New engine for the family truckster!

[njsteve]

Thank you! This was quite the process. I have always been intimidated by modern stuff so this was something of a leap of faith, hoping it would work when the process was completed. and this engine is really heavy - I'd compare it to a fully dressed iron 426 Hemi in weight. And the fact that most mechanics have long forgotten how to work on and tune the 6.5 diesels - that was incentive to learn it all myself - combined with the unimaginable $$$$ cost of 9 days of labor doing the swap if I had a truck garage do it.

In the end, I don't know what I was so concerned about given that all the computerized stuff just runs itself once it is plugged back in. That was one of the reasons I tried to retain as much of the known running components on the new engine - old injection pump, injectors, wiring etc. I didn't want too many variables throwing a wrench in the process. I did end up replacing the Fuel separator/filter, starter, and radiator, with AC/Delco parts. I also replaced the engine mounts (the GM ones are no longer available) - though the diesel guys warned me that all the mount manufacturers superceded the mount part numbers to one unit that fits smallblocks, big blocks and the diesel - when the diesel had a special much heavier duty rubber used. As luck would have it I found one NOS GM diesel mount on ebay...one day after setting the motor back in the truck. So we will see how long the NAPA mounts last. AT least I have a spare in case one fails.

Now the truck is ready for cruising again!