diesel swap?

Some of you might have seen my other thread about my 66 Galaxie Vert, now I am considering what to do next. The 352 is getting pretty tired and needs an overhaul at the least. The c6 trans is in the same shape. I have considered doing this but it seems like a waste for a car that has very little market value, in the grand scheme of things, and then still have a 13 MPG motor package. Originallity is of no concern. I would love to get this beast into the 20s and the only way I can see to do that is with a swap and diesel seems the logical choice. Budget is tight so bring on the grm ideas!

Duramax/Allison, Cummins I-6 or the Cummins 4bbt. I think that's basically what it boils down to.

thats a very heavy motor/trans combo for a car

302/aod. Even in that big of a land yacht, it will get 20. Overdrive and mid 3.xx gears are the keys.

Ranger50 wrote: 302/aod. Even in that big of a land yacht, it will get 20. Overdrive and mid 3.xx gears are the keys.

I'd say ranger is on to something here: '90 Crown Vic gets 22 MPG

Isuzu 4 cylinder... they can be adapted to GM transmissions...

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/2935318487.html

Something like that should work, gain some money back by scrapping the rest.

EvanB wrote: http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/2935318487.html Something like that should work, gain some money back by scrapping the rest.

Is the motor in something like that north-south, or east-west?

north-south

Hmm, this could displace the M-B OM617 as my dream '89 4Runner motor...

danvan wrote: thats a very heavy motor/trans combo for a car

Good point, it certainly won't do for a sporting car. If you're more into eating up highway miles and whatnot, it'd be great. Still, when you consider you're able to get up to 500HP/1100 ft-lbs of torque with minor work, it'll pay you back. :)

http://www.isuzudieselswapper.com/

you still have to find a way to hold the front end up i am sure some one on here has the weights at there finger tips, i am willing to bet the duramax allision combo comes in over 1000 lbs or 500 kg where i come fromIn reply to DoctorBlade:

Ranger50 wrote: 302/aod. Even in that big of a land yacht, it will get 20. Overdrive and mid 3.xx gears are the keys.

+1. If the budget is tight, this is the best option. You can buy a lot of gas for the cost difference of a diesel conversion.

I say FI 5.0 and an AOD trans.

My dad had a 66 Ford Custom which was just the base version of the Galaxie. It had a 289 with a 3 speed auto and would get 20 mpg on the highway. It was light at 3600 lbs but with a more modern version of the 289 I see no reason why you couldn't get low 20's. And a much easier swap then a diesel one.

Bolt in a 428/C6, and stuff some taller gears in that 9".

It's an orange to your apple, but I had a 429/C6 car that would do 24mpg on the open road. Mildly lumpy cam, an Autolite 4300 that actually worked (I think I had the only one. I had good luck with a Digifant VW, too...), 2.77 gears, and brisk yet smooth driving. I don't know if the cam helped or hurt, but it was pleased as punch cruising down the road at 2000-2400rpm. (30mph/1000rpm)

The 6.0L powerstroke is a pretty easy swap as far as oil pan fitment, bellhousing pattern, etc. The 6.0L is hated for a few reasons, but all of them are easily cured by the aftermarket. EGR cooler and oil cooler are the big ones to take care of first. Otherwise its a fine diesel.

I saw a 6.0L in a 65 Galaxie that looked like it was easy, but I don't know the details.

Skip the 6BT and 4BT cummins... they are insanely tall. Unless you want 10" of cylinder head poking through the hood, just keep walking. 7.3L is a great powerstroke, but its also a very tall engine.

curtis73 wrote: Skip the 6BT and 4BT cummins... they are insanely tall. Unless you want 10" of cylinder head poking through the hood

You say all of that like it would be a not totally badass thing.

7.3 idi, with c6, shouldnt be much heavier than the 352, you can also turbo it for giggles

If you're on a budget, forget the diesel. They're all expensive or broken. 302 or an LSx like the 5.3L can get you there.hooked to the appropriate transmission if you keep the fuel injection.

Alright, you guys have made some valid points on gasser fuellie motors. I was thinking a 5.3l and 2wd 4L60/80E all from one wrecked truck would be ok. I also have access to a number of old busted panters (86-88 Grand Marques). I was just thinking how freaking cool it would be to run veggie oil through the Galaxie. A GM LM7 would be alright too I guess... They are insanely easy to make a fair amount of power out of. I wouldn't even need to change my tall ass rear ratio.

im with warpedredneck on this one..

Just get a non-turbo 80s f-series diesel and use that. Should be simple and definitely will be cheap. May still need to gear taller, though.

warpedredneck wrote: 7.3 idi, with c6, shouldnt be much heavier than the 352, you can also turbo it for giggles

Good choice, they were in Ford trucks 1988-94 (even one version was turboed in 94). Weight is listed at 920 lbs so it is heavier than the 352, but within reason. They are about the same size as a Big-Block Chevy or Ford 460. Taller gears probably are needed or a good overdrive E4OD/4R100 AT or 5-speed if gear rowing is what you want. If I remember right my 7.3L IDI would turn 3300 rpms max, best gas mileage was at 1800-2000 rpms.

Edit: Even in the 6500+ lb F350 it was in, I was getting 18 mpg combined driving. Never took a long trip but it probably could have topped 20 mpg. Should do better in a lighter vehicle.

How much beter mileage would you need to get to offset the 30+- cent premium for fuel ?

In reply to iceracer:

Not much. I recently figured this out. At the time I was paying $3 for gasoline in my F150 gasser getting 13 mpg. At $3.40 for diesel (a 13% increase) I would have had to get 14.7 mpg to offset the fuel cost. I'm actually getting 18-20 in my diesel van so it was a definite win.

When you also calculate in the fact that my F150 was a 3.08 rear and made 345 lb-ft of torque, and my diesel is a 3.73 rear end with 550 lb-ft of torque, its kinda a no-brainer