Being the son of a Chevy guy, I can recognize the sound of a 6.2/6.5 anywhere long before I see the truck. Hearing it firing up for the first time gave me a grin bigger than the Cheshire Cat 😁
You captured my thoughts exactly. They have a distinct sound, and if you grew up around them, they’re hard to miss. Thanks very much for this comment. You hit the nail on the head.
I got a 6.5 in my humvee and it runs fine in the summer but winter time it hard to start without a block heater. Is that just how it is or is there something wrong with it ? Any info would be greatly appreciated…..
I was going to sell my 95 dually since the motor had blown up. After watching this, i have to find a way to tell my fiance that i have another project to work on. Maybe i just stay quiet and do it. Forgiveness is easier than permission.
Just buy her something nice, take her out to dinner, and break the news lol. I'm sure you've already gone through the process of telling her but maybe for the next project!
First, you found the right channel. Just watch me go. Second, you're absolutely right. The 6.5 is a blast, but not seriously competitive to even my LB7. Running empty, they're pretty interchangeable, but only one of them tows the other.
I am 100% certain with a bit of R&D it would easily match the duramax for power and performance. Also it will have a wider power band, as IDI engines have a much higher rpm cieling. The OM606 is a beast of a engine, precisely because it is IDI
@seancollins9745 I agree there are a few people out there like Heath diesel and there's a guy here on YT out of Colorado with a shop called 23diesel? running a big pump built by classic diesel design in seguin TX w water-air intercooler, governers deleted and ceramic inserts in the pump to run big fuel numbers like the 7.3 race pumps(spin opposite direction but essentially the same DB2) just nobody until now has gone crazy w a P400 or Optimizer/ forged crank to take the chance and run these things full tilt. Willomette has the setup just needs more pump and rpm. Love this detailed content/production the 6.2/6.5 world lacks....and most have given up on this underdog but a forged crank/fluidampner motor has got a ton of potential with a big CC pump w 5k rpm governer/big CC flowing + more boost.
Anyone else. Feel like their watching the sandlot listening to his commentary. Great video content. It’s like I’m listening to grown up Scotty smalls building a 6.5. And it’s fantastic.
And you'd think it would be a dead platform, right? But, it's the M998s and M1114s that have kept it going! All this is built to keep up with the demands of those trucks.
@@WillometMotorFab There are thousands of 6.5's churning away on boats. That 6.2 and later 6.5 were never intended to be powerhouses compared to the direct injected competition like the 7.3 Powerstrokes, the ISB Cummins and 6B Isuzus built for commercial use. But they just sip fuel and put down reliable power without being a touchy engine. Not lots of it, but steady state oomph to get a big boat moving and keep it going all day long without drinking its weight in fuel.
Just some regular guys teaching us regular guys how to build EMP-proof rigs. It’s so hard to resist pulling the trigger on an Optimizer 6.5 build like this, but I’ve definitely picked up some tips for the mild refresh on my 6.5 coming up.
Buddy, you've got it going in the right direction. That 6.5 runs, and all you have to do is piece the truck together, and you'll get to do it all with your boys.
EMP proof? You mean like that V3500 with a 6v53 singin a sweet song in it? ;-) I wish achates power would get off their butts and release a 3+ liter opposed piston 2 stroke to the masses already wouldn't be EMP proof but it aught to best all the other engines on the market on everything else.
You should definitely consider getting UEM or DFC Diesel to hook you up with a set of Speed of Air pistons! If you haven't heard of SoA, you've missed something... It's basically the new revolution in combustion engines that's slowly coming! Takes time with things like this before it can become mainstream but... Just... go check those out! They don't yet have a stock for 6.5's. But I contacted DFC Diesel about it and Matt, the owner, said it could be done with a few months lead time. He said he was planning to put a set in his own 6.2 later this year.
So cool to learn about a really cool duramax alternative. Would love to see a cost summary once you’re done in order to compare with the process of pulling a junkyard LBZ or similar.
That's probably the best advice your daddy gave you ... spending time with the family is where it's at most people don't look at it but a car or truck that's sat in the woods for 30 years I don't thank a few more days would be a big deal great video 👍👍👍👍
Super clean build! Thanks for sharing that with us! I know the 6.2/6.5 isn't the greatest diesel out there, but it does peak my curiosity knowing Detroit designed them with forged cranks, and now you can get them.
Pro tip for the 6.5. The fuel system will prime itself up wonderfully if you have a lift pump relay with a manual activation. You can run the lift pump and fill up the fuel bowl and then fill the injection pump up too. I’ve had my whole fuel system apart a few times and being able to run the lift pump manually has been a major help priming the pump and getting it ready to go. I’m in the middle of rebuilding my 6.5 right now. Waiting on parts and paying off cards so I can order more parts.
Yup, crack the water in fuel drain line and hot wire lift pump to prime pump. Then crack injector line at injector and crank. Should fire right up. Then tighten the injection line.
@@jonathancorbett5917 unfortunately GM had a real boneheaded moment with the 6.5. They ran the power for the fuel lift pump through the contacts for the oil pressure sensor so it shuts off the lift pump if you lose oil pressure to preserve the engine. The problem is there is no relay, it just tends to burn out the oil pressure sensor over time. Companies like Leroy diesel have made a harness that adds a relay to get the power off of the contacts and gives larger wires to deliver full power to the lift pump so it runs better and the better units also give a button to allow easy priming and an extra activation lead that gets connected to the glow plug relay to give a key on priming feature.
@@brunothehumbleonly obd1's powered the lift pump via the ops. All 6.5l trucks have a fuel pump relay, starting with obd2 they added a trigger wire from the PCM to trigger the fuel pump relay when it was running. And GM gave you an EASY way to run the lift pump by itself to prime the fuel system, put the vehicle in gear, and turn the key to start. This will trigger the fuel pump relay to power the lift pump, but because it's in gear it will not turn over, and thus primes the fuel system. It's listed in the diesel supplement manual for priming the fuel system.
Brought back a lot of good memories of my Father and I working on 6.2s. Very impressed on how clean you kept everything! We replaced a lot of timing chains for people, that gear drive is slick. The chains would get so worn that you could not turn the pump far enough to get timing. Only two things we did different and this is not a criticism of what you did. We had a setup to install injector lines on the pump before it went in the vehicle. The early starters would not take much abuse so we would pull glow plugs and roll the engine over to get oil and fuel bled. Very nice work and thank you for sharing!
I knew I recognized your burb. Saw it from another RU-vid video on the back country discovery route. Super cool rig. Interested to know the power numbers you achieved before and after the engine build. Also a great father's day video. Can't wait to do projects like this with my dad.
I am SO glad to hear that there is at least 1 other adult out there who doesn't need to fog humanity with ignorance and soot! Whenever I see a little boy (of any age) rolling coal for nothing but validation needed to fill a void left by disconnected fathers, all I see is a huge, nasty, black cloud of SHAME that really should have gotten through to more people by now. Thank you for adulting, and please keep these videos coming!
I found to help cooling I run a water pump with large diameter thread for a durmax hub and fan, I rarely see my temp hit past 75 degrees next to never hits 100 also run the double thermostat.
Thanks man! It’s a once in a lifetime kind of thing - build and engine with your dad; immediately take it wheeling. I’m glad that’s how it came together.
Really liking this channel and build. Just discovered it from the build. I’ve got a ‘99 c3500HD 5 speed 6.5 diesel with the Monroe 4x4 conversion Dana 70 front. Absolutely love the truck. I get 16 mpg out of it around town weighing 9k empty. Best thing I ever did to that engine was install some Bosch duraterm glow plugs. Starts no problem at -10f without being plugged in.
Pressure tank method works well for pre-oil, learned that working on real (Cat) diesels. I do like 6.2s, have a few of my own, one 85 K-10 w/ a Banks kit, sourced years ago. 80 C-10 w/a 5.7 fake diesel, both run real well. Others in process.
Pre oil as shown doesn't oil lifter galleys/pushrods/rocker shafts. I too have Banks 6.2 and a few 5.7 Olds and Caddy collector status examples. Big 10-4 on the pressure lube. Build a few 3208Ts for Wanderlodge applications.
As a fellow long time 6.5 owner…this series is hard to watch. I’m on the fence of building or 12V swap. The only thing that anchors me down on the 6.5 is the sound. IMO it really sounds like a diesel. Cummins and newer trucks even up to semi’s just sound to quiet. 6.5 sounds like a loaded tool box being pushed down the stairs with the drawers opening and closing with tools going all over place. Love Leroy! He set up and built my air dog system. Hope the gators work well for you as they are new to the community!
@@WillometMotorFab Really want reliability and of course a little more pow pow. I have a 96 and want to step away from ECU controlled IP and cracked heads no matter what you do with out serious mods. I’ve done almost everything to bullet proof it with the exception of valve cover plates and head studs.
Permatex sells Teflon sealer with blue loctite in it already, I use loctite 1158514 head bolt and water jacket sealer on Chevy head bolt it works real good it has Molly lube in it to help maintain torque but it also sets up and seals Navistar also has something similar.
Not sure why people don't build these up more. Are parts cheap besides the pump? SBC cheap? Also I'm assuming you're running the banks turbo kit? Amazing job with the hardware. Do you need thread sealant on all the head bolts? I'm not very familiar with this engine, but now I want a suburban tow rig.
I'll talk turbo in another episode, but no, I ditched the Banks stuff long ago. People don't build these because they're not as good a value as swapping to a bigger modern DI engine for those looking for over 500 lb-ft. We sealed all the head bolts because that's what the factory does, though two per side go directly to a water jacket.
Hello and thank you for this video. But at 8:22 you don't mention something that I can't figure out. The 6.5 rebuild book says to rotate crankshaft until the "mark" is at the 2 o'clock position. Then rotate CCW 3.5 inches until the "mark" is around the 12:30 position. WTF is all that? What mark? I have a fluid dampner balancer with all kinds of marks on it. The zero mark? I am stuck and scared because it says improper install will lead to breakage. Thank you for any and all help
It’s probably talking about the timing marks on the chain or gear set for the cam and injection pump. The gears and sprockets only go on one way and have dots punched on them so the cam and crank are correctly oriented to one another.
Thanks for sharing your awesome build! Very nice quality build and video. I’ve been driving and wrenching on 6.2L and 6.5L diesels since 1995. I love these old rigs. My current ride is a 1995 Chevy Tahoe 2 Door with the factory 6.5L. Has 396K on the odometer. I was hoping to reach 400K before any major work, but she blew a head gasket about 2 years ago. I now have about 17K miles on a 506 block I rebuilt and dropped in. Mostly stock but I did upgrade to an HX35 turbo. Another first start tip: remove all the glow plugs and then spin the engine over until fuel mist starts coming out the holes. This is so much easier on the starter and makes sure the engine is well lubed before there’s any real pressure on the components. That’s what I did here: bled the system by cranking the engine over without glow plugs. As you can see, she fired right up. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mPMMtMAyQmo.html Keep up the great work!
Outstanding. I myself put GM 6.2 in my small 19 f. (youtube video). My 96 suburban GM 6.5 turbo with 5 speed transmission with Gear Vendor behind it. I completely understand you excitement. Have nice ride. 6.5 rocks! I love your video and your relationship with you dad. Family matters.
Nice that you give Leroy and Quadstar due credit. Harland Sharp Rockers should spur Star Trek tech of transparent Aluminum but, then the oil splash is going to mess up the view. Got the Fass/Air Dog DF-165 on a side deal. Had an issue and Air Dog still honored the warranty even though I was second owner. Good company to work with. My motor originally had the Cloyes (sp) timing gears but, that and other things are history in a long sad story nobody here wants to read. I'd be interested in your results of porting the heads. The upper and lower intakes, heads and exhaust manifolds on mine were extruded before...part of that story. Definitely making your shop a must visit next time in TX.
You can install the lines on the injection pump and put it on as a single unit. Especially if you are doing a repair on the engine and you will be putting it back together with the same pump and lines.
Super interesting to see someone build a 6.5, every diesel is better when it has more power! And that’s such a smart move getting those rockers they make can make 20hp easy on a NA ls so I imagine it must really help on a boosted motor
OR just roll a Cummins. Have 2 lightly used military 6.5's IF anyone wants to build a bling piece. Milspec money should have already built these motors to this spec. I hope it holds up. Coolest part is still; building a mill with your Dad, even IF!
I’ll be honest, I’m a little freaked out by the amount of sealant you used. I would definitely check the pickup screen and filter quite a bit for the first hundred hours.
I build engines for a living and I’m just blown away that thing fired up without an intake! Had a 6.5 in a k1500 in high school. Watching this makes me wanna dig it outta the field it’s parked in and get it back running missing that ole 6.5 clack
It's super strange to see it running without an intake and to know that everything is okay. I'd bet that 6.5 would fire after you replaced some likely rotted fuel lines.
That box end wrench with a slit cut in the end of it was pretty ingenious. You probably already know they make wrenches like that called flare nut wrenches, they are made to resist splaying if you have had any issues with that. Another method is to use a crows foot flare nut wrench with and extension to access the pump connections. Typical crows foot wrench is rather large like and open end wrench. But they do make ones that are thinner like a flare nut wrench / box wrench. I used one once with an extension and a ratchet and was able to remove and reinstall the injection pump without pulling the manifold. Wish you would have shown the head porting. Did they actually port the heads or just port match them? I did just some simple port matching myself so the ports were the same size as the gaskets. I was surprised how much smaller the ports were than the gaskets.
Yeah, I haven't seen yet (or searched for) a 12 point flare tool. I'm sure it available now, but I just haven't looked. Dead on about the crows foot - handy if you have to get to the lowers.
Hey man I’m an OBS chevy fanatic and would love to build a 6.5 for a dually to haul a 5th wheel camper that I live out of because I travel for work. You wouldn’t happen to have a list of all the parts you bought so I could repeat your recipe do you?
Thanks for the year build videos this was a very interesting I don't know that much about Diesel's I understand that the Detroit's are underpowered compared to Modern they're not fuel efficient enough to be feasible excetera excetera but I don't like having Electronics if I don't need them so I really like the idea of something like this that's all mechanical and it's nice not being a Cummins don't get me wrong Cummings are great but I get tired of hearing about him all the time and that's interesting some of the comments of seeing about the low sulfur fuels outside of the US that's interesting I never thought about that and as someone that would like to someday take his vehicle to Australia and a couple other countries if I ever do end up with diesel that's an interesting salt to have in mind
Thanks man. Yeah, we talked about that, but opted for thread sealant since it's a backup sealant to the block threads. The nuts spun very freely with the still-liquid thread sealant. That was actually another tip from the people on the production line at GEP.
Still have two 6.5 trucks. One is getting a cummins but the 6.5 really isn't a bad engine once that unreliable DS4 electronic injection pump is gone. They don't make the absolute power of the new trucks but with simple exhaust, more fuel, and an adjustable wastegate my 6.5 would outrun my 2005 cummins when it was stock. I still get in my 6.5 truck and still love how snappy the throttle response is. Great trucks if you're not towing 20,000lbs and don't care about making 1000hp. They'll tow the camper across the country at 70mph no problems. Just bring ear plugs.
This rebuild series has given me so much inspiration to do my own 6.5 build one day. I think I've re-watched this 3 times now and I just love it! What I'm thinking right now for my own hypothetical build is to use a stock engine and change out some key furnishings, like putting a Fluidampr on, but keep block parts stock. Except for one key component! You already put TotalSeal piston rings in your build. But I want to go a step further and put the Speed of Air pistons in, which use TotalSeal rings. That's the wet dream right now. Can't stop obsessing about the SoA pistons! If those guys play their cards right, their patents should become the next big revolution in combustion engines!
@@WillometMotorFab Thanks! I mean, I would love to do what you did, with the forged crank and balancing and all that, but it's a little out of my budget 😄 I know you're probably not itching to open up that 6.5 again anytime soon, but I sincerely hope you'll have a chance to try out SoA pistons in your build some day!
I’m seriously considering balancing my 6.5. So far, what are your thoughts? Have you put it on a dyno yet? Does it actually run smoother due to balancing it ( like it should)?
I will always recommend getting an engine balanced while it's out and taken apart. It's actually pretty cheap compared to other machine work. My 6.2 was balanced just like this 6.5, and they're both noticeably smoother through the RPM band, but especially above 3000. I've taken this up to 4000, and it sings the whole way. I doubt I'll dyno this setup. There's little value in getting on the rollers with 40s and a lot of gearing in the transfer cases.
Howdy y'all, JC if anyones done a 6L auto trans swap on a 6.5 turbo diesel? Or a 10L? Tbh, I started loosing some knowlege after the 4L60/80 trans and much more so after the 6L80/90 JC how a setup of a lets say, a very high quality build with a p400, set up for a 'consrrvative' 375 hp rating paired to a 6 spd would perform towing vs lets say a stock LBZ with the 5 speed Allison in very variable hilly/mountain terrain with 15,000 pounds in tow? Many thanks in advance for any opinions on that. Much appreciated
I noticed you said you didn't use ARP head studs because they weren't available, did the company you bought from recommend the sealant on the nuts and washers? ARP claims that proper torque will not be achieved without the proper assembly lube,what's your thoughts?
The sealant recommendation comes from the factory. That’s what they do with head bolts, and I duplicated for the studs. Lubricant doesn’t offer any sealing for the water jacket, which is vital, and there’s some amount of lubrication that comes from the sealant while it’s still liquid and hasn’t set.
As meticulous as you are I figured that was what was recommended, my only recent experience has been with big block chevy, I used sealant on the threads into the block but just assembly lube on nuts and washers
My first diesel was a '96 6.5L with a 5 speed manual. It was an awesome truck that served me well. I've had an LBZ duramax since 2009 and though I do like this truck more, if I wanted a manual trans, I'd opt for the 6.5L over a Duramax for sure. Gobs of torque available AT IDLE and right above, vs. more modern diesels (cummins excepted perhaps...) that have nothing till the turbo spools up... My old 6.5 got just as good, if not better mileage than my Duramax and it was a LOT less complicated and much easier to fix. If nothing else, injectors being 1/10 the price of LBZ injectors is something it's hard to argue against...
That build is magnificent. If i could, me and my buddy would drop a 6.5 in his 62 chev, but, we're thinkin of more the two stroke detroit approach. Great build, i watched part one and learned a ton, and this second part was no disappointment either.
I love what you did with this engine. I used to own a 6.5 in a 1/2 ton 4WD, I loved that truck, it was just the damn PMD that failed a couple times that always made me question taking it on a road trip. A couple of the upgrades you did to your engine, I had thought about doing to mine, but I ended up selling it as things in life changed. Glad to hear your engine and Suburban are doing well. It is too bad you didn't mention what you did for a turbo and boost settings to give you the Duramax torque you talk about.
Highway power is outstanding. It likes 80, but I don't. I will drive it if the one way trip is 500ish miles or less, and drag it behind the LB7 beyond that.
What about the turbo? This has been weak since the Banks Sidewinder and was not improved with the GM varieties. The Banks T04B25 would be far better with split exhaust manifolding to utilize pulse effect in the twin scroll turbine housing. This would lower the boost threshold without imposing exhaust choking at higher RPM.
Awesome ! I’d love that engine in a defender 110. Your video production quality, background musical choice and story telling quality make these videos the best ! Thanks so much !
@@WillometMotorFab Thanks for the prompt reply. Yeah I saw the part number but the source is just as important given how poor quality aftermarket support can be for this engine. Also great to see the Banks sidewinder setup on the engine. If you want even better turbo and throttle response you can make a shorter crossover pipe by using a passenger side van/ hummer manifold on the driver's side and building a custom pipe that runs under the balancer into the turbo
@@WillometMotorFab so you’re running is in an older square body suburban. Did using a DB2 require adding a separate transmission controller, or is that not an issue with the older rig?
@@stephenmras8519 There's a whole build breakdown on the truck, but yeah, all you need is a TPS and RPM signal to make a controller work. I have the PCS controller for the 4L80
I've enjoyed watching the 6.5 build and the attention to detail is second to none... I'm glad this thing has held up. A few things to note, just for viewers sake. First, copper coat is not meant for composite head gaskets, only steel shim type, composite units have their own "stick" and copper coat is just a lubricant on top, if you haven't had a gasket failure yet, excellent. Second, filling the IP from the top won't prime it, these pumps are inlet metered, so everything comes in from the cone regardless, it's not like a VE where the case pressure fills the plunger assembly. Third, the pumps are all calibrated at 1700psi, and the further north you get pop pressure wise, the more volume you lose, including cranking volume. Higher pop pressure definitely cleans these IDI's up, but overall power suffers past 2200psi, as that is when the additional power of higher pop is countered by the loss in volume... As is the potential for hot start issues... It's a balance. All that aside, looks like a super clean setup, I dig the build, and hope it lasts a long time.
I have the exact same suburban, almost same color, same interior 6.5turbo diesel 94' flavor (dont know about heads precups) DB2 Mechanical pump, once was metallic sky blue( almost baby blue, then to plum crazy in the 2000's) now is a marine ocean deep blue metallic, not exactly titanium blue/midnight cadillac blue, needs both front cab mounts/inner/outter rockers and back quarters tho, runs like a champ @ 3fuel PSI and around 8 full boost and it spins 35 on dry pavement, needs couple adjustments done but for a canadian super, upper rust aka non rust free zone shes a bbbbbbeeeeautiful candidate
I’m corralled into owning my old G3 diesel van because of space constraints I can’t upgrade to an express van but I’ve got a late 2000 6.5 turbo from a school bus…. A complete motor with all the accessories and I’ve got a break into it soon. There’s hardly any miles on this motor, but I’m gonna tear it apart obviously anyway. I can’t wait for the adventure. It’s been in storage for years now and I looked it up and it’s the last casting GM did I believe.
@@WillometMotorFab I appreciate the reply. I’m in the process of converting my 78 C30 dually to a K30. It was my first truck and I’ve had it for 20 years so it’s got a lot of sentimental value like your suburban does. It’s a 350/465 factory and I’m debating going 8.1L since I have a pull out I bought a while back or Duramax. The thought of having a mechanical pump weighs heavy on my mind though, I live outside town and have some land. The idea of being able to move my family around in a disaster would be great but I’m like you, a Cummins swap just doesn’t spark my interest one bit. I’m a GM guy all the way, I already have an ‘01 8.1 welding truck and an 06 LBZ dually. I want to keep the truck standard so it’ll have an NV4500 but I’m undecided on the engine. It’s like do I want to drive after the world ends or have fun driving before the world ends? 🤷🏻♂️😂
I really enjoyed watching, I'm about your father's age with two sons currently involved with a couple of builds. Your narration and video skills are excellent. There's a good chance that one day we'll all meet up on the trial. Keep up the good work. 👍
Awesome! Shocking someone doesn’t make a billet or even just heavier gauge rocker cover for these. Makes me cringe with all of that RTV. Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed this entire build. Nice work! For someone with a severe case of the OCD this is like porn! Although, that’s why I build a lot of ultra high performance and race engines (mostly turbo two stroke snowmobile and turbo SXS).....my customers appreciate my ultra OCD.
My second comment. You and your father. That's what makes america great. Love your brother. I'm a retired trucker I miss going to Idaho from Texas. America the Beautiful. God Bless America. Many blessings to you and yours. Medicine man signing off. 10-4👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
P400 ftw. I'll back up your claim on the harland sharp rocker arms. Totally worth it. I've got them on my P400 and after about 1700RPM, with my UORVA turbo it makes the thing feel like its unlocked next level power. One thing you might want to consider is getting your exhaust manifolds, up-pipes and turbo hot-side ceramic coated. I did that on my truck and it helped my EGT's incredibly.
Dude, great idea on the ceramic coating. I wanted to do that as a part of this project, but was so pressed for time it wasn't possible. Time to revisit that I think.
I have a 95 truck with a 6.5 and I built it to 18:1 compression to try to make it live since the crank broke around 95,000 miles. It ran well and still does but it will never have the torque of a duramax simply because a 6.5 is indirect injection rather than direct injection like a duramax. My son has a 2007 duramax and it will run circles around the old 6.5
I have 2 J-code 6.2’s. I am looking for as much power as I can get while not sacrificing reliability and fuel mileage. I am putting them into a Range Rover Classic and a Land Rover Discovery. Disco will be chopped with a tray back built more for wheeling and the heavy farm work, the Range Rover will be the more civilized overlanding/touring vehicle. I have a 6L80E already purchased for one of the 6.2s and will probably do the same again for the second one. I want to port/polish the heads, balance everything like you did, clean up and smooth out castings on everything. I would like to smooth out, lighten up, balance out, and generally improve factory parts, because I can’t get a forged crank for the older 6.2’s. So chasing boat loads of power isn’t really realistic. But as much as I can get would be great. I have ARP head and main studs, fluidampr, geared timing set, dual thermostat housings, upgraded gpm water pump (v belt style I like the redundancy). I plan on making my own exhaust manifolds and a LS style sheet metal intake. I have 6.5 parts I am debating on whether to use or not. I am leaning toward NA but I do have a turbo….in case I get greedy. The Rovers run something like 160-180hp and 200-220ft lbs. So as long as I am above that, I am happy. 33’s to 35’s, 4.10s in FJ80 Landcruiser axles, LT 230 transfer case. I could list more if you like but the brief is enough power to be useable in todays society, tow maybe a small fishing boat/small camping trailer (very occasionally), 70mph with optimal fuel mileage, reliable enough to hand the keys to someone I love and say drive it anywhere (insert 6.2/Land Rover jokes), and as close to 1000 miles of (on road) range as I can get with my long range 32 gallon tank and one Jerry can of fuel. Hence the 6.2 and a 6L80E in a mid size SUV. I think the 6.2/6.5 will thrive in a mid sized SUV/truck with a 6 or 8 speed. What are you thoughts for my application; as well as, for a mid sized application? Also, is matching lengths of fuel lines as critical as the internet says it is? I would also like to try to make my own hard lines, but run them around the rocker covers because I would like to make my own aluminum rocker covers to clean up the appearance of the 6.2 a bit.
A 6L80 or 90 would be a great match for a 6.2 or 5, and is plenty of torque for what you want. It might be a tight fit, but doable. Also, stick with the OE fuel injector lines. They're already matched, and you don't get into them that often when everything is working well. You'll have plenty of other integration challenges to overcome in the swap you're planning. I love the project plan!
Built looks fantastic! Didn’t want to oring the heads? Or you’re not after that much power? I remember you saying your pump was adjust to 500ft/lbs torque. Is that flywheel or wheel torque? Also do you plan on running it on a dyno for a final BHP numbers?
The pump is factory rated to 515 lb-ft. It's just the big DB2 from Stanadyne, but there's some room to go up on the fuel rate. It's a super clean burn, so I'm probably making every bit of that at the crank. When the 4L80 is fixed and there are some miles on it, I'll setup a dyno session. And yeah, 300 hp and 550 lb ft doesn't require o-ringnig the heads, so I didn't add that.
Enjoyed this 2 part series... I had a 1980 Chevy Suburban I affectionately called Sir Bubba... lol. In 2007 I traded it for a Ford Excursion.... one of my worst mistakes. Nice to see you keep your Suburban on the road. Anyway... a comment on teflon tape... as you said you used it on the injector pump inlet fitting or whatever. Teflon tape is generally not fuel friendly... better to use a thread sealant that is fuel friendly such as the pipe dope used in natural gas and propane applications. Just putting it out there to try to be helpful. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thanks very much for the note on Teflon. Usually, I can smell those fuel leaks before they make a spot on the concrete. If so, I know what to go back with. 👍
Nice video. I drive a smashed up old 1985 c10 6.2 suburban that I love. I apprenticed at a gm dealership in 1990 and I’ve done many 6.2/6.5 pumps etc and even some 5.7’s. Lol
Just found this channel, love it! Great video series in general, but I can't be the first to notice you sound execatly like David Mickey Evans (The Sandlot narrator) lol, which makes these 10x better.
Great build! & great products w/thorough attention to details!! It was a joy to watch both vids of the build. Question, what’s the set up to run the 4L80E on the manual injector pump? I’ve got an ‘01 3500HD, & getting away from the electric/manual hybrid injector pump would b awesome.
I take it you and/or your dad have replaced that glow plug controller before if this is only your first time with a manual one. That's usually how our 6.2s ended up, if they weren't already that way when we bought them. Would be nice to have an automatic controller but hate to buy a fragile component just to need to replace it at a cost. That said, I could probably take the glow plug controller apart and see about fixing it.
