mcrandrz

So this is a thought while I save for a motor swap. I have a 91 camaro 3.1

I have a couple questions.

Which diesel engine would work best? I'm looking for gas mileage. But still be faster than my 3.1.

what all do I need to get for this?


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lunati397

an older 6.5 would be the least amount of work because its the same as a 400 a durmax will require ALOT of fab and cutting to make work both on the motor and the car

Atilla the Fun

Doing the 6.5 would be a near bolt-in if you remote-mounted the turbo. See my build thread if you want every detail necessary. But you can't have a/c, and I'm not convinced a 195 horse 6.5 would feel any faster than what you started with. You would need a taller gear out back. Plus you'd make the car more nose-heavy than an all-iron 454.
Someone did this in a green 4th-gen and reported 35 MPG, IIRC. There's a video of it on YouTube or Streetfire.net
If you have a few dollars, I'd want the turbo-diesel V6 from Jaguar.

BlwnSS

a 12 valve cummins will be the most simple to hook up wiring wise . Duramax will be the smallest.

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

Your looking for a better mpg so I assume your looking for a cost savings by doing the engine swap. Have you looked at diesel gas prices lately? Maybe better mpg but higher cost of the fuel too. I'd consider a 4.8 LR4 engine swap (smallest LS engine made). My truck has the 4.8 & is about 1300lbs heavier along with much worse aerodynamics yet it gets better mpg than my GTA. Put the LR4 into the lighter weight & better aerodynamics of a 3rd gen & really watch the mph go up. I'd love the put a LR4 into my GTA. Better mph & higher horsepower at the same time.

lunati397

duramax is not the smallest with a 3 inch cowl you will still be risking scraping the ground you would have to go dry sump just to get the ground clearance along with making a larger trans tunnel and make a whole new steering becuase the exhaust is right there you can build headers but you will kill the flow on that one cylinder just to clear

6.5 diesel will be you easiest and cheapest its practically a bolt in gm is coming out with a new small diesel thats going in the cruzes that would be a awsome swap

Atilla the Fun

Agreed. No idea why BlwnSS is trying to chime in when I did the 6.2 ( same externally as the 6.5 ) and lunati397 did the DuraMax. We both have build threads here, we both posted plenty of pics.
GM tested an AFM LS2 'vette prototype and got 35 MPG, so you might play with that idea.

mcrandrz

where is your build thread? I tried to click your profile and find it but it wont load. I'm pretty sure i'm going with the 6.5... What does it come out of?


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Atilla the Fun

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...2-my-84-a.html The 6.5s are notorious for cracking blocks and heads, but 6.2s do it as well. The earliest 6.2s are the best, for tight budgets, and will run fine for a long time even when they do develop cracks. Putting a 6.5 turbo on a 6.2 is common. The '93 6.5 was the best because it was turbo with a 4L80E but had no computer control of the 6.5, however, the higher-HP versions were around '99. You can find them in full-size pickups. There was a cleaner, lower-HP version offered in some half-tons some years, but even so it won't be technically legal for your car, emissions-wise. The 6.2 first appeared in 1982, and continued through '92. The 6.5 appeared in '92, and continued through 2000. There are non-turbo 6.5s out there, and a few factory-turbo 6.2s which used an early version of the Banks sidewinder kit. The stock 6.2 injection pump is good to 200 HP and 5000 RPM, I spun my 6.2 as high as 4200 on a regular basis, it really isn't happy above 3800. Late 6.5 water pumps are a wise upgrade for early 6.2s, as is replacement of the damper. More info can be found at dieselplace.com, IIRC, or even better invest a few dollars at "the diesel page". If you like how your 6.5 thirdgen creation drives on the open highway, consider swapping a new pair of Moog 5664s, adapting some 18x10.5s wrapped in 295/35s, and it might regain being fun in the twisties.

AutoRoc

iTrader: (1)

Wow....