Memories for us old truckers

[Tugger2]

Poor old B has seen better days as has that suspected D6 behind it, maybe an old American off in the woods?

Linkbelt is my guess

 

[Birken Vogt]

Back when Ford heavy trucks were a thing I think I saw more of them with GM motors than anything else. Especially that hateful 8.2. That thing with the blue GM underlined square on the valve cover, it was like a cruel joke from the general to make people hate Ford trucks.

 

[DMiller]

Should have caught the cab on the crane on Left side. Besides Northwest Koehring P&H and American who else had the operator station on the 'Wrong' Side, seems the units I ended up working (Sporadically) were always the Right handers.

 

[Old Doug]

Actually I couldn't give a damn what engine is used as long as it fits and not shoe horned in place. But them chevy's have the distributor in the back, I don't know how many fire walls
I've seen caved in to accept a Zora Duntoff special.

The distributor on my IH is half way in the cab now they make a setup to put the distributor in the front on chevys. I dont care what engine is in what as long as it runs good and dosent cost alot to keep runing.

 

[RZucker]

Back when Ford heavy trucks were a thing I think I saw more of them with GM motors than anything else. Especially that hateful 8.2. That thing with the blue GM underlined square on the valve cover, it was like a cruel joke from the general to make people hate Ford trucks.

In 1992? I put a 250HP turbo 3208 Cat in a Ford tandem to replace an 8.2 Detroit. It was a 400 percent improvement. They pulled a 40' dropdeck hauling farm equipment with maybe a 50K gross at times and not very far.

 

[Birken Vogt]

People liked to complain about 3208s but compared to an 8.2 or a gas engine like you say, 400% improvement.

 

[DMiller]

Fuel Pinchers, more like wallet gutters. Not the best offering made by DD, always wondered if was a GM engine conversion relabeled as a DD.

 

[kshansen]

Fuel Pinchers, more like wallet gutters. Not the best offering made by DD, always wondered if was a GM engine conversion relabeled as a DD.

Probably some of the same guys that decided to take a 350 Oldsmobile gas engine and make it run as a diesel! Just because it can be done is not a good reason to do something!

 

[DMiller]

If you look close at the original GM 6.2L light diesel and set it next to an old Pontiac big block, the similarities are scary.

 

[RZucker]

I must be ready to win the lottery, I've owned 6.2's (3) 6.5's (2) and 8.2 DDs (3) with decent luck... But those were never overloaded or abused. Good maintenance helps. I still work a '98 6.5 K3500 every day. When it hits 300,000 miles I'll start thinking about replacing it.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Even if an 8.2 is running right, its complete lack of power and torque makes it miserable to drive up any kind of hill. That is the #1 reason we hated them, #2 was that they had the potential to break expensively and stupidly.

 

[RZucker]

Mine were service trucks that weighed less than 22K. I did lose a turbo on one, and a head gasket with an external leak on another. Bars leak to the rescue there, held on for another 30K miles.
Believe me, the price was the only selling point.

 

[DMiller]

Had a dump truck fleet owner bought Fords with1160s first, then bought a couple 3208s, 8.2 was turbo so thought would have better power man was he wrong. Put 18 ton in a 16 yard body with an 8.2 and a RT6613, all you did ALL day was shift. Bad enough on the 3208Ts he eventually got and then graduated to the Ford 6.6 and 7.8l engines. Guy actually made a little money with those too!! Would run them until warranty was gone then trade.

 

[old-iron-habit]

Probably some of the same guys that decided to take a 350 Oldsmobile gas engine and make it run as a diesel! Just because it can be done is not a good reason to do something!

I remember when these came out in the late 70s as a 1/2 ton pickup with a towing rating of zero, towing not recommended. A ranching friend bought one and put his 16 ft. bumper pull cattle trailer behind it. He ran it with his foot to the floor boards and the slush box transmission in 2nd gear when ever he had the trailer on. It scratched out about 55 mph with his foot flat to the floor. Last I remember he had 180,000 miles on it and still using it to haul calves. It was about the only one I know of that held up to any work.

 

[RZucker]

I remember when these came out in the late 70s as a 1/2 ton pickup with a towing rating of zero, towing not recommended. A ranching friend bought one and put his 16 ft. bumper pull cattle trailer behind it. He ran it with his foot to the floor boards and the slush box transmission in 2nd gear when ever he had the trailer on. It scratched out about 55 mph with his foot flat to the floor. Last I remember he had 180,000 miles on it and still using it to haul calves. It was about the only one I know of that held up to any work.

Strangely enough, there is a guy here in town that has one that is still running. Overhauled once, he just drives it and doesn't tow or haul anything. Pretty truck, two tone blue and has every option you could get in 1979. Really sounds good too.

 

[Truck Shop]

Back in the 80's when I worked for D&M I swapped out 11 Oldsmobubble diesels to gas 350 or 403 engines. Two of the 403's were four bolt. Because so many people
were changing over to gas the price of a good used 350 hit 1,000 bucks from Smith Auto Wrecking in Ephrata. But still GM and their 350 Olds diesel, the 6.2, 6.5 and
that miserable 8.2 were all piles. Some people had good luck with the 6.5 and some didn't.

 

[Truck Shop]

Strangely enough, there is a guy here in town that has one that is still running. Overhauled once, he just drives it and doesn't tow or haul anything. Pretty truck, two tone blue and has every option you could get in 1979. Really sounds good too.

A few years back I saw a vega and a pacer about a mile apart on the highway, moving under their own power. The only thing missing was a olds diesel following them

 

[colson04]

Back in the 80's when I worked for D&M I swapped out 11 Oldsmobubble diesels to gas 350 or 403 engines. Two of the 403's were four bolt. Because so many people
were changing over to gas the price of a good used 350 hit 1,000 bucks from Smith Auto Wrecking in Ephrata. But still GM and their 350 Olds diesel, the 6.2, 6.5 and
that miserable 8.2 were all piles. Some people had good luck with the 6.5 and some didn't.

My Grandpa ran a Chevy Scotsdale 20 with a 6.2L as his farm truck for 10 years or better. He bought it used and abused. Never touched the drivetrain, just brakes and regular oil and filter changes. SM465 transmission. First truck I ever drove, hauling hay out of the fields in the summer. Wasn't going to win any speed races, but it always got the job done. If that body hadn't rusted clean off, my Grandpa would probably still be plugging around in it. Road salt is rough on equipment , especially a farm truck that only got "washed" when it rained.

 

[terex herder]

Fuel Pinchers, more like wallet gutters. Not the best offering made by DD, always wondered if was a GM engine conversion relabeled as a DD.

The 8.2 was based off the big block Chevy gas engine, and built in Romulus, MI.

If you look close at the original GM 6.2L light diesel and set it next to an old Pontiac big block, the similarities are scary.

The 6.2L was based on the small block Oldsmobile. Sucky as a diesel, but converted back to gas it had a hell for stout block. Batten Heads offered aluminum heads that would bolt on the diesel block for gas conversions. They had some success in the racing world, but Old's racing budget wasn't anywhere near on par with Chevy or Ford. Most blocks were big main journal, so the journals had to be sleeved down and line bored.

 

[RZucker]

The 8.2 was based off the big block Chevy gas engine, and built in Romulus, MI.



The 6.2L was based on the small block Oldsmobile. Sucky as a diesel, but converted back to gas it had a hell for stout block. Batten Heads offered aluminum heads that would bolt on the diesel block for gas conversions. They had some success in the racing world, but Old's racing budget wasn't anywhere near on par with Chevy or Ford. Most blocks were big main journal, so the journals had to be sleeved down and line bored.

Pretty much wrong on both counts.
The 8.2, no matter how much it sucked was it's own design from DDA.
The 6.2 and 6.5 were actually a Detroit Diesel design and had zero to do with the Olds engine. The 5.7L was from the Olds block. That's why it will not take a Chevy pattern transmission.