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1ST PROJECT :-)

J

J_K son

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Lancaster PA
Hey guy
I thinking of doin my first project on my own for the most part. My dad been holding a 1986 1/2 Buick regal limited and since we put a cummins in his suburban, we have a 6.5TD just sitting on the shelves and I wanted to put it back to work. I want the best for me since I'm only 16 and I need something reliable and good on fuel mileage. What do you guys think and what other information do you need to help me out so I can start lookin and prep before I get into this big mess.
Thanks Aaron
 
There is a 4911 IP forsale in the classifides you might want to take a shot at.

You need to be sure the block is good, no cracked main webs.

A turbo will be a challenge but it would be cool for sure.

Not sure but you might want to hunt down a sturdier rear axle or regear the one you have
 
Yes I want the turbo but I'm trying to keep it under the hood. I also read the whole thing on the camaro but thanks for letting me know about it. I know the rear isn't goin to hold up but I think I can hold tht off for a little hopefully n thanks tanman_2006 for letting me know about the classified. Also the 6.5 I have came out of a 1995 Chevy suburban
 
The year doesnt matter on the block really, miles and cracks are the big killers. If you run near stock power then you could likely run to 250-300,000 before things fly apart but while the engine is out you might as well see what you have to work with. WARNING: you might not like what you see though.
 
Well I have to rebuild it since its down to bare block n I think my dad wrote down the mileage but we put it out. I'm really lookin for a good trans tht will hold up.
 
If you want something easy on fuel Id put a 6.2 in it. They had bigger valves and leave the turbo off. You could use the 6.5 block and put 6.2 heads on it with the big valves.
 
You can still get good mileage with a turbo, Cody's Camaro got close to 30 at times IIRC.

If you are rebuilding the engine get it magnafluxed first so you know it is crack free. You haven't said whether you have done that yet so i am just making sure you are aware that even a block out of a running truck can have cracks.

There are alot of good tranny's out there that bolt right up to a 6.5. 4l80 is what was in your burb and is in all our automatic trucks, they can tow heavy, race, and have OD for mileage. If going manual then NV4500 is what you are after but it is hard to race those tranny's. Since you are starting with nothing then you can try tranny's that haven't been done but should work like the 6l80 (6 speed, not allison) but it might be even bigger than the 4l80 so fitting it in there might be tough.

Nothing is just gonna slide into place on the car, You might end up modifying the oil pan, frame rails, motor mount locations, hood, tranny tunnel, crossmembers, and ???? You will have a SWEET car when its done though!
 
I was goin to magnafluxed the block to make sure especially if I'm not planning to keep it stock lol also I'm tryin to get an all in one trans because its alrite an automatic. I hope it goin to be a great car whn I'm done doin all this work in it but I'm goin to post pics of the engine bay later to see if tht goin to help at all.
 
A 4l80 is an easy way to go. You can find one behind any 1/2 ton diesel and 3/4 ton or 1 ton v8 gas or diesel 93-00 (not sure on the begining year) gmt 400 for cheap. If its from a gasser than you will need a diesel torque converter. They are pretty tough in stock form, the one in my Z71 has 265K miles and shifted OK until recently (high performace tune is gonna kill it), I still expect it to last close to the 300K mark, if i start driving conservative again, before i pull it out for a rebuild.

Find one from a 2wd, rebuild it (maybe with upgrades), and install a diesel torque converter and you should be good to go.
 
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