New engine for the family truckster!

[njsteve]

You will like that Diamondeye exhaust and crossover. That was my Christmas present two years ago. The 6.5s really breathe with that setup. That factory crossover pipe is a horrible double wall design and 50% of them have a collapsed inner pipe at the bends. It reduces the flow from a 2" pipe to a 1/2" pipe.

I've been running the Heath maxi-torque chip and turbomaster manual boost adjuster for 6 years. My truck is an OBD1 so it uses the old fashioned PROM chip. Good stuff. I also have a delegated laptop that has the GMTD Scantech software on it so I can reset the pump when I install it on the new engine. Without that you have to go to the dealer and they usually had no idea whatsoever on how to work on these trucks (unless you find an oldtimer still working there) .

Never run a starter without a brace on these engines. Many a horror story of guys breaking the ear off the block from the starter loosening the two mounting bolts and then torqueing over without the brace in place.

Let's see a photo! My neighbor down the street has the exact same truck (but a 454) and it's black. Evil looking monster.

My first casualty so far has been the starter - the tiny terminal on the solenoid snapped off...and get this...the AC/Delco solenoid is discontinued and even an aftermarket version is $165!!!! But a brand new ACDelco (not reman) starter is $148 (rockauto). Ordered it yesterday.

[njsteve]

Oh, the joys of getting those last two upper bellhousing to engine bolts. There is no easy way to do it. They are double studs with all sorts of brackets coming off the studs. And not accessible from under the truck. I had to rip the remainder of the inch-thick, sound deadener pads (probably made of asbestos) off the firewall to even see the studs. That, of course is after I pulled the intake manifold, fuel/water separator, assorted non-moveable wiring harnesses, etc,. Luckily I borrowed my friend's ladder-creeper - a real life saver! I used a ratcheting, angled, closed end, 1/2" wrench for the nuts and 9/16" for the studs. - yeah this is a 1995 so they used SAE threaded transmission-to-engine bolts. Everything else on the engine is metric.

[njsteve]

Oh, and yes this was the extent of my family's assistance in this endeavor on this holiday weekend - laughing at me as I am devoured by the family truckster and photographing it for posterity. :-)

[earntaz]

Climbing into the engine bay like that is really getting into your work ... LoL TAZ

[njsteve]

I spoke too soon this morning. My wife was busy so my son actually helped me take the hood off the truck so the hoist would fit. Though I did have to wake him up at 11:00 AM to do it.

[njsteve]

We have lift off at noon E.S.T. today. Of course the new lift cylinder was at max extension with the rad support still 3/4" higher than the oil pan. I had to take the truck off the jack stands and use two floor jacks to lower it down as far as possible so I could get the engine over the front end. The boy actually assisted in pulling the cherry picker away from the truck. So he is now taking credit for pulling his first diesel engine.

[earntaz]

Extend the boom one or two notches ...