i think daimlerchrysler owns Detroit Diesel these days. should be one of their 'little' motors showing up in the jeep liberty soon
as for y anyone would want to do 65 in these beasts..... yes, i'll definitely say 20 miles of the way home with my '59 2-ton was the most fun 20 miles since i had the '55 chevy street racer. and i only hit 50 a couple times when traffic absolutely demanded it.
but, that's what it's all about - what modern traffic calls for. i don't mind people going around me all day, and they sure as hell understand they have to when they see what's in front of them. but, in a couple of spots, for a few miles at a time maybe, it just makes the diff between being able to drive it and not.
my goal when i get to putting the '59 back together is to be able to hit 55 for 5 min or so, whenever i need. that covers the short hops of real highway (where people do 70-75 most of the time) i need to cross a couple bridges on the beltway around DC. i can take slow roads before and after, but a trip WAY out of my way to take a ferry instead of the direct route just ain't gonna happen.
so keep 'em original - but do the important stuff right, and if you can get a few more winds out of the drive train when needed, you're probably set. even when they were NEW these things weren't all meant for the long highway trips we take for granted these days
