INSTALLING VOLVO (VW) DIESEL INTO '84 CHEVY

[Stephen J Gurd]

Hi!  New to this site and forum.  Have a few questions and looking for suggestions.  
I have a 2.4 turbo Volvo engine made by VW with auto tranny which I intend to put in a clean (rust free) '84 Chevy.  

The Volvo's rear end was 411 while the Chevy's is 373.  Will I have trouble with this arrangement?
The 2.4 is rated at 106 HP.  Will an intercooler be necessary to move this truck and tow light loads?
Has anyone done this and what were your problems and experiences?

Any help is welcome.  Thanks,  Steve

[jtanguay]

torque is where diesel engines really shine.  that will determine towing capacities etc.  i would imagine the engine to have roughly 160 ft/lbs torque @ 2000 rpm or so.

if it is turbo, intercooling + more fuel will increase hp considerably.

[Chestrockwell]

Send the pump to Giles, weld the diff, and find a standard tranny. you will like.

[zooky]

Which Chevy, Corvette?

3100 1/2 Ton Truck
3600 3/4 Ton Truck
3800 One Ton Truck
4100 1 1/2 Ton Short Wheelbase Truck
4400 1 1/2 Ton Long Wheelbase Truck
5100 Cab-Over-Engine Short Wheelbase Truck
5400 Cab-Over-Engine Medium Wheelbase Truck
5700 Cab-Over-Engine Long Wheelbase Truck
6100 Two Ton Short Wheelbase Truck
6400 Two Ton Long Wheelbase Truck
6700 School Bus Chassis
C/K1500 pickup
C/K2500 pickup
C/K3500 pickup
C/K1500 Suburban
C/K2500 Suburban
Apache  
Astro
Beauville
Bison Blazer
Bonaventure
Brookwood Bruin Camaro  
Caprice CaptivaCavalier (1982–2005)
CitationCobaltColorado
Corvette
El CaminoEquinox Chevrolet Tracker
Impala
Kodiak
Lumina
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Metro
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Nomad
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Prizm
Omega
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Silverado Sprint
Suburban
S-10  
SS
Tahoe  
Titan  
Tracker
Vectra
Venture

[Patrick]

Hi!  New to this site and forum.  Have a few questions and looking for suggestions.  
I have a 2.4 turbo Volvo engine made by VW with auto tranny which I intend to put in a clean (rust free) '84 Chevy.  

The Volvo's rear end was 411 while the Chevy's is 373.  Will I have trouble with this arrangement?
The 2.4 is rated at 106 HP.  Will an intercooler be necessary to move this truck and tow light loads?
Has anyone done this and what were your problems and experiences?

Any help is welcome.  Thanks,  Steve

Had a '78 chev half ton a lot of years ago that came with a .308 gear in the back and a 250 ci gas 6 cylinder engine, probably 100 horse or so. Came with a 3 speed saginaw. Had to put a tranny in, so I went with a 4 speed saginaw(had it in stock). Pulled a 2 horse trailer for years. Wasn't "fast" but got the job done. You're looking at prbably the same or more horsepower, go for it! you'd probably be happier with a 5 speed standard (I know I would), but it will work.

[Justin]

if you do a manual trans for it I might have a clutch setup for one that you could have since I will never do anything with it, you would have to confirm that it is for a volvo though, I picked it up in a big parts deal from a guy that ran nothing but volvo's and vw's and its not a vw flywheel and clutch so I think its a volvo unit.

keep us posted cause that should be a sweet ride when you get it done and you could fit a huge intercooler in the front of that truck, and if power is what you want like the guys said call Giles he does nice work

later
Justin

[Patrick]

Had a '78 chev half ton a lot of years ago that came with a .308 gear in the back and a 250 ci gas 6 cylinder engine, probably 100 horse or so. Came with a 3 speed saginaw. Had to put a tranny in, so I went with a 4 speed saginaw(had it in stock). Pulled a 2 horse trailer for years. Wasn't "fast" but got the job done. You're looking at prbably the same or more horsepower, go for it! you'd probably be happier with a 5 speed standard (I know I would), but it will work.

BTW, my current truck is a 4 door 3/4 ton (8 bolt wheels) GMC with a 354 perkins. Might have more torque than the engine you're looking at, but it's only rated at 120 horse@ 2800 rpm, max rpm on the side of the pump is 3150. Truck weighs 6200 lbs, engine has no problem with 3.21 gears and a trans that's direct in high gear. Tires are 23570r16. Comfortably pulls a 2 horse gooseneck trailer, did pull a 31' long 4 horse with living quarters. truck came with a 3.73 ratio rear, 23585r16 tires, and only had a high speed of about 70mph. @ 3100rpm.  Your engine should have a lot more revs though.

[hillfolk'r]

to me it sounds cool...........
one of the best ideas i heard was from a guy  i worked  with....
 he said "put a 4bcummins  in an s10 and have a nice truck to plunk around town with"
you sorta got the same idea,just different :lol:
best thing you can do for that chevy (imo) is use a non gm diesel(thumbup)