Starter needs to be found and put on.
4) Electrics coming out of the fuel injection pump do NOT need to be hooked up (for a specific reason, don't know what that reason is).
5) Gas tank needs to be drained and all fuel lines need to be replaced with a specific type for diesel fuel (what type do you recommend)?
6) Diesel fuel pump ( 5-8 psi. , needs to be a good one)
7) Air filter
8) Diesel fuel filter
9) replace the fuel filler pipe (don't know what this is)
10) vacuum pump is already on the motor (needs to be confirmed)
Anything that I'm missing?
11) A radiator meant for the 6.2 or 454 that will fit your vehicle will be what the doc prescribed.
12) Glow plug relay can be bypassed to a switch in the cab to make better use of the glow plugs. If you are unsure of what this is exactly, Google will be your friend, as there are even diagrams out there detailing this! -- a glow plug button and a light to indicate when they are on
13) change the y-pipe exhaust, remove the catalytic converter



Have a question about #12 -- this is so u can turn glow plugs off right?

[Gasoline Fumes]

4) You need +12v to the injection pump when the ignition is on. This turns the injection pump (and engine) on and off. There are two more wires going to the injection pump. One for fast idle and one for timing advance. They both get connected to a temperature switch. You might not need this in LA, but it will help with cold starts.

9) This is where you put fuel into the van. Most diesel nozzles are bigger.

10) You have a vacuum pump on your engine. I don't know if it's strong enough for the brakes. GM always used Hydroboost on the diesels.

12) The glow plugs are only used for about 10 seconds. Normally you'd turn the ignition on and a "glow plug" or "wait to start" light would come on. When that goes out, you can crank the engine. But the glow plug controllers tend to fail and are expensive to replace. When the controller died on my 6.2L, I used a button to replace it. So I had to push the button and count to 10 before starting. You still need a relay for the glow plugs. They will melt most switches.

[Fingie]

Or get a very high voltage switch