I rescued a '51 1/2 ton a couple of years ago that needs a lot of love out of a barn. It's a mutt, but I've always had a soft spot for such things. I had hopes of making her dance again with the original running gear, but the venerable old 216 seen better days. She's still worth salvaging, and I my humble opinion all old trucks are, but I'm faced with a dilemma. How am I going to repower the old girl? I've looked at getting another 216, but it's under powered and the oil delivery is iffy. 235, 261, 292? At the end of the they are all antiquated iron. Anything modern is going to take a lot of metal massage, so why not do something different, something weird? My mind floated to diesel. I saw that that diesel has been tossed around here, couple of times, but not really explored. I have to admit, I only spent about a half hour looking. Please prove me wrong. But how about something a little taboo and maybe a little off putting? ...Volkswagen TDI in Stovebolt. Has anybody dained to do such a thing...? Am I going to be banned???
Nope, not banned- - - -just ridiculed and ostracized. We need somebody new to pick on, as we get tired of beating up on each other all the time. There's nothing really wrong with a Diesel in a stovebolt, as long as you don't mind driving around in a slow, stinky, noisy vehicle that belches lots of ugly smoke. The kids with their jacked-up 4X4's and exhaust pipes approximately the size of the English Channel tunnel love their coal-rolling toys. Dad had a saying years ago that went something like this - - - -"Diesels are just like sex- - - -highly overrated and stinky!"
Kidding aside, go ahead with your project. Nobody's really going to rake you over the coals about it, but be aware the engine is only the beginning. You're going to need to do your homework on transmission and rear end ratios, and give it enough gears to keep the engine in a fairly narrow torque band. You might also want to consider the engines used in the Isuzu cabover trucks and similar offerings by Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and others. They've already done the heavy lifting on putting together a good-working drivetrain that plays nice with the engine. The average back yard tinkerer doesn't have access to the same kind of engineering departments! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Jerry, re., what you GrandPa said, I definitely don't feel that way but my Mrs might LOL.....
bigBob, I met a fellow last fall and bought some hay bails from him. What does that have to do with your question you may ask? well I'll tell you, he drove up to meet me at his gate in an AD body that was attached to a Dodge 2500 frame that included the full Cummins powered driver train. HE extended the bed into an extra long long bed and the only other telltale sign something was different in it's stance was the front wheels stuck out past the fenders, otherwise it looked very good. It's alot of work shoul done undertake such a project but it's doable...
As been said this is the HiPo forum, purists are always welcomed but we likes to do alittle tweak'n around here, and encourage it LOL. I took alot of pics that day LOL. Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Pic 4 Pic 5 Pic 6 Pic 7 Pic 8
The VW TDI engines are good, I' have two in the cars and had another before these. I believe people are putting them in Jeeps, so someone has already figured out rear wheel drive transmission options. They've had stand alone computers for a while too I believe.
The 98 I had, ALH engine, with a tune might be a good choice in a light AD truck, the 1/2 ton. I got 50 couple MPG in the car at about 3,000 lb and it would really get up and go, nothing slow or weak about it. Also have an 05 BEW and it may have more power (also tuned) but I liked how the ALH drove more, felt like better low end torque, more tractor like. The BEW engines can have cam shaft issues, and expensive injectors. The ALH is a lot of bang for the buck and still affordable to work on (not that you need to much at all).
The very first thing we do when someone wants to go diesel is find what it weighs. A lot of diesels are not fit for 1/2T trucks but I see the VW TDI weights in at 361 pounds. My wife's 64 Ford 1/2T had a Perkins in it that had the springs reverse arched---not good. If diesel is of any size a very shallow rear gear can be used in a light vehicle, her's had a 2.29. Couldn't take the noisy, smelly, black fog so replaced with a 302 gas engine.
But since I currently don't have one, I'm dropping in a 383 stroker.