Lookin at a GM 6.5L Diesel maybe possibly..

[Rabbit on Roids]

so, hes going to pay you for fixing it right? if he doesnt i would kindly give him the truck back just like you got it. and keep your PMD and relocation harness.

[maxfax]

THe original deal was for me to fix it, and drive it a few weeks to make sure it works, and he'd pay me for fixing it..  Now the deal is, if he decides to keep his new truck I keep this one and give him $1800..  IF he decides he wants this old one back he pays me for fixing it..

[Rabbit on Roids]

yes. that sounds like a good deal. least you arent going to get completely ripped off if he decides to keep the truck. and if he wanted something comparable to a diesel, he should have bought the 6.2 vortec. it has plenty of power. 403 horses to be exact. but who knows how good of mileage it gets.

[Pat Dolan]

Maxfax:

You and I seem to have the same goals - and darn near the same truck!  I have the same problem with the '97 - just too nice to beat up on, and has 200,000 kms (130,000 miles).

Two comments: I missed your oil leak comment when I first read this thread.  The filter elbow has a pair of 0-rings - and GM wants a FORTUNE for them (may not exactly be a "normal" size) and they bake in the heat down there and are brittle as glass.  Did mine last month.  Head for the car wash and blow the crap out of the area around the filter (take a pair of wheel ramps and creeper with you) and it will be a pleasant task when you are under there to fix.

Second:  I have an electrical glitch that I suspect is casused by one genuine deficiency in this truck:  the electronics in the ABS are famous for failing - there is a relay in there that will stick and drain the batteries, and the solder joints fail with time and vibration.

Finally:  Don't wait for the Olds diesel.   MY ultimate 2WD wagon would be a '94 Caprice with the 6.5 and 480LE stuck in there.  Now, I just need a rust free car and a low mile 2WD rusty or bent truck and I'm golden.

[maxfax]

You know, I've barely driven mine..  My father used it a day when I first got it, and I've barely seen it since..    At least he's keeping it clean..  He got a list of "do not do's" with it..     I've still been very happy with it..   It hasn't missed a beat with the D-tech PMD and relocation kit..  The PO is kinda sorry he parted with it now..

I priced the o-rings, yeah I expected them to be a bit pricey..  I found them online for about $30 shipped which doesn't seem TOO horrible..   Once the weather stays nice for a bit I plan to give the whole underside a good cleaning and take care of the leak..  THe exhaust crossover pipe is looking pretty crusty too..  I may have that addressed as well..

GM electronics in general seem to be rather failure prone..   Back in the day Mopar and Ford ecm failures were unheard of, the autoparts kept most GM ecm's in stock..  TO this day they still seem to have ABS and electrical gadget issues..  I'm glad that this truck doesn;t have ABS though..   I probably would have unhooked it if it did.. 

I watched several Olds diesels come and go.. Couldn't believe the price they brought..  You may have something with the '90s Caprice wagon with a 6.5 ..    Oddly enough I bought something for $400 last month



I hate to screw with it though..   It's got the 5.0L which will live forever and just a tad over 100,000 miles on the clock.. Maybe when I blow the trans out of it an upgrade would be something to consider...

[theman53]

Man I love the wood wagons. Reminds me of the old ford country squire that had the 460 in them. I loved those cars. Buddy had one in high school I think we could comfortably fit 9 passengers with the rumble seat...until we took as much as we could out of the back and had a mattress in there 

[8v-of-fury]

Is that a poor rabbit i see buried in your picture there Brett? that s a sad fate. That is a nice woody you got there

[maxfax]

That's not a poor Rabbit..  That's my full coverage auto insurance..    That was a freebie last spring..  Been sitting for eons..  THe interior is crap, dunno a thing about the engine, and I haven;t been able to get my hands on a title yet.. But the body is pretty straight and solid.. (I'm surprised since there is moss growing int he carpet)   If anything drastic ever happens to the silver bunny it's next in line...  I had it tucked in a shed till the shed went down after the snow.. (It dodged another bullet)..  Hopefully I'll have it back in the dry by summer...

Even though it is a Chebby I'm quite tickled with the woody..  I've wanted a wagon since high school..  They were either too much $$$ or crap..  The one I've had my eye on particulary the guy won't sell me because "I'll get in trouble with it".. It's a baby blue 1968 Country Squire (with wood grain) and a 428cj 4 speed..   All from the factory... I could see why he wouldn't sell it to me when I was 17, but geez I'm old enough now to know how to behave.....Maybe... 

A few years back I picked up a Pinto woody wagon that someone had swapped in a Benz OM615 and 4 speed..  Damn nice swap job till they tried throwing a turbo at it..  Never drove it as it barely had enough compression to smoke.. With too many projects going I ended up trading it for a Perkins engine to drop in my Oliver Crawler..

[Rabbit on Roids]

That's not a poor Rabbit..  That's my full coverage auto insurance..    That was a freebie last spring..  Been sitting for eons..  THe interior is crap, dunno a thing about the engine, and I haven;t been able to get my hands on a title yet.. But the body is pretty straight and solid.. (I'm surprised since there is moss growing int he carpet)   If anything drastic ever happens to the silver bunny it's next in line...  I had it tucked in a shed till the shed went down after the snow.. (It dodged another bullet)..  Hopefully I'll have it back in the dry by summer...

Even though it is a Chebby I'm quite tickled with the woody..  I've wanted a wagon since high school..  They were either too much $$$ or crap..  The one I've had my eye on particulary the guy won't sell me because "I'll get in trouble with it".. It's a baby blue 1968 Country Squire (with wood grain) and a 428cj 4 speed..   All from the factory... I could see why he wouldn't sell it to me when I was 17, but geez I'm old enough now to know how to behave.....Maybe... 

A few years back I picked up a Pinto woody wagon that someone had swapped in a Benz OM615 and 4 speed..  Damn nice swap job till they tried throwing a turbo at it..  Never drove it as it barely had enough compression to smoke.. With too many projects going I ended up trading it for a Perkins engine to drop in my Oliver Crawler..

thats some funny stuff there!

[maxfax]

SOB!!!   I finally found what I've been looking for.. 

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/pts/1665600804.html

And yes I do want a GM 350 Diesel.... I love a challenge..  If all goes to plan I'm going to look on Tuesday..

[Rabbit on Roids]

take and bolt 2 hair dryers on a 350 diesel? that should lift the heads off it nicely.

[maxfax]

It can be done, reliably, and reasonably priced.. Although I really don't wanna deal with turbo's..

[burn_your_money]

Although I really don't wanna deal with turbo's..

That's the spirit

[maxfax]

I went and took a look at the oil burnin shaggin wagon Tuesday night..  Excluding engine issues it wasn't bad.. Before I even saw it he admitted that there was coolant in the oil and it had gotten hot when they tried to baby it home..     I guess it isn't so bad since I figured on yanking the engine and at the least replacing fasteners, rings and bearings..  But now I worry about cracks if it was really hot..

Thinking back maybe I should have just passed on it all together (it's not like I don;t have enough other stuff sitting that doesn't work)..   I ended up offering $400 for it, which is about the current value in scrap..  He had a few others interested in it, so he took my number and will let me know today or tomorrow..