Building an Eco-Wagon

[elhigh]

The Duke used the same bellhousing pattern as the 60-degree V6. Bolts right up.

If you're serious about this I don't recommend the Duke. I love them irrationally, they aren't powerful or sophisticated (and sophistication is overrated) but they are dogged and relentless. They're like the SBC of largish fours, right up there with the Toyota 22R in terms of longevity.

But along the same lines is the Mercury Marine 3.0. Back in the day Pontiac also produced the Super Duty Four, a racing-bred 4-banger that could be bored out to over 200 cubic inches and reliably crank out 300 horsepower. It was Duke architecture but with heavier internals to handle the stresses. The Mercury block is supplied by GM and is a halfway step between the Duke and the SD4. It'll pump out over 130 hp - much better than any Duke - all day long. If you were of a mind to upgrade to a higher output, there's room there without endangering the engine's lifespan. Boat motors are built rugged.

For the chassis I'd screw the Merc into a Celebrity wagon. I always thought those had the best proportions of any GM wagon, ever. 135 is approximately equal to the "high performance"* Eurosport VR models, and a 5-speed manual was available behind the V6 option, so there are 60-degree compatible manuals to be had. It's within the realm of possibility.

You'd have better luck installing a newer four-pot, however. Tuning and efficiency are such that you'd probably get more power and more mileage, and still may have a shot at bolting on the 5-speed. For my part I really like the idea of the old-school boat motor and a period Getrag tranny in a Celebrity, but that's me. You do you.

* When talking about Chevy Celebrities, "high performance" has to be in quotes.

[JRMichler]

How about the 2.8/2.9 four cylinder used in 2004-2012 Chevrolet Colorados combined with the wide ratio six speed from the 2016 Colorado? That engine is not gutless, it's more powerful than the engine from the 1975 Corvette. I think that a Caprice wagon has better aero than my truck, so that engine/transmission combination should be capable of getting better mileage than I'm getting in my truck.

[rmay635703]

Stock crate 6.2 diesels can be had for $50+ from the gov liquidation auctions often, they are similar to a 454 in size and if you get a C code motor with a 5speed you will find they get good MPG in large boats.

So a diesel in my mind is more work but not necessarily more cost.

Good Luck
Ryan

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

( ↑ ) "...driven properly - not WOT all the time..." implies:

• NEVER attempting to merge onto a crowded freeway
• NEVER passing a slower vehicle in front of you
• NEVER attempting to climb any hills...or...mountains
• ALWAYS driving at a constant speed
• ALWAYS driving on flat land ONLY
• ALWAYS driving in right-hand lane ONLY
• NEVER accelerating...
• ONLY coasting

No it doesn't.

[redneck]

Originally Posted by Frankiec55

Dear List,

How would you do it? T5 transmission in a B-Body Wagon. I am trying to decide on engine and rear end gearing for highway cruising with maybe very light duty towing.

Cummins 4BT, T5 transmission and a 2.73 rear end.

All the torque needed for towing and low rpm highway cruising.



>

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Instead of the 4BT, maybe the B3.3 could also be an option as it's lighter.

[redneck]

.

There are a lot of options.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxnU3F6EM-0

[MobilOne]

Many years ago, I had a 77 Chevy Caprice with a 350 and a Turbo 350 trans with no lockup. It got 15 mpg on a good day. It was NOT a lightweight. We put 360k miles on that car. Two engines and maybe 3 or 4 tranny rebuilds. We (wife, two sons and me) went all over the USA towing a StarCraft pop-up camper, or a StarCraft boat carrying a tent, in that car. Many good memories.

Also had a 1978 Malibu 4 dr. 305 and a Turbo 200. Put 200k on that car. That car was the quietest and smoothest car I have ever had.

To get to my point, the Caprice wagon was pretty heavy. What about a Chevy II wagon or is that too lightweight?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redneck

.

There are a lot of options.

When GM and Ford started offering Diesels in their Brazilian trucks, basically they resorted to locally-available 4-cylinder agricultural engines. Not so fancy as the V8 ones from their American counterparts, but could get the job done cheaper than their inline-6 gassers. The same approach was done in engine swaps into military vehicles in the 70's. If you can bypass the EPA rules, go for it and you won't regret.

[Fingie]

Well agricultural engines make more sense than the GM-built diesels based on gasoline engines.

Also, Hi Rooster