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Chinese 6.5 block

GM has multiple parts they get made in China for cost.
Not everything made in China is bad.
AM General sells parts at crazy prices. When the same AC Delco waterpump was available at Napa, AM G. was selling theirs for almost double that the price last I checked. Camshaft was over double. Lifters were over double. Pistons were almost triple.
So… why? They simply want X amount of profit, and assuming have higher operating costs. Shopping elsewhere due to cost is easily a legit reason.
 
$4500 bucks for a bare GEP block

quadstartuning.com

6.5L GEP Optimizer Engine Block

Genuine GEP 6.5L Optimizer bare engine block. Same as used in the production of new Optimizer 6500 engines. This block is compatible with all 6.5L configurations whether they be naturally aspirated, supercharged, side mount turbo or center mount turbo. Depending what cylinder heads you put on...
quadstartuning.com quadstartuning.com
 
93detroit said:
The Shanghai Shaker? The Peking Pulverizer? The Bejing Bully? The Mandarin Migraine?

Time will tell.
Click to expand...
I’d take a gamble on a Chinese block too if I had no choice.It looks like a nice casting.Like Will said not everything made in China is bad.I’ve heard of some guys using those blocks in the past.If the rotating assembly is balanced I feel you won’t have a single issue.
 
Since I just popped back in this afternoon, out of curiosity I'm reviewing some of the more interesting older threads. I have been running a CKO block since 2015 about 50K on it now, I have been away from the 6.5 community for a while, needed to look up some info I had written years ago abut IP timing with MT 2500 and the 96/98 year cartridge vs. what that correlated to vs. tech 2 & GM manual as Snap ON did not use same TDCO number display as GM tools did.

So here I am, the block I have I got from Diesel Direct in Jacksonville FL before they went out of business in maybe 2009 time frame, it was supposed to have come from Jasper Reman, a bare block. I'll have to look around to see if posts are still here about the "project engine" it took longer than I wanted almost 5 years to get it up and running, finished in 2013, but not installed until 2015, I worked for 3 different divisions of GE at the time, by time I was ready to install it, it had surface rust I wanted to clean up and it was torn down and cleaned up before installing it.

It was balanced & blueprinted by a reputable builder here in South MS, a great builder many race engines from his shop, but alas he had diabetes, and has since gone blind. Only issue found with it was line bore was not where he wanted it so he made corrections, he did say he was very impressed with the metal in the cast, I sent out samples to a member here but never got results back, but machinist said it cut/machined like it should.

I'm running Scat Crank, also Pro Engineering splayed main caps, I had bolts installed bolts in the non angled holes torqued them down, and then had cut them off flush to the block so cap & bolts would not be torqueing adjacent/over open hole. Necessary/overkill I don't know, but so far it's working. Balance was done 1st with standard balancer per direction of Fluid damper, then fluid damper installed after balancing completed.

Last Fall I did have to replace flex-plate with cracked out center, but I don't think vibes caused it, transmission to engine alignment went to crap, after last transmission overhaul, (reverse band broke) installers failed to torque bolts and when center hub broke away from plate making awful noise I found all of the bell housing bolts loose.

I'll keep running it till something happens, I have the original 6.5 which was running fine when I installed project engine, the 6.5 engine still running in my 98 C1500 Burb that has been parked now for about 3 years, and a spare 6.2 "red block" engine I got from a storage unit sale for $250.

So I have the CKO block and my CKO ATT modeled after the Mitsubishi TD07-22A on it, I actually ran the TD07 on the original engine a couple of years with my Spearco IC under bumper before going to the ATT which is/was a little faster spooling than TD07, that has been on since 2009, my Burb has one as well. Will it fail sooner or later time will tell, either way I have multiple backup plans for that should it happen.

China can when held to the fire; produce good stuff, my 1st experience with "bad Chinese work" was when GE who I worked for 31 years, wanted to "save some cost" on turbine engine coolers, that did not meet MIL SPEC some leaks at socket weld flange connections. GE's quality got involved, asking why are they leaking, you said you could weld them on...yes we did that;... but you did not say they had to be welded enough not to leak....we can make them with no leaks for more money....grrrr....I wound up on a special maintenance team to go around world inspecting & testing oil coolers, and having on site repair fix the leaking ones, or ones under dimension welded per go/no go gauges. .

For all the "trash talk" about ATT and it being a cheap TD07 CKO Dennis hand inspected each one and rejected the culls before shipping to customers, as far as I'm concerned it did/does everything it was supposed to do, replace the GM-turbo with something better.

Moot point now as they are out of production as ATT, though you can get a similar one direct on amazon/ebay direct from China sold as a TD07 model replacement don't know who is selling them, not Dennis.
 
Turbine Doc said:
... did not meet MIL SPEC some leaks at socket weld flange connections. GE's quality got involved, asking why are they leaking, you said you could weld them on...yes we did that;... but you did not say they had to be welded enough not to leak....we can make them with no leaks for more money....
Click to expand...

Requirements are a b1tch, right ? 🤣

Welcome back!
 
Turbine Doc said:
Since I just popped back in this afternoon, out of curiosity I'm reviewing some of the more interesting older threads. I have been running a CKO block since 2015 about 50K on it now, I have been away from the 6.5 community for a while, needed to look up some info I had written years ago abut IP timing with MT 2500 and the 96/98 year cartridge vs. what that correlated to vs. tech 2 & GM manual as Snap ON did not use same TDCO number display as GM tools did.

So here I am, the block I have I got from Diesel Direct in Jacksonville FL before they went out of business in maybe 2009 time frame, it was supposed to have come from Jasper Reman, a bare block. I'll have to look around to see if posts are still here about the "project engine" it took longer than I wanted almost 5 years to get it up and running, finished in 2013, but not installed until 2015, I worked for 3 different divisions of GE at the time, by time I was ready to install it, it had surface rust I wanted to clean up and it was torn down and cleaned up before installing it.

It was balanced & blueprinted by a reputable builder here in South MS, a great builder many race engines from his shop, but alas he had diabetes, and has since gone blind. Only issue found with it was line bore was not where he wanted it so he made corrections, he did say he was very impressed with the metal in the cast, I sent out samples to a member here but never got results back, but machinist said it cut/machined like it should.

I'm running Scat Crank, also Pro Engineering splayed main caps, I had bolts installed bolts in the non angled holes torqued them down, and then had cut them off flush to the block so cap & bolts would not be torqueing adjacent/over open hole. Necessary/overkill I don't know, but so far it's working. Balance was done 1st with standard balancer per direction of Fluid damper, then fluid damper installed after balancing completed.

Last Fall I did have to replace flex-plate with cracked out center, but I don't think vibes caused it, transmission to engine alignment went to crap, after last transmission overhaul, (reverse band broke) installers failed to torque bolts and when center hub broke away from plate making awful noise I found all of the bell housing bolts loose.

I'll keep running it till something happens, I have the original 6.5 which was running fine when I installed project engine, the 6.5 engine still running in my 98 C1500 Burb that has been parked now for about 3 years, and a spare 6.2 "red block" engine I got from a storage unit sale for $250.

So I have the CKO block and my CKO ATT modeled after the Mitsubishi TD07-22A on it, I actually ran the TD07 on the original engine a couple of years with my Spearco IC under bumper before going to the ATT which is/was a little faster spooling than TD07, that has been on since 2009, my Burb has one as well. Will it fail sooner or later time will tell, either way I have multiple backup plans for that should it happen.

China can when held to the fire; produce good stuff, my 1st experience with "bad Chinese work" was when GE who I worked for 31 years, wanted to "save some cost" on turbine engine coolers, that did not meet MIL SPEC some leaks at socket weld flange connections. GE's quality got involved, asking why are they leaking, you said you could weld them on...yes we did that;... but you did not say they had to be welded enough not to leak....we can make them with no leaks for more money....grrrr....I wound up on a special maintenance team to go around world inspecting & testing oil coolers, and having on site repair fix the leaking ones, or ones under dimension welded per go/no go gauges. .

For all the "trash talk" about ATT and it being a cheap TD07 CKO Dennis hand inspected each one and rejected the culls before shipping to customers, as far as I'm concerned it did/does everything it was supposed to do, replace the GM-turbo with something better.

Moot point now as they are out of production as ATT, though you can get a similar one direct on amazon/ebay direct from China sold as a TD07 model replacement don't know who is selling them, not Dennis.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you've mostly already been where I would like to go! (splayed mains and balancing)
What IP are you running?
 
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