Square body Chevy/GMC need help.

[426 pack]

I am building the new revell 1978 gmc and want to biuld a Diesel engine for it. My question is did the 78 have a 6.2 or 6.5 and what side did the exhaust exist from?

Any help would be great as I don’t know that much about Chevy/GMC.

[Dieselhead]

A 1978 truck would've been closer to the 6.2, even though the 6.2 didn't become available until 1982. That said, nothing is stopping you from saying the truck was engine swapped down the road. They're V8s so you could set the exhaust up however you want, but from factory they were a passenger side exit located behind the rear axle, as is standard on most pickups.

[426 pack]

1 minute ago, Dieselhead said:

A 1978 truck would've been closer to the 6.2, even though the 6.2 didn't become available until 1982. That said, nothing is stopping you from saying the truck was engine swapped down the road. They're V8s so you could set the exhaust up however you want, but from factory they were a passenger side exit located behind the rear axle, as is standard on most pickups.

Ok thanks that helps a lot 

[DRIPTROIT 71]

46 minutes ago, 426 pack said:

I am building the new revell 1978 gmc and want to biuld a Diesel engine for it. My question is did the 78 have a 6.2 or 6.5 and what side did the exhaust exist from?

Any help would be great as I don’t know that much about Chevy/GMC.

The 78 would have had a 5.7. They were basically converted Olds engines. I'm not familiar enough with car kits to tell you what to look for, but if you could find a 350 Olds the conversion should be simple, especially in scale.

All old Chevrolet diesels that I've seen have factory duel exhaust that exits behind the tires.

You should be able to image search 5.7 Chevrolet Diesel, or 5.7 Olds diesel.

Edited March 2, 2018 by DRIPTROIT 71

[DRIPTROIT 71]

1 hour ago, 426 pack said:

I am building the new revell 1978 gmc and want to biuld a Diesel engine for it. My question is did the 78 have a 6.2 or 6.5 and what side did the exhaust exist from?

Any help would be great as I don’t know that much about Chevy/GMC.

Here's a video of one.

 

[426 pack]

Thanks guys. 

I have another question now. I am extending the frame to be a long box and would like to know if they use a 2 part driveshaft and where the 2 would meet up on the frame?  

 

[Fat Brian]

44 minutes ago, 426 pack said:

Thanks guys. 

I have another question now. I am extending the frame to be a long box and would like to know if they use a 2 part driveshaft and where the 2 would meet up on the frame?  

 

They did not use an idler bearing/ two piece driveshaft. The way Chevy and Ford make a long bed truck is different, Ford adds the whole extra foit and a half in front of the rear wheels where Chevy splits the kength and adds a foot in front of the rear wheels and six incgrs behind them.

[dieseldawg142]

.....

 

Edited May 9, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[Fat Brian]

Huh, I've owned a couple of squares and a square Suburban and I've never seen a split driveshaft, I stand corrected.

[DRIPTROIT 71]

As a "general rule" a standard cab long bed 4x4 will have a single rear shaft. Two wheel drive and crew cabs are a different story, and in life there is always exceptions to the general rule. For your project I think a single shaft would be a simple logical choice. My square body that I just got home in has a single rear shaft.

[426 pack]

Thanks for the help guys. I think I will go with the 1 piece driveshaft just to make things a little easier. 

[dieseldawg142]

............

 

 

 

 

. 

Edited May 9, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[DRIPTROIT 71]

6 hours ago, dieseldawg142 said:

this is generally true, a 2wd will have a longer d-shaft than a 4by. but it is not written in stone either, my '77 camper special 4x4 had a two in it, but most 4by shafts usually just have a slip joint or cardan on them.

I couldn't imagine a one piece on my crew....the two is over 8' long....it would only weigh like a bajillion pounds...

if your going just a reg cab lb, yeah, a one would be easier to do. I used a one on my revell snow plow to 1 ton dually longbox..

 

this is handy for making longboxes. works for the revell box too

Thanks for posting those bed specs. I've been wanting to do one of those. Now I don't have to get out the measuring tape on my truck.

 

[leafsprings]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 3:36 PM, DRIPTROIT 71 said:

The 78 would have had a 5.7. They were basically converted Olds engines. 

That is correct. The first red flag on the 5.7  was that they were only available on 1/2 tons.

[Oldmopars]

I have been thinking about doing a 5.7L Diesel truck. I owned a 77 Chevy that I put a 5.7L DX into. At one point I had 6 Olds 5.7L diesels in my garage. I even had a ultra rare 4.3L V6 Olds Diesel. These came in the Olds Cutlass Sierra and the other GM midsize cars. 84-85. The cars had tons of power but handled so bad that for 85 they put an aluminum hood on to try to reduce the weight on the frontend. I was transplanting one into an Isuzu Trooper.

I was a BIG Olds 5.7L nut for a while. Good engine if you got the later DX block.

[Oldmopars]

BTW, if you do go with the Olds 5.7L diesel, make sure you get the engine and the trans from an Olds kit, the trans would be a THM350 with a BOP bolt pattern, not the Chevy bolt pattern for the bell  housing.

The one on the right is BOP (Buick/Olds/Pontiac/Cad)

 

Edited March 5, 2018 by Oldmopars