O.K., this post is related to fishing in that this is the type of motor that gets me to my fishing spots, and tows my boat everywhere. If you need to, pretend that this motor is in my boat.

That said, I'm looking for info about rebuilt 6.2L GMC diesels.

My beloved '83 GMC van, which has a 6.2L diesel with 300,000 miles on it, has started to finally crap out. I was on my way home from Seattle last night, and my coolant light came on. I stopped to check it out, and there was a little bit of oil in my coolant overflow tank. I think it's probably a head gasket or a cracked block, so I'm looking into my different options. I'm wondering if anyone out there has rebuilt one of these motors or bought a rebuilt one... any suggestions? The engine developed a "tap-tap" sound about three months ago, I thought it was a lifter or something, and hoped I would make it through the summer. The weird thing is that other than the "tap-tap" noise and the coolant light coming on, the engine runs fine... it does not run rough, no steam is coming from the exhaust, it just purrs along like normal.

I would get a newer rig, but this is a conversion van that I've had for 8 year, I really like it, and I'd have to say I'm attached to it.

Any help would be appreciated, email me if you'd like.

-N.

It sounds like that was a good motor for you.Some other people I know had problems with them.I bet they are quite spendy to rebuild or replace.Have you considered doing a gas conversion to it.I don't know for sure how difficult it would be.I wouldn't think too bad.and it might be a heck of a lot cheaper.I may be way off,but it might be worth checking into.

if you want to stay with the 6.2, you need to find someone real good to rebuild it. I would look into finding one with a turbo, it makes a huge diffrence. Some people put the 6.5 pre 95 in as a replacement, some put in a cummins. The gas conversion is an option but it will cost you in fuel milage.

I had a 1982 6.2l deisel blazer 4x4.The 6.2l
is a genuine piece of $heeeat.I'd either switch to a 350 or 454.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

The only place I would look to for a rebuild is H&H Diesel in Fife. They are a bit spendy but you will never worry about it again. Probably somewhere along the lines of 3-4K for the whole job but like I said, you won't have to worry about it anymore. The other option is buying an engine from a wrecked vehicle. If you do that I'd recommend an upgrade to the 6.5L.

I've been in your shoes and had to bail on the truck because of the costs but I too sure liked that rig. Good luck.

Yeah, I've been thinking about the 6.5L upgrade... anyone know offhand if it will squeeze into that van's frame? The 6.2L is a pretty tight fit as it is...

-N.

The 6.5 is pretty much the same block and heads assembly as the 6.5L engine. There are only a few differences, that being bore size, different rear main seal, and heavier castings. Overall it's a stronger engine but it's built on the same platform as the 6.2 so it should fit no problem.
I think there are some differences in the vacuum pump location and maybe some other external stuff but it's been a while for me so I can't quite remember. H&H can surely help you with this stuff though.