Custom Engine Swap (for the fun of it)
 

Hi,

Ok... I am pretty sure I know the answer, but this thread is intended to be theoretical, fun, informing, etc.

I've had a daydream ever since I bought I the first van months ago. I've probably daydreamed of this before, but a friend brought the idea up a few nights ago and I am thinking of it. He has a 93' Ram 3500 with the Cummins diesel in it. He told me people are buying old 70's and 80's trucks and dropping new diesel crate engines into them.

This brings me back to my day dream. What would be the specific road blocks one would encounter if he tried to drop a Caterpillar or Cummins crate engine into a Savana/Express? Either an older one, or a new one like mine? My thoughts are something fuel efficient and reliable as opposed to raw pulling power. A turbo charged inline 6, or 5. Something equatible to the 4.8L and one million miles before major service.

I am guessing:

Transmission incompatibility
- Would this require a custom bellhousing or a specific transmission? No more new 6 speed in my case?

GMLAN / CANBUS Issues
- How would you interface the non-GM crate engine to modern electronics like mine? Drive by Wire? Would it be possible? Speedometer, Odometer, Tachometer, Gauges?

Engine Room
- Would anything fit? There must be crate engines that would fit?

Cost
- Any guess onto the cost of a conversion? $10K? $15K?

Practicality
- Would it be practical, aside from the major headaches and cash outlay. Would be there be benefits to a smaller fuel efficient third party diesel?

EPA
- My friend said... who's going to check? Just theoretical remember.



Thanks.


PS. Colorado is sold, I am going to miss it.

Since the duramax is better than those engines why would you bother?
Don't mean to be a downer...lol

If you are going to buy a crate engine, is should be a hi perf gas engine. Imagine a 502 big block, or the big block replacement hi perf 6.2 litre gas. That would be fun.....but expensive fun.

Yes, easiest to just buy a van with a low mileage diesel already in it.


Or you can buy 6.5 diesel (Detroit) crate motors that will bolt right in to the 90s and early 2000s vans. There is a company that makes them.. Optimizer, or something like that.

Yes, Optimizer it is... would need the N/A version.


US Engine Production! Manufacture Ford - Cummins - Marine - OPTIMIZER 6500

......and for the 6500 that optimizer costs.....man what a gas engine you could get.
There is a youtube vid of a savana smoking car after car at the 1/4 mile....lol.

The Duramax is better than both the Cummins and Caterpillar? My specific question was in regards to economy, not pulling power. But I am pleasantly surprised to hear that. Damn, might have to trade the van in again for a diesel. :)

I didn't realize that the Duramax may actually last a lot longer than the 6.0L. I'd love to set this van up for 20 or 25 years, but fuel by then has to be prohibitive? I was just with my buddy and his 1993 Ram 3500. Just needs a paint job from bush scrapes, other than that it's in great shape. No rust, runs like a champ.

So no suggestions on a economical diesel crate engine and the difficulties to encounter doing a swap? I was hoping this thread would be more fun. An inline five or six is what I had in mind.

I bet an Isuzu 4cyl diesel would sit in there real nice... can't imagine the modifications to do so.

Isuzu 3.9L Diesel Conversion?

It's been done before with that motor in a Silverado and a discussion here for a Safari van. So lets pretend this is the motor going into an Express/Savana like mine. A late model one.

My 2014 is drive by wire as far as I know. Would there be anyway to interface this onto the diesel? Same with the tranny, I have electric shift right? Then there's the gauges... From glancing that thread, it seems physically possible. You could even get a pre 1995 motor which is completely mechanical, rather than electronic/computer controlled.

But how would you interface it? Would you drop my 6 speed transmission for mechanical linkage?

If it was easy I would actually consider it.

That's actually pretty cool. I would get an older G30 van in nice condition.. all mechanical.. put the Isuzu in there.... that would be the cats meow. Those Isuzu 4 cyl are bullet proof and more reliable then the Detroit/Optimizer (The Duramax is actually an Isuzu design


Wouldn't even know where to begin with a modern Express.

Theoretically, couldn't you buy an old Savana for parts and move the mechanical linkages over to a new one like mine? I hate the dash in those, but... what do you do? I suppose you'd have to move the electrical harnesses and dash over too. Or maybe you could somehow just swap the gauge cluster and run new wires....

I like the thought/concept of this.

Years back I purchased a mechanical 6bt to install in a B3500 looked fairly straight forward.
Well a gentleman in Missouri has done that swap in a 94B350 and I was fortunate to speak to him before I began. First he loves the van but says he would never do it again. He mentions the small but time consuming issues like converting the fuel system, engine compartment wiring and in later vans getting the dash gages and hvac system to operate is small potatoes.

He is into a 1994 B350 in excess of 50k and it is no show van the most significant issues were the additional weight on the front end and heat. The exhaust took him three try too locate the turbo properly the first try melted his dash slightly while he was sitting in traffic. Vans engine compartments as we all know are hot in the summer imagine a turbo diesel with those exhaust gas temps. Not a easy problem to solve, I don't recall where he located the turbo but he did add quite a bit of heat shielding. The additional weight he dealt with by taking the spring weights of a Dodge Cummins 4500 (chassis body) and have a custom pair made along with upgrading everything he could in the front suspension, I believe he likes the current setup.

IMHO go with a Duramax as it will be enough work and relatively bolt in, best of luck if you make the plunge.

Or just buy this and be done with it...


Chevrolet Express 1 Owner 197K Solid Southern Wagon C 60 Photos Rig | eBay

That interior brings back memories, but I don't want to go back to that. I'll just daydream about a little diesel and ways to make it work. It's beyond my resources, but I like the idea if it wasn't.

That ebay van is CLEAN!!!!

I know, it's tempting just for that reason! People down South are lucky. It's not too bad here, but there's so much water you won't find a van that clean here. Go East and the salt eats them alive.

Here is another, wouldn't mind having this one...


Chevrolet Express 1 Owner 164K HD Look Alloys Clean A Team Wagon | eBay

Another nice clean van but I have to agree with dberladyn that current vans are rugged as well and much more comfortable to drive. Also these older diesel G30s seem too hold their value, for those sums of money you can purchase a nice decade newer Express.

More comfortable yes... but that van's body will outlast any Express on the road, easier to repair, the paint won't fall off, and will get 24mpg. If I bought that I would put in some captains chairs, air springs on the front and some insulation... will be plenty comfortable. Wish I had a reason to buy it.

24mpg? Are you serious? If that's the case, I definitely bought the wrong van but... Anyways, you can't be right on that. I can't see GM making newer vans only to have them get half the mileage. The Savana/Express Diesel owners I talked with get the same kilometers out of a tank that I do with my 6.0L.

Ill stand corrected at 20mpg highway.