Changing My 6.2l Diesel With 350

[dionesis99]

I have a 1983 chevy 6.2L diesel and I threw a rod. I want to put in a 350 gas motor but not sure how much it will cost. Does it bolt right up and I just need to change my torque converter, flush my gas system and do some wiring? I could really use some input on this, thancks.

[crashz]

My 1983 K2500 was a 6.2L and I swapped a 454 in place. Direct swap. I used the hot wire from the injection pump for ignition, flushed the fuel lines and even used the diesel torque converter and governor. Had to fiddle a bit with the vaccum settings to get it to shift right. Even the mounts were perfect. I used an electric fuel pump and external pressure regulator. It ran beautiful, till I swapped a Holley in place of the original Q-Jet.

Its an easy swap, and probably as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. You did not mention the transmission: If its got a 400, its a matter of bolting it up with the correct SB torque converter and governor and supplying a vaccum source to a new modulator. A 700R4 may be more difficult. The converter would have to changed, and the throttle cable would have to be adjusted correctly. Don't know what else with that transmission.

The down side to the swap that I did:

- The truck looks hacked together. Admittedly, I did a horrible job. It was my daily driver and I was young and sloppy. I cringe when I look at the hack job that I did to that truck. Someday soon I will make it all better.
- No emission system so the smell is very bad. Worse than as a diesel. Definately worth the extra time and effort to at least install cats, and a vapor recovery system. I love old cars, but as a daily driver, it made my eyes water all the time.
- I never had time to put a proper exhaust on it. It would have been a few bucks to make it right. Truck was off the road a few years after, and I haven't done anything to it since.
- Fuel economy was horrible. At the time I did the swap, gas was $0.96 per gallon. At 6 mpg, I thought the truck was ridiculous then. I'm saving for a Cummins swap now.
- Power was a little bit better, but not worth cutting fuel economy to a third of what the 6.2 was.

[john8662]

Sell the Diesel truck as it sits to someone to wants to put in the wrench time to make it right, or part it down.

Buy yourself a Gas 350 truck. Chances are if you pick up a stone and chunk it in any direction you'll likely hit a gasser truck.

Conversions either way are really not worth the time and effort and the final result will be a truck that's not reliable and you'll be selling in short order after the conversion. Just buy what you want.