I am a long time owner of an 88 iroc with the 5.7 in it. The engine hasnt ran for years and the car is just sitting in my yard covered. I want my old car back but lately have been looking into buying something to drive me back and forth to work (120 miles round trip). On my search to find something with great fuel mileage I came across an old datsun truck that had an Isuzu diesel engine put in it that the owner claimed got 50mpgs. The truck was not worth my time but gave me an idea...

I have always wanted to put a diesel in my car but worried that the cummins or d0max torque would blow the T-tops and do nothing more that give me a headache. Now Isuzu had made a diesel engine with turbo (between 2.2 and 3 litre I believe). I was wondering if this would work. Not too much torque but enough and plenty of mpgs (dont want to get into a battle about mpgs here just stating) So, whats everyones thoughts??? Thanks and I know the 5.7 is awesome... just not for 120 miles a day at these gas prices.

 

i am thinking about a 4.8 or 5.3 lsi engine for the same reason.i don't need to go fast anymore.i just need enough power to merge into traffic and to be able to afford to drive to the car shows.

 

The first question you have to ask yourself, what do you need to get for mileage? I have seen a cummins 4bt in a first gen, that got down pretty good but that is 4 litre 4cly that weighs 850lbs thats big block territory! I personally would never abortionize a third gen with some heavy *** deisel motor! If its acceptable to at 25-27 mpg that could be done with a t56, the right gear and a light foot. If you need anything more than that, pick up an econobox! Hate to say it but a sentra or civic would get 38 plus all day long! and thats regular, so if ya did the math you would prolly have to get 50 plus with a diesel to make it worth it. just my 2 cents.

 

$1500 econobox for the daily grind. cheap tires, cheap brakes, cheap on gas, cheap on taxes, cheap on insurance, reliable as all get out.

make the fbody nice and park it till the weekend.

 

Anything can be made to fit and work with enough time, money and fabrication skills but you should never be asking if it will work.

If you think you can do the swap then go ahead and do it. Make sure you do a good write up with lots of pictures to show how you did it.

Other than having something different than everyone else, chances are in the end, it wasn't worth the effort or it cost you more than what it would cost to buy some old beater.

 

It's not that the DuraMax would hurt the car, it's that it doesn't even fit. Look at lunati397's build thread. I've bolted in the older GM 6.2L diesel, NO challenge other than the oil pan and the radiator hoses. Not running yet, but it was done in a 4th gen Z28 that claims 40 MPG with 2.73:1 and 700R-4, which was my idea before I found out about that. The issue here is that you're not getting over 200 HP even with a turbo, both because of the stock injection pump, and because of the main web cracking that will develop. There's a lot to recommend a second car like a Cavalier, but there's something to be said for having a 40-MPG diesel third-gen. The 6.2 is about the same size and weight as a BBC, such as a 454.

 

if you can find one for a halfway decent price, a '92-95 civic vx is the cats meow. i am running that drivetrain in a '90 civic hatch, and it knocked down 54mpg the other week. when im not trying to get good mileage, it normally gets 46+. 13" tires are cheap, too. lol
also a crx hf is good.

 

You hit the nail on the head that everything about a Civic like ride is cheap (car, insurance, maintenance) and I was even going to mention to get something with 13" or 14" tires. All around......easy on the pocket book. Then go hog wild on a build. But as Alky said, you better just want to do it for the fun as it will be an expensive adventure with not as much resale value.

Yes, the 6.2L were not great diesel performers, but they were noted for low horsepower, but great fuel mileage. Performance diesels only recently came into the scene. If you stay Chevy, any D-max can be made to perform.......very well.

 

I've had the ISUZU diesel, in n/a and turbo form. 2.2 liters in the trucks sold in the US. The 3.9 liter and larger engines were in larger delivery trucks. Way too many fitment issues. They fit pretty good into chevy trucks though.

Other than a 6.2/6.5 GM diesel V8, you're gonna have large fitment issues.

 

Go find yourself a good Volkswagon Golf(Rabbit) TDI (manual tranny) from the late '90s to 2005. I own one, it's my around town/commuter/daily driver. I get 36-38mpg in town, 48 to 50mpg on the highway. Not a fast car, but cheap and fun to drive with a 5 speed manual.

 

I was stupid and bought an 05 dodge ram with the 5.7 hemi... I guess 13 mpg ain't bad compared to what the 383 is drinkin

 

We also have the bus, saves everything for the weekend.