where there pre 80s diesel pickups?

[mudhog]

not just chevy but for ford and dodge to, where there any diesel pickups pre like 80?? the only ones i can find are fords 6.9 and 7.3 chevys 6.2/6.5 and dodges 5.9

all of which where braught in, in the early 80s so where there any at all before then in standard pickups??

[Koots]

In the late 70's, some C10 short wheelbase trucks could be had with the 5.7L Olds diesel, but that's about all I know about.

[Macedawg]

my grandfather's brother had an olds diesel..

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5032056481_1203fb351a.jpg

it was so terrible he switched it to a gas motor :lol:

[Koots]

They made many strides to improve all aspects of the v8 and V6 olds diesels, but the damage was already done.

i wouldn't recommend one, unless you were looking for peak fuel mileage and had lots of time to spend tinkering with it.

The 6.2/6.5 diesels are much better, designed by Detroit Diesel from the ground up as a fuel efficient V8 gas alternative. It just so happens to share some external similarities with the SBC and BBC, so it's often cited as a "converted" diesel :lol:

You don't get the mileage of the 5.7 olds, but you get much more power (comparatively).

Anyway, those older trucks are just dying for a swap:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3yohoCqD2E&list=FLeFdmYLA1OWQ_qjnYwe5G5g&index=14&feature=plpp_video

This is one seriously badass truck :rocking:

It would require a lot of patience on long drives though :lol:

[DarkCharisma]

I love how they claim to have millions of miles of testing with the V6 olds. :lol:

[Koots]

I love how they claim to have millions of miles of testing with the V6 olds. :lol:

More like 1 million over 100,000 cars :read: :lol:

[richmond2000]

not just chevy but for ford and dodge to, where there any diesel pickups pre like 80?? the only ones i can find are fords 6.9 and 7.3 chevys 6.2/6.5 and dodges 5.9

all of which where braught in, in the early 80s so where there any at all before then in standard pickups??
late 70's dodge used Mitsubishi diesels
and IHC used NISSAN/UD diesels

[phoebeisis]

In 1973 we had the OIL EMBARGO -a response of the Arab oil producers to the 1973 Yom Kippur Arab/Israeli war.We resupplied the Israelis-they won(finally-it was a short war but initially things went badly for Israel-lost lots of tanks etc).

It shocked us-gas spiked a bit-there were some gas lines-but it blew over.This did get the Japanese foot in the door however-and we became interested in FE-and really started buying tiny japanese pickups-they were cheap-got great mpg-don't know if any were diesel however.

In 1979 we had a REALLY SEVERE OIL PRICE RISE-it went from 35 cents to about 90 cents in just a couple of months.We had some gas lines-some stations ran out-some states put odd even fill days in place(license plate #)-the 55mph national speed limit was about this time-maybe a few years earlier.
1979 was when DIESEL pickups and cars really came to the USA!!All in response to the HUGE price runup-worse-than the run up to 2008. GM came out with the 5.7-which got GREAT MPG-buddy claimed it got actual 25mpg hy on long trips at 55mph-a gas 350 would get maybe 13 mpg same trips-so the diesel was a HUGE improvement. Unfortunately the 350 diesel was a HUGE problem-leaky head gaskets-fuel problems(diesel tended to have water in it back then-old tanks in ground-and the 350 was really sensitive to it-big rig diesels have some sort of inline water filter to deal with watery diesel-the 350 didn't-but plenty of folks added a water filter)

In short 1979 was THE year diesels became BIG! The 350 olds claimed 150 hp I think-no turbo-really slow- but 55mph limit-so no big deal-most cars were 15 second 0-60 by that time-EPA regs etc-hard to get carbed high compression cars to make power and meets EPA regs-so no hp-HUGE BB's(455 in Trans Am) were rated at 210 hp by mid 1970's

More than you wanted-but oil price runups brought us diesels.
Charlie

[GreaseDog]

1978 was the first year for diesel pickups.

[DieselPower]

1979 was also the year that Mercedes brought their 3.0 liter turbodiesel into the US. It brought a 45% increase in power (over the NA engines) and taught a lot of people that diesel was a viable alternative to gas. Ford and Chevy skimped on the turbo for their initial diesels, thinking that nobody would want to pay the extra money for such little payback. Dodge helped change that (eventually) by bringing in the Cummins engines with their turbos and really changing the marketplace for working trucks. Now you cannot buy a diesel truck without a turbo!

Even the little micro-trucks with their little 2.2-2.4 liter diesels started going turbo during the early 80's. They weren't going to scare you with their performance, but they could climb a hill without losing speed.

I think the 350 olds was nowhere near 150 hp, that's more like the output of a J-code 6.2. A C-code 6.2 is around 120 hp, so the 5.7 (350) Olds is more like 105 hp.

[TheBigMortboski]

My father-in-law has a 57 Chevy 2-ton that I may have to acquire, it looks ripe for a Cummins swap. Does that count?

And I love how that article calls 0-50mph in 13.5 seconds "exceptional performance." Nowadays we call that a "road hazard."

[Chriscon7]

They made many strides to improve all aspects of the v8 and V6 olds diesels, but the damage was already done.

i wouldn't recommend one, unless you were looking for peak fuel mileage and had lots of time to spend tinkering with it.

The 6.2/6.5 diesels are much better, designed by Detroit Diesel from the ground up as a fuel efficient V8 gas alternative. It just so happens to share some external similarities with the SBC and BBC, so it's often cited as a "converted" diesel :lol:

You don't get the mileage of the 5.7 olds, but you get much more power (comparatively).

Anyway, those older trucks are just dying for a swap:

This is one seriously badass truck :rocking:

It would require a lot of patience on long drives though :lol:
DETROIT FTW
i want an old 453t so bad

[phoebeisis]

13.5 sec 0-60 would have been rocketship performance for an 80's diesel pickup!!
Most cars were maybe 15 seconds-plenty-say a Auto Trans Chevette were 20 second 0-60.
My buddies 350 diesel Suburban-early 80's-was over 20 seconds 0-60.He did swear up and down that it got an ACTUAL 25MPG at 55mph on long interstate trips to Disneyworld.
This is pretty spectacular-but I think the 1988 version-maybe a 6.2 non turbo diesel got even better mpg-rated 22mpg hy- slightly better than current 2wd 1/2 ton Suburbans.It might have gotten 25mpg at 60 mph-
My 1998 will get 21 mpg at about 62mph on long trips- it is rated 17mph hy.

DieselPower-yeah memory plays tricks-150hp was what my D100 (dodge pickup) claimed with the 318 V-8- a non turbo diesel of the same size would have been waaay down power wise to a spark V-8.

Since my 1998 Suburban gets 21mpg at 62 mph(rated 17mpg hy)-I would bet a smallish TD-3.5 LITER 6-could get 28mpg hy.
But the 1/2 ton spark motors are sooo good soo efficient so easy cheap to maintain I just don't see us getting a smallish(3.5-4.0 LITERS) TD V-8 or V-6- just too expensive-the 2 mode hybrids get great city mpg-horrendously expensive-but if mpg is a huge concern-they are already in production-why build an almost as expensive TD?
Charlie

[robotic_junky]

Pencil injector Olds. 350 had 125 hp. Poppet injector Olds. 350 had 105 hp.
0-60 is around 20 seconds. Bad gearing and no overdrive was part of the reason for being slow. Some cars had 2.41 gears, the trucks had a little bit better, but not much.

[richmond2000]

13.5 sec 0-60 would have been rocketship performance for an 80's diesel pickup!!
Most cars were maybe 15 seconds-plenty-say a Auto Trans Chevette were 20 second 0-60.
My buddies 350 diesel Suburban-early 80's-was over 20 seconds 0-60.He did swear up and down that it got an ACTUAL 25MPG at 55mph on long interstate trips to Disneyworld.
This is pretty spectacular-but I think the 1988 version-maybe a 6.2 non turbo diesel got even better mpg-rated 22mpg hy- slightly better than current 2wd 1/2 ton Suburbans.It might have gotten 25mpg at 60 mph-
My 1998 will get 21 mpg at about 62mph on long trips- it is rated 17mph hy.

DieselPower-yeah memory plays tricks-150hp was what my D100 (dodge pickup) claimed with the 318 V-8- a non turbo diesel of the same size would have been waaay down power wise to a spark V-8.

Since my 1998 Suburban gets 21mpg at 62 mph(rated 17mpg hy)-I would bet a smallish TD-3.5 LITER 6-could get 28mpg hy.
But the 1/2 ton spark motors are sooo good soo efficient so easy cheap to maintain I just don't see us getting a smallish(3.5-4.0 LITERS) TD V-8 or V-6- just too expensive-the 2 mode hybrids get great city mpg-horrendously expensive-but if mpg is a huge concern-they are already in production-why build an almost as expensive TD?
Charlie
I believe any 0 to 60 times are ZERO to FIFTY times and that makes a difference
and look @ the FE offered in the sprinter Vans using 2.7 or 3.0L common rail turbo intercooler Diesel

[phoebeisis]

Yeah those Sprinters-with tiny 5 and 6 cyl TDs-pushing heavy vehicles- is very good.
On the other hand the newest Ford 6.7 TD pickups 4x4 but in 2wd get an actual 25mpg at 60 mph on a level hy(unloaded of course)-the Duramax is just a couple of mpg down unladen(and might actually be very slightly better loaded or towing)-this is according to folks at clean mpg a mpg forum I spend time on.
Even work trucks spend most of their lives lightly loaded or unloaded-so no load FE is important.

[Fast305]

Yeah those Sprinters-with tiny 5 and 6 cyl TDs-pushing heavy vehicles- is very good.
On the other hand the newest Ford 6.7 TD pickups 4x4 but in 2wd get an actual 25mpg at 60 mph on a level hy(unloaded of course)-the Duramax is just a couple of mpg down unladen(and might actually be very slightly better loaded or towing)-this is according to folks at clean mpg a mpg forum I spend time on.
Even work trucks spend most of their lives lightly loaded or unloaded-so no load FE is important.

Big old P30 chassis Frito Lay vans were lucky to get 8 mpg with the q-jet fed 160 HP 350 in them but got about 15 mpg with a 4BT. That is steeply geared with a 3spd TH400. Put it in a ligher, more aerodynamic vehicle with a 4L80E OD transmission and you are talking 25-30 mpg.

I also have many magazine articles from mid-late 70s. MOST cars were 0-60 in 15 seconds and most even longer. I think a 79 oldsmobile 350 EFI powered Cadillac Seville made 0-60 in 22 seconds. A diesel oldsmobile sedan was about 16 seconds. A 78 Diesel C10 with TH400 and 2.73 gears gave 0-60 in about 17 seconds. Diesel trucks had a ~10 hp advantage over the cars due to a lack of EGR and dual exhaust. Most of them got 307/350/403 gasoline engines though. About the quickest vehicle I saw in the adds was an E350 econoline van with a 460/C6 and 3.55ish gears. 0-60 in 12 seconds.

[richmond2000]

^^ I thought the fastest vehicle in 78 was the dodge little red express truck and a 460 E 350 "super van" averaged 9 MPG @ 55 Miles an hour

[phoebeisis]

I didn't remember that the non turbo diesels had a slight HP advantage-makes sense-spark motors were absolutely pitiful in the mid-late 70's.
When I bought my D100- 318 V-8 its 150hp was actually pretty high for the day-350's were probably making about that!
It-the Dodge 318- had a terrible off idle stumble- many vehicles did.
I bet late 70's Corvettes were lucky to do 0-60 in 8 seconds!
The fastest cars back then were the turbo Porche-but not many folks could afford a $25000 car-my D-100 longbed was $5200 OTD- 1980 Chevette $5400.

[GreaseDog]

I can't imagine paying $540 for a Chevette, much less 10 times that. :lol:

[phoebeisis]

Greasedog- yeah I had forgotten I actually had owned a Chevy before owning this Suburban(dad owned a 1954 Chevy-pissed him off for some reason-replaced it with a real POS 1958 Ford SW-then a 1961 Rambler SW(POS aluminum block 6 cyl-head gaskets leaked heads warped about every oil change)).

Actually the $5400-new-1980 Chevette was my girlfriends(now wife) She bought it at my suggestion because it was cheap-and got reasonable mpg-think it got an honest 25mpg city-manual transmission-in the pure city driving she did.The foreign little cars-Toyotas Honda Datsun- were much better mpg wise-and quality wise- but they were at least $2000 more.
One the 1979 gas crunch hit-the Japanese cars started selling for WAAAAY OVER MSRP!!
The Chevette was OK reliable- the cam belt did break in 1985- 36000 miles-luckily it was non interference engine.
We traded it in for a 1985 Corolla-which with the trade was $8800 !!-almost $2000 over list.
Rick Hendrick-Rick Gordon and Johnson, Junior owner-was a big time Honda wholesaler back then
He got jail time- felony- for making dealers kickback to him to get more high profit Hondas(I think Honda might have been toyota)
Yeah Honda and Toyota dealers made BIG $$ back then-they also pissed lots of folks off by selling for over MSRP- but folks wanted the FE cars-so they paid it!!
The Big 3 just poisoned their market by selling vehicles with poor quality control-they lost lots of buyers to the Japanese!!

Frankly I only bought the 1998 Suburban(for $2950 in 2007) because we were broke(medical debt wife ill poor insurance)-had to sell off our Honda Pilot Nissan Titan.We needed something BIG to haul 3 adults 2 big dogs and 4 cats 100 miles N of New Orleans in case of hurricanes. It had 195,000 miles on it-I expected it to be a worthless gas guzzling noisy unreliable POS.What a pleasant surprise -it has been really reliable(usual parts replacement-radiator brake booster water pump- shocks belt tensioner- intake manifold gaskets hoses belts etc-$1100 in parts)easy to work on also!
and it averaged 21 mpg on two 3000 miles round trips to Arizona-yeah reliable enough to drive across middle of nowhere Texas 4 times!! Best $2950 vehicle I'll ever own!!

Yeah GM has come a long way since bad days-mid 70's-early 90's-when they lost lots of customers.
Chevette wasn't bad for the $$-least it didn't burst into flames like the Pinto!!
Charlie
PS Chevy imported and rebadged the little LUV Isuzu diesel pickup-honest 40 mpg hy(60 mph)!!! Not a bad little vehicle-

[andy howell]

the old '60s dodge one tons got a six cyl perkins diesel. looked like a 185 mf tractor engine. the larger dodges got 671 detroits. they were funny looking trucks with swing forward butterfly-type hoods.
andy