2009 GEP 6.5 swap

[BA_051]

Well, the head bolts were scrapped and received some arp studs. Used permatex high temp thread sealer after chasing all threads and cleaning them when I installed new headgaskets and reinstalled the heads. No leaks anywhere! No more disappearing coolant (no idea where it was going before) and after flushing the cooling system 3-4 times over 2 weeks has cleared everything up. All is good! Except one thing... I had to upgrade it...

I got both turbo exhaust manifolds, new crossover pipe, upper and lower intake manifolds, turbo pressure and return tube, everything to put a turbo on for a mere $400... My father-in-law bought me an HX-35w to bolt on and I made a new exhaust flange for it and a true 4" downpipe and exhaust...

It's now running 15-16 lbs of boost, IP is turned up about 1/2 turn, and it is totally wicked... Beats the snot out of the n/a version and better than my 406 stroker... And double the gas mileage... Last tank (33 gal) averaged about 600 miles vs my stoker was barely 350 miles on 33 gallons... Love this truck even more...

[BA_051]

Just an update... It made the journey to Washington just fine. Total weight was just shy of 14,000 lbs and it still averaged 14 mpg averaging between 60-70 mph...

Here in Washington, I have just touched the 20 psi boost mark in 4th at WOT and 3000 rpm but it typically only sees 12-15 psi... The wastegate is set to 20 psi so it rarely even opens. No haze at all when cruising and having to pass someone at 60. I will have to get pics up of the current setup.

[budojeepr]

Hey BA,

I love this truck! Great job on the low-cost build and thanks for sharing part numbers etc.

I put a homemade waste-gate control (just all-thread and springs) on that I have set to limit to 7psi boost. I am afraid of blowing a head gasket, perhaps needlessly. My rig also has the interesting disappearing coolant issue, but none ever shows up in my oil, nor oil in the coolant. I might just do the head stud and gasket fix you did.

The only long-term issue I've had was twice my fuel lines developed air leaks. Each time was a few years apart, so I'd forgotten the symptoms and fix and was convinced I'd worn out the IP. Sooner or later I'm going to install the 40-gallon Suburban tank with all new braided lines and -AN fittings and forget about all that stuff.

Looking forward to more pics and updates!

[TrenchFoot]

I'm digging those cast iron motor mount spacers. Clearing the steering shaft seems to be a common issue. Any idea how much that raised your overall height?

I want a set now and stole one of your pics to use in a wanted ad on The Diesel Page. If you have a spare set lemme know.

[BA_051]

I don't have spares unfortunately... they are the factory spacers/motor mount brackets from the military hummer. I had to redrill the mount pattern to bolt on my adapter mounts from advance adapters. The military mounts are different from everyone else...

It actually sits quite low in the engine bay and wouldn't fit if I didn't have the 10" or so lift on it... I have since added 2" spacers to raise it up a bit for better drive line angles...

[BA_051]

Here is a shot of the motor as it sits now. I will have to get more. I am looking for a different thermostat crossover so I can use the 1996+ AC/powersteering bracket so I can mount up my York 210 for my OBA again. I loved having OBA with my 360 and my stroker.



Also, I am working on building a fan shroud from fiberglass to fit the 21" duramax fan and the radiator I swapped in. I will have to get pics of that as I progress through the project.

[TrenchFoot]

Have you put the sway bar in? I'm curious what the clearance is between the crank pulley and harmonic balancer is from the sway bar. Trying to position my 6.2 motor mounts and with the engine as low as I can position it my balancer is pretty close and my oil fill is still pretty high.

[BA_051]

Oh, no sway bars for me. Even in stock form, my '74 did not come with a sway bar. The mounting holes/brackets are not present like on my 76/78/79 parts trucks.

It really doesnt have a lot of sway to begin with, unlike my 96 SAS exploder, I HAD to run sway bars front and back with that... I dont think I will put one on unless I make it a 4 link w/ coils...

... I need to get some more pics posted of the current setup. I changed the thermostat crossover to the single, bypass blocking thermostat from the 1992-1995 6.5's so I can fab a bracket to mount my york 210... I miss my OBA like I had on my amc... And get pics of my fan shroud... I made one out of fiberglass and it fits absolutely perfectly...

[TrenchFoot]

Gotcha. Like any swapper I'm fixated on the final position of the engine. I am as low as I can get it without hitting the harmonic balancer. With the front clip off the frame I can't tell if the tstat, oil fill or cruise control diaphragm are too high, but they look like they might be. I may end up needing a tstat housing like you just replaced so my coolant hose doesn't hit.

[BA_051]

Ok well I made a fan shroud out of fiberglass during my spare time and it fits absolutely perfectly, but I cant mount it quite yet... I need to add a little to the top so I can mount it to the radiator... Here are some pics of the build stages...
cardboard cut to core size:

Cant show this image because it has 3 smiley faces in the URL... Dont know why it wont show the image but whatever, its a cardboard square the size of the radiator core.

Cardboard cut to fan size +1/2", so 21.5" around


Using 1" strips to make a positive of the shroud, all taped together using clear packing tape...





First couple layers of fiberglass:



Removing the Cardboard positive... The tape made it come out real easy...




I have marked where I will trim the fiberglass to make it 3" wide and clean up the edges.

It looks like the shroud is a little, off, but its just camera trickery... Its perfectly square, and the top is nice and even... the glare on the right side makes it look a bit warped, but its not lol More Pics to come as I finish up the shroud...


Also working on getting my OBA back on... I found an 8 rib serpentine clutch for the york compressors for a mere $65... Just need to fab a bracket and on it goes! Pics of the that to come...

[jarhead_jeeper]

Nice work on this project. I will be doing something similar to your fan shroud for my truck. I will be mounting an electric fan (which I think is from a Ford Taurus) to my shroud. I will likely copy what you did for the form. Thanks for sharing.

[Heavy_Metal_Thunder_81]

Saw this rig in person today while picking up some parts that Andrew was holding onto for me. Real nice build and clean install.

[BA_051]

Ok, I had some time over the past week or two to finish the shroud and just threw some silver engine enamel on it. I added a lip on the bottom and put a piece of cardboard across it so there is 1/8" gap so it hooks on the bottom of my radiator. I added another lip on the top and will use two 1/4-20" screws and unuts to bolt it to the top of the radiator. I will get some final pics once its in tomorrow.

[BA_051]

OH and I got one of these! Now I can finish the mount for my York 210. Coolant Crossover from a 1996 6.5TD

[WrenchMonkey]

Wow, sounds like an awesome rig, I saw your sig from the heater stuff sell post and was like "I've got to see this!" lol. What's the whole rig look like?

And very nice job with the fiberglass shroud, I may end up doing that myself. We should have a note taking emoji...