Silly Seville
Senior Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
- Messages
- 798
Notice: This is a LONG post...read at your own risk of apathy! 
I frequent farm auctions during the winter looking for deals on tools and miscellaneous parts. They almost invariably have beater pickup trucks at these sales, so I went prowling for older model Chevy trucks for their ubiquitous 350 and 454 engines to add to my collection for later re-powers. Well, I lifted the hood of a '96 1 ton expecting to see a Vortec 454 lurking in there, and instead I see a turbo eyeballing me from the passenger side! Well, I walked away discouraged as the rest of the trucks were of the variety I wasn't interested in (too expensive, too big) and sulked at my search in vain.
During lunch, I was "chewin' the cud" with a local about who made a better diesel for pickups (Navistar, Cummins or Detroit) and we concluded that the "combine engines" were the best bang for the buck. (International to you young-uns; also known as cornbinders or simply Harvesters) Anyway, as a Ford lover, I couldn't resist making some rude remarks about the 6.5 in the Chevy and how much it was hated by diesel fans. To which he replied, "You mean like the one out there?" (pointing to the truck I had looked at) I nodded and he then said, "Yeah that's mine, I'm trying to unload it." (Insert red face here on my behalf) :redface: Never insult a mans truck unless you're very good friends! :facepalm: Anyway, he was good natured about it as I composed myself, and we had a chuckle. Turns out, he was a really nice fellow, and we talked for another two hours while my wife sat impatiently in the car waiting for me to quit wasting time.
As it turned out, this guy had owned the truck for 6 years and pulled horses back and forth from KY to NC regularly. On it's last trip it developed a coolant leak from the head, so he had it towed in for diagnosis. Was told it was either a blown head gasket or cracked head. Minimum $600, maximum $2,400 to repair. He dragged it home and it sat for a year before dragging it to the auction.
Now, here is where my question for you fine people comes in. (Thanks for holding your breath this long.) If you were in the market (as I soon will be) for an older 3/4 or 1 ton truck, would you rather have the tried and true 454 powering it and getting an abysmal 10 mpg, or rather the notoriously infamous 6.5 turbo diesel at a remarkable 20 mpg? Is the trade off in expensive diesel engine upkeep worth the price in fuel savings over the useful life of the truck?
Now, for the rest of you (Ford & Dodge guys) would you say chuck both engines into the nearest recycling yard and get a vehicle powered by the 5.9 Cummins or 7.3 Powerstroke and call it done? Here is why I am asking this long-winded question. The guy offered the truck to me for what it is worth in scrap iron! (minus the six Alcoa aluminum wheels) He said if he can't sell it the way it is, it's going to the smasher. Now, understand; I have been a Ford guy for 20 years and have said to many people I would never own another GM product (after having a Fiero in the 80's) so I am cautious to try again, but this seems like such a great deal! Is it worth repairing this unknown 6.5 turbo diesel to get an otherwise nice, rust free, heavy duty truck in the bargain, or should I keep looking elsewhere? Perhaps I should buy the truck and ditch the diesel for an easy 454 swap?
I sincerely don't want this thread to become a playground for Ford-Chevy-Dodge beat-downs...I would like to hear some real world experiences from those who have done the diesel dance and lived to tell about it. I have seen the prices on injectors, pumps, metering devices, turbo etc. and know there is a price to pay to be in the "oil burners club." I must say though, I would enjoy feeling like I'm actually pulling my boat up hill, instead of it pulling me back down the hill I'm trying to climb. My old 351 Windsor is so tired. She needs to be put out to pasture soon.
Regards
I frequent farm auctions during the winter looking for deals on tools and miscellaneous parts. They almost invariably have beater pickup trucks at these sales, so I went prowling for older model Chevy trucks for their ubiquitous 350 and 454 engines to add to my collection for later re-powers. Well, I lifted the hood of a '96 1 ton expecting to see a Vortec 454 lurking in there, and instead I see a turbo eyeballing me from the passenger side!
Well, I walked away discouraged as the rest of the trucks were of the variety I wasn't interested in (too expensive, too big) and sulked at my search in vain.During lunch, I was "chewin' the cud" with a local about who made a better diesel for pickups (Navistar, Cummins or Detroit) and we concluded that the "combine engines" were the best bang for the buck. (International to you young-uns; also known as cornbinders or simply Harvesters) Anyway, as a Ford lover, I couldn't resist making some rude remarks about the 6.5 in the Chevy and how much it was hated by diesel fans. To which he replied, "You mean like the one out there?" (pointing to the truck I had looked at) I nodded and he then said, "Yeah that's mine, I'm trying to unload it." (Insert red face here on my behalf) :redface: Never insult a mans truck unless you're very good friends! :facepalm: Anyway, he was good natured about it as I composed myself, and we had a chuckle. Turns out, he was a really nice fellow, and we talked for another two hours while my wife sat impatiently in the car waiting for me to quit wasting time.
As it turned out, this guy had owned the truck for 6 years and pulled horses back and forth from KY to NC regularly. On it's last trip it developed a coolant leak from the head, so he had it towed in for diagnosis. Was told it was either a blown head gasket or cracked head. Minimum $600, maximum $2,400 to repair. He dragged it home and it sat for a year before dragging it to the auction.
Now, here is where my question for you fine people comes in. (Thanks for holding your breath this long.) If you were in the market (as I soon will be) for an older 3/4 or 1 ton truck, would you rather have the tried and true 454 powering it and getting an abysmal 10 mpg, or rather the notoriously infamous 6.5 turbo diesel at a remarkable 20 mpg? Is the trade off in expensive diesel engine upkeep worth the price in fuel savings over the useful life of the truck?
Now, for the rest of you (Ford & Dodge guys) would you say chuck both engines into the nearest recycling yard and get a vehicle powered by the 5.9 Cummins or 7.3 Powerstroke and call it done? Here is why I am asking this long-winded question. The guy offered the truck to me for what it is worth in scrap iron! (minus the six Alcoa aluminum wheels) He said if he can't sell it the way it is, it's going to the smasher. Now, understand; I have been a Ford guy for 20 years and have said to many people I would never own another GM product (after having a Fiero in the 80's)
so I am cautious to try again, but this seems like such a great deal! Is it worth repairing this unknown 6.5 turbo diesel to get an otherwise nice, rust free, heavy duty truck in the bargain, or should I keep looking elsewhere? Perhaps I should buy the truck and ditch the diesel for an easy 454 swap?I sincerely don't want this thread to become a playground for Ford-Chevy-Dodge beat-downs...I would like to hear some real world experiences from those who have done the diesel dance and lived to tell about it. I have seen the prices on injectors, pumps, metering devices, turbo etc. and know there is a price to pay to be in the "oil burners club." I must say though, I would enjoy feeling like I'm actually pulling my boat up hill, instead of it pulling me back down the hill I'm trying to climb. My old 351 Windsor is so tired. She needs to be put out to pasture soon.
Regards
