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C2500 Diesel conversion

3K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  04colly 
#1 ·
Hey guys,
I've just bought an 89 C2500 for a tow rig.
BUT I bought it without an engine as the owner wanted to keep the 502 he'd built up for it.

It originally ran a TBI 350, and I'll get all the accessories off that as the engine was fitted into a hot rod and they were not needed.

I've just bought a 6.2 Diesel to pu in it, out of a hummer, the engine is complete with starter and flywheel but missing two injector lines. it has no accessories though.

My question, will the accessories off the Vortec block fit onto the 6.2 ?
if they won't, anybody know where I can get them from that will ship internationally.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
No, gasser accessories won't fit on a 6.2. Best place to find accessory brackets are junk yards. Same goes for injector lines, although Heath diesel can set you up with new ones.

What do you plan to tow? If it weighs more tha a hand-pushed shit spreader, you may want to consider a different engine. I say this from experience.
 
#3 ·
I got the engine real cheap, I've got a few bits laying around to spice it up a bit, but the main thing for the moment is that it was a factory option so will make it easier for me to get it registered again.

I can get a full set of injector lines for about $250 ish landed here, but the brackets etc are proving to be a pain. I may have to fabricate something.
 
#4 ·
The 6.2L is known for being a boat anchor, parts are readily available at most junk yards because people rarely dump money into keeping them going. The last 6.2L I bought came out of an 82 (which is one of the more desireable ones) and I paid $50 bucks to a guy off Craigslist and I pulled it. I've messed around with them a bunch trying to fix any problems I could find but ultimately you still have an over weight and under powered mill. Even the addition of a turbo, stud girdle and playing with pump doesn't create enough power for a rig towing anything substantial.

Now all that said, I ran around in one as a work truck for a while and it didn't bother me at all, I got good millage and was fairly reliable, but any time I had to tow with it I was disappointed. I got rid of that truck and bought a 1st generation Dodge with the cummins and never looked back. Depending on how heavy and often you are going to tow I would stay away from the 6.2L diesel swap, a 6.5L may be more worth your time or a cummins of d-max swap :evil:
 
#5 ·
ok guys, Done a bit of research, Going to go ahead with it anyway.

Need to find an alternator & Air conditiong bracket and somebody that'll post them to Aus for me, most of the Australian importers only bring in bare engines.

I've found the injector lines new, so that issue is easily solved.
 
#7 ·
Towing is disappointing on grades, with no turbo. But on flat ground, tow all you want.
If Australia is anything like I see on TV, you have trillions of miles of flat dirt roads, mostly washboarded. The 6.2 seems ideal for that.
If your only grades are non-highway, then it's still fine once you get into a low-enough gear. You won't be fast, but it will get loads up hills.
I get a lot of grief from everyone here for my experiences with my 6.2, and yet they can't dis-prove me because they won't drive exactly what I drive the exact way I drive it.
 
#9 ·
Living in the Sydney area, I'm basically in a big basin surrounded by mountain ranges, but once I get over them heading north or West (where I'll do most of the towing) it's relatively flat, especially west of Dubbo.
As for speed, it can't be any worse than my 3F powered landcruiser :rolleyes:
 
#12 · (Edited)
I beat the snot out of a turbo charged 6.2l in my old mud bogger K5 on 37s for years with no trouble at all. Sure, she ran hot when you pushed it up a long grade, but that thing just wouldn't quit! Sure sounded sweet too!

I have a 6.5L in my Tahoe and have been happy with it too. Neither engine would win any races, but have been reliable and exceptionally good on fuel. Last fall on my way to Moab, one of the tow rigs in our convoy blew up, so we put his tow rig on my trailer and I pulled his 8000lb truck and trailer with the Tahoe (it has a proper hitch, trailer brake controller etc). We ran 75 mph and I left an early 90s Cummins towing a suburban in the black smoke climbing a number of pretty considerable grades. Never overheated, but did get pretty hot on the pyro. I was pretty impressed how well it handled a relatively large load given the size of the truck and what it was pulling.

That said, I have my eyes on an LBZ swap. Would really wake the hoe up, and it could sure use the double OD gears with 37s and 5.13 gears
 
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