Turbo 6.2L build thread

[80Sierra]

Hey Guys!

This is going to be my build thread for the Turbo 6.2L I am planning on building up in the near future.

To get the ball rolling, I have a few quick (probally fundamental) questions for you guys:

1. Since I am planning on turbocharging the truck with a 6.5L turbo setup, and my engine is an 82 red block diesel with the coarse threaded injectors, I have to swap my heads out. I've been told that a 6.5L head flows slightly better than a 6.2L head and that it can be bolted straight on. Is that the case? If so, I found a local supplier that sells brand new 6.5L heads fully dressed with valves, springs etc for 500 dollars per head. Is that a good deal? Or can I rebuild the heads from my donor 93 for less?

2. Also on the topic of swapping heads, what would be the best headgasket to use? Is there a difference between the 6.2L and 6.5L head gaskets?

3. When switching over to a 99 water pump and crossover, are there any modifications I'd need to make to my engine? I plan on running the serpentine accessories from the donor 6.5L engine.

Thanks for your help guys! I'll be posting up a couple of pictures of the 6.2L and my donor engine this weekend :)

[DmaxMaverick]

The 6.5L heads will bolt up. Use a 6.5 head gasket, they're different and the gasket should match the head. Felpro is the better brand, and be sure to get new head bolts (they are not reusable), and Felpro brand is fine for those too.

No mods to the engine, but if you are using a 99 pump, you'll have to use the rest of the accessories also. They will all be serpentine, and the serpentine water pump rotates opposite the engine (unlike the older V-belt pumps), as the pump is driven on the back of the belt (notice no grooves on the pump pulley).

Heads.....Hmmmm. If you are paying $500 a piece, get late cast GEP/AMG. If what you are looking at are aftermarket, or unknown origin, way too much. I wouldn't suggest messing with your 93 heads unless they are crack free and true. If they are, don't waste money on a rebuild unless you have a damaged valve seat or valve. If they look good, lap them and install as-is. If they fail later, they would have no matter how much money you spend on them now, and you'd be right where you are now with them. Save the money for later, if you ever need it. A pressure test and magna-flux wouldn't hurt.

When you are done with this project, you'll essentially have a 6.5L engine, only with a 6.2L block. You may also consider using coated pistons.

[80Sierra]

Can I run the serpentine accessories from my 93 donor 6.5L, or do I have to run the 99 accessories?

If I do just use the 93 heads as they are, can I swap the valve springs from my 82 heads over? The 93 heads have a good 250 000 miles on them, while the 82 has less than 100 000 miles on it. It'd probably be a good idea to change them out and have something with a bit less tension...

I'll be taking delivery of the donor truck this afternoon, and will be tearing it down fairly quickly, so I'll post some pictures later on this coming week :)

[DmaxMaverick]

93 or 99. Either one, but not mixed, as the accessories are in different places and the brackets won't match up.

Just replace the springs if you insist on messing with them at all (don't bother switching them). With those miles on them, if they aren't broken, they ain't gonna. Valve springs are pretty much a non issue (as long as they aren't broken) on these engines. RPM's too low to worry about them. New stem seals are good, though. I'd still use the original retainers as well. High mileage isn't a bad thing unless something is worn, wore out, or broken. Also referred to as "seasoned", the parts will be work hardened and heat cycled, leading to more reliability down the road. I've seen many times more new parts fail than good "old parts". Not really sure what you mean by "less tension". Shouldn't be an issue.

Also, you will have to use the injector lines that match the IP, head and injectors you choose. If you use a DB-2 pump (6.2 or MFI 6.5), you will have to use the -93 lines, not the 99. 82 and 93 injector angles and length are different, too, so you'll have to match according to that choice. Be sure to use the CORRECT lines. DO NOT bend them to match.

[80Sierra]

Sounds good!

I did some measuring today, and was shocked to discover that my 6.2L has the same length injectors as the 93 does. The angle is different, but the length is the same. I'm going to attempt to bolt the 6.5L turbo up before I take the heads off the older engine. If it fits without any major clearance issues, then I think I will just bolt it together as is, turn up the IP a bit to accommodate for the turbo, add the girdle, and a fluid damper, then call it good enough for now :)

[80Sierra]

Just a quick update here...

I finally got the 6.5L and NV4500 pulled out of the 93 1 ton, and sitting on the shop floor. I have the 16th through the 24th off, and I'll be spending that week getting this engine put together and installed :D

[80Sierra]

Got the 6.5L torn down and have all of the parts I need to turbocharge my 6.2L now. I cleaned my 6.2L up nicely and started disassembling it. I got the whole top end pulled, and will be pulling the timing cover next.

Since I am replacing the timing set, would you guys recommend I go for the chain drive setup again, or should I drop the dollars to get a gear drive system? I hear a gear drive helps with starting and idle quality due to more precise timing, but is it worth the extra 300 bucks?

I ordered my girdle kit today, and should be getting it on Saturday. I plan on picking up a gasket kit tomorrow to re-seal everything on the top end.

Another thing I need to buy is a harmonic balancer. The one I have is still in one piece but has some dry rotting in the rubber ring. Should I replace it with a stock style again, or should I again drop the extra 300 bucks and get a fluid dampner?

[Rytari]

get the new balancer anyway... original or fluid, but it helps... how much costs orignal one and what is the difference between prices...

i replaced my chain couple years ago, and all ready i have little loose chain... gears would be better when making engine for yourself :)

[DmaxMaverick]

When factoring the additional cost of the gears and fluid damper, you need to consider your future, as well. If you plan to always have a 6.2/6.5, then it is a worthwhile investment. Both will likely never wear out, and you can use them on other engines later. You may never have to buy a timing set or damper again. That's money saved, but the ROI is a long period of time.

[80Sierra]

Thats where I am at as well. I ordered a new chain timing set for the engine, and plan on getting a normal balancer as well. If I decide to change it out in the future, it isn't such a big deal as the timing chain to gear swap would be.

So, that leaves me with needing a new balancer, some gaskets, and a whole lotta cleaning to have my engine put together and running :)

[80Sierra]

Well, made some good progress this week.

I have the engine so clean you could eat off it, all the threads have been chased to clean them up, and the engine is lookin' good with a fresh coat of paint.

I dropped the oil pan on it and was pleasantly surprised to discover that my engine has no cracks that I can find in the mains. I did a visual inspection, ran my dentist's pick across it, and also heated the mains with a butane torch to see if I could make any oil seep out of invisible cracks. Nothing I could see!

The bores all look fantastic from the bottom end as well, nice crosshatching on all 8 cylinders, and no scoring on any of the cylinder walls. While I was in there I installed a DSG main girdle kit to keep the mains crack free, and re-installed the oil pan after cleaning up the mating surface. I also installed my new timing gears, and the timing cover.

Tomorrow I hope to get the injector pump cleaned up and painted, turn it up for turbocharged service, and install it, along with finishing up some scrubbing on the various engine accessory brackets etc I have sitting in the carb dip to degrease them, and some more painting.

This week I should be getting my brand new injectors to install, along with the turbo return line plate that bolts in place of my old mechanical fuel pump, and the passenger side turbo valve cover. I will be picking up a new CRD canister, and should be getting the fuel system and intake installed next weekend. That'll leave me needing to get a new harmonic balancer, 99 6.5L water pump and dual thermostat crossover, and a california truck vaccum pump with the engine speed sensor to connect my tachometer.

If all goes well, I should have the engine ready to install by the end of March. My ultimate goal is to get the Turbo 6.2L and NV4500 / NP241 installed and have the truck driveable by the start of June. I'd like to drive it throughout the summer, then drop it off at the bodyshop in August to have it painted for the following summer.

[zijmer]

i know they are expensive but a fluid dampner seems to be the right way to go seeing that the 6.2/6.5 had a high crankshaft failure.

[80Sierra]

Well, I just installed my timing cover, injection pump, water pump, harmonic balancer and the serpentine pulleys for both the crank and the waterpump.

However, I've come across a bit of an issue. When I rotate the engine by hand, I can hear what sounds like the timing chain rubbing against the side of the timing chain cover, and when I rotate the water pump by hand, I can hear the impeller rubbing against the backing plate.

Both are torqued down all the way to 33 ft lbs, and both only do it for a small number of degrees of rotation. On the crank, its about 1/8th (maybe smaller) of the rotation where I can hear the noise, same with the water pump impeller. Both noises are fairly slight, it is VERY light contact, but you can definitely hear both.

Is something twisted, or will that noise go away as I do the final torque down on my injection pump and run the water pump a bit to wear in the backing plate? I'd hope I don't have to take it all apart again :(

[DmaxMaverick]

Don't know about the water pump. You need to look into it. It shouldn't rub anything. The impeller could be bent (poor handling), and you don't want to use it if it is. Hate to say it, but it needs to come out for a close examination. If it's bent, take it back and exchange for one that isn't bent. I've seen a few of these over the years. Always check before you leave the parts store!

If the IP is off, and you have the IP gear in, it can rub the cover. There's nothing to secure it (normally the pump). It should not rub with the pump installed.

While you have the water pump out, rotate the engine to TDC, and leave it there. Set and verify your valve and IP timing marks. Don't rotate again until you get the IP installed. That'll keep the gear where it belongs. Once you have all the timing parts and IP secure, and before you install the water pump, rotate the engine by hand and listen. You should hear no metal/metal rubbing (other than the pistons, if at all, but it's normal).

[80Sierra]

Alright, I'll order some new gaskets up this weekend and take it back off again. I set the timing marks for the chain cogs at 12:00 each, and the timing gear for the injection pump with the marks together, 6:00 for the upper gear and 12:00 for the lower gear.

I did not hear any rubbing in the engine until after I installed the water pump on top of the timing cover.

[80Sierra]

Well, I pulled the water pump and timing cover off. Found a little piece of casting that was sticking out on the impeller, quick touch with the die grinder to smooth it out and no more rubbing. The other sound I heard was the IP gear touching the little plate that sits between the chain gear and IP gear. The IP wasn't torqued up all the way, nor was it centered, so it wasn't centered all the way and rubbed a bit. Lining up the IP marks, then torquing the nuts down seems to have fixed that problem.

Anyways, no more noises after re-assembly. Just for kicks I tried putting the turbo manifold on with the stock 82 injectors, and yeah, no way thats gonna work. Gonna start saving my pennies to get a set of 6.5L heads, Felpro gaskets and ARP studs. I already have a set of rebuilt 6.5L injectors for the new heads, and a new set of 60g glow plugs.

That said, the heads etc are out of my range of buying power right now, since I am busy at school, so I might just toss my stock J-code intake on it and install it as a naturally aspirated engine for now, then turbocharge it later on.

Here are a few pics from a few days ago before I got the oil pan etc installed. The intake isn't bolted on, just sitting there to look pretty :)

http://www.zieglerdigital.ca/public/pictures/6.2td/001.jpg

http://www.zieglerdigital.ca/public/pictures/6.2td/002.jpg

http://www.zieglerdigital.ca/public/pictures/6.2td/003.jpg

http://www.zieglerdigital.ca/public/pictures/6.2td/004.jpg

[Busted]

Hey Russ, how are things coming on "The Project"? I keep running into snags, but I think it's going to fire up within the next week or so . . . hoping for the best :eek:

[veager]

just a quick one
I built a old style 6.2 with 6.5 exhaust manifold before, I think I had 3 exhaust gaskets in there to clear the injectors.
It maybe not the most desirable way to go but it works

[80Sierra]

I've made a bit of mild progress on it in the last couple weeks in the form of finishing up with cleaning all the brackets, accessories and setting up the wiring etc but I am at a stand still until I figure out what I'm gonna wind up doing with the heads.

Byron, I dropped those heads I bought off you off at the machine shop a few weeks ago. They said they'd clean them up and check how deep the cracks go when they get the chance and will get back to me. I probably won't wind up using them though, I'd feel bad bolting them on if I didn't replace all the valves, springs, retainers, keepers etc with new valve guides, and a seat clean up. I'd also like to get the little tubes machined in and the mating surface machined.

Chances are that'll come to a major expense, so I may wind up having the turbo pre-cups removed from the old 6.5L heads and have them installed into those DSG heads that fella you bought the head studs from has. I'd feel better with a brand new casting, new valves etc along with a set of head studs and gaskets designed for a turbocharged engine.

Either way, I'm still on track for my May deadline as far as I am concerned. Once I get the heads figured out, it'll be an afternoon ordeal to get it all bolted together and running.

[gophergunner]

looks awesome russell!!!

i still much prefer that Detroit Diesel Alpine Green for my engine:p

but looks nice, and hope all goes well to make it run

now i feel like doing this and throwin a 6.2/6.5 into my old 1970:rolleyes: