Not every GMC diesel truck packs a howling Detroit Diesel “Screaming Jimmy” 2-stroke oil burner. This 1964 GMC 5-tonner showcases GMC’s light duty Toro-Flow V-6 diesel. Yes, a V6 diesel - and it’s a four-stroke!
Funny story> I tested injection pumps. Customer brings in a Toroflow injection pump to be tested off a boat. It tests perfect and requires no work. He comes back a week later and said the pump we tested blew up his engine. It sucked water up the wet exhaust and hydrolocked the engine We told him it must have ran backwards. He replied it was our fault as the engine can't run backwards. I put the Injection pump on the stand and showed him it would indeed run in either direction. Later we found out he had two engines. One right hand rotation and one left hand. He had both starters off and had put the left hand starter on the right hand engine. Once the engine cranked it promptly sucked up water from the exhaust which was submerged in water.
Once GM figured out they could indeed run backwards they reconfigured the injection pump to correct the problem. Seems even the trucks would run backwards. A driver would stop on a steep grade and the truck would roll backwards and the driver would let out the clutch. The engine would stall and then start turning backwards. The startled driver would then find the truck would have multiple speeds in reverse while trying to shift the thing. If they ran it long enough flames would be coming out the intake with no oil pressure as the pump was pumping backwards.
I worked in an automotive machine shop in Louisville, KY back in the early 1970's and Pepsi Cola had a whole fleet of GMC trucks with the Toro Flo diesel. The biggest problem with that engine was blowing head gaskets. The owner of the shop said that the problem was not enough head bolts, and they were not big enough. Several of those engines developed cracks in the engine blocks on the right front corner near the corner head bolt about 1 1/2" below the head/block surface. I repaired cracks on at least six trucks with the engines still in the frame. Back then Pepsi Cola would send us a set of Toro Flo heads every week, or two to get reconditioned. We made special brackets to hold the cylinder head so we could surface the heads on out Van Norman Rotary Broach. Those were good running engines if not abused.
A truck from the days when America was great that first time around. Our attitudes about our country as a whole reflected in our manufactured products.
1964 wow! If that old work horse could talk! Think of all the fine cus words and early morning flatulence that old interior has endured! That’s why the driver side door drops down when you open it ! It just looks so rugged! Dad had a ,1966 Chevy, with a straight six ,4 wheel drive, and 4:56 gears. He used it for pushing snow! He had a Fisher plow on it ! It was a half or 3/4 ton! One tough truck! He went out on Christmas of 1966,to push snow, he had contracts with local grocery stores, and what not. My poor Mom, was so pissed! But, he did it to make extra money for the family! It wasn’t his fault it snowed! 😂
I drove my grandfather’s 1962 GMC Pickup with a V-6 with three on the tree. It had a 6 foot bed and was kind of a stock turquoise color, or maybe it was just fading. I was amazed at the power and acceleration, and was throwing the dirt and gravel on a Kansas country road. Gramps and an Uncle were taking cattle to market and I was driving the pickup back to the farm a few miles. My cousin was trying to keep up with me in his Dad’s 1966 Chevrolet fleet side pickup with a 283 V-8. Yes, we were in our mid teens and driving like bats out of hell. Would have made epic drone footage. Maybe it exists in never never land somewhere. LOL.
My grandfather had a 1961 GMC In that same turquoise color. His said V-6 on it. I'm not sure if it was the 305 or 351. Neat truck that also had the factory chrome dress up, which was surprising to me because he was extremely frugal. When he passed away in 1974, my uncle took it over and drove it til 1989.
Just looking at the leaf spring stack on this thing makes me grit my teeth anticipating the next bump or pothole in the road! Driving these things empty must have been a bone-jarring experience……..😮 Looking at the bare frame in back brings me back to the early 80’s when a friend of mine purchased a ‘67-‘72 Chevy pickup that was missing it’s bed and we decided to fabricate a wooden flatbed for it out in his parents garage. It was about a week long project, the final couple of days being the careful application of multiple layers of clear varnish the get the new wooden bed looking like a jewel! Once complete, the inaugural ride was performed by his little brother who promptly began tooling around in circles at the end of their cul-de-sac and ended with a loud “BANG” as he rolled the thing and scattered our freshly finished wooden bed in all directions at the end of the street………😂
i used to work as a reciever, and truckers were always looking around our place for something they could put in an empty truck to return. I couldn't understand why they wanted to help out the company they complained about, until they explained the joys of bobtailing home after a long day :) that was when GPS was becoming cheap enough to put it in every pallet. Truckers used to being alone and away from the boss would start getting texts if they stood around talking for too long and a computer someplace wanted to know WTF.
My wonderful Dad was the owner of a smallish Mom & Sons trucking company called Blue Ribbon Trans. That was started by my Grandfather in 1938. Every truck was a straight job International gas, with refrigerated boxes, 18-22’ long. Then after age and growth spurt Dad had to upgrade the fleet, that meant to now replace 12 trucks and bodies. So he sent out bids to local truck dealers and awarded the bid to a local GMC dealer. That included one 5500, with a 305 V6 5 speed, then 8, 7500’s, with 351 V6’s with 5 speed trans and two speed GMC rears with 22’ refer boxes, plus one 6500, with a 351 TORO-FLOW diesel, with 5 speed and two speed GMC rear. with 18’ refer box, that we called Shaker! That I added dual exhaust with mufflers that going through the gears sounded amazing! Finally 2, 9500’s that had 401 V6’s with 5 speed and two speed Rockwell axles. That was the truck I got stuck with mostly as the bottom seniority driver, when my run was small load, occasionally if I had a big load, I would use one of the two biggest trucks, we had two Mack R100’s with 24’ refer boxes. We ended up going through another growth spurt, and bought 10 White 9000 tractors used. Alone with 6 refer trailer and 12 dry trailers, just as OPEC I, II. & III hit, followed by the peanut farmer de-regulating the whole trucking industry! That totally ruined it for all but the biggest. So between that and the dreaded teamsters union Dad closed up shop and sold out. An older cousin of mine owned a 1965 GMC Stepside 3/4 long bed pickup, that had a tired 305 V6 in it. So he bought Old Shaky off my Dad, then stripped the TORO FLOW that had recently been rebuilt, plus he took the 5 speed out and planted them both in his old pickup! He added a belt driven supercharger onto that TORO FLOW we ended up nicknaming ToroCharger! But even before that the old pickup ran and sounded like gangbusters! Full load of dirt bikes, plus trailer full of tools and bikes like it wasn’t even there! All while getting 18 mpg! After the supercharger it got over 24 mpg at 70 mph at 2, rpm’s in that 5 th gear, running the original 3:55 posi rear. Around town if you short shifted at no more than 1,200, it would get 18-20 mpg!
Well, Steve...you taught me something new again! Being a big fan of the Detroit diesel and being around heavy duty trucks my whole life, I can't believe I have never seen or even heard mention of a toro-flow diesel! I am so happy I found your channel , I have learned much!
Yes, I agree! Steve, is a plethora of motor vehicle knowledge, it’s so cool that he goes to the, man’s mall every day ! We don’t see all the prep work, like the hacking down of tall weeds, not to mention, all those articles he has, researched, and highlighted! Motor trend was very foolish to cancel his show! Great work, Sir Steve! Lord of the Junk yard crawl, and all things Automotive!
Yes, GMC was almost "independent" back in the day compared to the other divisions in a way. By 1972 or so, they started to become more homogeneous with the rest of GM. No VIN, can't win, but possibly made at the Pontiac, MI facility which was a massive complex in its day. There's always a chance that the frame mounted tank was added as an RPO option or by an upfitter at some point. There were lots of unique options back then and who knows. Of course, you could be correct and it's a mix and match of parts. That would of course happen out in the "wild" after many years of use. Whatever worked was often used. Fleet Owner magazine is still around. I have a subscription to it and it comes to my office.
Those older trucks all have such bad ass body styles n the wheels on them are always Rusty pieces of iron it just looks so good. I am absolutely in 💕. Great video 👍😊
Back in 69, my first summer job was at Harper Detroit Diesel in Toronto. The mechanics referred to these as Bedford Diesels. I came to Canada in very late 65 from Scotland, where my dad was a truck driver. Bedford where a slightly lighter duty truck in the UK. The Bedford had a unit construction cab, possibly influenced by what the Americans brought to the war effort. Back in the 60’s a lot of older trucks where still in active trunk service. Many where “ coach built “ cabs, wooden frame skinned with wooden panels, and varnished. They looked a lot better than you’d imagine from the description, as there where still a lot of craftsmanship in the workforce in those days. I remember being in lots of trucks that had the push out windshields for ventilation. Most still had the engine crank handle capability. Gardiner Diesels where highly desirable engines, followed by Cummins. Commers had an opposed piston 3 cylinder 2 stroke ( 6 pistons ) engine. As for Detroits back in the 60’s and a bit later trucks typical of the size Steve featured here many where repowered from gas to diesel. 53 series Detroits where popular. These two stroke engines has 53 cubic inches displacement per cylinder, “ Jimmy’s “ where 8V-71’s. These engines had 71 cu in per cylinder. The unique thing about Detroit diesels was that not only did come in a wide selection of block configurations, 2,3,4,6 cyl Inline engines, but also V6, V8, V12, and 2 V8 blocks could be bolted together and make a V 16. In non automotive applications, these engines could be coupled together and you could have 4 V12 engines driving one output shaft. This is just a general outline of the various options Detroit produced. An in-line 3’ 4’ cylinder head and exhaust manifolds for the most part fit a V6, and V8 respectively. All the bearings, fuel pumps, injectors, some oil coolers, rockers etc where interchangeable. By re positioning the gear train you could change the direction of rotation. If you did inadvertently get an engine running backwards, the oil pump obviously produce pressure. One more little bit of trivia about Detroits is when at idle they typically run on about 5-10 psi oil pressure. I knew a Detroit field service tech who had a governor cover from an old engine that came out of a navy landing craft. Where it would normally stamped Stop, Run, Fast, instead of fast it said “ Battle “. These governors would enable the engine to go wide open, as the landing craft was build for a one way trip to the beach as fast as possible.
Your correct about the landing craft detroits. That's why the had the hand knob 2 bolt valve covers. It one of the injectors seized, they would remove a cover and had a special purpose wrench to force the rack into full power.
Like the 'Motorific" model truck he showed. Had a set myself as a kid in the late 60's ; found it again about 15years ago and started to collect the tracks / vehicles again as a hobby
they make for fun wall art. I just picked up some NyLint toys left for free on the side of a driveway and I have an old Model A grill converted into a cabinet with shelves and pexiglass in the radiator section to hold the smaller ones.
The Motorific Torture Track! It's Ideal! The cars and truck were very detailed and realistic for toys. They were battery powered and batteries back then didn't last very long and were a continuous expense that competed with the baseball card money.
351 commercial, GMC only made 351E and 351C variants. The E engines were only available in light duty trucks, that being said the light duty motors had magnum heads and magnum intakes but never labeled them as such.
The data plate inside the cab will only say 351, the difference from a big truck is the HP rating is always different. The 351C engines were rated lower due to the non magnum heads and intake. What year is yours and what series was it?
In the mid 1970's, I worked on the city buses in Gainesville, Fl. The original buses which had been purchased from Wallace Brown who owned and operated the bus system, were powered by Toro Flow General Motors v6 diesels. I rebuilt several and did all sorts of maintenance and repair on them. They were not particularly hardy or durable engines . They had many characteristic problems and were not comparable at all to the quality of the Detroit Diesels which we later had. I own one of them today which is in a school bus. It would sure be a challenge to get that old thing running!
I only remember seeing one of the Toro Flow engines. It was repurposed into a portable power unit for a sawmill, a concrete mixer and grain elevator for a farm. It still had the frame and front axle and the massive transmission had a big iron pulley bolted to it. I think they may still use it.
i've seen a few of those configurations, which is interesting since there were "portable" hit or miss engines on carts that rural areas would push around to run the washing machine etc.
ToroFlows were found in all kinds of places. New Idea used them in their Uni Carrier. It was a Self propelled power platform that could be a Combine, a Forage Harvester, a baler. Fox used them in their self propelled Forage Harvester as well; boats, saw mills, pumps, Log tenders, they were used in a variety of places.
As a apprentices in a diesel shop , we swapped gas to toroflows. Low end torque was amazing , Customers swapped engines mostly for mobile home totters.The transmission we used was a Clark double disc 5 speed, with the 2 speed rear end you could GO fast. Fun engine to work on. Yes the injector pump was crappy. This was early 70's and the gas crisis . Thanks for the show and tell.
My employer in 1994 had a GMC 4500 with Turo flo diesel. It had a rotary Bosch pump on it like a IHC 66 or 86 series tractors. Before they converted it to a wheat harvest service truck it ha a 4 ton feed grinder mixer powered by that engine under the hood. It had a 4 speed manual transmission with 2 ptos. One one each side of the transmission. One powered the hammer mill and the other powered the hydraulics for the augers to load, unload, and position augers. Plenty of power. Biggest problem the said was trying to run 3600 rpm on those motors in the truck. High rpms would take out harmonic balancer. Avco New Idea used that diesel engine in there Uni Systems 705D tractor. Good work horse. Governed at 2800 rpm top side. I have one and it is fun to run.
I drove a 64 GMC 10 yard dump truck with a pusher axle in the summer of 66 between my junior and senior years of high school . The truck was gas powered and it too was a screamer as it had straight exhaust . V-6 , 5-speed , 2-speed axle and it would stay right with the other dump trucks . The rear end was quite different as the axles had splines that went in the outer hubs and I had one strip and the local GMC dealer had one in stock . I also had a center bolt break that held the spring pack together as seen in the video . We changed it out one day and it was a very hard job with the dump bed down and taking the u-bolts loose and getting the pieces of the center bolt out and the new one in was a hell of a job . Good $7.00 an hour job for a 17 year old kid and we worked from sun up to sun down , man it was one of our really hot Arkansas summers . The whole month of August was the hottest and we were hauling about 1,000 feet from where we loaded to where we were dumping and never could get out of 1-st gear and the dust was terrible . Great GMC dump truck and a great job making awesome cash money and $7.00 an hour was a lot of money in 1966 . Great video Steve .
My first job when I got out of the military back in 1974 was for an excavation contractor. He had about 4 or 5 dump trucks when I went to work for him and one of them was a GMC 10 yard dump truck that had a V6 ToroFlo in it. That was backed up with a 10 speed RoadRanger. I was told that this was a truck that someone had a bunch of old junk trucks and made one out of them. It also had an air brake reservoir that was about the size of a quart thermos bottle so not a lot of braking power. This thing was a dog! He also had 2 new GMC dump trucks that had 6V53 engines in them backed up with a 5 and a 4 speed Browning. These trucks had a lot more power.
What makes it or wouldn’t make the video funnier when somebody is trying to blow up a Detroit diesel is to stand next to it so they can get hurt for being stupid that would make the video funny and more entertaining
If you have never been to Macungie PA for the annual antique truck show, you should. Too late for this year as I think it finishes up this weekend. Antique trucks are just as intriguing as cars are.
Was born in 64 so by the time I saw one of those GMC diesels it was in an old truck in the 80s. At that time there was still a lot of the Chevy V8 powered old GMCs running around but not many with the GMC diesels or gas engines. Story I heard was the V6, V8 and especially V12 gassers drank fuel like crazy and the diesels just weren't very reliable. Saw a V6 gas out of a pickup apart once, the things were extremely heavy duty looking inside, like what you'd see in a diesel. I bet they shared a lot of parts.
Sorry, Steve… Not to beat you down, because you are the incrediblest walking automotive encyclopedia, but… Yes, it is a four-stroke cycle, but it doesn’t operate on the Otto cycle. It operates on the Diesel cycle. In Diesel mechanics school, they had one of these Toro-Flows in the lab and it was torn down and reassembled hundreds of times, along with a CAT, a Mack V8, Screamin’ Jimmys, Cummins… etc. Do please keep these great junkyard crawls coming!
My dad had a 65 GMC tandem dump truck back in 1965 he bought new. That engine was JUNK . He traded it on a 66 GMC 9500 with a 671 that lasted for ever.
I bought some property next to me and there was a big 72 passenger GMC school bus with the seats removed sitting there. I wanted to move it down to the end of the property but still have it for storage. I looked it over and it seemed complete. Had the GMC V6 gas and Clark 5 speed. Several of the tires were flat and the gas cap was missing so i assumed the gas tank was full of water. I got a battery a gas can and some hose and set out to start it. Disconnected the fuel inlet hose rigged my jug up. Filled the carb and cranked it. To my surprise she started pretty easy. It ran ok but smoked badly. Got the tires aired up. No brakes but what the hell it had the hand lever E brake that worked. It was sunk into holes on every tire but in low gear it didn't even grunt to climb out. I drove it around the place and down my driveway. Tires were badly flat spotted but what impressed me was the massive torque it produced at low engine speed. Very similar to a diesel you didn't even have to give it throttle just let out on the clutch. I have a 1966 2 ton long bed winch truck with a Chevy V8 and that old bus would drag that truck off easily. I found out the engine is a 401. I read they made them up to 478 if i remember correctly with over 600 ft pounds of torque. I bet they were slow but i bet you weren't killing it at the stop light either. I considered making it a motorhome but the cost to rebuild the engine and replace all the tires was astronomical. My wife has taken it over to store Christmas decorations and pool stuff in. I asked her if she wanted me to leave a battery in it and rig a better fuel tank up so she could drive it up to the house but she declined. So the old bus sits down there sinking into the ground again just in a new spot.
Good morning Steve ,I use to drive a Dump truck . Of course it was a 65 GMC . The Jimmy's had a lot of torque . A lot of fun hauling dirt to the Dump . 1 load of dirt in an hour, to and from the dump to the job site. Lol.👍🇺🇸
I cleaned up a farm that the owners son had one of these engines in a Ford pickup . He had told me about it and it was on the farm laying buy a scrap iron pile. He said he was setting a a stop light in the late 70s and heard another one go buy that was in a pickup wrecker . He said if you ever heard one it sounded like nothing else.
The designation toro flow refers to the toroidal form cast into the piston to enhance the turbulence in the combustion chamber to improve the combustion efficiency of the engine.
A friend bought an old 68(?) GMC that use to be a GM V6 diesel. Prior owner repowered it 351 V6 gas. Use to be a county sander truck.... then went to local school. And then him. He still has it, but it's beat.
My friend, had a 1970 dodge 1 ton heavy duty, and in the late 70’s, put this 478 v6 Toto flo in it, with adapter plate for the 727 torque flite trans, and a browning 3 speed under/direct/overdrive behind that..the truck, was a BEAST…he’s passed on,and I now have the truck…time has taken its toll, and while the truck is no good,,the drivetrain is still a great candidate for a new project..
Wow! This is the first I've heard ANYBODY even mention about 4 stroke Toro Flow diesel engines since learning about them in Diesel Mechanic school! Word was that it wasn't the most desirable engines to have among those in the trucking industry, because of numerous problems with them.
That's probably why most of us never heard of them. I never knew this engine was produced. I'd like to re-engineer that injection pump to make it reliable and then rebuild the engine. It would be uniquely different to have than the two-strokes that are so much more common.
I have shop/rebuild manuals for the Toro-Flo engines. Be more than happy to send some scans of them if someone needs them. I hope to get my hands on one someday
Hi Steve, great video on this GMC diesel engine and truck. I believe the axle is designed that way to accommodate a tandem axle. I could be wrong, tho. On the farm, we had a 75ish GMC 9500 with a V8 Detroit engine. I'm not sure which V8 it was. I believe Steve has done a video of a similar truck. It's the model before the General and the square nosed Brigadier became the norm. The fuel pumps on diesels are called injector pumps and can be very expensive to replace or rebuild. I remember the big GMC truck because it was a retired Coca-Cola truck. The coke wave was still on it, but the company name was gone. Of course, it had a 2-tone red and white paint scheme. We lived a mile from the main rd, and while pulling a load that straight piped, Detroit could be heard coming up through the gears. Without question, those Detroits had a very unique sound, and the high revs made it really sound awesome. A runaway Diesel is one that starts to use its own oil as its fuel source. This normally happens to turbo diesel engines but can also happen to non-turbos. The turbo begins to leak oil, or the piston rings are worn, allowing oil to push past them, creating an uncontrollable fuel source. The only way to stop a runaway diesel is to shut off its air intake, or the extraneous fuel flow is eliminated or it suffers severe damage (seized bearings, broken rods, crank, etc. ). I've never experienced a runaway Diesel but I can only imagine it's not a pleasant experience. I'm sure a real diesel mechanic can chime in and correctly explain it better. This truck was used on a handful of occasions in the local Christmas parade to pull Santa's 🎅 (played by my grandfather) float/sleigh. I remember weeks before that having the chore of cleaning that truck up. Chopping away at caked on mud etc. Cases of black paint to clean up the undercarriage etc. One of my uncles drove it during the parade, and my grandmother, as Mrs Claus, would be sitting in the passenger seat waving to the crowds and slinging candy out of the window. Have a blessed day everyone 🤙🏼 Namaste 🙏🏼
Dude, you have great stories to tell,I think I'm actually disappointed if you don't have a good story to tell with my morning junk yard crawl,be well my brother...
It's not so much that the Detroit revs high, it simply sounds like it is due to being a 2-stroke. There are twice as many exhaust impulses per rpm than a 4 stroke.
@@williamcavanaugh1415Hi 👋🏼Mr Cavanaugh, thanks for the heartwarming comment. I've received a few comments similar to yours in the past. Man, is it costing me too! My head is getting a little bigger to the point where I have to go out and get fitted for another hat. (I'm always looking for an excuse) I personally prefer Resistol over Stetson. I own quite a few Stetsons, but they are out numbered 2 to 1 to my Resistol collection. Most of the people I’ve met or observed who are at the top levels in their chosen fields have these attitudes of gratitude and “radical humility.” After all, when so many high achievers reach for their statuette or championship trophy, they say, “First I’d like to thank God.” It’s almost as if they can’t help themselves, they’re so grateful for their accolade, but even more than that, they know that there’s a Force in the Universe way bigger than they are that allows them to act, sing, write, compete, or design. And if we adopt this kind of an attitude, we’ll inspire others to do the same. If we practice gratitude as opposed to maintaining an attitude of entitlement, we’ll automatically extend inspiration wherever we go. Being grateful helps remove the influence of our egos, which is certain that we’re better than everyone else. An attitude of gratitude allows us to adopt the radical humility that’s very persuasive in helping others connect with the Spirit that unites us all. Without exception, I begin every day of my life with an expression of gratitude. As I look in the mirror to begin my daily ritual of shaving, I say, “Thank you, God, for this life, for my body, for my family and loved ones, for this day, and for the opportunity to be of service. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" So thanks again! Gratitude and humility send signals to all who meet us that we’re all connected to something larger than life itself. I apologize for the slow response. I'm in Roxboro, NC at a music festival and while packing up to head on down the rd I spotted your comment and a reminder that sometimes, the person viewing you from afar, loving you in silence, is the one capable of loving you the greatest. I once read that the energy created by the wings of a butterfly can be felt a 1000 miles away. If this is true, can you imagine how far love is felt and how your comment changed this day in my existence on this side of heaven. Have a blessed day 🤙🏼 Namaste 🙏🏼
The engine in your used Coke truck may have been powered with a 53 series Detroit. The rocker covers would be bolted down around the perimeter of the cover as common with gasoline engines. The 71 series engines had hand hand tightened mushroom headed knobs. There would be two on each V style engine, and 4 on an inline 6-71. On early engines the cover might be embossed “ General Motors Diesel “, later they where stamped “ Detroit Diesel “. Newer engines had cast aluminum rocker covers, that had small diameter threaded studs with rubber grommets to tighten down the covers. It should be noted that the cylinder heads, and rockers are sealed with rubber gaskets that are basically o rings. They use a fire ring seal to contain the combustion pressure inserted on top of the cylinder liner. In the case of the 53 series engine it was typically governed at 2,800 rpm, so the attenuation could result in permanent hearing loss if the operator was in close quarters. Typically sawmill boom boat operators suffered from this. These engined came in 2,3,4, V6, and V8’s. Typically they would be used in construction / logging equipment, marine, and vocational trucks like garbage, and cement trucks. Not big power except in naval patrol boats. See movie : Apocalypse Now.
@@georgerenton965 👋🏼 Hi Mr. Renton. All I remember about the engine was it did say Detroit on the valve cover and it was painted in a turquoise colour. You are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to these engines. Its a sound I miss as a child in the city buses, dump trucks etc. I remember the movie. Scary film. Even scarier what they went through. Three members of The Grateful Dead (Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Phil Lesh) improvise on percussion instruments with several other musicians to provide incidental music for the movie Apocalypse Now. Thanks for commenting 🤙🏼 Have a blessed day, Namaste 🙏🏼
GMC was awesome in their heyday. That same engine family begat the 305/351/401/478 V6s, the 637 V8 (gas OR diesel), and the bonkers 1960-66 702 V-12! (Essentially twin 351s with a one piece block, crank, & cam.) But a decade EARLIER, GMC made HD INLINE 6s of 302, 505, and even 707 CID!!
In the mid 70's I worked for a guy who had been an engineer at GM and according to him had some hand in designing the Toro Flo diesel. I drove a truck among other things for him and , yup, it had a Toro Flo. It was the cabover like in the ad you showed. I remember it being loud and gutless but I suppose all diesels were back then. Good times..
I worked for a GMC Medium Duty Truck dealer in the 90’s and I never ran across of these. I saw a 6500 with an air cooled Deutz but never a Toro-Flow. How about a “will it run” video?
It seems as though the only reason that landed in the junkyard was the production of the next, bigger, better truck, and the cost to keep that one on the road.
Correction, a lot of the toro flows did not have an auxiliary saddle fuel tank. They all had a tank behind the seat because they were marketed for fuel efficiency and did not require a big fuel tank.
Those 6-71 screaming jimmy 2 cycle engines turned 2450 RPM. We owned a 69 GMC truck tractor. 478 toro flow 5 speed 2 speed rear and air brakes. That engine was governed at 3200 RPM . That is a high number for a diesel. Naturally aspirated engine did not guzzle fuel like the Gas burned V6 engines did.
These things were boat anchors when diesels or gas engines and anybody that wants to restore one for some reason the parts are super hard to get even years ago
I've seen a few of those Toro / Torq Flow engines in My life. Every single one of them was where You found that one.. In a Junkyard. When I was in diesel Tech school 35 Years ago, We had one that was cutaway engine, showing it's inner works. Even then I commented to My instructor that the guts of it looked VERY weak for a diesel engine. He responded that I made a sound judgement, and when He was a much younger man, they dreaded seeing them come into the shop, as it was almost always for warranty work. Turd-o Flow is what they called them.
The problem was everyone tried to drive it, expecting it to be like the 2 stroke in power! Which it wasn't! It was a different engine! They were great if they were used right!
That Detroit you showed looked like a 8V-71. V8 configuration 71cid per cylinder. Proper term for the Screamin' Demon was the 6-71 inline 6. I drove one that had a 6-71 blower, and a turbo in an Osh Kosh. It was fast.
7:10 Don't forget the smallest one, the 305, and the 432. And GM intro'd the Delcotron alternator in 63 on the Corvette, moved to other vehicles in 1964. So that alternator could be correct.
My dad owned a 1966 GMC 4000 COE with the Toro-Flo engine, a four-speed transmission, and believe it or not, a single speed rear. That thing was a brute, 55 mph top speed, but that was uphill or down. He also put dual exhaust on it and made the mufflers from well casings. Boy, that sound was unforgettable. I sure wish that I had that truck. I was 16 when I first started driving it to haul our equipment and round bales of hay.
I remember driving those when they were new. Not as much power or torque as their big brothers. They did not have wet sleeves either. The gas tank was for the Thermo King unit if it was a refrigerated box. Otherwise it was a factory delete. Thermo King did not offer smaller diesel refrigeration units until 1978.
I have a school bus stacked full of old toro flow diesels and 305,401,and 478 v6 engines. My grandfather had a fleet of old chevy and gmc dump trucks and his brother had a gmc dealership and they stockpiled engines including a bunch of 348 and 702 engines. Quite a few are still in GM shipping crates and all have the original paperwork from GM. People that know what the engines are always tried to buy and my grandfather and his brother would never sell they always said people want to buy but no one wants to pay so they never sold and today I'm glad they never sold any, I'm slowly moving the engines out of bus and out of our old carrage barn and into my shop where they are a little more secure hopefully be my retirement and kids college.
No one wanted to pay because they knew they were crap. At least back then people wanted them to replace a dead motor in their truck to keep it running around the farm. Today no one really wants a Turd-flow; they are gutless, prone to failure, and parts are non-existent so you can't fix them. The 702 are the only ones worth anything, and that really varies depending on condition.
@@KlockworXMusic Obvious you have no clue what you're even talking about because new GM shipping crate Toro Flows with papers I been fetching 15-20,000 bucks a piece and have not had a single issue moving a single one. I've sold a couple new 348 in the with papers for 37,000 so I'm gonna have to say you don't know dick about vintage engines or the market of the engines today. I'm gonna have to say you're just another youngin that believes your 12 valve or powerchoke or duracrax is the best thing out there or you're a youngin that jerks off to Paccar junk. You need to educate yourself on the market and what people are actually looking for these days.
Easiest way to tell if it was a cab swap is there is a vin # on the driver's side door jam ( top) and there is a vin on the ladder frame driver's side on top by the steering box.
With respect may I say I believe that is a truck tractor as the frame isn’t long enough to fit a box that could handle much volume. Just my 2 cents from a retired truck driver of 47 years. 😉
I worked at a dealership back then. They sent a bunch of 7000 series cab and chassis with the 401 v6 out to get van boxes on them. They got 12 mpg empty and 12 mpg loaded. Look at the toro power and its just like the big block gas v-6. . GMs later attempt at the 5.7 did fair as well.
