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6.2 or 6.5td which would you recomend for a swap

Jduec

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Location
St. Louis MO
Hey guys New guy here just wanting some input from people who use the engines everyday. I have a 92 suburban that is currently used as the family station wagon. It's 2wd just rebuilt the 700r4 in it and slowly doing body work and interior. I bought this truck for $200 wrecked and drove it home. Now my plan is to slowly gather parts to straight axle it and do the 4wd conversion with a little lift. My question to everyone is should I swap from the gas 5.7 350 motor to a 6.2 or 6.5 diesel. The truck will probably never get used as an extreme mudder or puller more like a daily driver that likes to play sometimes. Im considering the swap more for fuel economy than anything. The motor in it needs some work and probably rebuilding in its near future so I figure nows the time to gather some input. My friend did the cummins swap in his pickup but I dont need all that and Im trying to do this on a shoe string budget. Thanks For any Input you may have Jeff
 
6.2/6.5 are basically the same engine so IMO it doesn't really matter which one to use. One thing to keep in mind is that 6.5s pretty much all came with a 4l80e so if you want to use your 700r4 you should go naturally aspirated for tranny life.
 
The transmission Im not so worried about as my friend works for gm as a transmission builder so the transmission would more than likely be swapped to a 4l80e anyway just due to the added stress. Im just trying to figure out which will give me the best bang for my buck. I've never been in a 6.2 truck but the truck that I use for plowing has the 6.5td in it and it does pretty good being all stock ran to death and abused way more than any truck should. I know alot of people bash the motors but after seeing the one in the plow truck im definately considering doing one of the two. I guess my biggest question is which is more dependable and can take abuse better. As i said I plan on converting the truck to 4wd and with gas prices on the rise im all about better fuel economy. It will get some playtime in the mud but not all the time.
 
it's a crap shoot on durability. the older 6.2s seem to have better durability but they were N/A. The N/A also get better mpg
 
Thats what alot of people have said. The 6.2 i can pick up cheap at the gov auctions here in Mo so im definately not opposed to that. How much power differance is there between the 2 motors.
 
Also My buddy has a complete 6.5 that I could probably get cheap that he pulled to do a cummins swap. It needs an injector pump but thats no supprise. So thats another reason im torn on it.
 
if both motors were NA then not much diff in power. turbo adds 30-40 hp IIRC. I would drop the pan on your buddies 6.5 before I plunked down any cash. even good running motors can have cracks
 
I have heard alot about cracks in the blocks and cranks what are the tell tail signs if these motors failing. I've never personally owned or worked on a diesel but im always up for trying something new. I know anything you get used is just that used. I read that the later model 6.5 had problems with cracks in the number 7 or 8 cylinder. I just want all my ducks in a row before I tear down and end up being the sitting duck in the end.
 
there are no tell tale signs of an engine cracking until it's too late. only way to know is drop the pan and have a look see
 
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