aaron7

iTrader: (7)

I don't know if this has ever been asked (nothing w/search) or ever done, but I was just wondering...

Has anyone ever put a diesel engine in a Camaro/Firebird?

Would there be any advantages?

I think it'd just be neat to pull up next to someone sounding like a school bus lol

nolanr0413

i know you could do it, the only way to do it is to have a 5 cylinder from something, a car or whatever so its fairly small, and then have a turbo or two on it. I think it would be cool to do .

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

This is an engine swap topic.

I'll let the Mod over there decide if it will live...

rjmcgee

Here ya go.

IROC-Z2814

GM did make a 350 diesel engine. Its basically a 350 block with different pistons and heads and its diesel. It should drop right in a bolt up but if you bolt it to an automatic, make sure its built for a diesel motor and not a gas motor because of the different shift points and some internal stuff

neubauej

The 350 diesel motor GM made was a gas Oldsmobile 350 converted to diesel, they pretty much self-destructed after a few thousand miles because they weren't designed for those kind of pressures.

VortecZ

iTrader: (2)

Chevrolet built a lot of trucks with V8 diesels that could probably be fitted in a thridgen with a little work. They also made S-10s with little bitty diesels that would fit pretty easily but they didn't have any power at all. I'd like to see somebody try one of the 6.5L Turbo Diesel swaps.

mikobu3

i got a 1994 6.5 turbo diesel truck , and it goes pretty good has 190 hp and about 390 tourque , i no for a fact that if you chip it and put a better exhaust on it with a cold air kit you can see a honest 250 hp and about 500 tourque

man i wish i had the mechanical skills i wouls definetly try it to put it in a third gen

aaron7

iTrader: (7)

So do diesels have more torque? I'm trying to find pros/cons of such a conversion (besides the headaches of putting it in lol)

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

This is correct. The engines were pure junk and never should have been converted.

Air_Adam

Diesels have an absurd amout of torque, but they can very rarely rev higher than 3500 or so, and they weigh ALOT (some over 1000lbs)

But hey, you could run your 3rdgen under water if you wanted to

Air_Adam

True... *as a diesel engine* they blew...

BUT, if you convert one of those blocks back to gasoline, it will be even more bulletproof than a Chevy 350, because the main webbing and (i think) the cylinders are ALOT beefier than a Chevy or Olds 350 gas motor.

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

Yup indeed. I was talking about how poorly they were as diesels because they were never desinged for such a "jerry rigging" in the first place.

VortecZ

iTrader: (2)

The pros to MOST diesels is that you can do a lot with fuel pumps and turbos to get a ton of power and torque out of them. Plus you can get killer mileage. The cons would be the weight,the rpm limit, and the pain of doing the swap.

Just as an example, my family has a pulling tractor. It has a straight 6 that originally had around 125hp and a 2500 rpm red line from the factory. Now, with 4 turbos, it has around 2500hp and tachs around a 6000 down the track. This engine could never be put in a thirdgen and you couldn't use it as a daily driver but it shows that diesels can be made to have a lot of power just like gas motors.

GoonieZ28

And don't forget another pro:

You'll never have to give your car a tune up or change the spark plugs (there won't be any) if you convert it to diesel.

Con:
Not only will it sound like a school bus, it'll smell like one too. (And I heard diesel fumes are carcinagenic).

GoonieZ28

And don't forget another pro:

You'll never have to give your car a tune up or change the spark plugs (there won't be any) if you convert it to diesel.

Con:
Not only will it sound like a school bus, it'll smell like one too. (And I heard diesel fumes are carcinagenic).

wm_sorg

Modern diesels run pretty clean. With propane injection they make mad horespower. Check out www.bullydog.com

CaddiBird

In the concrete truck my bro drives he said it has like a 1800rpm redline. But if you ever seen trucks on Spike that guy has gotten 450+hp and over 700ft lbs at the wheels after puting a good bit of bolt ons on it.

aaron7

iTrader: (7)

So it sounds like a good idea for the most part... I wonder if anyone is up to the challenge

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Think about it: How fast would you be going in each gear if you shifted at 1800 RPMs?

Okay, most diesels rev higher than that, but just the drivetrain mods alone are reason for pause. Don't forget your vacuum-powered AC/heat system and power brakes.

Yes, I've seen turbocharged, propane injected diesel trucks outrun me at the track. But, I've also seen them break parts ugly at the line, and the amount of money those guys have spent on those trucks is obscene. The same money they spent on mods alone would buy and build an 11-sec race car.

Cubic inch for cubic inch, a spark ignition gasoline engine will put out more torque and horsepower than a diesel. Pound for pound, it isn't even close.

I honestly expected this thread to die as soon as it hit this forum. To see it continue on has shaken my faith a little.

(The funniest thing I saw watching one of those pumped-up diesels run was one evening when we had a slight tail breeze. He power-braked the turbo up while staging, created so much thick, dark black smoke all over the starting line that when he took off, the light beam didn't make for a few seconds; he broke out really, really bad - and it was eliminations...)

MrDude_1

*thinks to self: he must be in Cali.. everything is carcinagenic there*

*looks at your location*

yup.



lol..


seriously though, when it comes to modding them for power, theres one thing you forgot about..... alot of them are turbocharged.... and well... if you crank up the boost right, its NOT that costly to make big power.
just like most other turbo cars.

AustinT

cummins makes a small 4 cylinder that would fit, I think it even has the same bellhousing bolt pattern as a small block chev. I was going to put one in a pickup a while ago back. A friend has one in a truck that is getting over 30 mpg. Go to the cummins website and it should be there, They used them in some van trucks

Kontrax

why even bother with a diesel engine. yes they have a lot of torque and the milage is great. but its way to much money to push power compared to a gas engine. plus youd have to change your tranny.why would you waste money on a downgrade? sure it would be cool to have a diesel 3rd gen but it wouldnt go anyplace without a lot of mods... plus who the hell would buy it if you wanted to sell it?

SSC

See topic post.

I was considering swaping in a diesel engine, low mileage from a wrecked truck. The problem is parts are too expensive, an injection pump for a late model costs $1600 and no bone yard is gonna let one go cheap either.
Tune up's consiste of draining water from the system, very common and if the engine has glow plugs (some dont most do) thats $10-$20 a pop if they go bad. Also need to mention a glow plug controller $350.

The 4 cyl engines, Cummins TDI use a BOP pattern and usually are backed up by a BOP TH400. Frito Lay runs these engines in thier delivery trucks, when they go up for sale you can pick them up for $1000-1500 bucks but theres a waiting list a mile long. I'm still waiting for one so I can use in in my dune buggy.

Kontrax

just not worth the time if you ask me. but if you do decide to do it, id love to see pictures

theratdude64

What about the Duramax? Would that work?

AustinT

The Duramax would not fit, Your best bet is the 4 cylinder cummins motors that were installed in some bread trucks

84Z28_5.7ltr_V8

I do9nt mean to sound like a queer but.... um.. how exactly does a diesel engine work.. how does it make spark????

aaron7

iTrader: (7)

I think diesel explodes when compressed... therefore not needing spark or something like that...

slammnmini

interesting idea...would like to see pics if ever done...butttt cmon guys...camaros are sports cars..would it be cool seein it rip down the track or seein a 3rd gen pullin a 30ft enclosed hauler?

SuperchargedRS

I bet if you really wanted to you could shoe-horn a duramax in there, if I were to go D I would, look at this

SuperchargedRS

2of3

SuperchargedRS

3of3

Wi$h

Ok, a diesel doesn't use sparkplugs, not sure how the fuel is ignited. but most importantly Diesel's run slower, therefore not being able to go to high rpm's, lasting about 2 to 3 times longer than a gas engine, running much cooler than a gas engine, and the reason why a V8 diesel can get the same gas mileage as a gas V6 (example, my dad's 96'Ford F350 dually 7.3L turbodiesel gets better mileage than my mom's 98' V6 four door Blazer, but then i again her V6 is comparable in gas mileage to my 5.7L V8).

But the pro's of a diesel are:
-great all around torque
-good gas mileage for large engines( and those 4 cylinder diesels in the new Volkswagons make like 40 to 50 mpg)
-most diesels now are turbo, providing more power and a good way to mod
-most diesel engines can run to about 200,000 miles without any major repairs( my dad's is at 165,000, no repairs except new glowplugs, which are expensive, $15 a pop)
-diesel fuel is sometimes cheaper than regular unleaded, depending on your location

Cons:
-Low rpm redline( my dad's is at 3800)
-Some can be very loud at just an idle and the fumes are unwanted( my dad's interior smells like diesel fuel from the fumes)
-alot heavier than a gas engine
-diesels do burn oil( at least all of ours have, even when new)
-lots of work to swap, because hey, a diesel is just not meant for a sports car
-parts are expensive(glow plugs for example)

hope this info helps

Guest

If this post wasnt for the dogs when it started, it sure is now.

If you dont know the facts, keep it to yourself.

Diesel engines generally fire by compression, thats it. And there is nothing about a diesel that prevents it from revving, you should see the redline on my friends Mercedes. Freeway cruise rpm is 3k. I dont see anything lacking revs from that.