6.2 Build - Input desired.

[Masterkayin]

Hey all. Long time lurker, first time poster. If this is in the wrong subforum, i apologize.

I've spent the last several weeks researching, reading build ups, and surfing every forum from Pirate4x4 to ADVRider. I've stopped by local diesel shops as well to pester and probe for answers, but the diesel fanboys always seem to pop in and push a Cummins or other block rather than giving anything I can really use. So I'm hoping the enthusiasm on this forum for the red headed stepchild that is the 6.2 diesel can enlighten me.

I'm having embedding issues, apparently.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/76-Chevy/i-nZKK9xc/0/X3/048-X3.jpg

A few years back I purchased this bad boy. 76 Chevy with a 350 and Pathfinder 4x4 conversion. I didn't make it out of the zip code before the transmission went tits up. The engine was soon to follow. I stripped the beast down to body and frame, and have been slowly building it back up. I've kinda stopped at the engine install as my heart just really isn't into the 350. I've had a thing for the old military blazers for some time now and even got to ride around in Mangus's rig for an afternoon, though he probably won't remember me. I really liked the engine and possibilities that come with it. I wasn't even bothered by the acceleration rate. And seeing as they're a near direct bolt in for the 350, that's the route I'm thinking of going. However, the greater mentality can't seem to wrap their heads around why I would trade a 350 for a 6.2, but I digress.

A few weeks back, I picked up this gem from craigslist. Non running.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/76-Chevy/i-V3WmMJX/0/X2/IMG_20160706_202018086-X2.jpg

And after speaking with the old man selling it for an hour, your classic shop talk, he started filling up the bed of said truck.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/76-Chevy/i-jXndwxV/0/X2/IMG_20160706_202111165_HDR-X2.jpg

All in I spent $500 on the truck, and $100 in towing the beast. This includes the truck, a spare motor (blown head gasket), a couple bumpers, a nearly complete 6.5 turbo setup, flex plates, etc. The idea was to pull the motor out of the truck, install it in the van with the turbo, and sell the rest for parts. I've since got the truck running with a starter bracket and some glow plugs. This thing, for being 30+ years old, runs, rides, and drives like a champ. So I'm starting to steer my thoughts in a different direction, and here's where I would like some input.

Assuming I can sell the running, driving truck for somewhere in the range of $1500-$2000, as I'm seeing similar prices on Craigslist in my area, that means I'll have nearly $1000 to play with and put into the parts engine before I'm back into a loss as far as funding goes. The big issue I would like to address with this is the heads, as that seems to be one of the major issues that come up in my research, aside from the crank grenading.

Now, ProMaxx sells a head that is under $400 per head, which would keep me just under my limited budget after shipping and all that jazz. I also see that it comes in two different flavors,

the "Standard" http://www.xtremediesel.com/promaxxche855nreplacementcylinderhead.aspx
and the "angled head". http://www.xtremediesel.com/promaxxche856nreplacementcylinderhead.aspx

If this were the way I chose to go, does anyone happen to know if the angled head would be better for my G20 van than the standard. Common sense tells me it will, but I don't know if anyone has any experience with it. I assume this also means I'll need the correct intake for the angled heads rather than the one I've got from a C30.

A different option as far as the heads go would be to use the 6.5 turbo heads that the old man tossed into the back of the truck. He tells me that the alloy is different in these heads, and thus, less likely to warp or crack, but I've found zero confirmation of this online.

Addressing the crank, I've been lead to believe this can be remedied with a new balancer. I'm seeing new rubber ones for $100, and fluid style for $400. What's the general consensus? Most seem not to bother with fluid style, but I'd like to build this engine for longevity, and only the once.

Yet ANOTHER thing I've been pondering is the fact that the gentleman I'm currently working for has a small scrap yard, and in that scrapyard is a 6.5 Turbo pickup. I'm told the engine is toast, but nobody seems to have picked at it too much other than pulling off the truck bed, so it's fairly intact. I get some sort of a crazy employee discount, so I may go in and strip it of the expensive bits. Starter, Turbo, Injector pump, Serpantine belt setup, etc. So there's more resources at my disposal that would be stupid of me to not take advantage of.

Back to the van, my original intention was to throw a reman 350 with a 700r4 transmission into the rig, so I've got them both sitting in the shop here. The 350 is, as mentioned, rebuilt with new bits, but the transmission is toast. It was a gift from a buddy of mine and is going to need rebuild. It seems like, if done right, it would be a solid transmission for the diesel and would require limited effort to make it work for the 6.2 rather than 350. I'm told the bell housing is the only difference. Any confirmation?

How's that for some scattered thoughts. To recap, I have:

'76 G20 Van with Pathfinder 4x4 conversion and 4.10 gearing.
700r4 transmission
1982 c30 Diesel, running and driving
spare 6.2 motor with blown heads
spare 6.5 heads
a truck bed full of parts
access to a parts 6.5 turbo truck (A 92, I believe)
$1000 +/- to put into motor build

What I'm trying for when all is said and done is a solid, reliable overlanding rig, leaning towards end of the world escape vehicle. I'm no HP freak, but I'd like to not struggle too much to keep up with traffic. Alternative fuels are something that I'm really interested in, and the van is already set up with dual 20 gallon fuel tanks, so it shouldn't be too hard to make it work.

What says you? What would you do?

Again, I get that this isn't specifically a military vehicle, but I'm confident it will be one the military wishes they had, if that makes up for it.

 

[Barrman]

The "angled" heads are only different in the angle of the intake manifold bolts. Some of the angle heads are GM cast and others are GEP Navistar cast. Supposedly the Navistar heads are a different mix of alloys and are better.

Without a a turbo it is just piece of mind which head you use. If going turbo, Navistar heads will give you more durability in theory.

 

[Kaiser67M715]

DieselPlace.com is a good site, and lots of information on the 6.2/6.5 motors, I am a member there as well(1967KaiserM715)

the only thing different with the turbo heads is locations of coolant passages(to put this head on a 6.2 with a 6.2 gasket would be fine, but to use a 6.5 gasket it may weep coolant...or maybe it was the other way around, 6.2 heads with 6.5 gasket would weep?? cant remember) and possibly valve size, I am pretty sure the 6.5 heads had slightly smaller valves...oh and the precup shape and size-but there are multiple designs for those and are all interchangeable among the 6.2/6.5 heads.

the slant heads are really only for the centermount turbo-which being in a van would be the better option-it would require getting any hummer/hmmwv, or civilian Chevy/GMC van turbo parts-manifolds, intake and turbo.-the side mount turbo of the trucks would be hard to mount in a van engine bay.

bellhousing is the same for the 6.2/6.5 motors and any chevy small block-305/350-and the motor mounts are the same as well, although I would Highly recommend replacing the current mounts with energy suspension polyurethane mounts

the 6.2/5 requires a hard to find tv cable bracket for the 700r4, without it, you will burn up the 700r4, typically within a few miles. and a diesel torque converter, a gas one has too high of a stall.

as for harmonic balancer, it is all preference and location-I find that the salt of the northeast/new england loves to kill the rubber harmanic balancers- typically it lasts about 7-8 years before deteriorating and failing. I know of several who love the fluid balancer, others are fine with the life span of the regular harmonic balancers.


I was in the same boat with my GMC, no one understood why I wanted a diesel in place of the gasser- or why I wanted a stick shift in place of the 700r4 either.

Good luck with the build.

 

[Masterkayin]

Thanks for the replies, guys. DieselPlace turned out to be a killer resource. Much appreciated.

 

[red]

Another great source of info is thetruckstop.us.

 

[wcuhillbilly]

had a 6.2 in my dually, it was ok, got great milage but overheated when trying to tow....... course I tow heavy,,, really heavy...
Loved the 6.2, 6.5 heads or your navistar heads would be the ticket, to cool it down some.
Mine had a Ranger overdrive and the SM465 granny tranny with 3:73 I could run from Moorcroft Wy in the north east corner all the way to Ft Collins Co on one 20 gal tank, course it was flat empty at that point, but thats about 23mpg.
Watch the crank, they tend to crack, mine did at 250miles after a complete rebuild, there are no more NOS cranks (I had the last one availible through GM) The cranks were treated with some kind of wear coating/hardener, thus the "Remanufactured" ones tend to wear away at an exponential rate.
Turbos really wake the old 6.2 up, I turbo'd mine and had a blast with it before the Cummins Swap, keep boost under 14psi and turn the screw up about a quarter to half turn-depending on elevation. If yours is the 6.5 with the injection pump mounted PMD module, keep a spare mechanical 6.2 injection pump around. when the PMD goes out swap the old school pump on and hook up a cable to the pedal,,, no more electronics...